Realism in Sports Games, the Developers Pickle

[RaychelSnr]

Erik Westfall recentely penned an article talking on realism in sports-games and how developers are trying to solve the pickle they have been put in. Check out his article here.

Quote:

"What is it about realism in sports games that always drives sports gamers to demand more? Is it even really possible to attain the element of realism and still have a game that’s worth playing?"

[bronco92]

I'd be interested in finding out what other OS'ers think about realism in games. Would you prefer to see something that is very accessible and perhaps not entirely realistic to the sport, or something that is as hardcore and realistic as the real sport itself?

[RaychelSnr]

Quote: Originally Posted by bronco92

I'd be interested in finding out what other OS'ers think about realism in games. Would you prefer to see something that is very accessible and perhaps not entirely realistic to the sport, or something that is as hardcore and realistic as the real sport itself?

Good question Bronc...I would say that I'm a fan of fun games. If a game is realistic and fun, then that's good. If it's not and I'm still having fun, that's just fine as well. I know a lot of people won't touch NBA Street, etc. but if I find a game fun it doesn't matter how realistic it is or not..I'm going to play it.

With that said, I do tend to prefer realistic AND fun games...if it's realistic enough to lose me in the game, that's where the quality of games goes up up up...

[ehh]

Simple + fun = the best formula for a video game to be successful regardless of genre.

It's a blessing and a curse, once you venture down the path of trying to create a realistic sports game you're trapped between a rock and a hard place. The new additions you add in will never be enough and fans will always be wanting more. You're aiming for an unachievable goal, no computer is ever going to be able to completely simulate real life, at least not in our life time. Then it becomes a game of, "How can you have this, but not that?"

When I played Tecmo Bowl I was never pissed off about the size of the playbook, that I couldn't hot-route a receiver or that there were no chain-gangs on the field to measure after a 4th-and-1 run up the gut. NCAA and Madden have been crucified for similar issues in the past.

This is a huge reason why I recently ditched my 360 and bought a Wii. The only sports game I still plan on playing a ton is MVP '05 on the PC which is, of course, a fun and simple sports game.

BTW, the link at the top doesn't work, it takes you to the error page redirecting you to the homepage.

[gta95]

I want to see more games that have a "Sim" setting and an "Arcade" setting. Since many people complain about some games being to hard to sit down and play, why not offer an option that will cater to the casual gamers and the more intense gamers.

[fsquid]

I think realism isn't portrayed very well in this article. I like realistic articles that use English. After the first three paragraphs, I wanted to put a gun in my mouth. Fire the editor!