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Author Bio
Erik Westfall

Home Town: Bloomfield Hills, MI
Sports: Hockey, Football
Games: NHL 08, Forza Motorsport 2, All-Pro Football 2K8
Teams: Red Wings, Wolverines, Lions, Tigers, Pistons
OS Username: OS: Ralnakor / MM: Ralnakor
Tags: Live: Ralnakor
Friday, September 12, 2008
NHL 2K9 Review
11:02 AM - September 12, 2008. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Erik Westfall
We have posted our review of NHL 2K9.

Quote:
"Sequels to long-time franchises are inevitably compared to previous efforts, and with NHL 2K9, this is no exception. When I look back at the previous 2K hockey titles, I notice that up until NHL 2K7, 2K Sports had a tremendous lead on EA Sports’ NHL titles. However, many argued that NHL 2K8 made some missteps that allowed NHL 08 to gain enough ground to exit the battle with a slight lead.

But how does NHL 2K9 stack up to NHL 2K8? The simple answer is that NHL 2K9 takes a step in the right direction. NHL 2K9 is still not a perfect game, and not groundbreaking by any means, but it has made enough of an improvement to make up for last year’s less than stellar title."

Game: NHL 2K9Reader Score: 7/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS2 / PS3 / Wii / Xbox 360Votes: 15 - View All
Friday, August 1, 2008
You Want Some Cheese With That?
04:35 PM - August 1, 2008. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Erik Westfall
What is cheese? What does it mean to cheese someone in online gaming? It seems the definition of cheese is different depending on the community or the person you are generally talking to. Our very own Erik Westfall takes a look at what constitutes (or doesn't constitute) cheese and he seeks your input on the subject. Check out his article, You Want Some Cheese With That?

Quote:
"Cheese is one of those things that goes great with just about anything. The problem is, it doesn’t go great with video games. Put some cheese next to one of those next-gen consoles and it will be melted almost instantaneously by a fire-breathing PS3 or Xbox 360. Sports gamers everywhere would also attest that cheese doesn’t go great with video game football. The exploiting of a game’s engine and/or doing things that real teams wouldn’t do are what many in the community call cheese. The problem is, what if the real-life counterparts break the video game code of being a straight player?"

Monday, July 21, 2008
NCAA Designers Step Up to the Plate
01:14 PM - July 21, 2008. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Erik Westfall
For what seems like an eternity, EA football gamers have been clamoring for more interaction with the developers of NCAA Football and Madden. This year, those gamers got their wish. Check out how the developers handled the pressure in Erik Westfall's article, NCAA Designers Step Up to the Plate.

Quote:
"In a growing trend around the internet, a number of video game developers and designers are making their presences known on various community forums. EA Sports has done this for a number of years, most notably through Ian Cummings and more recently Phil Frazier. Well we have a newcomer to the arena - Adam Thompson (OMT on the OS forums)."

Game: NCAA Football 09Reader Score: 7/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS2 / PS3 / PSP / Wii / Xbox 360Votes: 95 - View All
Friday, June 27, 2008
Ralnakor's Weekly Hit
03:31 PM - June 27, 2008. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Erik Westfall
It is once again Friday and that means it is time for Ralnakor's Weekly Hit to make a return to Operation Sports. This week, Erik "Ralnakor" Westfall checks in with a review of the biggest news items of the week. Westfall talks about the Madden screenshots Operation Sports has been releasing as well as the Forza 3 rumors and Top Spin Tennis 3. Be sure to give the article a look and provide your own feedback of the weekly news events!

Friday, June 20, 2008
Ral's Weekly Hits: EA Football Edition
06:57 PM - June 20, 2008. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Erik Westfall
This week on the weekly hits, Erik Westfall takes a look at stories on Prizefighter, NCAA Football and Madden. Check out his article, Ral's Weekly Hits: EA Football Edition.

Quote:
"Do you hear that? That’s the sound of the most insanely loyal group of people there are. No, they’re not Democrats or Republicans, no they’re not Britney Spears fans; they’re football gamers. Sure, the season leading up to the release started a few weeks ago with the announcement of the cover athletes, but with the releasing of the NCAA Football 09 demo, the real fireworks have begun. But before we get into that (and don’t worry, we will), let’s start things off this week with that which has come to pass."

Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Ralnakor's Weekly Hits
03:16 PM - June 10, 2008. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Erik Westfall
This week Erik Westfall (aka Ralnakor) takes a look at the three biggest news stories of the past week for sports gaming and tries to break them down and examine the deeper meaning behind them. Be sure to check out Ralnkaor's Weekly Hits.
Quote:
"So this week was filled with a lot of great news bits. Some of the best news for all gamers was that Jack Thompson received a recommendation for disbarment for ten years. In between the Florida-based lawyer getting his though, was a ton of sports news. In this past week, a number of things have come to light that are very good indicators of the sports gaming season to come. Rather than ramble on about them, here are some of the many news tidbits."

Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Weekly Hits
02:33 PM - June 3, 2008. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Erik Westfall
This week, Operation Sports is starting a new weekly series entitled Weekly Hits. Each week, Operation Sports' Erik Westfall will break down the biggest news stories of the week in the sports gaming universe by giving his opinion on them. Check out his article here and be sure to give your own feedback on the stories!
Quote:
"Every week, there are always news stories that we all sit back and comment on to any who will listen. This week begins Operation Sports' newest series, the Weekly Hits, where, rather than commenting on what Paris Hilton did, or how Hillary Clinton will keep in the presidential race, we decided to go a little closer to home. We will be taking a look at three gaming news stories from the previous week, related to the genre of sports gaming and you get the joy of listening to me comment. Some of you will agree, many will disagree, and we will have a blast debating it in the comments section. But rather than ramble on about nothing, let’s get into the fun and meaty stuff."

Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Ratings Nightmare
03:59 PM - May 6, 2008. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Erik Westfall
Erik Westfall checks in today with another column. This week Westfall talks about the ratings nightmare many gamers go through when they see what their favorite players were rated by a company.

Quote:
"The first thing I usually do when playing a new sports game is go into various team rosters and check how my favorite players are rated. I do it every time without fail. However, upon getting into the roster, I always find that someone has been underrated or overrated."

Tuesday, April 29, 2008
The Gaming Hype Machine
05:32 PM - April 29, 2008. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Erik Westfall
Erik Westfall checks in today with an article on the gaming hype machine, and how it has changed gamers' perspective on some games.

Quote:
"Hype is the one thing that can make or break any video game. Too much hype and your game will never live up to the expectations of those playing the game. Not enough, and the game will disappear, no matter how good it may be.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008
The Greatest Game
04:44 PM - April 22, 2008. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Erik Westfall
Erik Westfall recently wrote an article on what truly makes a great game in sports gaming. Be sure to read the article and add your own greatest game story!

Quote:
"You are down 23-21 on their 36 yardline with 3 seconds left on the clock. You’ve battled your heart out all game and are determined not to lose the game. You bring in the kicking unit to try and bring home the win with the long bomb of a field goal. Your kicker puts it up, and time seemingly slows down."

Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Through Thick and Thin
02:05 PM - April 16, 2008. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Erik Westfall
Erik Westfall chimes in today with a take on individual underdog stories in franchise mode. Be sure to give the article a look and chime in with your own stories!

Quote:
"Year in and year out, most of us buy our sports titles and immediately jump into online play or a play now game, something to get us to the action on the field. Once that primeval instinct is satisfied, we move on to the game’s franchise mode which is where the real fun begins."

Thursday, April 10, 2008
Realism in Sports Games, the Developers Pickle
01:54 PM - April 10, 2008. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Erik Westfall
Erik Westfall recentely penned an article talking on realism in sports-games and how developers are trying to solve the pickle they have been put in. Check out his article here.

Quote:
"What is it about realism in sports games that always drives sports gamers to demand more? Is it even really possible to attain the element of realism and still have a game that’s worth playing?"

Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Human vs. AI, Is there Really a Difference?
05:42 PM - March 26, 2008. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Erik Westfall
Operation Sport's Erik Westfall recently penned an article looking at what the differences between playing humans and AI really is. Check out his article here.

Quote:
"When playing video games, there’s a very large gap between playing against a computer controlled opponent as compared to another player. But what is it that causes such a massive disparity?

Tuesday, March 18, 2008
EA's Hostile Takeover Attempt and Its Impacts
05:19 PM - March 18, 2008. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Erik Westfall
Operation Sports' Erik Westfall has posted an article discussing what some of the impacts of EA's hostile takeover attempt of Take Two is having on the 2k Sports line.

Quote:
"So the hostile takeover of Take-Two has begun. G4TV amongst other gaming news sources is reporting EA has made a blanket offer of $26 to all shareholders with a deadline of April 11, one day after Take-Two’s next shareholders' meeting. But shareholders aside, what does this mean for us, the sports gamers?"

Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Community Shoutback
01:55 PM - March 11, 2008. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Erik Westfall
Operation Sports' Erik Westfall has taken some of the best or most unique comments from this week's articles and posted them with some commentary of his own in the inaugural edition of A View From the Outside.

Quote:
So last week we had a number of articles on a broad range of games. However, there were also a number of noteworthy comments from our readers that stuck out just as much. This week, we take a step back and highlight some of these comments.


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