APF 2K9: What Could Have Been

[Behindshadows]

I agree with everyone else, I love APF 2k8, but the limitations and the options not to edit cpu teams and things like that! Killed my urges to continue to play. Plus the season mode was too dry, especially after having a great franchise mode in 2k5.

But to cancel 2k9 when all they had to do was grow from this one, and then advertise it better, instead using old rappers and crap like that. It would have been nice to see this series with some growth. But to pull the plug after one release is just terrible.

Prizefighter 2k10 canceled thats great news.

But not APF, just make it fully-customizable and let the mods run away with it, like they do winning Eleven. This would give the game long term Next-Generation growth!

[tabulaRasa]

It a shame those stubborn Madden fans never bought into NFL2k. Brand loyalty seems to be more important than quality. NFL2k5 was so much better than madden...

[burnwood]

Quote: Originally Posted by spankdatazz22

In the end I think 2K was trying too hard to separate themselves from the NFL. I can understand the approach, but in the end it's obvious that was pretty much unavoidable. I endorsed the approach myself and was wrong.

I disagree with this. I think 2K stayed too close to the NFL. I don't remember playing APF and thinking...'this is the game that doesn't have that NFL leash on what video games shouldn't portray'. They put in NFL legends, rules, regs, and refs.

What I didn't see was the more physical and violent side of football (especially on the defence). There are late hits in the game, but most times the hits seem on par as with what the NFL allows.

There's also other things they could have really exploited that the NFL currently doesn't allow in their license. More visible cheerleaders, group TD celebrations, and more opinionated commentary comes to mind.

It really felt to me as another NFL clone without the license. VC commented before the game came out that they didn't want to alienate the NFL on hopes of somehow regaining the license at a later point. But in reality, did they really think they could have outbid EA in the future when the price would be much higher than what they couldn't afford before?

Balls to the wall is what they should have done.

[spankdatazz22]

Quote: Originally Posted by Behindshadows2

But to cancel 2k9 when all they had to do was grow from this one, and then advertise it better, instead using old rappers and crap like that. It would have been nice to see this series with some growth. But to pull the plug after one release is just terrible.

It wouldn't shock me if EA announced tomorrow that the Take Two sale has gone through and 2K Sports as an entity no longer exists. It wouldn't have shocked me if that was said three months ago. It's hard to say what conditions they're having to work under, but I think it can't be an entirely positive environment at this point. Why work your azz off trying to improve something that most fans aren't appreciating in the first place? Let's say they make a kick azz game then... the TT sale goes through and all that work is gone/they no longer own it. I think there's a ton of variables we aren't accounting for. I look into the Madden forum and think... for better or worse, we're going to get what we deserve. At this point, 2K trying to fight to produce an unlicensed football game doesn't make sense from what I can see when people have made the choice to give Tiburon as long as it needs for the licensed games. I love the game and hold out hope they'd do something - patch '08, come out with a 2K10... but from a practical standpoint it doesn't make much sense given the climate.

[spankdatazz22]

Quote: Originally Posted by burnwood

There's also other things they could have really exploited that the NFL currently doesn't allow in their license. More visible cheerleaders, group TD celebrations, and more opinionated commentary comes to mind. It really felt to me as another NFL clone without the license. VC commented before the game came out that they didn't want to alienate the NFL on hopes of somehow regaining the license at a later point. But in reality, did they really think they could have outbid EA in the future when the price would be much higher than what they couldn't afford before? Balls to the wall is what they should have done.

Good points. And in retrospect I do agree with you somewhat, they should've gone farther to distinguish themselves. But it's still a tightrope - go too far, and you're more associated with Blitz. Full customization was always one of the biggest features people wanted and the reason they wanted it was... to recreate the NFL. Or something that resembled the NFL. Or the NCAA. Or whatever league they wanted to create. I argued at the time that the game was better off not trying to mimic the NFL, but now I have to admit a lot of my enjoyment of the game comes from creating NFL teams. There's just no way around it unfortunately. And I think they also had to take into account the vast majority of people that don't want to spend hours customizing; that simply want to pick up and play the game. Trying to come up with something that was going to work conceptually is difficult.

As far as getting the license back, most of us knew there was no way EA was ever going to allow it to go non-exclusive if they were allowed to use their pocketbooks to secure it. But who knows? Many of us thought the NFL might look at the quality of Madden and be willing to take the approach the NBA has - make it more about the quality of the games. So they could've been looking at things from that standpoint. There's any number of ways we could look at it.

[Cdenz]

I love this game, 10 X better than the Madden/NCAA crap we have have recieved the last couple of years, but this game needed a Franchise mode of somekind to help and maybe custom option to edit players names.

[asu666]

"Balls to the wall is what they should have done."

That's called Blitz and it stinks for sim fans. They should have done something simular to Pro Evolution Soccer is to FIFA, but let the community build everything and share it.

[Hassan Darkside]

I just feel like it was a blown opportunity for a game that could have been so much better. I remember that they clamped down on customization options just to avoid confrontation with the NFL/EA Sports. What's the worst that they could do? Prohibit 2k from making another football game? Now look where we are.