But it’s largely the same on current-generation consoles
Control left a mark in 2019: I’m still thinking about it.
It’s hard to believe it appeared about a year and a half ago, but here we are, a generation of console later, and we’re still talking about Control. With the PS5 and Xbox Series X / S editions released today, that won’t change.
So let’s break down what Last edition is in fact. On the PS5 and X Series, you’ll get ray tracking, improved framerates (there’s the option to go with performance or visual fidelity, as usual), better load times, all free updates (spirit) and previous DLC (exactly two supplements: Foundation and AWE).
First: charging time. They are good! In my tests, the loads took about four seconds or less to reach their mark, and the cut scenes, after they jumped, basically load the next section instantly. Yes, you can skip scenes here, so if you’ve already played through any part of the game, you don’t have to watch it again.
I was only able to test the PS5 version of Control: Ultimate Editionand I found it to be on par with a number of other cross-genre ports I’ve tried. Again, the loads are fast, DualSense is up to the task (and it feels great with the emphasis on gun play Control), and the game itself runs extremely smoothly: especially in performance mode.
By the way, the performance mode aims to reach 60FPS at 1440p, which is exactly based on my tests. The “graphics mode” (switching the visual focus of the visual fidelity mentioned above) is 30FPS, but adds a ray tracing at 1440p. You have to choose one or the other, but given how good the performance is (it looked great on previous consoles, especially due to the stylistic aesthetic choices), I can live with it. One note: Remedy points out that the Xbox Series S can only support performance mode.
To remind you, you can upgrade to Last edition on PS5 and X / S Series if you own Last edition on the applicable previous generation console. Remedy was “unable” to create an upgrade path for basic game owners + DLC, so keep that in mind. This edition also still uses the “much newer version of the Northlight engine”, so save the files inLast edition versions are also incompatible. Today hits the PlayStation Plus.
If you are on the fence about the final edition of Control, give Brett’s fantastic reviews for the base game, AWE DLC and The Foundation plugin. It has been on many playlists of the year for a reason.
[These impressions are based on a retail code provided by the publisher.]
