Sports Games Can Take Lessons From Grand Theft Auto IV

Feature Article

Submitted on: 05/05/2008 by Chris Sanner

Let me preface this article by saying Operation Sports has caught on to the Grand Theft Auto IV craze as well, so I'm very sorry if you have been trying to avoid the game for some reason or another. Most gamers these days seem to be playing GTA IV (as evidenced by my Live friends list), so it is only natural the staff members at Operation Sports catch the craze as well.

So with that forewarning aside, let me hit you with what I will call the theme of this article (aka the clever way I have justified spending so many hours playing GTA instead of a relevant sports game): What can sports games learn from the mastery that is Grand Theft Auto IV?

Attention to Detail

To me, the biggest lesson to be learned by sports developers from what Rockstar did with Grand Theft Auto IV is how engrossing a game can be by including the little details that are often overlooked. For many who have read my articles over a long period of time, I'm sure I am sounding like a broken record with this point, but the little details matter.

The little details are what make us go "whoah" these days. Give me hand towels, give me all sorts of small animations with players that make the world seem more lifelike, give me little lines of audio from the commentators commenting on streaks and such, and so on and so forth. The little things are what make games stand out from their counterparts nowadays.

My best current example in the sports world comes from the sport of baseball. MLB 2k8 and MLB 08: The Show are not exactly equals in the gameplay department for sure, but MLB '08: The Show completely distances itself by its attention to detail. Have you checked out how detailed some of the stadiums are? What about the fact the commentators comment on your hitting streaks and such? It is just incredible.

Attention to detail is what is going to define the future of sports gaming. As technology advances, games are going to have to become deeper with their attention to detail in order to stand out among a crowd of other games which more or less nail the gameplay department.

No Limit on Choices

In Grand Theft Auto, there is no one single way to complete a mission. In NCAA Football 08, there is only one camera angle and limited ways to customize the game. Why are we still stuck in the era of gameplay that is controlled by the developers requirement for you to "play the game how we want you to play it"? Sports games can learn a thing or two from the Grand Theft Auto series as a whole by not limiting gamer's choices. Games are meant to be played however the users want. So why are companies still limiting our choices in terms of options?

It is not like we are asking for an open world sports game, but we could at least be given more sliders, more options and for example, the ability to turn off certain new overdone features in a game we shall not name. However, sports game developers seem to be insistent on limiting our choices when it is clear that what games need is in fact the exact opposite. Maybe next year....

Euphoria Engine

This is kind of an overlap with the attention to detail section in terms of animations, but it is also different enough to warrant another category. We will see the Euphoria engine coming very soon to sports games thanks to Backbreaker and Natural Motion's Euphoria engine. Simply put, this engine should be the future of sports video games, especially ones that involve physical contact between players.

Some of the animations I have seen in Grand Theft Auto have caused my jaw to drop with how accurate bodies react to certain hits and explosions. I couldn't even imagine how good Madden 09, NHL 09 or 2k9, NBA 2k9, etc. would look with this kind of open interactivity. I have been skeptical of Backbreaker in the past, but I am more anxious than ever to see the technology in motion.

We can only wait and see what Backbreaker can do with the Euphoria engine, but if Grand Theft Auto is any indication, it is going to be a thing of beauty. Backbreaker has a chance to change sports gaming forever if for no other reason than with the technology it will be showcasing.

So readers of Operation Sports, time to come out of the closet. I know many of you have been playing GTA non-stop and have seen things that make you hope that it appears in a sports game near you. What have you noticed in Grand Theft Auto IV that you think could translate well into a sports game?

Member Comments

# 1 paysworld @ 05/05/08 04:57 PM

I was just thinking the same thing yesterday, why can't sports games be more like GTA, the two that comes to mind are the aforementioned MLB 08 and NFL2k5. With all the audio that can be crammed into games nowadays, why can't we have different broadcasters for different games.

Different networks for different games, same idea where NESN would broadcast the Boston Red Sox games, and Yes would broadcast NY Yankees games.

Why not have a Story mode for a season, pick a team any team, and watch their story unfold, I think Prizefighter of all games, has the right idea on this one. How cool would it be to have the Boston Red Sox story unfold for 2009, free agent pick up, trades, Yankee rivalry ect....You get the picture

# 2 IgotSyphillis @ 05/05/08 05:42 PM

The only main problem with this idea is that sports games come out every year. I know nothing about how to make a game but I constantly read from game designers how hard it is to make an entire game over the course of only one year.

How many years did they spend on GTA IV? 3 or 4? If they spend 3 or 4 years on a game it should be 3 or 4 times better and more in detail than the majority of sports games that we play. The only games that have a real chance at duplicating GTA are the games that are not cyclical like Prizefighter or Backbreaker.

# 3 acarrero @ 05/05/08 06:17 PM

Pretty much every genre of video game could learn something from GTA IV. I believe sports games are headed in the right direction and will become more and more detailed and realistic. However, I am concerned that sports games, which I am guessing get smaller budgets than games like GTA to begin with, are also going to suffer in terms of their inovation by having EA dominate the genre monoploy-style.

# 4 CMH @ 05/05/08 07:57 PM

I have come to the conclusion that now is the time for sports games to stop with the yearly releases and provide roster updates instead. If they focused on making a project over a 2-3 year period we will see major improvements in sports gaming.

Of course, I highly doubt this will ever happen. Paying for a development team over 3 years will cost the same as paying them every year for three years. The major difference is the company will make less money by releasing $20 roster updates as opposed to $60 games every year.

Now, some will say, "But GTA IV did it. It happens all the time in non-sports games. They work for years and get one big pay day."

Yes, that's true. But that's because that's how it works in non-sports gaming. We're asking for a system that has pulled in millions of dollars for companies to change so the gamer can be happier. I don't see a company considering the gamer over the yearly revenue.

Right now they already have the gamer and the yearly revenue. So why change a formula that works for them? The only way this changes is if gamers just simply stop buying new titles. But that would never happen because we always want the new thing and we want updated rosters.

# 5 JohnnytheSkin @ 05/05/08 09:26 PM

"Games are meant to be played however the users want. So why are companies still limiting our choices in terms of options?"

What games have you been playing? EVERY old school arcade game (Pac-man, Space Invaders), EVERY glory days NES/SNES sidescroller (Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong Country), EVERY Japanese RPG from every era, etc. are all designed for you the user to play the game with parameters set by the developer...not the user.

Sure there were advances in camera control in the 3-D era (often badly done in the early days) but you still had to beat Bowser, defeat Ganon, save the world in FFVII in the EXACT way the developers designed.

With the exception of World 1-3 instead of 1-4 the "choices" offered to the user are often nil...need I even mention Mega Man and the pretty much required method of beating the bosses in order to advance.

Really, who are you kidding?

# 6 jmood88 @ 05/05/08 09:35 PM

If you're limiting yourself to EA Sports games then I can see the complaint about not paying attention to detail but play nba2k8 or even the 4 year old NFL 2k5 and there's little stuff everywhere.

# 7 RaychelSnr @ 05/05/08 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnnytheSkin


	"Games are meant to be played however the users want. So why are companies still limiting our choices in terms of options?" What games have you been playing? EVERY old school arcade game (Pac-man, Space Invaders), EVERY glory days NES/SNES sidescroller (Mario, Zelda, Donkey Kong Country), EVERY Japanese RPG from every era, etc. are all designed for you the user to play the game with parameters set by the developer...not the user. Sure there were advances in camera control in the 3-D era (often badly done in the early days) but you still had to beat Bowser, defeat Ganon, save the world in FFVII in the EXACT way the developers designed. With the exception of World 1-3 instead of 1-4 the "choices" offered to the user are often nil...need I even mention Mega Man and the pretty much required method of beating the bosses in order to advance. Really, who are you kidding?

The fact you mention a bunch of old games kind of brings home the point that the old linear based gameplay is something that is fading to the wayside as games like Grand Theft Auto come out. It's hard to accomplish non-linear type of gameplay with sports games, but still limiting users to certain options is something which drives me batty. The games of the future, IMHO, need to get away from this linear based approach in order to really be successful as the technology continues to improve.

# 8 JohnnytheSkin @ 05/05/08 10:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MMChrisS


	The fact you mention a bunch of old games kind of brings home the point that the old linear based gameplay is something that is fading to the wayside as games like Grand Theft Auto come out. It's hard to accomplish non-linear type of gameplay with sports games, but still limiting users to certain options is something which drives me batty. The games of the future, IMHO, need to get away from this linear based approach in order to really be successful as the technology continues to improve.

That thinking, while understandable, is also the thinking that drives critics of the gaming medium to tell gamers to "go outside" and do your own thing.

Everyone plays games for a different reasons, and in sports some want strict sim and others want simply a "fun" representation of their sport (do you as a sports gamer really want to deal with crap like Pacman Jones and Terrell Owens' driveway sit-ups in your 'chise?).

To play a game in a "new" world that reveals magic and mystery and new game types based on a specific timeline and progression as opposed to a speed run or free roam style makes those moments much more special in my opinion.

To tie it back to GTA, getting to Algonquin by stealing a heli is great fun...but it pales in comparison to the mission(s) that bring you there in the story.

# 9 JohnnytheSkin @ 05/05/08 10:56 PM

I would also wager that when you pick up GTAIV in ten years the magic will be long gone, and yet I know of several gamers here who've downloaded 'Super Mario Bros. 3' on the Wii's Virtual Console and have had an utter blast reliving their old memories and that the magic and simple yet extremely functional gameplay is still intact.

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