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Tuesday, November 11, 2014
11:10 AM - November 11, 2014. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Ben Vollmer
I'd celebrate too if I didn't have to touch something I was highly allergic to.
As soon as the football began its quick descent, both Cooper and Butler stopped in their tracks, staring at the ball as if it were some kind of UFO passing overhead. By the time the ball got to each of them, Cooper threw his hands up meagerly and came down with the catch. Not only did it look disappointing, but it felt disappointing as well. It was a terrible throw, and Butler was in great position. Why didn’t he make a play on the ball?
This is an unfortunate example of one of Madden’s biggest issues, and one many still overlook: the players on the field don’t want the ball.
It isn’t just a problem while the ball is in the air, either. Defensive ends don’t look to poke the ball out of the QB’s hands when they’re winding back for a pass and offensive lineman don’t look to dive on the ball when their running back fumbles it to the ground. There’s an unfortunate lack of urgency to complete the game’s most basic goal, and that’s to be the team that controls the football.
Moving into the future, Madden needs to program a basic instinct for the AI to fight for the ball. The sheer lack of receiver/corner interaction in the secondary makes the passing game hundreds of times less interesting than it should be.
With so many of Madden's generational issues being taken care of (however slowly), fans of the series have to ask: why isn’t the fight for the ball being given a look?
02:50 PM - October 11, 2014. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Ben Vollmer
NBA 2K15's presentation package remains the best to be found in sports gaming, and it's not even close.
Let's start with pre-game and work our way forward. After all, if there is a game that accurately captures the ability to not only immerse viewers in its presentation, but to create a structured narrative from the start of a telecast to the end of one, its the NBA 2K series. At it's very best, the game is a work of art. At its worst, it still makes a really impressive effort.
Read More - NBA 2K15's Presentation Is Still The Best
Monday, September 29, 2014
11:59 AM - September 29, 2014. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Ben Vollmer
Little by little, the Madden series continues to chip away at its long list of legacy issues and shortcomings. Madden 15 is a solid step better than its predecessors (Connected Career mode bugs aside), but EA seems to timid to take that gigantic leap that so many other series have already taken. The leap that NBA 2K took when you could look at a picture of James Harden and not be able to tell the difference between a game and real life, or the leap The Show took when little things like a beach ball being knocked around the stadium wasn't just a clever detail - it was a clever detail built on hundreds of others.
These are arbitrary examples, of course. When and if games have reached that new level of realism is largely a subjective thing, but if there's a consensus, and I think there is, it's that Madden hasn't made that leap yet.
Read More - Madden NFL 15's Five Areas Which Need Improvement for Next Year
Monday, September 22, 2014
12:14 PM - September 22, 2014. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Ben Vollmer
Picking up a rebuilding project in any kind of sports video game is a daunting task. You have to be resigned to the fact that you're going to lose more than you win and that reaching the playoffs is more of a pipe-dream than a reality. But the reward is unlike anything else, in Madden. Slowly building your team back to prominence takes a skill unlike any other. You have to be persistent, smart, and methodical.The real question is, where do you even begin? Here are five of the biggest rebuilding projects in Madden, and what you can do to fix them...
Read More - How to Rebuild Five of the NFL's Worst Franchises in Madden 15
Friday, August 29, 2014
12:11 PM - August 29, 2014. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Ben Vollmer
One of the most intriguing things about Madden 15 is that the development team claims to have added more variance to the passing game, based on ratings. Well, given that one of my biggest complaints of the series has been how QB's have seemed automatic, I wanted to put this new aspect of the game to the test.
Read More - Madden NFL 15: Breaking Down QB Passing Percentages
Saturday, August 23, 2014
01:41 PM - August 23, 2014. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Ben Vollmer
The Quarterback position is probably the most over-analyzed and argument inducing position in the history of sports. Yet, it's almost universally agreed upon that it's the most important position in athletics. Simply put, if you don't have a good QB, you can't win a Super Bowl. You may even be able to stretch that even further by saying you have to have a great QB to win a Super Bowl.
The likes of the Chiefs, Vikings, and the Bears have all had solid teams in the recent past without having a great QB to throw them over the edge. It isn't a coincidence that only one time in the last five years have we had a Super Bowl without one of Manning, Brady, or Rodgers. A good QB is the key to unlocking the door to that next level for any hopeful franchise. So take a look at the top ten rated QB's in Madden 15, and see where your team's Super Bowl prospects lay:
1. Peyton Manning (98 OVR): 99 AWR, 99 SA, 96 MTA, 88 DTA, 98 PA
2. Aaron Rodgers (98 OVR): 80 SPD, 93 AWR, STA 93, TOTR 88
3. Drew Brees (96 OVR): 98 AWR, 97 STA, 91 MTA
4. Russell Wilson (93 OVR): 86 SPD, 84 AWR, 91 PA
5. Tom Brady (93 OVR): 99 AWR, 94 STA, 93 TP
6. Phillip Rivers (92 OVR): 91 AWR, STA 93, 95 PA
7. Tony Romo (91 OVR): 89 AWR, STA 90, PA 90
8. Ben Roethlisberger (90 OVR): 93 AWR, 89 STA, 94 TOTR
9. Cam Newton (89 OVR): 86 SPD, 97 TP, TOTR 95
10. Colin Kaepernick (89 OVR): 88 SPD, AWR 75, TP 95
Most Overrated: Tony Romo (91)
Most Underrated: Andrew Luck (87 OVR)
What QB fits your style of play best in Madden NFL?
Thursday, July 24, 2014
02:09 PM - July 24, 2014. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Ben Vollmer
Once a year, every baseball fan gets to live out their wildest dreams.
The trade deadline is arguably the most exciting time of the season in the MLB, with rumors flying around like drunken pigeons. There's not really a direction to anything, and 95 percent of all trade talk winds up being whispers heard in the wind, shouted out by reporters and the most hardcore of fans on social media and message boards. It is exhausting, sure -- but also exhilarating. In sports, there's really nothing else quite like it.
So for all of you baseball fans who know exactly what I'm talking about, here are ten potential trades that could rock the very foundation of your MLB: The Show franchises:
Read More - MLB The Show: Potential Deadline Trades to Change the Game
Friday, July 11, 2014
02:34 PM - July 11, 2014. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Ben Vollmer
Well, not so much. I quickly learned that a fight between two greats in the octagon is a lot like a game of chess sped up multiple times with extremely violent consequences. Every wrong move is felt, and detrimental to the fighter's odds of winning the fight. Conversely, every right move is cause for celebration - even though there is little time to celebrate it.
Read More - EA Sports UFC: Learn the Vernacular of MMA
Tuesday, July 1, 2014
03:20 PM - July 1, 2014. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Ben Vollmer
There are a lot of mixed emotions when you see one of your favorite sports titles get invaded by a gigantic battleship right in the middle of a round of golf.
Read More - Is EA Sports PGA Tour Losing Its Sim?
Monday, June 30, 2014
12:31 PM - June 30, 2014. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Ben Vollmer
Read More - Choosing a Franchise Team for MLB 14 The Show: AL West
Thursday, June 5, 2014
11:13 AM - June 5, 2014. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Ben Vollmer
Choosing which team to pick for your franchise in MLB: The Show can be a daunting task. Do you want to rebuild? What about picking a team loaded with cash, but little talent to show for it? What if you just want to pick a team with all of the tools at your disposal, and your only job is to win a World Series? The fact is, there is a variety of great teams to kick off your franchise with, but you only get to choose one. Over the course of the next couple of weeks, we'll be going division by division and team by team to help you make your choice. With our fourth entry, here's the AL Central...
Read More - Choosing a Franchise Team for MLB 14 The Show: AL Central
Wednesday, May 28, 2014
05:00 PM - May 28, 2014. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Ben Vollmer
Choosing which team to pick for your franchise in MLB: The Show can be a daunting task. Do you want to rebuild? What about picking a team loaded with cash, but little talent to show for it? What if you just want to pick a team with all of the tools at your disposal, and your only job is to win a World Series? The fact is, there is a variety of great teams to kick off your franchise with, but you only get to choose one. Over the course of the next couple of weeks, we'll be going division by division and team by team to help you make your choice. Here's the NL Central...
Read More - Choosing a Franchise Team for MLB 14 The Show: NL Central
Saturday, May 24, 2014
12:05 PM - May 24, 2014. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Ben Vollmer
Choosing which team to pick for your franchise in MLB 14: The Show can be a daunting task. Do you want to rebuild? What about picking a team loaded with cash, but little talent to show for it? What if you just want to pick a team with all of the tools at your disposal, and your only job is to win a World Series? The fact is, there is a variety of great teams to kick off your franchise with, but you only get to choose one. Over the course of the next couple of weeks, we'll be going division by division and team by team to help you make your choice. With our second entry, here's the AL East:
Read More - Choosing a Franchise Team for MLB 14 The Show: AL East
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
12:12 PM - May 13, 2014. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Ben Vollmer
Choosing which team to pick for your franchise in MLB 14: The Show can be a daunting task. Do you want to rebuild? What about picking a team loaded with cash, but little talent to show for it? What if you just want to pick a team with all of the tools at your disposal, and your only job is to win a World Series? The fact is, there is a variety of great teams to kick off your franchise with, but you only get to choose one. Over the course of the next couple of weeks, we'll be going division by division and team by team to help you make your choice. To start things off, here is a rundown of the NL East.
Read More - Choosing a Franchise Team for MLB 14 The Show: NL East
Tuesday, February 25, 2014
12:26 PM - February 25, 2014. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Ben Vollmer
It has been eight months. How much longer do we have to wait?
The sad and unfortunate truth is that nobody knows. College sports have left the video game world and shut the door behind them. When EA Sports announced that they would be discontinuing the NCAA Football series, a significant portion of sports gaming disappeared – just like that. The real question becomes: how much longer are we going to have to wait, and who is going to be the one to bring college sports gaming back?
Read More - Breaking It Down: Who Will Bring College Sports Back?
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