Author Bio
Chris SannerHome Town: Bethany, OK
Sports: Football, Baseball, Basketball, Soccer, Wrestling
Games: The Show, NCAA Football, NHL, FIFA, NBA 2K
Teams: The Sooners, Rangers, Thunder, Chiefs
OS Username: MMChrisS
Tags: Live: MMChrisS PSN: OSChrisS
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
12:49 PM - September 14, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters' PC and Mac version is quickly becoming a disaster for EA Sports. As Gamespy calls it, the game is "a re-skinned version of free-to-play title Tiger Woods Online."
EA's forums shows customers who are are livid as they rail against the product. In some cases, Gamers are actually getting refunds for their purchase.
While it's good customer service to offer customers refunds of what amounts to a pretty crappy product, one wonders just who thought it was a good idea to release the game in the first place in its current form? This is the type of milking of the customer which many within the community despise big-box publishers for.
We haven't reviewed the PC Version of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 12: The Masters on the PC yet -- and so far no one else has either. Our guess is that the sales are going to be so low, this will be a story soon forgotten by the gaming masses.
12:36 PM - September 14, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
If you want the most current updates, just head over to Steve's and Dustin's Twitter pages.
Here's a stream of their thoughts thus far:
SteveOS - While we didn't get as much hands-on time as we wanted with #NBA2K12 the changes in gameplay are easily noticed. Help defense is HUGE!
DustinToms_OS - Crowd reaction in #NBA2K12 is improved. Fans in front row react to loose balls, corner treys, etc.
SteveOS - The #NBA2K12 intros are simply put, amazing work. EVERY one of them I saw was different. Not the same thing, didn't wanna skip any of em.
DustinToms_OS - #NBA2K12 Graphical overlays in Greatest mode keep true to the different eras. Had an old school NBA on NBC feeling.
DustinToms_OS - #NBA2K12 Legends use rules from the different eras. e.g. Lakers/Celts has no 3-point line.
SteveOS - #NBA2K12 player faces are much improved. They touched up some of them that were already good, as well. Good to see Granger got a facelift.
SteveOS - #NBA2K12 continued... Depending on player, there are different crossovers. Quicker guys have better handles, while the bigger guys are slow.
DustinToms_OS - @Bluengold34 Easily. I couldn't really believe how much it has improved over 2K11.
SteveOS - #NBA2K12 crossovers are more compact this year, just moves more cleaner. In fact, all animations are more crisp. Looks more realistic.
SteveOS - In limited time today with #NBA2K12 I don't want to play 2k11 anymore. Post game, help defense and no forced anims Q&A tomorrow, send Q's
12:13 PM - September 14, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
Longtime OS Contributor Da Czar got some hands on time with NBA 2K12 this week -- our own Dustin Toms and Steve Noah are also getting extensive hands on and Q&A time and will be back with tons of thoughts on the game tomorrow.
In the meantime, Czar posted up a brief post about his thoughts on the NBA 2K12 build he saw:
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Thursday, September 8, 2011
05:31 PM - September 8, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
While it's not exactly our forte, whenever you mix sports and video games (in this case an out of work NBA Player and G4TV) you can sometimes get some interesting results. Al was a part of the Suits vs. Skins segment in Time 2 Sports recently and some shenanigans ensued. Poor Al didn't quite get the 'Row, Row, Row Your Boat' medley process (or did he?). Regardless, here's some fun for you on your Thursday afternoon.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
05:06 PM - September 7, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
Just received this press release from EA:
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Seems Madden has seen a pretty solid rise in sales in week one, which is almost a harbinger of things to come. Despite critics being a bit more cool on the franchise this year, the franchise seems to continually add to sales. One thing I'm interested in is whether the rise in sales is really 10 percent on traditional consoles because it appears mobile sales are also counted.
Either way, sounds like another banner launch for the Madden franchise.
Monday, September 5, 2011
01:02 PM - September 5, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
There were a couple of very interesting stories out of Kotaku this weekend, and one of them was a column asking the question "Are Sports Games Worth Reviewing Any More?"
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My answer is yes to this question. There are a variety of reasons why we should keep reviewing sports video games, but you have to keep a very specific criteria for these 'simulation' games. What is coming out of these same questions here at OS is a type of criteria we are developing to determine what a perfect sports game looks like, then scoring from 10 based off of those attributes.
First and foremost is realism and then also how the game plays. A game which plays with few or no flaws while also being 85-90% realistic is a game with perfect gameplay in our genre. A game with a presentation that looks and sounds like a real TV Broadcast (or like an actual game as if you were there) would be close to a perfect presentation. A game with modes which don't contain numerous experience killing bugs would be close to a perfectly designed game.
In a shorter form: Yes, sports games are still worth reviewing -- but you can't review them like any other genre of games.
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Owen has a great point here in the sense of what do you compare these games to? Even in the criteria above -- we don't exactly have something concrete to compare reviewed games to. But that's largely the result of market forces coming to bear moreso than evil companies stealing everyone else's opportunities to develop licensed sports games.
What do you think?
12:43 PM - September 5, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
Operation Sports, the largest and most extensive sports video game website around, is seeking new feature writers, reviewers and news commentators right now. We are currently seeking qualified and talented sports gamers to join our team of sports gaming professionals.
We are looking for people who are clearly passionate about sports games, and they must also have a wide range of sports and gaming knowledge -- casual fans need not apply. Writers at Operation Sports have gone on to work for such companies and organizations as EA, THQ, Activision, the WWE, the NFL and several major publications.
Simply put, this a great place that connects you to all facets of the sports world. We expect you to reflect the passion of writers past and present. This is an amazing team, and we are looking to add only the best to it.
We currently have two different types of positions open, and we are expecting you to pick one. The first is a feature/reviewer/previewer position. We want you to be able to write about sports games from the perspective of a feature writer and games reviewer. The second position is for a "news blogger" because we are looking to spice up our news coverage, and we are looking for one qualified person to help with this.
This is a paying freelance writing position. So be on top of your game because we definitely are.
Your application should contain:
-Your name
-Your basic biographical info: age, location, favorite teams, etc.
-Indicate if you are either applying for the news blogger or feature writer position.
-Two short relevant writing samples (preferably 400 words or less)
-A brief sketch of your sports gaming passion in 250 words or less. You want to be DQ'ed quickly? Go over the word count limit, we dare you.
-A resume detailing any prior experience as a writer or other qualifications.
-A Twitter username (Not required, but highly beneficial)
-Your OS forum Name (Again, not required but also highly beneficial)
-If you are applying for the feature writer position, please indicate which games you feel you are able to cover the best. Don't just list everything, we won't believe you.
OR
-If you are applying for the news blogger position, please provide a brief blog post sample. Cover the story linked here for Operation Sports.
Get everything together in either an e-mail or within a single .rtf or .doc attachment -- don't send everything in multiple attachments unless you want to annoy us all. Please send your app to me at [email protected].
Your work will be based on meeting deadlines first and foremost, thus you will have to get your application in by the deadline to qualify. The deadline to get an application in is noon (EST) on September 12, 2011. Any applications sent in after, even if you are Hemingway reborn, will not even be read.
We will reach out to qualified applicants shortly after to let you know about the next step.
This will be a tiered and highly competitive application process, as we expect hundreds of applicants. We wish everyone the best of luck and cannot wait to see your applications!!!
Friday, September 2, 2011
03:48 PM - September 2, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
As with all games, we posted a poll for NCAA Football 12 just as it was being released. Not surprisingly, the initial gamer reaction to the game was overwhelmingly positive with 85% of respondents saying the game was good to great.
Fast forward two months, we recently re-ran a poll with essentially the same question. With all of the problems and the patch which still hasn't been released, gamers opinions have cooled significantly. The game now gets a 57% favorable rating, with the people saying the game is bad has jumped from 4% to 20%, a huge increase.
What do you think about this change? Expected/unexpected/worrisome for EA?
Monday, August 29, 2011
02:56 PM - August 29, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
In many ways, Madden NFL Football is the most anticipated, discussed and debated game in our genre each and every year.
The lead up to Madden NFL 12 has brought a new wave of optimism for the series, as many issues fans have had with the series were promised to be fixed, tuned or tweaked. In many ways, the Madden team has accomplished their goals of moving the series forward. Unfortunately, those expecting a return to greatness for the series are going to be disappointed.
Read More - Madden NFL 12 Review (360/PS3)
Sunday, August 28, 2011
03:51 PM - August 28, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
Tonight on the Operation Sports Radio Show, we are going to be talking a lot of Madden NFL 12 with myself, TD St. Matthew-Daniel and Robert Kollars. We are going to break down the game and for those of you who still haven't bought it, you are going to get some early buying advice from us! So if you are wanting some info or are on the fence, or if you want to call in and give us your two cents on this years game, tune in tonight at 8:30 EST!!
Listen Link
Call in Number: 347-843-4864
Tweet Us Questions: @OperationSports
02:15 PM - August 28, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
One of the most cosmetic changes to come to Madden in years are the various presentation enhancements throughout the game. No longer are we treated with bad camera angles and a non-broadcast feel -- we now have something that's finally catching up with the rest of the pack in our genre. But don't get too excited yet, Madden NFL 12 still has a good bit to go.
Read More - Madden NFL 12 Reviewer Impressions: Presentation
Saturday, August 27, 2011
04:57 PM - August 27, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
In Madden NFL 12, Franchise mode is the greatest beneficiary in the yearly cycle of improvements this year. The mode saw tons of new additions, which span across the entire spectrum of the mode, from the offseason, to roster sizes, to team management and more.
Simply put, for our more ADD readers, Franchise mode is now as deep as any of the greatest modes of this type in our genre. It's just that the User Interface is so poorly designed that I seriously think the Madden developers went out of their way to try to make the game be as frustrating as possible.
Read More - Madden NFL 12 Reviewer Impressions: Franchise Mode
09:59 AM - August 27, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
Madden's gameplay is a strange sort of Jekyll and Hyde act this year. While on one hand, I really want to love the gameplay for all the things it does right, there's always a bit of creeping anger and disappointment when I experience the things Madden doesn't do quite so well.
Madden is far from a bad game. I'm about 15 games into my Madden experience, and it's pretty easy to conclude that Madden is anything but a bad game. It's just that to get to some realistic results, the game cuts so many corners and seems to be asking me to suspend my own disbelief to find enjoyment in the face of some lacking realism.
On the basic surface level, if you've played NCAA Football 12, you sort of know what to expect from Madden 12. If you've played an EA football game in the last several years, you've also played a large part of what Madden 12 has to offer. What Madden does differently is important to the core gameplay experience and will probably define whether you, as a hardcore fan, are willing to spend the $60 on the game.
Read More - Madden NFL 12 Reviewer Impressions: Gameplay
Friday, August 26, 2011
01:07 PM - August 26, 2011. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chris Sanner
Madden NFL 12 is a new hope for gamers desperately waiting for a great football title on this generation of consoles. Prior history of the series reveals a history of big promises followed by merely adequate execution. While Madden has been good in prior years this generation, it has not been great, and most fans expect greatness.
One could argue that's a creation of the EA hype machine, but in reality it could just as easily be attributed to Madden being the only NFL game in town.
But we aren't here to talk about that. Instead, I'm here to talk about initial impressions of the retail version of Madden 12, so here are some quick-hitting initial thoughts from my first experiences with the game.
Read More - Madden NFL 12 Reviewer: First Impressions
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
04:27 PM - August 23, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
The NHL 12 Demo Came out today, so we're obviously going to have to talk about that. We will also have talk with Jayson Young on Arcade Titles. And of course, there's a little game called Madden coming out VERY VERY soon. All this and more tonight on the OS Radio Show!!
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