OS Awards: Online Experience of the Year
Submitted on: 12/29/2009 by
Online gaming is a rapidly growing portion of the gaming pie. Just a half a decade ago, single-player modes were still the modes of choice for most gamers. However, today online gaming is becoming the mode of choice for more and more gamers. With that in mind, Operation Sports is giving out the Online Experience of the Year Award for the second year in a row.
Last year's winner, NCAA Football 09's Online Dynasty mode, got a large chunk of support from OS Readers once again, but it was Madden NFL 10's Online Franchise that was a near unanimous pick as the Online Experience of the Year by the OS staff. Online Franchise's integration with several different platforms, including the iPhone, is just one of many reasons why the staff thought the mode was deserving of recognition as the online experience of 2009.
Online Experience of the Year: Online Franchise
Christian McLeod: Madden 10's Online Franchise may have been lacking some of the more in-depth options that were included in the offline mode (salary cap, free agency), yet the mode still turned out to be one of the most addictive online experiences for me this side of Halo 3. There is something to be said about staying up until 3 a.m. after the season has already ended so you can scout players for the upcoming entry draft -- all in an effort to find that one stud player who will avenge the loss you had in the conference championship game against your friend's stacked team. Thankfully, I found such a player in Patrick Lopez, a 6-foot-4 325 pound left tackle from Tennessee.
Jayson Young: I was a huge fan of NHL 09's EASHL mode, but I thought the feature actually took a step back this year with the purchasable attribute boosts and outlandish player costumes.
Instead, my friends and I spent our time playing Madden NFL 10's Online Franchise, which, while flawed, still managed to keep all 32 of us interested because of the mode's team-building strategy and intense conference rivalries. With 2K Sports having finally dumped the All-Pro Football 2K8 league pages off its servers, Madden 10 has become the game of choice for all but the most stubborn members of the online football playing community.
Matthew Coe: It is Madden 10's Online Franchise, and it is not even close for me. Online Franchise kept me playing Madden this year while I waited for the gameplay and stat-tuning patches. Online Franchise, despite lacking some key features like free agency and proper financial accuracy, was the deepest online experience I played in 2009. In addition, real-time amateur drafts with 20-plus users is both great fun and a pain in the ass, the lack of proper stat-tracking was annoying and the playoff logic is flawed. All of that being said, I expect a proper franchise mode for Madden 11's online experience because EA built a great foundation with Madden 10.
Reader's Choice
Winner: NHL 10's EASHL
Voting Results: NHL 10's EASHL (31%), Madden NFL 10's Online Franchise (30%), NCAA Football 10's Online Dynasty (25%)
Reader Comments: I love the Online Franchise in Madden, but I hope the developers let us keep our leagues from this year in next year's game. - Huskerfan4life
Madden would be on a whole different level if the Online Franchise had the features of the offline franchise mode (trade draft picks and salaries for example). I picked NCAA Football 10's Online Dynasty since that mode had all the offline features, and you could practice with your dynasty teams - Facts
I would pick none of the above. I just think online play should be so much further ahead for all sports games. I understand the love for Madden's Online Franchise, but without most of the features, it's not really even a franchise mode. I actually had a lot of fun with FIFA online this year, but that's me. It was a smooth and fun experience. - bears5122
Last year's winner, NCAA Football 09's Online Dynasty mode, got a large chunk of support from OS Readers once again, but it was Madden NFL 10's Online Franchise that was a near unanimous pick as the Online Experience of the Year by the OS staff. Online Franchise's integration with several different platforms, including the iPhone, is just one of many reasons why the staff thought the mode was deserving of recognition as the online experience of 2009.
Online Experience of the Year: Online Franchise
Christian McLeod: Madden 10's Online Franchise may have been lacking some of the more in-depth options that were included in the offline mode (salary cap, free agency), yet the mode still turned out to be one of the most addictive online experiences for me this side of Halo 3. There is something to be said about staying up until 3 a.m. after the season has already ended so you can scout players for the upcoming entry draft -- all in an effort to find that one stud player who will avenge the loss you had in the conference championship game against your friend's stacked team. Thankfully, I found such a player in Patrick Lopez, a 6-foot-4 325 pound left tackle from Tennessee.
Jayson Young: I was a huge fan of NHL 09's EASHL mode, but I thought the feature actually took a step back this year with the purchasable attribute boosts and outlandish player costumes.
Instead, my friends and I spent our time playing Madden NFL 10's Online Franchise, which, while flawed, still managed to keep all 32 of us interested because of the mode's team-building strategy and intense conference rivalries. With 2K Sports having finally dumped the All-Pro Football 2K8 league pages off its servers, Madden 10 has become the game of choice for all but the most stubborn members of the online football playing community.
Matthew Coe: It is Madden 10's Online Franchise, and it is not even close for me. Online Franchise kept me playing Madden this year while I waited for the gameplay and stat-tuning patches. Online Franchise, despite lacking some key features like free agency and proper financial accuracy, was the deepest online experience I played in 2009. In addition, real-time amateur drafts with 20-plus users is both great fun and a pain in the ass, the lack of proper stat-tracking was annoying and the playoff logic is flawed. All of that being said, I expect a proper franchise mode for Madden 11's online experience because EA built a great foundation with Madden 10.
Reader's Choice
Winner: NHL 10's EASHL
Voting Results: NHL 10's EASHL (31%), Madden NFL 10's Online Franchise (30%), NCAA Football 10's Online Dynasty (25%)
Reader Comments: I love the Online Franchise in Madden, but I hope the developers let us keep our leagues from this year in next year's game. - Huskerfan4life
Madden would be on a whole different level if the Online Franchise had the features of the offline franchise mode (trade draft picks and salaries for example). I picked NCAA Football 10's Online Dynasty since that mode had all the offline features, and you could practice with your dynasty teams - Facts
I would pick none of the above. I just think online play should be so much further ahead for all sports games. I understand the love for Madden's Online Franchise, but without most of the features, it's not really even a franchise mode. I actually had a lot of fun with FIFA online this year, but that's me. It was a smooth and fun experience. - bears5122
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