RaychelSnr's Blog
OS'ers are a rather hardcore bunch.
No really, you guys are REALLY hardcore.
I love you guys for that, but sometimes I just want to scream, "This is a game people, let's enjoy it for that for a bit!"
So I must tell a story about the loathed yet still popular gaming franchise known as Madden NFL Football to illustrate my point.
I arrived at a friends house to watch some elections coverage on Tuesday night -- lets face it, I'm already a nerd so to have watch parties for Elections doesn't lower me at all folks -- and in the corner of the room was a group of peeps playing some Madden.
Not once did I hear words like "jetpacking", "AI", or "control schemes".
No, I heard something a bit less intimidating and a lot more awesome.
It was a strange mixture of trash talk, sports radio, and a friendly game of football between friends.
So even when it was apparent one guy was taking advantage of flaws in the game, the competition still raged.
Right up to a game winning field goal.
The whole room loved the spectacle, and once again I was reminded that games are meant to be fun for people first and foremost.
Sure there are things which plague our favorite franchises which no doubt irk those of us wanting a more realistic game -- I just can't help but notice how many of those people look back fondly on games such as Tecmo Bowl.
Somehow realism has gone up ten fold but our fun with games continues to deteriorate. Perhaps there's a correlation, perhaps there isn't.
That might be a subject for another day though.
For now, this isn't a column with a solution, it's more an anectodal example of how there's a disconnect between the hardcore sim-nuts and the general population.
It's a fact of life which I'm learning to accept little by little.
But let me tell you about that defensive back AI in Madden.......
# 16
Mos1ted @ Nov 5
This is what exclusivity does; when people lack options, they will nitpick to death the only choice that is available. It happens in all facets of life, including politics. Remember back in the good ole days when we had 6 or 7 (yes, that many) football games to look forward to during the summer. Sure, some games were better than others, but at least there was variety; there was choice. For a gamer like me who switched from a casual football gamer to a more serious football gamer in just a week's time, I was able to trade in Madden for the up and coming 2K. Now we don't have that choice anymore. We're stuck with only one product, and it's impossible to expect one game to satisfy the needs of all. End the NFL, NCAA, Arena Football, MLB, and any other exclusivity agreements that exist in video games, and the consumer will benefit totally in the long run.
# 17
malachijohn666 @ Nov 5
Personally, I find that our culture is becoming too fanatic over all. What ever happened to agreeing to disagree on something. If you like NBA 2k11 or NBA Live 10 it shouldn't matter. I just don't know why it has to get nasty. I appreciate the mods here trying very hard to combat that crap, then they get attacked for taking away someones freedom of speech. Not everything in life, and especially games, is meant to be taken so seriously.
Games can never completly emulate real life. Period. So worrying about whether or not a certain clause can be included in a contract or whether someone's socks are not right is pointless. I mean if you are worrying about socks and headbands... you need to reevaluate your priorities in life.
Games can never completly emulate real life. Period. So worrying about whether or not a certain clause can be included in a contract or whether someone's socks are not right is pointless. I mean if you are worrying about socks and headbands... you need to reevaluate your priorities in life.
# 18
mcpats @ Nov 5
Great post! I have a lot of fun playing madden...I think it's a great playing game with good graphics and controls. That's what matters to me.
What is hard to take for some gamers are the popular modes and options (like position battles, newspaper stories, etc.) that were present in earlier editions that are left out of more recent editions of the game.
What is hard to take for some gamers are the popular modes and options (like position battles, newspaper stories, etc.) that were present in earlier editions that are left out of more recent editions of the game.
# 20
DaReapa @ Nov 7
ianlast@ Nov 4 (2 Days Ago)
"That's why you need two NFL games. Madden is great for people who want a fun and loose game that you play head-to-head (or online). But there needs to be an outlet for simulation football aficionados, and Madden just flat-out does not satisfy that. You can obviously understand our frustration, when Madden is the only game in town for NFL football."
Took the words right out of my mouth. There's nothing wrong with having fun with games. It's just that there are certain games where some of us have the expectation of being "fun", and certain games of which we seek exclusively a sim experience. As someone pointed out in an earlier post, certain games are advertised to offer said sim experience but doesn't necessarily deliver. And even worse that that, we are in the midst of an era where choice in certain genres are limited. And personally for me, I feel that I've been deprived of a sim football experience for the current gen of sports gaming. But then again, I'm not really one to harp over disappointment for a game when I know what to expect from it. I just avoid it altogether.
"That's why you need two NFL games. Madden is great for people who want a fun and loose game that you play head-to-head (or online). But there needs to be an outlet for simulation football aficionados, and Madden just flat-out does not satisfy that. You can obviously understand our frustration, when Madden is the only game in town for NFL football."
Took the words right out of my mouth. There's nothing wrong with having fun with games. It's just that there are certain games where some of us have the expectation of being "fun", and certain games of which we seek exclusively a sim experience. As someone pointed out in an earlier post, certain games are advertised to offer said sim experience but doesn't necessarily deliver. And even worse that that, we are in the midst of an era where choice in certain genres are limited. And personally for me, I feel that I've been deprived of a sim football experience for the current gen of sports gaming. But then again, I'm not really one to harp over disappointment for a game when I know what to expect from it. I just avoid it altogether.
# 22
jestep123 @ Nov 8
For me though, it is wrong to label Madden as an arcade style experience. Blitz was an arcarde football title and it could NOT coexist with Madden. Is Madden the greatest football sim ever? However, lets not act like Madden is alone in having issues. The dissapointment comes in that the Madden developers seem to have become lazy and somewhat complacent. I dont understand why we arent seeing some of the things in Madden that we saw in a game that is six years old now.
The point is that now the game has changed. It is no longer good enough amongst consumers to only improve on your next iteration, something that Madden has done over the last 4 years.
My frustration with all of these sports gaming giants is why some of their games are gold and the others are...well, less than that. I get the whole different dev teams under one umbrella but you are still one company. Bash EA all you want for Madden being sub par but Fifa being fantastic. Just remember that 2k has the same issues. Hockey and baseball are terrible and 2k11 is heaven on a disc for most.
I dont get it.
The point is that now the game has changed. It is no longer good enough amongst consumers to only improve on your next iteration, something that Madden has done over the last 4 years.
My frustration with all of these sports gaming giants is why some of their games are gold and the others are...well, less than that. I get the whole different dev teams under one umbrella but you are still one company. Bash EA all you want for Madden being sub par but Fifa being fantastic. Just remember that 2k has the same issues. Hockey and baseball are terrible and 2k11 is heaven on a disc for most.
I dont get it.
RaychelSnr
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