http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-2015-borderlands-the-handsome-collection-face-off
Indeed, the experience comes across as quite uneven across both consoles: impressive PC quality visuals are joined by highly variable performance that fails to deliver locked 60fps gameplay when and where it matters the most.
The positive news is that the Handsome Collection hands in native 1080p visuals across PS4 and Xbox One on both titles, featuring image quality in line with the PC version operating with post-process anti-aliasing.
Taking a closer look at the game reveals that both console versions of the Handsome Collection are a match for the PC game running on the highest settings, minus the use of the Nvidia-powered PhysX effects and with a more constricted field of view that restricts the amount of visibility on offer.
The viewpoint on consoles is clearly more restrained, making smaller corridors feel a little more claustrophobic, where the scope and complexity of the stylised environments is better realised. Reducing the FOV option down to 70 on PC delivers a close match to the PS4 and Xbox One releases, though it's not possible to adjust this setting on consoles.
Texture filtering is also particularly impressive for a current-gen console game, with both PS4 and Xbox One using 16x anisotropic filtering - or something close to it.
Borderlands attempts to deliver a top-end 60fps experience on PS4 and Xbox One, but gameplay is frequently compromised with heavy frame-rate drops and regular screen tearing - issues that are more prevalent in the Pre-Sequel.
Borderlands: the Handsome Collection - the Digital Foundry verdict
Borderlands' gunplay, humorous dialogue and intense action is as entertaining as ever, and in many ways this is a clear upgrade over the last-gen console versions of the game. Full HD resolution certainly helps the stylish artwork to stand out more strongly, while higher frame-rates make aiming and shooting feel noticeably smoother too. Unfortunately, overall performance is extremely variable across both consoles, with the experience feeling especially compromised during those intense gunfights that define what Borderlands is all about - shooting and looting. Both consoles struggle to keep things running consistently at 60fps, though it is the Xbox One game that comes off worse for wear owing to the heavier bouts of screen tear.
It's a shame that significant issues mar the experience because the Handsome Collection on the PS4 and Xbox One has a lot going for it. For example, it's possible to transfer save files from last-gen systems over to PS4 and Xbox One, allowing players to continue with all their loot and progress intact. It's a beautiful feature, though the content transfer is locked to Sony and Microsoft's ecosystems, so it's only possible to transfer data between PS3 and PS4 or Xbox 360 and Xbox One. If you're one of the many 360 owners to transition across to PS4 (or indeed from PS3 to Xbox One), you're out of luck.
Log in to comment