First off, let me offer this disclaimer: I am, in no way, starting this thread to complain or bad mouth EA at all, but I just had some thoughts on Electronic Arts, both good and bad, that I wanted to share. So, without further delay, here are my honest, uncensored thoughts:
Electronic Arts, for all its criticism, has been one of the most successful companies in the video game industry. From Madden to The Sims, Electronic Arts boasts some of the most recognizable titles in gaming history.
Madden NFL Football, for example, is the company's biggest and most recognized sports franchise. The yearly sales of the EA Sports line alone would make a lesser company literally jump for joy.
As a longtime gamer, I have had a ton of experience playing EA games, everything from Madden to The Sims and everything in between. Year in and year out, I faithfully bought all my favorite EA franchises like Madden and NBA Live; playing them until my hands had no feeling.
Along the way, however, something happened to bring my faith in EA crashing down to Earth. The games that I loved playing like Madden and NBA Live, for example, were plagued with glitches, bugs, graphical stutters, etc. In short, I stopped playing EA games altogether because the faults that the games had were getting in the way of my enjoyment. They were always there, of course, but there was a time when I just played the games to see what was wrong with them, instead of actually enjoying the whole experience of playing video games. (Which is why I started playing video games in the first place.)
Fast forward to 2008. Though I have not touched a Madden game in years, the strides that the game has made has more than rekindled my desire to want to jump back in the series and play some NFL football again. In addition, NBA Live '09 has made some positive strides that could make it one of the best games ever made in the NBA Live series.
Granted, the innovations, features, and familiarity have kept me playing. However, with that being said, the recent decline in the quality of EA franchises has been maddening (pun intended), disappointing, and frustrating. In short, I want to trust EA to deliver quality games that I will love to play, but, based on their recent track record, I am probably never going to ever have the complete faith in them like I did when I was growing up and thought everything that EA did was the best thing since sliced bread.
Now that I am much older and a little wiser, I am careful not to put too much faith in EA. However, I also refrain from the inclination to bash them because they have begun to show improvements in their games and a willingness to interact with gamer communities so that they can continue to make the games they put out better.
In the end, I have realized that every game is going to have its fair share of problems. That being said, however, it is unrealistic for me to want a game to be 100% perfect. I'm sorry, but that's just not going to happen. I've come to accept that as a fact of like just like death and taxes.
Is EA the best thing since (insert phrase here)? No, they are not. But are they the Anti-Christ or the Evil Empire? No they are not, no matter how much their games continue to impress, excite, frustrate, and annoy me. At the end of the day, the most important lesson I learned was this: Whether you like their games or not, EA is just a video game company. And, although there may be many reasons why people play games like Madden and NBA Live, the best reason to play video games may be because they can be actually fun to play. (Wow, what an epiphany, huh?)
Note to Mods: If this thread is misplaced, please feel free to move this to the appropriate section as I was unsure where to post this. Thanks!
Electronic Arts, for all its criticism, has been one of the most successful companies in the video game industry. From Madden to The Sims, Electronic Arts boasts some of the most recognizable titles in gaming history.
Madden NFL Football, for example, is the company's biggest and most recognized sports franchise. The yearly sales of the EA Sports line alone would make a lesser company literally jump for joy.
As a longtime gamer, I have had a ton of experience playing EA games, everything from Madden to The Sims and everything in between. Year in and year out, I faithfully bought all my favorite EA franchises like Madden and NBA Live; playing them until my hands had no feeling.
Along the way, however, something happened to bring my faith in EA crashing down to Earth. The games that I loved playing like Madden and NBA Live, for example, were plagued with glitches, bugs, graphical stutters, etc. In short, I stopped playing EA games altogether because the faults that the games had were getting in the way of my enjoyment. They were always there, of course, but there was a time when I just played the games to see what was wrong with them, instead of actually enjoying the whole experience of playing video games. (Which is why I started playing video games in the first place.)
Fast forward to 2008. Though I have not touched a Madden game in years, the strides that the game has made has more than rekindled my desire to want to jump back in the series and play some NFL football again. In addition, NBA Live '09 has made some positive strides that could make it one of the best games ever made in the NBA Live series.
Granted, the innovations, features, and familiarity have kept me playing. However, with that being said, the recent decline in the quality of EA franchises has been maddening (pun intended), disappointing, and frustrating. In short, I want to trust EA to deliver quality games that I will love to play, but, based on their recent track record, I am probably never going to ever have the complete faith in them like I did when I was growing up and thought everything that EA did was the best thing since sliced bread.
Now that I am much older and a little wiser, I am careful not to put too much faith in EA. However, I also refrain from the inclination to bash them because they have begun to show improvements in their games and a willingness to interact with gamer communities so that they can continue to make the games they put out better.
In the end, I have realized that every game is going to have its fair share of problems. That being said, however, it is unrealistic for me to want a game to be 100% perfect. I'm sorry, but that's just not going to happen. I've come to accept that as a fact of like just like death and taxes.
Is EA the best thing since (insert phrase here)? No, they are not. But are they the Anti-Christ or the Evil Empire? No they are not, no matter how much their games continue to impress, excite, frustrate, and annoy me. At the end of the day, the most important lesson I learned was this: Whether you like their games or not, EA is just a video game company. And, although there may be many reasons why people play games like Madden and NBA Live, the best reason to play video games may be because they can be actually fun to play. (Wow, what an epiphany, huh?)
Note to Mods: If this thread is misplaced, please feel free to move this to the appropriate section as I was unsure where to post this. Thanks!
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