Next Gen: Sports Games vs Everything Else

[VanCitySportsGuy]

Re: Next Gen: Sports Games vs Everything Else

here is something i'd like to see but I doubt it happens:

As you know both the X360 and PS3 will push the online aspect of the consoles so why don't the developers of sports titles just go on a 2 year cycle rather then one year. Only having a year to create the next season's game leaves very little room for originality and creativity.

Since most people are aiming for 90% or better online connectivity then wouldn't it make more sense for the companies to just put out roster updates until the next release. If they're worried about losing money then they could charge a nominal fee for the rosters.

I really think something like that would get the stale feeling out of sports gaming.

No chance. Why release a game only every 2 years when there are millions of people out there willing to buy a new edition every year?

This is a business in which the main goal is to money.

[SPTO]

Re: Next Gen: Sports Games vs Everything Else

No chance. Why release a game only every 2 years when there are millions of people out there willing to buy a new edition every year?

This is a business in which the main goal is to money.

True, however if EA and T2 keep going down the road to creative bankruptcy then they're going to lose the loyal fanbase. Heck, i've read many posts from people that basically say "to hell with T2!".

I'm telling you if one of these companies go on a 2 year dev cycle with roster updates you'll then see a HUGE demand for the next itteration of the series.

[VanCitySportsGuy]

Re: Next Gen: Sports Games vs Everything Else

True, however if EA and T2 keep going down the road to creative bankruptcy then they're going to lose the loyal fanbase. Heck, i've read many posts from people that basically say "to hell with T2!".

I'm telling you if one of these companies go on a 2 year dev cycle with roster updates you'll then see a HUGE demand for the next itteration of the series.

Some of those folks are probably the same people that said they were going to boycott EA games after they got the exclusive NFL liscense.

While having a longer dev cycle might produce a better game, it's a terrible business decision and that's why you'll never see it happen.

[mercalnd]

Re: Next Gen: Sports Games vs Everything Else

Well, when you've seen a games AI like inside drive for basketball as an example, and which was done years ago on an old gen console, whats the excuse that you cannot match that, or even improve on it?

My point is not about it being impossible to create or recreate the AI and I did not see this as being about excuses. My point is that each company in sports games has achieved a certian balance in its AI and tweaking that is very precarious for sports games because gamers KNOW how the players should react to every situation.

The fact that MS achieved great basketball AI in Inside Drive in no way makes it easier or less precarious for EA or 2K to tamper with its own AI in order to achieve the same level of AI quality. It's not like they can take what MS did, unless thgey could buy the code but even then AI is context sensitive so unless the entire game is built on the same structure as Inside Drive was they wouldn't be able to just "plug" Inside Drive's AI into their own game. Everything is so intertwined that there are side effects to every tweak.

I was not trying to make an excuse for sports games' developpers. I just think that since AI tweaking in sports games is more demanding than in other genres, that is probably the reason why they don't spend as much time on the visuals. For example, for Madden 360 EA spent a lot of time on the visuals and the rest of the game suffered, most likely because they ran out of time. 2K on the other hand focused primarily on gameplay and AI forits first batch of 360 titles. NHL looks just like the XBOX version and while they put in some very nice visual effects like blurring and the sweat reflections in th ebasketball titles, it's easy to tell that the core visuals are the same as on the XBOX. However, they have improved the AI and specifically corrected some AI flaws of the current gen versions.

[SPTO]

Re: Next Gen: Sports Games vs Everything Else

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While having a longer dev cycle might produce a better game, it's a terrible business decision and that's why you'll never see it happen.

OK let's take your assertion to non-sports games. How come no one kicks and screams for quicker releases of sequels to hit games? If the general video gaming public can wait in anticipation for a sequel then why can't sports gamers do the same for sports games?

Part of supply and demand has to do with actual supply. If new product takes an extra year to come out then don't you honestly think it'll get people to wait on said new product with greater anticipation?

Let's face it, sports gaming has become like the car industry. It's so cookie cutter and devoid of actual creativity that people are resigned to roster updates with a few graphical tweaks and a fluff mode here and there.

These companies NEED to bring back some originality to their sports franchises or else people are going to get burned out to the point that the sports gaming genre will cease to be as strong as it is today.

[VanCitySportsGuy]

Re: Next Gen: Sports Games vs Everything Else

OK let's take your assertion to non-sports games. How come no one kicks and screams for quicker releases of sequels to hit games? If the general video gaming public can wait in anticipation for a sequel then why can't sports gamers do the same for sports games?

Part of supply and demand has to do with actual supply. If new product takes an extra year to come out then don't you honestly think it'll get people to wait on said new product with greater anticipation?

Let's face it, sports gaming has become like the car industry. It's so cookie cutter and devoid of actual creativity that people are resigned to roster updates with a few graphical tweaks and a fluff mode here and there.

These companies NEED to bring back some originality to their sports franchises or else people are going to get burned out to the point that the sports gaming genre will cease to be as strong as it is today.

Very few people kick and scream for quicker sequel releases to hit games because they're not sport games.

Sport games thrive on updated rosters while a game like GTA doesn't. EA knows they could release a new Madden with just one new feature, updated graphics, and a roster update, and it will still sell millions of copies. That is why it would be foolish of them to only release a game every 2 years when the market is willing to pay for one each year.

If people are looking for something fresh in the sports genre, than they should check out Nintedo Wii. They're taking a different approach to games besides the old formula of improving graphics.

[SPTO]

Re: Next Gen: Sports Games vs Everything Else

Well AF I guess we can agree to disagree. I just think that the longer term sucess of 2 year cycles would benefit the companies more then the every year deal.