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Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Chris' Shortlist: The Early NCAA 11 Outlook
Posted on March 31, 2010 at 06:02 PM.
I'm going to start a new and constantly recurring series on my blog which I will do from time to time called Chris' Shortlist. The basic jist is that I will list three things about the topic of the day which I feel should be highlighted. With that said, onto the inagural edition of this series: The Early NCAA 11 Outlook
  1. Improved looks - While I know about the longstanding graphics vs. gameplay argument, in this day and age where small details are scruitinized like never before, it's good to see
... Read More
Category: Industry Commentary
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Pay for Advanced Demos? Not for this guy....
Posted on March 30, 2010 at 11:16 AM.
Pasta Padre wrote an article last week about paying for demos and while I've been on the road for the past few days, I have been wanting to touch on the subject he touched on: paying for more advanced demos.

I don't know why, but I think it's a bit of a stretch to ask gamers to pay for more advanced demos (with a basic free demo already available), when they are a demonstration of the final product -- made with the intention to get us to buy the final product. I know a lot of people ... Read More
Category: Industry Commentary
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
He's on fire! Or how I lost to Bo Jackson...
Posted on March 23, 2010 at 12:37 PM.


I love it. I hate it. But welcome to 1995.

It's almost as if sports gaming has gone Hollywood, with no real good ideas you can always dip into your past and recycle old ones. Unlike the last decade where developers tried to separate from their past and create new and exciting concepts this decade seems to be marking a return to sports gaming's roots.

Let's face it, we're awaiting NBA Jam and Tecmo Bowl.
... Read More
Category: Industry Commentary
Sunday, March 21, 2010
One Shining Moment deserves better....
Posted on March 21, 2010 at 05:21 PM.
March Madness is one of my favorite sporting events.

And thanks to a decision made a few weeks ago, I won't be able to live it out on the virtual hardwood with up to date rosters and ratings (because we all know NCAA games DON'T base their rosters off real to life rosters right?) -- at least official ratings. What's even worse is the lack of gameplay getting progressively better and additional features being added onto my experience.

I think, if nothing else, I just ... Read More
Category: Industry Commentary
Friday, March 19, 2010
Gaming on the iPad
Posted on March 19, 2010 at 01:31 PM.
Within a couple of weeks, the iPad will hit consumers hands and yet another Apple product frenzy will ensue. With the surprising success of the iPhone as a gaming platform, it is no surprise many companies will have their eyes set on the highly profitable realm of developing on the iPad.

While initially, the platform won't be a gold rush, over time it will almost certainly become a highly profitable platform much like the iPhone has become. Let's face it: despite many obvious shortcomings ... Read More
Category: Industry Commentary
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
The Show is a victim of its own success
Posted on March 16, 2010 at 01:22 PM.
I'm back and finally blogging again! So for all two or three of you who missed me, thanks for the well wishes and concerns! In case you are interested -- which I'm unsure of -- I was either making national media rounds for this tornado video or I was just plain sick.

Ok my excuses are out of the way...now onto my main point today: MLB '10: The Show is a victim of the series recent successes.

I'm a bit shocked about the negative blowback from many about this year's ... Read More
Category: Industry Commentary
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Chris' MLB '10: The Show Review
Posted on March 3, 2010 at 11:44 AM.
Starting with the baseball games, I am going to review every major release on my blog in a short form fashion with a 1-5 star rating scale for each game. Star ratings do not correspond to number ratings, so to find out what the stars mean check out my guide. These reviews will be meant to supplement our already off-the-charts awesome reviews we publish with each game. The official reviews for both baseball games are coming later in the week. Now onto my review:

And then there was MLB ... Read More
Category: Game Review
5-Star Rating Scale Supplemental Post
Posted on March 3, 2010 at 11:27 AM.
If you are one of the many who mistakenly try to equate five stars to a 100% scale, then this post is made specifically for you. Here is what my five-star ratings mean and how you can compare games I rate to previous games:

= An absolutely terrible and atrocious attempt at Sports Gaming. These are the types of games which create ill will for years to come because they are seriously flawed and broken. Think Madden NFL 06, NBA Live 06, ... Read More
Category: Industry Commentary
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Chris' MLB 2K10 Review
Posted on March 2, 2010 at 05:43 PM.
Starting with the baseball games, I am going to review every major release on my blog in a short form fashion with a 1-5 star rating scale for each game. These reviews will be meant to supplement our already off-the-charts awesome reviews we publish with each game. With that said, expect our man Caley Roark to have his thoughts on MLB 2K10 and the official OS Score by the end of the week! Also, I skimped on some gameplay details simply because I think my first impressions still cover a lot of my ... Read More
Category: Game Review
Monday, March 1, 2010
MLB 2K10 Retail First Impressions
Posted on March 1, 2010 at 07:45 PM.
Just got my retail version of MLB 2K10 and played a quick nine inning game with the Rangers against the Royals. Here are my quick thoughts, I'll have further thoughts later tonight with a buyers recommendation.

The Good

This game is clearly much improved- There is no doubt that playing through my first inning left that impression on me. This game is so much better than last year, I can't even begin to describe it. Much more polished.

No graphical problems ... Read More
Category: Industry Commentary
Friday, February 26, 2010
A New Way Forward: It's a brave new world
Posted on February 26, 2010 at 05:05 PM.
"But I know the truth: there's no going back. You've changed things... forever."

I'm reminded of that quote from the Dark Knight when it comes to online gaming and what sports developers must think of social media. Not only has social media completely turned upside down how we communicate, but it's also raised the standard which we judge the online communities we are a part of.

I know the feeling because as a managing partner here at Operation Sports, I'm seeing it ... Read More
Category: Industry Commentary
Thursday, February 25, 2010
A New Way Forward: Give me some control!
Posted on February 25, 2010 at 04:06 PM.
You round the corner of the line, the green space ahead of you is expansive. Suddenly a defensive player comes near you just as you plan to do a spin move and you are forced into a tackle animation with no hope of a spin move playing out, no matter how good your timing was.

What about the time you drove through the lane and instead of shooting the ball off the back of the backboard you intended to do a lay-up but you were stuck in an animation?

Are you feeling me here? ... Read More
Category: Industry Commentary
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
A New Way Forward: Tinkering with success isn't always bad
Posted on February 24, 2010 at 08:05 PM.
Taking the choices away from the consumer is bad game design because inevitably, there are going to be people who wanted to play the game in a certain manner. Sports gaming has been fighting with the customization issue for quite awhile, not sure if they should move towards further customization or to try to define the experiences for the user.

Customization is the key towards longevity. It is where great games become legendary games.

A game which plays awkwardly ... Read More
Category: Industry Commentary
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
A New Way Forward: Busting out of the rut
Posted on February 23, 2010 at 03:54 PM.
Many could make the argument that sports games have been stuck in a rut for awhile. My blog on this not to long ago, seemed to jive with everyone on the simple premise something is wrong with our sports games.

Sports games can bust out of their rut of incremental increases in quality year over year and become more dynamic both on and off the field.

On the field, sports games simply need to get away from scripted animations and predetermined rock-paper-scissors outcomes ... Read More
Category: Industry Commentary
Monday, February 22, 2010
A New Way Forward: Laying down the base
Posted on February 22, 2010 at 02:33 PM.
I like doing blog series like this. If you didn't catch my preview post last week, I'm starting a new series to start an out of the box discussion on what sports game developers can do to innovate once again in sports gaming. Well today is day one and we are going to be laying down the base for the rest of the week with four principles I think all sports gaming developers should adhere to: Dynamic, Customizable, Controllable, Integrated

Dynamic- Sports are, by their very nature, dynamic. ... Read More
Category: Industry Commentary

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