Season 3: PS3 vs PC. Which is Better?
 

I'm all set to go ahead and buy the latest season of Sam & Max games (actually, I'll have the money for it tomorrow, but that's a minor technicality), but I'm curious as to which platform to purchase them on. I'd prefer to be able to play the games on my television as I could with Seasons 1 and 2, but I'd also like the games to run well. Season 1 ran fairly well on the Wii with only the occasional animation animation bugs that I'd expected from a PC-to-Wii port, but Season 2 is so full of choppy animation and lags that make playing it (especially during the mini-game sequences) nearly impossible. In the case of the second season, I'll just stick with my PC copy despite how much I'd prefer it on the television.

So then, that brings me back to my question. How well does Season 3 run on the PS3 so far? Mind you, I don't need perfection, just a smooth game experience. If it's full of as many bugs and glitches as Season 2 on the Wii, I'll just pick up the PC version. So help me out here, gang! What do you have to say on the matter?

*raises hand* Played The Penal Zone on Mac, PC, and PS3. (Yeah, long story.)

Under normal circumstances, I would recommend playing with the computer hooked up to the TV. But otherwise ...

Other than some lag in areas like Straight & Narrow -- or any environment with a number of things going on in the background at once, really -- the PS3 version plays rather smoothly. In fact, I'd say it's loads better than the Season 1 Wii port, which I also played. You'll notice some audio glitches in the first act, but those seem to exist across all platforms and are pretty minor compared to the dialogue clipping from seasons past. The PS3 controls work nicely as well.

In this case, the PS3 might be the way to go.

Well I can't speak for the PS3 performance-wise, I've only played it on the PC and it runs great for me. Also, if you buy the PS3 version sure you get an extra psychic power, but us PC-customers have been promised "something even cooler", whatever that may be :)

Those are not audio glitches, those are extremely poor machine gun SFX.

Yeah, I hate 'em too...

D'oh! Yeah, Hassat's right. I'd forgotten this was explained elsewhere.

I have the PS3 version, the graphics look great and is nice controlling Sam & Max with the gamepad.

You also get a secret superpower when you finish the game; trophies, which give more replayability, and a nice price tag (I bought it at 21.99 Euro).

Keep in mind that if you buy the PS3 version, you don't get the DVD.

Hmmm... The PS3 option is sounding like my best bet here.

Another thing: the PS3 version has no real compromises in terms of graphics. So, for example, you won't get the downgrading of certain textures to lower resolutions like in the Wii ports.

Ps3: After hearing about other Telltale console ports I was a bit worried, but the PS3 version runs smoothly. I had no problems at all. The game plays fantastically with a controller. Looks great on a big TV. Easy choice for me!

I watched people playing it on a PS3, solved it on a PC and played around on the Mac.

PC is the winner due to that i don't like to play such type of games with a controller, which means no PS3 and because the graphics were too slow and offered less convincing AA on da Mac.

The PS3 has FAR better controls than the PC/Mac versions. Although, loading screens are a little longer...

Well if you want you can just put your xbox 360 controller on the pc and you can play it with a controller on it.

Having played it on both I'd give a slight edge to the PS3, but if you prefer the mouse/keyboard over the controller setup (which is pretty damn near perfect IMO) and you have a setup the hardware to play it on PC (I have to give the nod to the PC on graphics, something about it just seems crisper or something) then I'd go that way.

Edit: Because I like these:

Graphics: PC
Sound: Draw
Controls: PS3 (or draw with a working PC gamepad; but that's my preference)
Loading: PC
Stability: Draw (Lean towards PS3 due varying on setup, though on mine I'd go PC)
Features: PS3 (for now, the collector's disc might tip this already for some)

This is what I did, struggled through Monkey Island using mouse/keyboard and gave up 10 minutes into the Penal Zone and just had to go out and buy a controller. Much better in my opinion.

I'd probably simply recommend the PS3 version, although I like having all my games here on the Telltale site.. and do you miss out on the DVD, etc, by buying the PS3 version?

As far as I know, yes, yes you do.

Also on PC right now you can get the Devil's Playhouse and Puzzle Agent for less than you'd pay for Devil's Playhouse alone on PS3.

the graphics on the ps3 were no match to the pc... On the Playstation I experienced jagged lines instead of the smooth outlining on my pc. A friend of mine experienced no such thing on his PS3, maybe this is because I have my PS3 connected to my pc screen, which has a 1680 x 1050 instead of the full hd 1920 x 1080 of my friends tv, and has to compress the graphics?
The PC version (on a recent model with some cpu and gpu power) loads defenitely faster. which is more fun gameplay-wise.

While I havn't played the PS3 version, I do have a frame of reference from other adventure games on consoles.

Graphics asside, as this is an adventure game, and we all know that, even if we were to go back to sprites we'd still play sam and max because they are a great game series. I personally vote for the PC for control. point and click over "wtf direction do i point to select that item" or "now why is he going down when i'm pushing up?!"..Fallout 3 and VATS mode do this to me all the time and i've had other consoles with games that play better with mice...mouses...i know the animal is mice, but with hardware is it mice, mouses, or what? anyway with a mouse, their better because you have more control over what your doing. not to mention you wear out your hardware less by point, click, relax and sip your soda while he walks over there.

Here is how I go for it.
Does your PC suck(yes for me)
Get PS3 version
Do you own a PS3(no for me)
get the PC version
does your PC suck, and you dont have the PS3(me:()
Then get the PC version and hope for the best(I was able to play at graphic settings 1, they were very choppy, but it played.)

I'd say PC, at least if you're still not over the adventure game nostalgia.