News Post

Summer Storms: The NCAA Release Story

06:15 PM - July 24, 2008 by RaychelSnr

It has now been well over a week since NCAA Football 09 was released and we have seen just about every reaction possible about EA Sports newest game. Our very own Patrick Williams was in the middle of the release frenzy and checks in today with an article discussing his thoughts on how the releases reaction was received among the community in his latest article, Summer Storms: The NCAA Release Story.

Quote:


	"Summer is usually a time for relaxation in the sports world. Summer lacks any real dramatic sports news. At most, all you can hope for is some kind of off-the-field NFL scandal or hot topic -- and this year has not let us down, thank you Brett Favre and the Packers organization. Still if you love sports -- and since you are here you most likely do -- and play sports video games, you know that summer means a new beginning for the next season�s titles."

Game: NCAA Football 09Reader Score: 7/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS2 / PS3 / PSP / Wii / Xbox 360Votes for game: 95 - View All

NCAA Football 09 Videos

Member Comments

# 101 spit_bubble @ 07/25/08 01:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChaseB


	...I can't force people to write negative pieces...

It's not about being positive or negative. As an editor you should realize that it's the truth that matters. That's pretty much Journalism 101.

As such, that article is horrible (edit: The NCAA Summer Storms one, just to be clear). It dramatizes rather than reports... And it clearly spins at the end in the second to last paragraph.

Garbage.

Very likely just an EA funded puff piece.

# 102 thmst30 @ 07/25/08 01:25 AM

http://www.5w-g.com/2008/07/24/eas-b...ake-the-catch/

MAJOR props to former Operation Sports Managing Editor: Shawn Drotar. This is how it used to be around here.

# 103 Jistic @ 07/25/08 01:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thmst30


	http://www.5w-g.com/2008/07/24/eas-b...ake-the-catch/ Props to former Operation Sports Managing Editor: Shawn Drotar. This is how it used to be around here.

Refreshing...makes me misty about the "good ole days". Shawn is someone pretty much all of us respect.

# 104 Seahawk76 @ 07/25/08 01:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thmst30


	http://www.5w-g.com/2008/07/24/eas-b...ake-the-catch/ MAJOR props to former Operation Sports Managing Editor: Shawn Drotar. This is how it used to be around here.

Yep, he's right on the money. NCAA 09 is an unfinished product that was rushed out the door for business reasons. OS should be holding EA's feet to the fire for this, not writing puff pieces.

# 105 janglar @ 07/25/08 01:41 AM

I just want my f**king rosters to work and I can deal with the rest. Whose got the latest up to the minute scoop on the roster patch release?

# 106 ChaseB @ 07/25/08 02:16 AM

Once again, thanks again for all the comments and concerns. I've learned a lot from this experience, and the staff as a whole I think has as well. We'll definitely try to improve the situation moving forward.

I'm off to bed.

# 107 McLite @ 07/25/08 06:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PlyrzNumber1


	Amen! In regards to your comment about overmoderating: its not just countryboy, it's fishpapa(sp?) too. Beyond that, if Adam/OMT wants a topic "stickied", locked, or other posters comments deleted (because they have critical comments about the bugs/gameplay) the moderators happily assist.

That is such absolute ignorance. The overmoderating in this forum is due to countless individuals posting the same things over and over. EA sucks, this game sucks, I'm mad, OS sucks. If we wouldn't have to deal with 100 different people posting the same thing we wouldn't have to close/lock every 5th thread.

I don't know who Adam is...I don't know who OMT is. I've never had a conversation nor have most of the other mods had a conversation with him as far as I know. And he nor anyone else has never told me to lock or close a negative thread. I close replays and I give infractions for those who can't follow the TOS...that's my little job in this huge online world.

I mean give me a break...almost 75% of the threads have been negative, we would have to lock every one. This game is an absolute mess for a lot of people. Online doesn't work, rosters, kickoffs, pass rush, custom sounds, and on and on. Me...I haven't really had a problem with the game. I don't play online, I don't use custom rosters, I tweaked the sliders and I play it and enjoy it for what's it worth.

Do I think this article is bad...yes I do. It completely ignores most of the online community in which it's posted in. It's basically telling a vast majority of the posters they are wrong and over reacting...which is never a good idea. Do I think the game is bad...not totally. As I said I have my fun with it playing Campus Legend and a little bit of Dynasty so far.

If you have a negative opinion then feel free to post it. Just please give some reasons and stay in the threads provided. I'm all for everyone getting their 2 cents in...just stay professional and back it up.

# 108 jpup @ 07/25/08 06:29 AM

What happened to OS? This is not the site that I once remember. I have been wondering what was going on for some time now. This thread kind of shows my feeling. I agree with AA, Pared, & the others that believe that OS should be held to a higher standard. That high standard is why we all came here and stayed.

I think I'll quit looking at the Home page anymore.

# 109 pietasterp @ 07/25/08 07:49 AM

There's some good dialogue here, and some excellent points that summarize a lot of our (collective) feelings are being brought to the fore, which is a good thing.

I think the article in question ("Summer Storms") had some good points and made some rather insightful, albeit glib (intentionally so, I imagine, and to good comic effect) observations about forum mentality/trends. The passage about the pre-release hysteria, the standard tap-dance with some members obtaining early release copies of games (and the subsquent inquisition that always accompanies claims of "I got the game early!"), and the early concerns/bad news spreading like wildfire across the forums are all good observations about forum behavior in general, which is what I believe was the main point of the article.

Having said that....as Pared and others have accurately and intelligently articulated, given the recent change in the dynamic of the forums here (from grass-roots, anti-establishment, hardcore sports gaming talk to what now appears to be some concerning or questionable relationships with publishers/developers), this article happened to come about during a perfect storm of change at Operation Sports. If the forum members seem a little touchy on the subject, it's probably because the article appears to trivialize their concerns regarding the NCAA game and over-generalize their complaints as part of a very unhappy and vocal minority. The article may have been well-received if posted at another time, but about this particular game, at this particular time, when it seems OS staff has never been further away from the pulse of its forum members (at least regarding the relative merits of a game, in this case NCAA 09), it seems to be adding fuel to the fire.

The insinuation that OS is now being unduly influenced by EA or anyone else is something only the OS staff can truly comment on. However, as the site gets bigger and bigger, bear in mind that when it comes to a website's credibility and authenticity, especially one that has built its reputation on brutal honesty and unabashed truth without regard to advertisers or publishers feelings, the appearance of impropriety is tantamount to impropriety itself.

# 110 bears5122 @ 07/25/08 08:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChaseB


	Once again, thanks again for all the comments and concerns. I've learned a lot from this experience, and the staff as a whole I think has as well. We'll definitely try to improve the situation moving forward. I'm off to bed.

Many of us appreciate you listening to concerns and being so open minded.

One of the things I'd say is that a lot of the newer pieces seem to just be re-written press releases from the companies. Whether it's touting a feature or a fluff piece on a release. While there isn't anything horrible with that, it's just not that interesting to me and others.

Take the Summer Storms article. While it's been bashed for being a PR piece, it's also a piece that really doesn't offer anything new. Instead of an article re-hashing some board banter, I'd love to see something that actually involves EA answering questions. Whoever the writer is could come up with 10-15 questions that have been debated on the boards and gotten some answers. I'd love to know if they feel the pass rush is weak, or if they intended the pursuit to be built this way. I'd love to know when we can expect online dynasty to be fixed or what the potential timeframe is for a gameplay patch. Most of us are running around like chickens with our heads cut off and this would offer a great chance to put some of these questions to rest.

That kind of stuff peaks my interest. It doesn't have to be a hit piece either. Just simple questions and a forum for EA to give their customers an honest reply (to questions we are interested in hearing answers about).

And that's just one idea. But things like that offer more value in my opinion. Some of the detailed analysis of the games that you see on Bill Harris or Bill Abner's blog are always insightful. A more journalistic approach to the articles, with no bias at all. I think right now most of the homepage content is just re-hashed press releases. A move in the other direction would garner many more eyeballs, including new people who are drawn from other sites.

# 111 kohlrums @ 07/25/08 09:14 AM

Again-even with all of those issues mentioned you left out one-the ball does not rotate when thrown. This is idiotic. Maybe this is not a gamekiller for some, but if I have a game with all the issues mentioned above, I at least want it to look good when I play it-and it doesn't. when you throw the ball it just floats. The animation for QB's are awful-from the drop back from center, to their throwing motion, to how the ball comes out of their hands well before their arm has moved passed their head on a throw-all the way to the fact that the ball does not make one full rotation on a 15 yard deep out. Is ther anyone at EA that has played football-at any level? The effort put into this year's release is pathetic. I got NCAA 07 on Xbox 360, traded my 360 in for a PS3 so I could get The Show, and bought NCAA 09 this year. NCAA 07 is far an away a better game than this one. How have things gotten so bad? EA is regressing. I am ashamed I was dopped by the reviews to actually spend money on this game.

EA-stop wasting time detailing the viens in players arms, adding a 5th style of helmet, and concentrate on decent gameplay, and getting the ball to rotate when thrown.

# 112 Seahawk76 @ 07/25/08 10:55 AM

Does anyone here remember Old Man Murray? Not only was it the funniest gaming site ever, but Chet and Erik were absolutely ruthless in skewering buggy, unfinished games and lazy, uninspired, and unoriginal game development. And they were even more ruthless in going after other gaming websites that offered watered down puff pieces and inflated review scores for overhyped games.

Sports gamers could use an OMM about now.

# 113 DrUrsus @ 07/25/08 11:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattG


	That is such absolute ignorance. The overmoderating in this forum is due to countless individuals posting the same things over and over. EA sucks, this game sucks, I'm mad, OS sucks. If we wouldn't have to deal with 100 different people posting the same thing we wouldn't have to close/lock every 5th thread. I don't know who Adam is...I don't know who OMT is. I've never had a conversation nor have most of the other mods had a conversation with him as far as I know. And he nor anyone else has never told me to lock or close a negative thread. I close replays and I give infractions for those who can't follow the TOS...that's my little job in this huge online world. I mean give me a break...almost 75% of the threads have been negative, we would have to lock every one. This game is an absolute mess for a lot of people. Online doesn't work, rosters, kickoffs, pass rush, custom sounds, and on and on. Me...I haven't really had a problem with the game. I don't play online, I don't use custom rosters, I tweaked the sliders and I play it and enjoy it for what's it worth. Do I think this article is bad...yes I do. It completely ignores most of the online community in which it's posted in. It's basically telling a vast majority of the posters they are wrong and over reacting...which is never a good idea. Do I think the game is bad...not totally. As I said I have my fun with it playing Campus Legend and a little bit of Dynasty so far. If you have a negative opinion then feel free to post it. Just please give some reasons and stay in the threads provided. I'm all for everyone getting their 2 cents in...just stay professional and back it up.

The Biggest problem with this game to me is that I cannot tweak the sliders independently for both offense and defense. When you mentioned tweaking sliders, did you know this is broken?

There will always be conspiracy minded people that think you're in cohoots with EA to block their comments. I agree, that makes no sense considering the amount of negative EA comments on here. You would have to shut the whole site down

Honestly, I really want to like this game, and like a lot of things about it, but it seems like everytime I play now, I get frustrated. If I try to boost the CPU running game, then my running game is too easy because their are no independent sliders right now. My level is between AA and Heisman usually, and that is a real problem for me this year because I cannot tweak the sliders independently.

# 114 DrUrsus @ 07/25/08 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kohlrums


	Again-even with all of those issues mentioned you left out one-the ball does not rotate when thrown. This is idiotic. Maybe this is not a gamekiller for some, but if I have a game with all the issues mentioned above, I at least want it to look good when I play it-and it doesn't. when you throw the ball it just floats. The animation for QB's are awful-from the drop back from center, to their throwing motion, to how the ball comes out of their hands well before their arm has moved passed their head on a throw-all the way to the fact that the ball does not make one full rotation on a 15 yard deep out. Is ther anyone at EA that has played football-at any level? The effort put into this year's release is pathetic. I got NCAA 07 on Xbox 360, traded my 360 in for a PS3 so I could get The Show, and bought NCAA 09 this year. NCAA 07 is far an away a better game than this one. How have things gotten so bad? EA is regressing. I am ashamed I was dopped by the reviews to actually spend money on this game. EA-stop wasting time detailing the viens in players arms, adding a 5th style of helmet, and concentrate on decent gameplay, and getting the ball to rotate when thrown.

I asked Adam - OMT and he stated they had former Division I players and a QB.
Yes, the animations aren't always good, but thats the least of our worries at this point. EA sports - If its in the game, maybe next year

# 115 kiddlex @ 07/25/08 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MattG


	That is such absolute ignorance. The overmoderating in this forum is due to countless individuals posting the same things over and over. EA sucks, this game sucks, I'm mad, OS sucks. If we wouldn't have to deal with 100 different people posting the same thing we wouldn't have to close/lock every 5th thread. I don't know who Adam is...I don't know who OMT is. I've never had a conversation nor have most of the other mods had a conversation with him as far as I know. And he nor anyone else has never told me to lock or close a negative thread. I close replays and I give infractions for those who can't follow the TOS...that's my little job in this huge online world. I mean give me a break...almost 75% of the threads have been negative, we would have to lock every one. This game is an absolute mess for a lot of people. Online doesn't work, rosters, kickoffs, pass rush, custom sounds, and on and on. Me...I haven't really had a problem with the game. I don't play online, I don't use custom rosters, I tweaked the sliders and I play it and enjoy it for what's it worth. Do I think this article is bad...yes I do. It completely ignores most of the online community in which it's posted in. It's basically telling a vast majority of the posters they are wrong and over reacting...which is never a good idea. Do I think the game is bad...not totally. As I said I have my fun with it playing Campus Legend and a little bit of Dynasty so far. If you have a negative opinion then feel free to post it. Just please give some reasons and stay in the threads provided. I'm all for everyone getting their 2 cents in...just stay professional and back it up.

Please remember without the community, even the ones who recycle "absolute ignorance", there is no Operation Sports. If you don't know who Adam or OMT is you have not spent enough times on the NCAA boards to have such an angry response to criticisms logged regarding the increased restrictions of certain moderators as of late. One need not look far to find devs requesting threads locked and such. OS is a top notch website for unbiased sports gaming news and conversations, lets keep it that way with limited censorship.

# 116 Lintyfresh85 @ 07/25/08 12:18 PM

This isn't a real article is it?

I'm as big a fan of EA as anyone, and even I can't play the game without wanting to put my head through a brick wall.

You might want to think next time before you put your thoughts to paper...er... microsoft word.

I'm sure Madden will be a much better experience, but for you to come out and proclaim NCAA was just a case of loud naysayers... that's hilarious.

# 117 joerob @ 07/25/08 01:16 PM

Ive read this article and it makes me think "did this guy really play this game like I did back in the day". I think not because the reason I love this college football game is because I have passion and excitement for the game of college football and a game that brings me closer to that feeling is the best thing ever. I use to play every series before this one like I was drowning and fighting for air. I would ditch out on friends, stand girls up on dates and even go through a day with a hour or 2 of sleep because I stayed up all night tweaking and adjusting every offensive and defensive slider possible "begging" for the right set of sliders to be found so I can have a super fun game but also make it realistic as hell so I could be proud of my win. I use to love when the computer would beat me with a crap team because I played bad or made stupid errors or just wasnt focused on my gameplan. I feel like the rest of all you diehards here (you know who you are), that with the newer games all the bs gimmick plays should be gone (cheese online sh..) and fundamentals should be spot on. I mean seriously whomever tested this game should be punched in the mouth. I mean it took every single one of us 1 or 2 games to find all the bugs and the worst part is more kept popping up. I do like the game and know it can be fixed I just wonder why the heck EA puts out a product like this when they know we expert more being an educated community. TLTR.....just felt like venting

# 118 Crimsontide27 @ 07/25/08 01:20 PM

This is not the OS it used to be. I came to this site many years ago because of the balanced discussions going on, wether it be positive or negative , about sports games inpaticular.

While I can certainly understand other peoples point of view, OS has gradually changed to the point to where you can have nothing negative to say about certain games. At the very mention of anything negative, the people with 10k posts have to come about you and make sure they set you in your place because obviously they know more about the game and its bright spots than you do.

I am thrilled that EA devs are on this site. What I am not thrilled about is the moderators and those in power here, making it a point to hightlight the very few postives of this diasterous game, and trying to sweep all the problems with this title under the rug.

I want the devs to know whats wrong with their game. If I was a dev and came to this site, I would be very happy with myself because the way these forums are moderated these days would make me feel like everyone loves the game.

NCAA is my most anticipated title year in and year out since I was playing Bill Walsh and Segas college football back on the Genesis. Yet if I say something negative about the game, I have to type some kind of 10 page thesis paper defending my position on liking the game before I can even get to the point or else Ill be labled a EA ***** or something.

I dont give a damn about deadlines when it comes to football, so much of the game is finished before the next year is even started. There is only so much they redo. Each and every year, we pretty much get the exact same game, with the exact same problems, plus a couple of gimmick features. I dont believe for one minute that near as much effort goes into these yearly EA football games as they would have you believe.

Bottom line is that NCAA 09 is the most bug ridden, most dumbed down, most unpolished, most unrealistic representation of the game of football in modern sports game history. I dont care bout nets, refs, chain gangs, etc, etc....but the actual representation of the game of football in this title is a disgrace.

# 119 aholbert32 @ 07/25/08 01:37 PM

Quick question: Why doesnt this article have a thread in the forums like every other article?

# 120 ASB37 @ 07/25/08 01:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by aholbert32


	Quick question: Why doesnt this article have a thread in the forums like every other article?

Would this be considered that thread? Sorry if i'm missing something but if you check the first post of this thread isn't it set up like other front page article threads?

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