25 FPS frame blended up to 30 = problems

If you’re in Europe and have been tempted to pick up some of the PS2 games recently rereleased for the PS4, such as Dark Cloud and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, you might want to think again. Eurogamer’s Digital Foundry has discovered that the European releases have framerate issues the North American ones do not.

The problems are due to a difference in which version of the game is being emulated in each region. In North America, the games are running off of NTSC code, which naturally runs at 30 FPS. The versions available on the European store are emulating PAL code instead, which runs at 25 FPS.

The PAL version is then boosted from 25 FPS to 30 through frame blending. While this does technically make the games 30 FPS like their NTSC counterparts, it also means they suffer from frequent stuttering not found in the North American versions.

The video up above gives a comparison between the two versions of San Andreas, and at times the stuttering is pretty noticeable. The video also states that Dark Cloud has the same problem.

For those in Europe who’re wanting to play the best version of their chosen PS2 game, I heavily recommend buying and downloading them off of the North American storefront instead.

Face-Off: Grand Theft Auto San Andreas [Eurogamer]