Obviously the PC versions, especially the GOLD versions, beat both console versions hands down today. Within
six months of their release however, the console versions of Tomb Raider were very competitive with the PC versions.
The following are observations made on each version on a level by level basis.
Level 1:
Both levels are identical in design, placement of textures and polygonal detail.
The Playstation version appears to be running at a very slight higher resolution,
with full screen dithering at all times. The Saturn version has no dithering
or filtering to speak of, and Lara appears to be somewhat more short and wider
than her Playstation counterpart, indicating a difference in resolution, in
favor of the PS1 version. The Playstation version also has the higher framerate
of the two versions, while both versions chug and drop in framerate dramatically,
the PS1 seems much more consistant than the Saturn version. The Playstation
version also has very dramatic polygon break up in every scene when the screen
is moving, the Saturn's seams are much less noticable, and hardly break up at
all.
Level 2:
Both the Saturn and PS1 version of this level are identical in design and placement
of all details. The Playstation version still maintains a more consistant framerate and higher resolution
than its Saturn counterpart, full screen dithering and polygon break up are still present as well. Under water
the PS1 version has more color transitions in the blue fade effect used to create the illusion of light under
water, and the Saturn version has a real time warping effect when looking at anything through the surface of the
water. The Saturn version is much more subtle with the blue light effect under water, some areas are completely blue
and fade as they do in the PS1 version, and others have more of the normal coloring, but the warping effect seen
through the surface of the water is only in the Saturn version.