OS Roundtable: What Feature Should be in Every Sports Game?

[DaveDQ]

Spectator mode. There was a blip on the screen with EA MMA where you could set up fight cards and watch each fight transpire. They even included Live Broadcast. You have this one time game putting something like that out, meanwhile long standing titles like Madden, NBA 2K don't touch on it.

How great would it be to have a spectator mode for your online franchise/dynasty/league championship game?

[Brandwin]

In-Game saves should be in every sports game.

[hbk_wess]

In all sports games, if you can get enough people to use every team in a dynasty or franchise online you should be able to. In NCAA football they only let 12 people in on 1 dynasty. What about the other 108 teams?

Create-a-team should also be in all sports games with the ability to import logos for your team and have the ability to fill the team with fictional players.

[cubsfan1913]

they need to show when notre dame walks from church to the stadium that would be sick

[Jay Jay]

TheTodd84 hit it on the nose because real physics fix a lot of problems gamers been crying about for years.

[mastersbunch]

I agree with Caley, ESPN2K5 NFL Football was the bomb when it came to weekly sportscenter highlights and commentary.I dont understand why this has been implemented in other sports game since.Hopefully one day soon we will see this maybe Madden 13 or NCAA Football 13.

[Warehouse]

I have no idea how every game has not adopted a version of FIFA's Live Season. Granted, it takes a way a lot of roster control, but to play a season exactly how it's played in real life with the only difference being you can change the outcomes is something that everyone would want.

[aksumite]

Completely ONLINE Dynasty/Franchise/Association mode(s) is the way of the future for ALL major sports titles and should be considered MANDATORY.

I agree 100% with Jayson Young and Christian McLeod

Jayson Young: NCAA Football and Madden NFL are currently the only sports series to feature an online franchise mode. Even then, Madden's version of online franchise is so barebones and limited that it's really more like a "multi-season" mode than a true online franchise. Most sports gamers would agree that franchise mode is the best part of playing sports games. So why hasn't online franchise become a mandatory feature in every sports game?

Madden and NCAA are dull, underwhelming sports games when played offline. But in online leagues where all 32 NFL owners are human, or the SEC is run entirely by human coaches, these mediocre football titles become a lot more exciting. Madden NFL 10 was my sports game of the year in 2009, and it wasn't because the game itself was that great, but because the online franchise experience brought an otherwise boring game to life.



Christian McLeod: I'm with Jayson in thinking that every sports game from here on out needs a form of an online dynasty in it. Let's face it, we live in a world where social networking and MMOs have taken over. NCAA Football's Online Dynasty mode is simply amazing when you take a look at it in detail. Imagine every other sports game out there allowing you to hook up with at least one other person online (with other teams being CPU-controlled) and experiencing everything a franchise can offer together. Not only would this be groundbreaking in team-based games like NHL and NBA 2K, but imagine a WWE or NASCAR game where you play through PPV events or racing seasons with others.

Yes there are definitely some quirks that would need to be worked out in terms of scheduling, especially for sports with multiple games per week, but I am entirely confident that commissioner tools could be put in place to solve these issues. Sports gaming was founded on the couch with a group of friends, and the NCAA Football series has proven just how amazing playing from the next-generation couch can be. Mark it down developers everywhere, this feature needs to be required!