Why Next-Gen Sports Games Disappoint

[ewto16]

Well, I see a pre-game coin-toss with players on the field, a better play calling screen, and commentary. Those are all things that Madden doesn't have or didn't have until this year. That is sad.

[PaperLantern]

Quote: Originally Posted by baa7

Hmm... MLB 08 - best baseball game ever. NHL 08 - best hockey game ever. FIFA 08 - one of the best, and certainly the most innovative soccer game ever. Madden... yeah, but has it actually ever been good? In other words, not disappointing in the least.

MLB 08 The Show isn't even EA.

It's some other company... EA made the MVP baseball series, which obviously doesn't exist anymore. But MVP Baseball 2005 was a fantastic game.

[NYJets]

Quote: Originally Posted by PaperLantern

MLB 08 The Show isn't even EA. It's some other company... EA made the MVP baseball series, which obviously doesn't exist anymore. But MVP Baseball 2005 was a fantastic game.

He didn't say it was. This article was about games in general, not just EA.

[DGuinta1]

Do we need to have a new version of our sports games each year? And if the game was perfect, from the beginning, would there be less employees needed for future renditions? Just something I have wondered even if it maybe be nonsense.

[Crimsontide27]

Do we really need a new sports game each year? No. Will developers and publishers forgo not publishing titles every year and miss a mountain of cash? No

They have plenty of time to make advancements to the game, its just they know they dont need to.

Each and every year, no matter what is released...majority of people will buy it. Its for this reason that we will see very little change in the football series. This year is looking better, but Im not going to hop on the hype train just yet. Ive been fooled before, so I have lowered my expectations in the sports game genre.

[Lisa_Bonami]

When I think of NEX GEN Sports Gaming, I think of more immersive, deeper experience of the sport I am playing. Not necessarily just Higher resolution graphics or increased polygons per athlete.

While I certainly enjoy having richer, more detailed visuals, I think the gaming industries still need to dig a little deeper and get more creative in tapping into other ways to approach "NEX GEN" thinking in their sports games

For example:

Why not develop the actual FRANCHISE experience more with richer more immersive stat tracking, sorting, ect. Have these large HDs store more HISTORY or create ALMANACS or log more data that can be retrieved and viewed by the player that wants to be the ultimate franchise stat junkie. I'd love to be able to search thru my Franchise's history and look up stats, records, boxscores, player cards from 10 seasons ago and be able to revisit certain stats.

On the topic of lengthy franchises. ALL FRANCHISE SPORTS games should make a mandatory IMPORT/EXPORT feature that allows a player to export and import their existing franchises into the NEW version of that video game. For example: I just played 25 season of my franchise in Madden 08 and now Madden 09 comes out and I have to start a whole new franchise over from scratch???!....why not give us the ability t import the existing franchise from the previous version of the game??

Personalities. I still think we havent made as huge of an advancement in realistic human like AI as we have in visual graphical advances. AI in NEX GEN sports games seems very similar , predictable and somewhat limited as it was in previous gen systems.

Variety. NEX GEN systems should also allow for a much greater variety in AI algorythms and tendencies from teams to teams and players to players to really make different matchups very unique

USER PROFILES. 2k actually has made some advances in this area but still hasnt completely went as far as they should. In 2K NBA and NFL games, players can create profiles that track all their gameplay tendencies and allow users to view their gameplay patterns and behaviors in certain situations. Some games allow you to share them...some games allow you to assign them the CPU exhibition games but none of them go as far as giving the player complete flexibility and control to assign different USER PROFILES to different teams in their FRANCHISES or SEASONS. This would allow for some excitingly wild and human like encounters with each team you play in your franchise. It would also add huge variety to each game as well.

These are just a few of the things off the top of my head I can think of...

[shondeveron]

ill tell you what ruined madden..and mlb2k5...competition...or lack thereof...look at how nhl and fifa stepped up when they have nhl2k and winning eleven creepin on em..think about why ea didn't announce a fight night till prizefighter announced...cus you didn't have a choice but to play fight night..why don't you think madden hasn't changed a playbook since 2k5 stopped production ..then put double the feats in when all-pro game out..ohh does it surprise you that they gonna go all out when techmo bowl comes out..not that it's equal comp..but it's comp to say the least.. imagine mlb2k series with mvp or even high heat back...imagine if people actually played nba live..i bet we would have more than 3 roster updates in a year..

EA is like the wwf ..everyone loved wrestling when wcw was on tv and went head 2 head with monday night raw..but as soon as wwf bought everyone out..and got a new name...nobody tunes in anymore...

it's almost like the old saying for a bachlor..nobody thinks ur cute when your single ..but soon as you got a girlfriend(competition) the booty meter is up...

[shondeveron]

hell nba2k doesn't even run plays on defence for the computer..even if you make them the vip..funny..
and i promise...i bet every dollar i have (which is only 20 if you count the remaining creds on my foodstamp card)
that madden will drop 2 out of every 10 games and give you a loss even if your winning..to this day it's the only game that does that..it's the only online sports game you can play that allows someone to quit and you don't automatically get a win less you play the cpu..
but we can rewind..lol
you can't even pick what you challenge online..come on guys..fix the challenges..like 2k's ..you can't even move more than one guy in motion after a player resets at his postion..you could do that on techmo bowl and joe montana's sports talk football..crazy..same playbooks..same glitches that allow qbs to roll out and throw over the middle..
bet it won't have defensive matchup options so you can put champ bailey on randy moss for the whole game..
but i bet my stamp card again you can fix how much the parking cost or they have some dumb ring meter..
you can't play with rain or snow online...and they got weather that leaves footprints offline..but if you get tackled in the snow..the players don't leave a BODY inprint in the snow..guys are 300+lbs in the league..but they got divisionless leagues..and legends..lol

they said you can port playbooks from the other game..lol..i bet you can't use em online..

bad thing is..ima purchase it at midnight at gamestop the night it comes out..call in for work the next day..like a dummy..why? cus how else can i play wit my redskins and the same playbook even though they got a differ coach and off coord..and d coach..