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2015 Sports Game of the Year: Best Post Launch Support

Reader's Choice


3. Rocket League

Taken as a whole, Rocket League has obviously been a huge success. And a big reason the game continues to stay popular is due to the developers adding more and more to the experience. Whether it's experimental stuff like a Hockey Mode, or a timely cultural item like the DeLorean being added on October 21 to coincide with the day and date of Marty and Doc, the developers treat Rocket League with respect while also embracing the goofiness of it all. Putting that together with timely patches and a focus on the user base above all else is why Rocket League makes it as a reader's choice pick.

2. Madden NFL 16

In terms of post-release support, the most recent patch adding a way for you to (finally) play a friend in the popular Draft Champions mode put a nice bow on what's been a solid year for Madden NFL 16 on that front. The play-a-friend feature was something almost everybody wanted at release, and while it would have been pessimistic to think "they'll just wait until next year to add it," it also would not have been crazy to assume such a thing in the current AAA development process (plus all the "LOL EA amirite!?" stuff). This type of addition, along with some timely tuning updates, the now-standard roster updates and a group of patches that have unquestionably helped the game are why the readers have made this the runner-up in the post-launch support category.

1. NBA 2K16

If there's one thing the NBA 2K developers do in terms of post-release support, it's that they aggressively patch their game. Sometimes, like last year, that amount of aggressive patching actually ends up making the game worse (arguably way worse, don't think we've forgotten you patch four!). But we recently got patch four in NBA 2K16, and for the most part this version of patch four has made the game better and not worse. With that in mind, what is always a guarantee with our readers is that if you make gameplay changes for the better, you're always going to get the most credit. And what's great about NBA 2K in this regard is that those developers are not afraid to make rather large changes in these patches. Whether it's sort of putting the kibosh on the ease of alley-oops, or allowing ball movement to allow shooters to get more space, the developers -- for better or worse -- are going to have you playing a game on January 1 that's way different from the one you were playing on October 1. This year those post-release changes have made NBA 2K16 the Reader's Choice for Post-Launch Support.
 

Staff's Choice


Madden NFL 16



Our staff picks were relatively similar to the readers in this regard, but as a group we felt Madden NFL 16 deserved to win the award this time around. The roster updates, the tuners and the patches are all things we now expect from big-time sports games. But the real item that pushed the game over the edge for us was the addition of tangible tweaks to an existing mode in Draft Champions. Playing a friend is a wonderful addition to that mode, and also adding in a "ranked" version of Draft Champions back in November was big as well. When it comes to staying involved with sports games, it's not just about fixing "bugs" that will keep us coming back, it's the addition of actual stuff that makes you want to come back and check out the game all over again. The Madden NFL 16 developers have made an effort to do fix and add to their game this year, and that's why it's the Staff's Choice for Post-Launch Support.


Member Comments
# 1 Semipro91 @ 01/04/16 05:12 PM
as far as Roster updates go. Hands down 2K. The Madden ones are great, but the window the devs have to fix them is way bigger. 2K releases roster updates everyday!
 
# 2 Yantropov @ 01/04/16 09:51 PM
I would include The Golf Club in the mix..!
 
# 3 snc237 @ 01/05/16 09:45 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Yantropov
I would include The Golf Club in the mix..!
Golf club was technically last year.
 
# 4 redsox4evur @ 01/05/16 10:01 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by phriscaul
no. no they dont. there hasnt been a full roster update since thanksgiving. smfh.
What are you talking about??? There was one done on Christmas...
 
# 5 Saviour @ 01/06/16 12:02 PM
Any developer that celebrates a "post product launch support" award should be fired immediately. When did it become a good thing to release a flawed product, then fix it later. 2K16 was released with items that didnt work on day 1 and now the 2K Devs get credit for fixing their mistakes. This must be a joke..
 
# 6 seanhazz1 @ 01/07/16 10:13 AM
I don't think 2K should not even be in the conversation THIS year. The sales/profit they have made warrants more support than they have given,..meanwhile, TGC, UFC and NBA Live have been much more consistent, and have made much less money combined while doing so.
 
# 7 ChaseB @ 01/07/16 11:10 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Saviour
Any developer that celebrates a "post product launch support" award should be fired immediately. When did it become a good thing to release a flawed product, then fix it later. 2K16 was released with items that didnt work on day 1 and now the 2K Devs get credit for fixing their mistakes. This must be a joke..
You should maybe take it up with your fellow voting constituents then because the fans decided it should win. And while I do understand your point to a degree, post-launch support doesn't just mean "fixing" the game. It can also mean "adding" to the game via new elements to features or just straight up new stuff.
 
# 8 Saviour @ 01/07/16 04:46 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by ChaseB
You should maybe take it up with your fellow voting constituents then because the fans decided it should win. And while I do understand your point to a degree, post-launch support doesn't just mean "fixing" the game. It can also mean "adding" to the game via new elements to features or just straight up new stuff.
I guess you didn't understand my post. Developers do not want to release flawed code to anyone and are notoriously finicky about releases. They are the quickest people in the world to tell you when something isn't ready. Supporting a product post launch is most definitely the worst nightmare of all developers in technology because it means they didn't do the job correctly.

With that being said.. My Court was broken day 1, Pro Am was broken day 1, online play is still sketchy... The only feature they added was Pro Am in the arenas. But that was promised from day 1 so that really doesn't count.
 

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