OS Editors Mailbag -- 12/30/11 -- Future of Baseball Gaming, DLC, More! - RaychelSnr's Blog

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OS Editors Mailbag -- 12/30/11 -- Future of Baseball Gaming, DLC, More! Stuck

Posted on December 30, 2011 at 12:06 PM.

(5)

@ltw0303 - Do you think SCEA has done enough the last few years to move MLB: The Show forward? What would you change?

Chris -- The Show is the quintessential sports game which is a victim of it's own success. You can only do so much on a one year development cycle and when you have a great game it's hard to force yourself to innovate for fear of messing up the product. The team at SCEA has been trying to innovate enough while also not reinventing the wheel while also trying to keep the game feeling fresh while also trying to keep the quality as is. In short: it's a delicate balancing act which I do not envy.

As far as what I'd change, perhaps just take a few more chances -- especially in presentation. You can keep the gameplay on the same path while doing new things with the presentation each year with new commentary, better camera angles, all that stuff.

@TheBoxicologyst -- Any news on the next installment of Fight Night? What it'll be titled, will Floyd be in, etc.?

Chris -- We haven't heard anything concrete or reliable on the Fight Night series. The plan not so long ago was to alternate MMA and Fight Night every year, so if that plan is still in place I'd expect an MMA game this year and Fight Night next -- but all good plans are subject to change.

To speculate a bit, I bet it's Fight Night: Round 5 -- as far as whether Floyd will be in�that's a question only he can answer. I bet his asking price is way too high right now. It's one of the things that's incredibly wrong with boxing these days.

@11b1v -- What kind of improvements do you expect to see in Madden 13?

Chris -- With the caveat that I'm doing nothing but purely speculation, I'll give this a shot. First, Online Franchise is a must. There are no excuses, you either do it or you simply are going to see your customer base pretty ticked off. Other than that, I'd expect presentation to improve again, especially commentary. Again, if the commentary isn't improved there will be no mercy in this editorial space at the very least. And finally, the gameplay will be tweaked as per the usual -- whether it's good or bad�well that's anyone's guess.

@mothugsoldier -- Why aren't there any 2nd round draft picks in 2K12?

Chris -- It could be a licensing issue (at least I hope) where many of the second rounders aren't able to be put in the game. Otherwise, it's pure laziness and 2K completely dropping the ball. Unless there is a legit licensing reason there are no good excuses that will suffice in my eyes.

@ESG_com -- What are must have upgrades in your eyes to improve sports video games?

Chris -- Two things will make or break the next generation of sports games: real-time physics and dynamic broadcast presentations. If both of those find their way into future sports game titles then our future as a genre is bright. If neither do -- then this is going to become an incredibly stale job soon!

@GSWFan4Life -- Is 2K Sports going to follow EA Sports model on DLC on consoles?

Chris -- It seems EA led the charge on making people pay for DLC extras for their games -- and it seems THQ, Activision, and Take Two are all following suit because of the extra income streams those add-ons represent. I think it sucks for gamers because it means we'll have to pay more to get fully featured games, but that's how it's going to be. I personally think the era of $60 games plus $15 in DLC being a feasible business model might not be long for this world.

@AnthonyCaiazzo -- What do you expect from MLB 2K12? Any chance it challenges The Show?

Chris -- We've said the same thing for a couple of years now. MLB 2K is poised to challenge The Show. Yet, it seems every year MLB 2K finds a reason to basically mess up a golden opportunity. The presentation is there, the gameplay is largely there, baseball is an easy sport to develop for -- it's time for 2K to take that next step with a great baseball game. If they don't do it this year, they're never going to do it.

@RNJ13 -- When are we going to see games for sports like women's basketball, college hockey, etc.?

Chris -- We don't even see college basketball games because they didn't sell well. Unless it is a DLC type of thing, there is just no fan base for anything smaller than that. College Hockey might see a legit mode in NHL someday, ditto for College Basketball in an NBA game or as a DLC add-on. But women's basketball? There's a 0% chance there will ever be a WBB game that sells more than 10,000 units.

Comments

# 1 bonannogiovanni @ Dec 30

Quote:


	Two things will make or break the next generation of sports games: real-time physics and dynamic broadcast presentations. If both of those find their way into future sports game titles then our future as a genre is bright. If neither do -- then this is going to become an incredibly stale job soon!

Wise words!

# 2 dcal @ Dec 30

Quote:


	Two things will make or break the next generation of sports games: real-time physics and dynamic broadcast presentations. If both of those find their way into future sports game titles then our future as a genre is bright. If neither do -- then this is going to become an incredibly stale job soon!

Absolutely, 100% , on the mark with that Chris. That is what I am looking forward to in Next Gen. It is long over due.

# 3 bobtrain @ Dec 30

physics? What's that? LOL. Wait, I want LB's that jump 5 feet to intercept my pass. Oh and the CB with eye's in the back of his head and does a Willie Mays circus catch. But I do want Mascot games. ROFL

# 4 Eski33 @ Jan 1

The only thing I would like to see SCEA add is classic teams, more classic uniforms and Tiger Stadium. 2K's greatest modes were nice. Maybe classic moments.