9.1	7.8

Compared: March 20, 2003
Compared by: Mark Smith

Publisher
Black Label Games (PC)
Conspiracy Entertainment (Xbox)

Developer
Starbreeze Studios

Genre: Action
Players: 1
ESRB: Mature

With nearly eight months between the Xbox and PC versions, Starbreeze Studios had plenty of time to optimize this game before the PC release and they certainly didn't waste a moment of it. Just about every issue that gamers had with the original Xbox version has been addressed giving PC gamers the definitive Enclave experience.

Round 1: Control

Controlling your hero is the first obstacle to overcome on the Xbox. There are two default modes you can toggle between but there is no way to customize the controls to your exact liking. The most obvious flaw is that the default control has you pushing down on the right stick to jump. Your other option toggles the jump command to the A button then swaps around the toggle weapon button. It’s still not great, but it is the lesser of two evils. The left stick moves your character and strafes while the right stick is your free-look control. There is a substantial learning curve to figure out how to move forward with the left stick while steering with the right. Pushing down on the left stick crouches which makes it difficult to move around while crouched.

The designers have totally tweaked the control system so you can use any combination of keyboard and mouse to play the game. Never before has a new control scheme totally changed my perception of the quality of actual gameplay. Moving, fighting, jumping, or quaffing a potion has never been easier. The only thing I can possibly complain about with the controls is a lack of mouse in the menus. Unless you are playing with a gamepad you will need to use the arrow keys to navigate the fancy menu system, which can be a bit cryptic due to their unique designs. The PC version clearly wins this round.

Round 2: Visuals

Obviously, one of the strongest features of Enclave is the gorgeous visuals. Frankly, this is the most visually stunning game I have seen to date on the PC. Yes, I know that is a bold statement, but Enclave makes games like Unreal 2 and Splinter Cell look pretty dated and the Xbox version pales in comparison to the level of detail available on the PC.

The Xbox had some nice graphics as well but they are not nearly the same quality. The Xbox was much darker and the level of texture detail doesn't begin to approach the quality seen on the PC. Both versions offer excellent camera control but the PC does it better with the mouse. Your hero will turn transparent when the angle dictates such action.

Again, the PC clearly wins this round and sets a new graphical standard for all PC games to come.

Round 3: Music & Sound

The music and sound presentation of Enclave can be an identical experience depending on the sound system you have backing up your game. The PC version supports full EAX surround creating a very nice 3D environment if you have the sound card and speakers to create it.

The Xbox version supports Dolby Digital 5.1 which is admittedly a notch above EAX and on a sound system with a decent sub-woofer this game can really rock the house. Even though the scores tie for this round I still have to give the Xbox that extra edge in quality, but it's not enough to overshadow the other improvements on the PC.

Round 4: Other Deciding Factors

In addition to the graphical improvements and the increase level of control the PC version also allows you to save your game anywhere, unlike the Xbox that only allowed you to save between missions. This is major improvement and one of the biggest complaints that Xbox gamers had with the original.

Additionally, the PC version has opened up the Dark missions from the very beginning allowing you to choose good or evil the first time you play. The Xbox forced you to play the Light missions before unlocking the Dark ones. While these modifictions are not groundbreaking changes they do show that the designers actually listened to the gamers and really tried to improve the game for its PC release. The PC version easily wins this round.

Bottom Line

The PC version of Enclave is easily the better choice, but keep in mind that you are going to need a very high-end system to get acceptable results. The Xbox version made some bold steps forward in the genre but the PC leaps ahead in almost every way possible. Enclave is definitely one of the games you have to play if you are a fan of the action genre or just looking for that next good hack-n-slash adventure.