The Home of Sanner
Friday, June 19, 2009
NCAA Football 10's demo reminds me a lot of NCAA Football 09, just with a bit more defense, a lot more turnovers, and pretty much the exact same package otherwise. Maybe it's the fact I have been playing this series for 10 years, but it's downright stale. Overall, it's the same exact game I've been playing for 10 years with incremental improvements. The game simply isn't all that much improved. It is improved, but this isn't a blow-away kind of season for NCAA. That could be a problem for many.
On the other hand, I can't stop playing the Fight Night Round 4 demo (well I've played it three times this morning at least, that counts right?). As much as I don't think NCAA Football 10 is going to be talked about as a great sports game, Fight Night Round 4 will almost certainly go down as one of the top games of the year. I was skeptical about how Fight Night could best UFC, but I am a skeptic no more. THQ's game was good, but Fight Night is simply going to be great.
So what do you think about both demos now that you've had some time to digest them? Am I way off base on either opinion? I (of course) don't think so, but let's get your thoughts!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
One would say you have to adjust for the usual people who will vote in these polls to be as anti-EA as possible, and thus probably weren't going to buy the game anyways. I would say that's a legit claim, but that would hardly begin to describe the reasons so few consumers aren't forgiving enough to buy the game this year.
I personally think the problem is totally unacceptable, and there is no legit excuse which can be offered, but an acceptable fix is being offered in my mind. It goes without saying that this is a make or break year for EA Tiburon football.
While Madden looks like it could be heading for a banner year on a lot of levels, its little brother seems poised to be trying to drop the ball at every possible turn. I will be playing the demo tonight and will share some thoughts on it tomorrow. Hopefully the trends of the last few weeks don't continue with the demo.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Gameplay wise, such small things as ball physics, different swing types, even better putting mechanics, innovation in gameplay overall....they all need some extra time to pin down.
I'd also like for Tiger to take at least one year off so we can get a lot more courses and a better career mode in the game. Maybe even more PGA golfers? I'd honestly like to see both the selection of golfers and courses increase by quite a bit, but time constraints keeps each individual game from fitting it all in.
Overall, if there is a game that is suffering from being completely stale for being on a one year development cycle, it's the Tiger Woods series. I just hope EA does the right thing and releases the next iteration in a couple of years. Unfortunately, I don't think the realities of a corporate balance sheet will allow for it.
Friday, June 5, 2009
I know many hardcore 2K5ers out there will still proclaim blasphemy or worse, proclaim how pathetic it is for Madden NFL to finally be a game worth playing. While I do somewhat agree with that sentiment, it should also be noted that All Pro Football 2K8 wasn't the greatest game either. So part of the next-gen hex for Madden is probably not limited to any single company.
My judgment on this comes from looking at the same videos and digesting the same information you guys have all digested as well. This year's game just looks as if it will play much different. I'm disappointed in a few things for sure. But with yearly sports video games franchises, it's normal.
So officially count me in on the bandwagon, I'm a true believer in this year's edition. If it fails to deliver, I cannot imagine the firestorm waiting for the folks behind the Madden brand. However, I think that's not even going to be an issue when August rolls around.
What do you think? Are you a believer yet? If so why? If not, what gives you (understandably so) pause?
Monday, June 1, 2009
Need for Speed Shift looks like it could be pretty freaking good. We'll see, but I liked a lot of what I saw in the brief moment we got to see the game in action.
Fight Night Round 4 is going to be quicker than Fight Night Round 3...obviously. Video, just as with every other one, was really freaking good. Strategy these guys are talking about could be huge, in short: it has the potential to be the best game of the year. It's launching on June 25, I can't wait.
EA Sports MMA, 2010 release. 'Will feature an authentic and broad mixed martial arts experience,' according to Moore. Vast array of top fighters from around the world. No other details. Not sure what to think about this with no UFC license, but if it's quality, it will be a huge hit.
Online franchise is EVERYWHERE. Did I see an iPhone app? Heck yes! My hype level just went up 1000% for Madden. This only got a few seconds worth of coverage in the press conference (30 seconds or so) but was easily the most impressive portion.
EA Sports Active expansion pack by the end of the year. Most of my family members want one. With 30 new exercises, I could see this becoming a rock band type of thing as we move along.
Grand Slam Tennis and Pete Sampras. Was pretty funny seeing Sampras play the Wii. Game looks to be pretty decent, but I'm not getting the huge hit vibes from it.
What did you think about the EA Sports portion of the press conference?
Thursday, May 21, 2009
I don't think I'm stopping anytime soon either. I may be playing The Show well into October. For a guy like myself, who reviews sports games, it's awful hard to stick to a game that long without getting fully distracted by other titles. So playing The Show strong for almost seven months is saying something.
But what about you? What is the longest you have ever played any sports game? I know the lifespan of sports games in my consoles is comparatively short to other folks'. How long has your longest 'relationship' with a game lasted?
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
With that said, I know we haven't gotten the PunchOut review in at OS yet, but PunchOut comes highly recommended from myself if you enjoyed the original games. Sure, it doesn't simulate boxing in any way. But it's the type of nostalgic throwback that most developers could take notes from.
In my humble opinion, developers should look at how PunchOut was done and do that for any remakes of classic sports games they might be thinking about making. My only gripe about PunchOut! is that there isn't a lot of new stuff in the game, it's mostly the same opponents you've seen in previous versions of the series. So perhaps developers could learn from that and add a bit of extra variety.
However, PunchOut! delivers in a big way. I think I'd like to see other classics brought to the Wii in the same manner. What do you think? Do you want to see other classic games 'ported' to the Wii or other consoles? Sound off!
Thursday, May 7, 2009
I'm not sure where it's going to fall on the scale, because I have a feeling the commentary is going to end up super repetitive as are many of the canned animations, but the multiplayer gameplay has the potential to be the best of the year (Fight Night is looking my way at the very least here).
I can't say for certain whether the gameplay will get to be too repetitive, but I think it feels a lot like a traditional fighter built around the UFC formula, which I thik is a great thing. The presentation is without a doubt some of the best in a sports game today. It's too bad the commentary will drag it down somewhat.
I'm sure most of you have had plenty of time to really dissect the demo by now, so what do you think at this point? Is UFC 2009 Undisputed going to be a top-tier game this year?
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Posted on May 5, 2009 at 05:41 PM.
By most all accounts, we are still 3-4 years away from the next generation of consoles which will arrive in 2012 or 2013. That means that the current generation of consoles will have been in operation seven years, which is a time frame that isn't too abnormal in the history of consoles.However, that means that there will be no huge leaps in available hardware technology for console sports games to take advantage of in the next 3-4 years. So what are developers going to do in the coming years to keep things fresh on a yearly product cycle?
There are two things I think you will definitely see: more polished games in the little details and more robust online offerings.
I think you are seeing the beginning stages of it with this year's sports games, as developers are trying to focus on making their games more polished in the little details. Another thing I would definitely look for is the expansion of online gaming offerings with sports games. Really we have just began to scratch the surface as to what is possible with sports gaming and online.
So what do you think? Where is sports gaming heading for the rest of this console generation? Do you have any bold predictions?
Monday, May 4, 2009
So take this short blog post as a plea to the Madden guys at EA, and take it as being written from a concerned fan of NFL football video games. Please do not over-do the fumble pile. I'm worried that every single fumble will become a button mashing festival. Worse, I'm worried that some fumbles which could realistically be picked up and ran for a touchdown will become a button mashing festival.
Basically, I'm worried the feature will be thrown in our faces in an obnoxious "hey look at me" way. So please, do not overdo the fumble pile. It's a cool feature, but if it starts taking away control from the player in certain situations, expect Madden fans across the country to be scorning the feature.
What do you think OSers? Are you worried about the fumble pile being overdone or am I alone in my concern?
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Let's assume two things before I do this thought experiment. First, the two games are both the best of their genre and sport ever. We're going to assume basketball here to help us out. Both games are incredible games and OS gave them both a 10. They're virtually tied in all aspects except one: one is a simulation like NBA 2K and one is an arcade game like NBA Jam.
Now remember, both games are the best. Before we get started one warning: No copping out with lame answers of both or neither, that's not how this works!. So which do you prefer if you could only have one: the arcade game or the simulation game?
Friday, April 24, 2009
Some of the videos do make the hype machine spin like crazy, but let's be honest with ourselves, they aren't the greatest way to market the games. Now I know I just questioned the skills of a multi-million dollar advertising department with that statement, but I'd just rather see these videos be more substantive. Show us the new stuff, why should we have to dig for new info?
With that said, I do think both NCAA and Madden are on pace to have big years personally, although only time will be able to be the judge of that. However, for once, let's make these videos more about showcasing new features and less about making a cool music video, let's save those for closer to release. Who's with me?
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Posted on April 23, 2009 at 04:27 PM.
The process has already begun. The PC-ization of console gaming began with this past generation with the advent of patching games via XBL or PSN. Now we're slowly seeing more and more of the old PC standards creep into games such as expansion packs and the like.
In my opinion, PC gaming in the early part of this decade was about as close to gaming bliss as you can get, and we are seeing consoles emulate that. Little Big Planet already encourages users to create content, as does Guitar Hero World Tour, among other games.
It's only a matter of time before my console starts fully acting like a PC did in the good ol' days with users modding games to their liking and such. Hopefully sports games follow suit and take us back to an era long lost on the PC.
Let's just hope the crash to desktop issues stay in the past.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Why do all wrestling games insist on making themselves 'fighting' games when everyone knows that the 'sport' is a form of entertainment. Don't get me wrong, I'm not here to bash wrestling with that comment, I love wrestling.
However, the games are pretty terrible today.
Here is my initial idea to improve wrestling games: make them like wrestling. You can include a lot of the same elements as today's wrestling games, but instead of trying to win, you should work to put on more exciting matches to get the crowd into it. The better matches you put on, and the better promos you do (which I'm not sure how that'd work mind you) you'd move up the card.
Why couldn't this type of a game work? Is the WWE/TNA afraid that it'll ruin any willful suspension fans have today? If so, that has been thrown out the window already. So what do you think?
Monday, April 13, 2009
Posted on April 13, 2009 at 01:14 PM.
I'm taking a break from sports gaming today only because I find this so fascinating since all I hear from people who do not like baseball is that they think the games are too long.However, the facts tell a different story. The average MLB Game is roughly 2 hours 50 minutes long while the average NFL game is around 3 hours 7 minutes long.
Furthermore, the action in an NFL game is constrained to as little as 12 minutes while in baseball the ball is almost always in play.
Of course, I must also say that using action and average times of games is a horrible way to compare sports. Soccer beats both baseball and football in both categories but I'm not a big fan of the sport at all.
My stance is simple, I love both sports. But I just found the facts interesting. The main point I'm making is simple: using time as an excuse for hating baseball is contradictory if you are defending football.
So what do you think? Do you use the length of games excuse for hating baseball? Do you find those excuses lame? Sound off!
1,240 Forum Posts
141 Blog Entries
584 News/Blog Comments
10 Reader Score Votes
68 Friends
43 Chalkboard Messages
6 Screenshots
0 Videos
115,280 Arena Visits
MMChrisS's Blog Categories
MMChrisS's Xbox 360 Gamercard
More
MMChrisS's Friends
Recent Visitors
The last 10 visitor(s) to this Arena were:
MMChrisS's Arena has had 115,280 visits
MMChrisS's Arena has had 115,280 visits
Working...