NCAA Football 11 -- or how the Renaissance is coming - RaychelSnr's Blog

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RaychelSnr's Blog

NCAA Football 11 -- or how the Renaissance is coming Stuck

Posted on July 12, 2010 at 12:02 PM.

(13)

It's finally happening.

The Dark Ages of sports gaming are coming to an end.

NCAA Football has gone from a game stuck in a weird spot of not horrible quality but sideways movements from year to year to a game which took a monumental leap forward in a single year. Even more importantly, I think we might be on the cusp of a new renaissance in sports gaming.

Soccer gamers have a great title. Basketball gamers have two solid titles, both of which are set to take it to the next level this year. Hockey gamers have EA's NHL, which is the unquestionable king of Hockey games throughout history. Baseball gamers have The Show and a rapidly improving MLB 2K.

It almost feels like the early 2000s again, when sports games improved by leaps and bounds each year and there was something exciting to look forward to each year. It seems like football games were the last piece in the puzzle, since it seems like they lead the pack in terms of exposure -- both good and bad. The only real thing missing that was present in the 2000s is enough games in each sport to make a man go broke. While I wholeheartedly dismiss the notion that competition creates better games (there is no sales or critical evidence to support such a claim) -- it's always good for gamers to have options.

Nonetheless, we are trudging forward in a console generation with 3-4 more good years left in it and it really feels as if developers are finally starting to figure out how to produce quality titles which are noticeably better than their previous generation cohorts for this generation of consoles at 2K and EA.

So tonight, with NCAA Football 11 hitting store shelves to it's highest reviews in nearly half a decade, it feels like a moment of rebirth for our genre. I was extremely worried that NCAA was about to become one of the stalest titles on the market after last year's title showed little to no improvement. But this year? This year is different.

It almost feels like good times are rolling again.

Chris is the Executive Editor of Operation Sports and maintains this blog on the site. He is also a native Oklahoman and avid storm chaser. You can follow him on Twitter @ChrisSnr.

Comments

# 1 19 @ Jul 12

I completely agree with your early 2000s analogy. That's exactly what's felt like the last few years. Spot on.

# 2 LucianoJJ @ Jul 12

I agree about the early 2000s too. The sense that games got better year by year was what got me hooked on PC, then console gaming. As flawed and disappointing as this generation's console games have been, they are still ahead of what we were playing several years ago. The PS3 and the 360 are in their "Middle Age." The developers have a better grasp on how to program for them. They have heard the echoes from the fans for years of what they need to deliver. They cut some titles. They suffered major financial losses. Now you get a sense that the game companies have their backs against the wall, and have to produce. People can't afford, and refuse to buy shovelware with some league logo on it.

# 3 RaychelSnr @ Jul 12

@LucianoJJ - I think the biggest thing is what you just mentioned -- there is enormous pressure to deliver titles people want to buy when they are cutting back budgets everywhere. That 'market forces' pressure is one of the reasons I think there is plenty of reason for developers to create great games. Ask the NCAA Basketball developers how not creating great games with no competition worked out for them

It just feels like the next few years we could be having some great games hit month after month. Maybe I'm wrong....but I get that feeling.

# 4 gopadres @ Jul 12

Definitely. I think the best year for last gen sports games was 2005with NFL 2k5, MVP 2005, and NBA 2k5. This year and the last have been the best for this gen. I'm very excited for what this will lead to next!

# 5 phant030 @ Jul 12

hopefully, but 3D may take visual preference of gameplay again leading to the same headaches as before.

# 6 RaychelSnr @ Jul 12

@phant030 -- call me crazy, but I think 3d will largely be a dud, I'm usually all over new technological trends but this one just seems dumb to me. The real visual innovation will come again when the Red Formats start becoming the norm for TV resolutions.

# 7 bamaCT12 @ Jul 12

i hope your right but i just don't see it like you guys do,

As far as basketball I will not make any judgements on NBA Elite because I have not played it (the graphics don't look good at all), but NBA 2k might be the best sports game out there right now... I love that game

Baseball- i haven't played too much 2k but i hated 2k9 and from the vids 2k10 doesn't look THAT much better,
MLB the Show is a spot on game, it's near perfect however it could use some more features (something to set it apart)

Soccer- the soccer games are great PES or Fifa, can't go wrong with either

Football is what dissapoints me, they still have the tron jogging and still look just flat out horrible when they run, they deffinatly need to can animations and take more of a backbreaker approach, guys the ps2 versions has way more features than the next gen versions, WHAT EVER HAPPENED TO RUSHING ATTACK, PASS SKELETON, ETC...??? Road to Glory mode is flat out awefull btw

ALL sports games need to put the real time physics engine that Backbreaker has into their games though...

# 8 rudyjuly2 @ Jul 12

I'm hopeful NCAA 11 rekindles my love for football gaming and I'm actually still playing it in the new year. Next gen football has been mediocre and NCAA 10 was a big disappointment to me.

# 9 JkA3 @ Jul 12

I mimic, complete, what rudyjuly2 said above me.

# 10 HealyMonster @ Jul 14

youy lost me at

Quote:


	While I wholeheartedly dismiss the notion that competition creates better games (there is no sales or critical evidence to support such a claim) -- it's always good for gamers to have options.

Really? I think, the quality of the games stands as enough evidence moresop than sales. Obviously sales wont change as much simply because thats the point of the exclusive license in the first place. More sales, less quality product. is it not?

# 11 cmurr @ Jul 15

I think game companies, mainly EA, knows that they have to improve on their product every year because that is what their customers expect now. They just can't keep a product on the same level and expect to sell a ton of copies every year without little effort.