Video Game Football Stinks, and No One Seems to Notice

[Mysta Hagy]

So... Should i even consider buying NCAA 09? Seems to be a big hit every year. Does anyone know how good the online play is?

[Heshi]

You probably don't know much about soccer if you're saying that playing defense in soccer games (PES/Winning Eleven, FIFA) deserves an A. There are A LOT of frustrating issues with stupid defenders in soccer video games. The back four reatreating to the own goal line instead of trying to keep the playing field small in PES 2008 are a good example...

[Sully]

I am patiently waiting to see how Todd could possibly remove the foot that he currently has lodged in his mouth.

[slickdtc]

Quote:

And hockey is close, but there are 10 (+2 goalies) players TOTAL on the ice at one, so you're talking less than half of the players to program.

Hah, wow, they can't even get hockey right with half the players of football, why should we expect football to be even remotely close to realistic? Don't know why I never thought about that.

[Spongedaddy]

Quote: Originally Posted by Sully

I am patiently waiting to see how Todd could possibly remove the foot that he currently has lodged in his mouth.

He can't since his hands are stuck up his rear.

I kid, I kid.

He does have some 'splaning to do...or a retraction. I think at the heart there is some good content to explore. The current model of sports games does tend to short change the consumer in some ways. Calling his readers suckers along with a hypocritical NCAA review don't help his point.

[sleeterbat]

I agree with -Pike- football D is a strategy and skill, I have a great time with the challenge of stopping an offense. Offense should be easier than defense because they know where the ball is going and where the players are going, and as for NCAA 09, I am a regular football gamer for a while now, and after the bugs which there are patches for now, I think it's a great game and I play it all the time. Campus Legend online dynasty and offline dynasty, I play it all.

[dapoktan]

sounds like someone sucks at madden..

[Acedeck]

Anyone who gives NCAA 09 a 9+ score has little credibility to begin with. Making an article like this shortly thereafter only reaffirms the lack of credibility.

As for the actual subject matter at hand:

I think football has plenty of potential to be fun on defense. If they could make it rewardingly challenging, it could be fun. Last year was just a turnover fest, so it wasn't that rewarding or challenging whatsoever. They also need to show some attention to the defense. The last time they gave any real attention to the defensive side of the game, Ray Lewis was the cover athlete.

I haven't been paying attention to what changes are coming with Madden this year, but here are some things that need to change in the series when it comes to the defensive side of the ball:

-True gang tackling, like in NFL 2k3, 2k4, and 2k5. Yes, it's literally been over five years and EA is STILL behind when it comes to tackling animations.

-More control. This means more than just two buttons for swim or spin moves on the defensive line. It means more fluid control of your player that you select, since you can only select one of eleven.

-Camera. It's currently very difficult to even play as a CB because the camera doesn't show the entire field.

Those are just a few things I can think of right off the top of my head. I believe defense has the potential to be fun in football video games.