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, March 16, 2011
02:29 PM - March 16, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
Everyone's favorite video game analysts Michael Pachter is back with a prediction for Madden this season:
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I don't want to speculate on the exact amount, but Pachter would be close to right if the entire season is cancelled. EA is already planning on Madden not being a big seller this year with their forward forecasts and past performances of games under strikes and lockouts don't give one much hope for Madden to be a sales hoss this season.
Friday, March 4, 2011
12:34 PM - March 4, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chase Becotte
Chase Becotte: I'm trying to temper my enthusiasm until I see what happens with the effectiveness of just juicing your created player with power, but it's hard not to be really excited after playing this demo. Everything from a more lively crowd at the U.S. Open -- when I played the game at a preview event, the crowd seemed even more lively than the one found in the demo -- to the player grunts to the tweaked controls are all really working here.
Jayson Young: The crowds definitely sound great with the way they build up during rallies and yell between points, but outside of that, I don't see a whole lot of improvements over Top Spin 3.
Christian McLeod: At the recommendation of my OS staff brethren, I reluctantly downloaded the Top Spin 4 demo. To my surprise, I had a great time with the demo -- so much so that the game may enter my closely guarded sports gaming rotation in a few weeks. Graphically, the game is beautiful, and just as Chase mentioned, my jaw dropped during the first match I played on clay. At times I felt like I was actually controlling a televised tennis match, and the buttery smooth control scheme was pretty easy to pick up and start having success with in a matter of minutes.
Chris Sanner: A few weeks ago someone asked me on Twitter what I thought of the prospects for Top Spin 4. I said I think the game can't possibly be bad, but I'm not sure if it's going to be a can't miss all world title.
I think I was definitely right on that.
Read More - Top Spin 4 Demo Impressions Roundtable
Monday, February 21, 2011
04:09 PM - February 21, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
It's no secret that I am the resident old man on staff here at Operation Sports. Sure, I take quite a beating from the young whipper snappers on staff, but growing up in the '80s and early '90s did have its perks, specifically some great 8-bit baseball gaming on the NES.
The Nintendo Entertainment System was synonymous with great sports titles, and baseball was no exception. To this day, many of the NES' baseball titles still play great, with a select few defining the genre.
Being the classic gaming aficionado that I am, I could not resist taking a trip down baseball gaming memory lane. With my NES ready to go, a few cold beverages, and a complete disregard for my "honey do" list, I dove into my massive NES baseball collection in an attempt to identify the five greatest hardball titles to be released for the system.
The competition was fierce, the hours of testing long, the MIDI soundtracks piercing, but in the end only five could make the cut. So which games stood the test of time and are worthy of being in my top five list of the best NES baseball games of all time? The answers may surprise you.
Read More - The Top Five 8-Bit NES Baseball Games
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
02:19 PM - February 16, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
OS Roundtable: The Activision/Take Two Saga -- Where do you see it going?'
Caley Roark: Like the Comcast-NBC transaction, Activision buying Take-Two would mark the continuing decline of corporate diversity in the technology landscape. While this is normally bad for consumers, there may be a positive when it comes to sports gaming.
First, the financial and marketing power of Activision-Blizzard would provide huge benefits to 2K's line of sports games. The money would exist for riskier developments, like the continuation of the Bigs franchise or an HD version of Power Pros. We might see a return of College Hoops, or even another non-NFL football game (an OSer's dream come true).
Secondly, this backing would mean 2K represents more competition for Activition's rival EA. This may translate to quality games, but it may simply mean that exclusive licenses become more sought after, and therefore longer lasting. Perhaps the MLB rights remain at 2K afterall. Of course, these both rely on Activision having an interest in supporting 2K Sports. I suppose there is the possibility that Activision dismantles the 2K sports lineup, or even rolls it into a new Activision Sports brand. From what I understand, 2K Sports is not the big fish at Take-Two. Plus, maybe annual titles are not worth the risk to a new owner.
That said, the Call of Duty franchise release schedule is not that dissimilar from an annual sports title, beyond the fact that the series has two developers working simultaneously. Regardless, I would say that franchise has had a little bit of success.
Read More - OS Roundtable: The Activision/Take Two Saga, Where do you see it going?
Caley Roark: Like the Comcast-NBC transaction, Activision buying Take-Two would mark the continuing decline of corporate diversity in the technology landscape. While this is normally bad for consumers, there may be a positive when it comes to sports gaming.
First, the financial and marketing power of Activision-Blizzard would provide huge benefits to 2K's line of sports games. The money would exist for riskier developments, like the continuation of the Bigs franchise or an HD version of Power Pros. We might see a return of College Hoops, or even another non-NFL football game (an OSer's dream come true).
Secondly, this backing would mean 2K represents more competition for Activition's rival EA. This may translate to quality games, but it may simply mean that exclusive licenses become more sought after, and therefore longer lasting. Perhaps the MLB rights remain at 2K afterall. Of course, these both rely on Activision having an interest in supporting 2K Sports. I suppose there is the possibility that Activision dismantles the 2K sports lineup, or even rolls it into a new Activision Sports brand. From what I understand, 2K Sports is not the big fish at Take-Two. Plus, maybe annual titles are not worth the risk to a new owner.
That said, the Call of Duty franchise release schedule is not that dissimilar from an annual sports title, beyond the fact that the series has two developers working simultaneously. Regardless, I would say that franchise has had a little bit of success.
Read More - OS Roundtable: The Activision/Take Two Saga, Where do you see it going?
Monday, February 14, 2011
06:10 PM - February 14, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
The Sports Business Journal is reporting that the NFL and EA have come to terms on extending the current exclusive deal one more year with the uncertainty surrounding the 2011 NFL Season.
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This basically means that EA has exclusive rights to Madden now until after Madden NFL 14 -- or roughly right about the time the next generation of consoles are set to hit.
This just shows how strong of business partners the NFL and EA Sports are at this point. The NFL is giving EA a break on payments this year and has basically given them an additional year as a make-up of sorts to make right. Also, if you read my 2011 Predictions Post back in January, you saw this was my first prediction, that the deal would be extended in some way this year.
So in that respect, this news is not unexpected -- and with the deal stretching into the next console generation, I have serious doubts any other company is going to be in a position enter the market anytime soon due to the extreme cost of entry into quality sports game development that will be present at that time.
Thanks to Pasta Padre for the news tip.
03:10 PM - February 14, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
It seems at least one Analyst feels a $20-$22 bid to takeover Take Two would be sufficient and would result in the company accepting that bid -- at least if the report by MCV -- the outlet responsible for the rumor in the first place -- is accurate.
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It's interesting MCV's analyst reports Take Two would accept this bid when they turned down a bid rumored at around $25 in 2008. However, that price was also in the inflated stock market of 2008, where a lot of irrational exuberance and inflated stock prices was the story of the day. Today those same conditions are around almost everywhere except video game stocks, which are still quite suppressed.
And let's be honest, the second line of the opening paragraph of the MCV news story is the more important one -- to say EA would allow Activision to acquire Take Two without any counter-offer is probably naive at best. This is all assuming that MCV isn't just circulating rumors in order to get a jump on a story that just might not happen.
Bottom Line: These two companies are certainly talking -- where there is smoke there is fire. But beyond the problem of a price, which is going to be a big sticking point, there is the problem of culture conflicts between both companies in many ways. As far as what this might mean for the 2K Sports brand, I'll get to that on my blog soon enough!
Friday, February 11, 2011
08:35 PM - February 11, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
It appears we have a new bombshell of a rumor to follow very closely in the sports gaming universe, as Take Two -- owners of the 2K Sports Brand -- appears to possibly be a takeover target of Activision, owner of the Call of Duty franchise.
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This rumor is all about the merger of the Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto brands, but it would have huge implications for our genre as well if it were followed through with real action.
The fate of 2K Sports in this merger would be a huge question mark, since Activision has the resources to develop sports games and chooses not to for the most part. Would they continue a relatively popular brand and/or expand it given their already skeptical view of sports games? That's a good question, but the already thin 2K Sports lineup could become a lot thinner in the event of a takeover by Activision.
There is no indication we are going to see this followed through into more than a rumor, but all big stories usually start out as a rumor. We'll keep a close eye on this one to see what happens. What do you guys think of the rumor?
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
08:44 PM - February 8, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
Gamasutra posted a good analysis of what the NFL Lockout might mean for Madden NFL 12. I'm going to provide my own thoughts and notes while selectively quoting parts of the Gamasutra article.
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This is indeed a big problem. The NFL is a powerful force right now, just look at the ratings for this year's Super Bowl, which happened to be the most watched television program in American history! But what is true today may not be true tomorrow, and if the negotiations were to go so bad that an entire season was canceled? You'd be naiive to think the league's popularity won't take a hit initially.
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EA's forecast included a toned down forecast for what we'd conventionally think as Q3 and Q4 of 2011 for this very reason. Madden sales will be down significantly if the 2011 season doesn't happen -- which may be good news for those looking for a possible way EA doesn't go after an exclusive license again.
We'll be taking a wait and see on this to see what happens with the negotiations between the players and owners, as will a lot of people at Tiburon Studios in Orlando.
Monday, February 7, 2011
12:30 PM - February 7, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
I gave myself the unenviable task of defending this generation of Madden and making a case that it has been a success.
Yeah, I am THAT crazy at this point.
But before I explain why I think Madden has been a success, I think it's best to define success. In other words, whose success are we looking at in this case?
If you look at it from EA's point of view, your definition of success would be entirely different from a fan's idea of success. The point of view I will be using changes the tone of my defense, so let me phrase this as best and as clearly as I can in the next paragraph.
The success of the Madden series is based on more people playing Madden year over year because, at that point, both EA and the consumers must be happy -- otherwise the sales would be decreasing.
Read More - To EA and Madden Consumers, Madden Is a Success
Sunday, February 6, 2011
01:47 PM - February 6, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
Ian Cummings just tweeted to remind us that Madden fans everywhere still have a reason to take an internet break in lieu the Black Eyed Peas and Usher. What do you think the blog will cover?
Saturday, January 15, 2011
01:06 PM - January 15, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
It's that time of the year again! We have opened the poll for you to select the winner of this year's Stevies! Polls will remain open until next Saturday at noon, so vote sometime this week to get your voice heard on the 2010 winners! For your convenience -- and just because Steve would accept nothing less -- here are all the necessary links for you to vote:
Best Presentation
Most Realistic Gameplay
Best Offline Dynasty
Most Innovative Feature
Online Experience of the Year
Best Player/Career Mode
Wireless/Handheld Game of the Year
Fitness Game of the Year
Text-Sim of the Year
Motion Controlled Game of the Year
Individual Based Game of the Year
Racing Game of the Year
Team Based Game of the Year
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
09:01 PM - January 12, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
It appears Sony is none too happy with the gamers who hacked the PS3, allowing it to run any type of software on it. They've now filed a lawsuit against the group claiming they have infringed both copyright and committed computer fraud:
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It would be naiive to say this hack won't be used for pirated games, but this case does raise interesting questions about how much you own your console after you have bought it.
We'll be keeping an eye on this case to see just how far it might progress.
08:51 PM - January 12, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
Relax OSers, you are still going to be able to physically own your games for some time to come -- at least if John Riccitiello, the CEO of Electronic Arts, has anything to say about it.
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Riccitiello also mentions that while physical discs are still the future, downloading and streaming products have overtaken their physical disk counterparts as the top money maker for the company.
The real loser in this movement to digital copies as opposed to retail copies are physical disc stores like Gamestop, whose business models are on borrowed time it seems.
Monday, January 10, 2011
01:07 PM - January 10, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
I have consistently argued that the yearly release cycle was more a hindrance to sports games than a help. But I think my stance has changed a bit after 2010.
What we ended up with this year were several very well made games that received some big improvements in just one year. We also saw some titles rest on their laurels a bit (MLB 10: The Show comes to mind).
But the argument for sports games releasing every other year (or longer) does not hold up as well as I originally thought for a variety of reasons.
Read More - The Yearly Release Cycle is Just Fine
Thursday, December 16, 2010
12:18 PM - December 16, 2010. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chris Sanner
It seems like when it rains lawsuits, it pours:
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This suit joins other similar ones, such as Sam Keller's, which state the NCAA and EA are profiting off of college athletes without any compensation in return. As the New York Times has reported, this case is about much more than video games and could be a landmark case in rights management as well a firm test on the NCAA's claim that it's athletes are amateurs.
I'm not even going to try to prognosticate where these cases end up legally, as legal experts are divided themselves over what happens here. Instead, I think it's safe to say that if any college sports game isn't selling well, it's a product which is on the endangered list. On a practical scale that means NCAA Football will have to continue its success and the chances of seeing another college basketball game from any company at this point is quite low since no one could quite figure out the sales magic for that sport.
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