Why I Have Not Made the Leap To Online

[GiantBlue76]

I'm not going to criticize anyone because everyone has their own tastes. I'm 32 years old and have been playing sports video games since the atari 2600. I had every madden up until 2001 when the series really took a turn for the worst. I also had all of EA's other GREAT sports games, like the old NHL and NBA games for the sega genesis. The concept of sports gaming online was awesome to me. I have zero desire to play the computer. I am not interested in a role playing game when I am competing. I could give a **** less about setting hot dog prices and ticket prices. I have been an athlete my whole life so I love to compete. The whole point to a sports game is to be able to pit yourself against an unpredictable opponent and try to win a championship. Playing the computer gets stale and is unfulfilling. Why is it fun to beat up on the cpu which becomes predictable, for 10 straight seasons? I think a lot of people just get frustrated because they don't win every game. When NFL2k5 came out and they had the fantastic online leagues (which EA now has what, 4 years later????), I joined up with a group of about 20 guys from all over the nation all around my age. We continued to play about 10 straight league seasons and it was the most fun I have ever had playing a game in my entire life. I think most madden players prefer to play offline. While I do think Madden is making a comeback and is on the right track, most of the people who don't want to play online have never had the right experience with it to really understand what makes it fun. The whole point of a sports game is to compete against the best competition and try to out smart your opponent. Human players need to adjust play calling, try different things, utilize different packages etc, etc. When playing the cpu, you get to win every time, what fun is that in the spirit of true competition? I have a group of friends who were all big 2k5 players and we are all actually somewhat hopeful that this year's madden will finally be remotely close to that "other game" that came out 4 years ago. The fact that we can compete against each other in a realistic sim style game is what makes the game fun. If you don't want to be cheesed, then stick to playing against a group of guys on your friend list.

[imbout]

This is a great testimonial for all us gamers that really don't enjoy all the online stuff. I am in the same boat and I get chastised all the time for playing offline with my sports games. That is the way that I enjoy the game the most and I love it. Great post!!!

[Smokez4DAyz]

I have a fondness for online gaming, I've been trying to game online since the dreamcast days. I hit my high point with socom 2, I played that game all day, all night, online. I now play all the Cod4, bad company, halo 3, gta 4 online and i love it/hate it and you've stated some my beefs. In these games, you can see how others are playing the game, and see tactics, so I don't mind online action games. Sports is a whole 'nother thing. I agree, I can't stand sports gamers that simplifies a four quarter game to two plays on defense and two plays on offense, for 45 minutes? and of course they must use the 'best' team. Its not uncommon to face the Pats six times in a row online, not exactly real, as there are many NFL fans, but very few have the cojones' to get online with their favorite team. So you have a bunch of copycats, not exactly what CPU a.i offers. In NBA online, I can't bring myself to play 2k online anymore, too many exploits, guys that don't use PGs, or you play houston and Yao and Mutombo in the game at the same time, or the guy that wants to post you up with Jason Kidd(?) for four quarters, its a mess. I have friends over all the time for gaming sessions and sometimes, I'd rather be alone with the CPU A.I, my friends suck, lol, so I don't enjoy it as much as they do, and when they leave, I fire up my season in whatever. Hey, I think online gaming is a step in the right direction, I just wish guys would download an integrity handbook.

[demencia_total]

I've always been at a crossroads when it comes to online. It can be fun playing with friends, but playing strangers results usually in the same tactics again and again, which is the nature of a lot of gamers as Carlos stated: winning at all cost. And when I say "friend", I mean people who you know in real life or at least come into communication often. The reason I make this distinction is that I've added people online who I've come in contact with but it always results in a futile attempt to start a proper game in games that have more than 1vs1. Everyone wants something different, then starts making their wishes known in a less than civil manner through the mic, and if their wishes aren't met, then they begin to annoy everyone in full force and/or leave the session. Again, It's just people being people, it's not like this doesn't happen in some other form in other facets of life.

I remember the days of playing games like Age of Empires on LAN with a bunch of people who were less than adept at strategy games because we weren't hardcore gamers at all, but that was one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences ever because even in our vast ignorance of pc's and such games that were deemed "too geeky", everyone was on the same page of having fun with whatever it was we were doing. After work, some would stay at the office to use the computers and the Dreamcast and we would just battle it out in Marvel vs Capcom 2, NBA 2k1, Rival Schools, etc.

After that experience, I relived it with Halo LAN parties even if I had no idea what I was doing and kept getting murdered over and over again. Eventually, I got pretty good at it and bought an Xbox and ventured into Halo 2 online, which cemented my feelings on online gaming. When I played with friends, it was awesome and even when you lost, you gained something from the experience. When I played against strangers, it felt like a routine where everyone would use the cheapest tactics while screaming incoherently through the microphone. It didn't matter if they were 12 or 24, it was the most immature crowd of gamers that made me really wary of competition online. I know this isn't the case for ALL games as I realize that example is coming from one of the most overrated - and probably most hyped - games in history, but the trend has continued through sports games and pc gaming, even if to a lesser degree.

In sports it's a little easier to find competitors that are willing to play a more "relaxed" style through sites like OS since it's mainly 1vs1, but now with the addition of 5vs5 in bball and 10vs10 in football, the same problems are going to arise. "YOO STUPID #*&$*&$ IM LABRON!" I can already hear them shouting in the lobby. If I could amass at least five friend gamers that were online pretty frequently I probably wouldn't be writing this, but being in my half 20's, most of my friends don't even own a console, much less ventured online. Most of us have partners to attend to, studies, jobs, some have kids, activities, etc.

Unless you're willing to venture into online socializing, it ain't gonna work for a lot of us. I think online works great for people who are willing to do this and for the younger ones who have all the time in the world and grew up with the newer generations of gaming, but I'll always remain wary of it.

[spursfan]

I feel your pain. As much as I hate to say it most people will do anything to win. I nba 2k and madden online. Either they are way above your skill level or way below. There is no "unpredictibility". Most people, if they can't beat u sim, they will try to use every known glitch in the game to beat u. And if that doesn't work, they'll ask for a friendly quit, or just quit. Once they realize they can't cheese u, they quit or disconnect. Same thing for fight night. everyone just finds a way to abuse haymakers. For NBA 2k, everyone complained about the layups. But they were fine, as long u didn't run around dribbling the whole game, and actually ran plays. The only time it was fun for me consitiantly, was in my nba 2k leagues. Because u would play a guy multiple times, u both got a "feel" for each other. Anybody can win one game. But can u beat ur rival 2 and 3 times in a row, and on the road? This far more realstic and fun to me. Because u had to strategize what thast other player was gonna do. This is why I'm glad madden finally has online leaguse. Hopefully they fixed the game so if quit an online game, u should lose. I If I wanted to play the cpu, I'd be playing franchise mode..