Disappointments of this year.

[jtdribbles25]

Re: Disappointments of this year.

Almost all sports games now suck which is really sad. If you're primarily a sports gamer, than they might seem good, but if you like great games like fallout3 and cod4 it reveals how cheap and crappy sports games seem.

wow. this is too bad. I had a great sports games year. I had an unbelievable time with the show. I love nba 2k9. Nba live has rebounded big time. Nhl and fifa are excellent. I even found a good time in madden for a little while. Games aren't the end all for me, so I've had a good time with them. Biggest dissapointment for me was socom. Only because it's online only.

[allBthere]

Re: Disappointments of this year.

wow. this is too bad. I had a great sports games year. I had an unbelievable time with the show. I love nba 2k9. Nba live has rebounded big time. Nhl and fifa are excellent. I even found a good time in madden for a little while. Games aren't the end all for me, so I've had a good time with them. Biggest dissapointment for me was socom. Only because it's online only.

I shold have mentioned I don't own a ps3, because the show looks good to me.

fifa lost me a long time ago, I think that's just me though ... nhl...I didn't like either this year, sure they have good things about them, and 'suck' is too strong of a word, but I had no desire to make a purchase.

nba2k_ are very good, but I just can't purchase them anymore either. I'm not exactly sure why, but the rental that I had was enough to fill my satisfaction/curiosity for nba bball for the whole year. It might be the shooting or some things about the AI, i'm not sure...

I did buy head coach, but have traded it in, and can't believe that even in a game like that, the game chugs along and has slowdown in simple menu tasks. And in-game slowdown and long-ish load times. Madden suffers from all this too usually and I just think there is no excuse for it.

why is it that most EA sports games work the system so much harder (can hear 360 chugging away trying ot read the disks) than other companies, and are so choppy in comparison?

[MC Fatigue]

Re: Disappointments of this year.

Almost all sports games now suck which is really sad. If you're primarily a sports gamer, than they might seem good, but if you like great games like fallout3 and cod4 it reveals how cheap and crappy sports games seem.

I have to agree with this, I think.

When I was a kid - games were new, and it was just amazing that I could even play a game. When the NHL series came out on the SNES, I was just amazed that I could play hockey, and I didn't really nitpick at all. Games were just plain fun - and it seems I didn't notice the problems.

Now, the problems are almost too hard to overlook. From NHL's 09 ping pong hockey (up the ice - shoot; down the ice - shoot; up the ice - shoot; down the ice - shoot. Defense? We don't need defense!), to NBA's player clipping (which EA's NHL has problems with too) that allow players and the ball to simply run straight through anything they want for a basket... Clipping and collision detection? Pshh - that's for losers. If Bryant wants to run through 2 defenders, and then push the ball through a defender's hands, he should be able to.

There's no reason anything like that should happen. The puck/ball and the players should be solid, and if the puck/ball hits something, it should hit it should react accordingly.

It just seems that games are becoming prettier and prettier to look at (NHL 2009 comes to mind for that. It looks great), but the programming behind it is getting lazier and lazier.

I have a very hard time overlooking players and objects going through other solid objects (the NBA 2k9 example, and NHL 2009's issue with the puck simply floating through the goalie).

I have a hard time watching catchup logic like the EA games tend to have (think specific NHL games where the computer magically scores 3 goals in the 3rd period on 4 floating shots from the blue line).

Even the controls are starting to get stripped down. In NHL 2009, when I'm in the neutral zone, and the opponent has the puck and is skating towards me, I'm forced to skate backwards all of a sudden, letting a player in full speed just skate past my player who's just trying to turn around - when I didn't want him to. Not to mention with the shot stick controls - I'm forced to dump the puck when I'm outside the zone (so I can't really shoot unless I try to aim towards the middle and just hope), and I can't use the dumping feature inside the zone.

It seems to me that sports games are just getting poorer and poorer. I would have expected the opposite. But it seems to me that companies are starting to put so much time into making the game look great, that they're ignoring the more important things like the AI, and realistic clipping and collision detection.

It seems to me that instead of what's actually going on with the players and object, that stats and scores are effecting what happens. If the AI is down and needs to come back - it's going to, regardless of how well you're playing on defense. Objects are going to start going through things, and the puck/ball is suddenly going to start doing funky things like going through goalie's, or flying through defender's hands.

I'm primarily a sports gamer. They're the games I tend to love the most, and play the most. However, as the years go on, it seems I'm only getting more and more disappointed in these "efforts". Something just isn't right.

edit: Just wanted to add this: In the year 2008, it shouldn't be amazing when something basic happens in a game. Like someone posted in the NBA 2k9 forum the other day: they were amazed when a player got called for an over-the-back foul when reaching for a rebound... It's because fouls and penalties in sports games are so overlooked. They're either completely over the top with too many being called, or they're virtually non-existent and no matter how you fiddle with the sliders they're rarely called (NFL 2k5 is my example of this. Doesn't matter how low or high I put the interference sliders, I can play 10 games without ever seeing a call). Or how about NHL 2009? How many times do I have to watch the AI nail the player I'm trying to pass to like it's a part of the game? Where's the interference call? Why can't they get something so basic right? If you hit a player who doesn't have the puck, it's called interference. It's a simple, simple thing. But it would appear to come back to the AI. If you can't program the AI to actually play hockey and play good defense, then just program them to hit players so that the player can't make passes to them...

Things like this shouldn't amaze a person when they happen. They should be standard, and expected. They're a basic fundamental of sports - you commit an infraction, you get called for it. But it seems like no developer is really paying attention to this very basic thing.

[Skyboxer]

Re: Disappointments of this year.

Because some of the game just wasn't that fun. I loved doing the story missions or going around and doing random ****, but I hated having to deal with all your friends and having to bowl, eat, etc. with them.

Bottom line for me was it was not as fun at all as SR2.

[Matt Diesel]

Re: Disappointments of this year.

Yup, seriously. If NHL 2009 is sports game of the year, then it's truly a pathetic year for sports games.

Name a sports game this year that was better. Maybe The Show, thats it.

Disclaimer: I only play NHL online in OTP mode, 6vs6 mode. So maybe I dont know all the flaws of the AI. However, that mode has made a video game feel like a real sport more than any other game I have ever played.

[CFav]

Re: Disappointments of this year.

For me I have to say Mercenaries 2. That was one dry game. And also NBA 2k9. Not so much the gameplay, but the fact that they haven't put a patch up after all this time. I haven't even purchased the game yet because I'm waiting for you guys to give me the all clear on the patch.

It's been a month and some change...that patch will come...next yrs sales probably depend on it anyway. But I feel what your saying. Patience is definitely a virtue when dealing w/ 2K games.

At least when the patch drops, you know it will actually fix something and not cause more issues, unlike some other patched games that came out this yr...

Anyway, I had to throw out another two games here that I tried (didn't buy) that were disappointing IMO...SW: Force Unleashed, and Spore. Just not what I was expecting, specially after big budgets, and in the case of Spore, loooooong dev. time...

[CFav]

Re: Disappointments of this year.

I don't understand how people felt GTAIV was a disappointment. It has some of the best physics in any game. Better Graphics than its comp (saints row 2) and PLENTY of multiplayer modes to please anyone. A long story with plenty of thrilling missions. I don't know I just don't see disappointment and I agree with the reviews of a 10/10.

Now take saints row 2. I am about to trade it in because the driving physics are terrible. Doing 100mph and turn as if on rails is soooo last gen. With the technology we have now and they don't put in real physics or even graphics to show off. I don't know I just don't get a WOW factor off of SR2, but GTA-IV did.

Poor driving physics? I will agree they are unrealistic, but so is going, oh lets say 20mph and sliding halfway across the intersection on every turn(GTA 4...and dont take me too literally here)...pretty realistic if you ask me...or was it? We drive crazy in NY/NYC, but NOT LIKE THAT...lol...anyway, SR2 is one of the couple of games that didn't piss me off this yr....to each his own I guess

[Phobia]

Re: Disappointments of this year.

I thought about this a while and Metal Gear Soild 4 Might be my biggest disappointment this year.

[Bornindamecca]

Re: Disappointments of this year.

I thought about this a while and Metal Gear Soild 4 Might be my biggest disappointment this year.

I might have to agree with that one. Part of me thought this was going to give me a software reason to by the PS3, but it just didn't cut it. I had the opportunity to really sit down and play through it, but quickly realized that either I've outgrown the MGS aesthetic or moved past the point of wanting to watch poorly written cut scenes for huge chunks of time between gameplay.

[ProfessaPackMan]

Re: Disappointments of this year.

I really don't get how people can say GTA was a disappointment but say Saint's Row 2 is Game of the year.

[Phobia]

Re: Disappointments of this year.

I might have to agree with that one. Part of me thought this was going to give me a software reason to by the PS3, but it just didn't cut it. I had the opportunity to really sit down and play through it, but quickly realized that either I've outgrown the MGS aesthetic or moved past the point of wanting to watch poorly written cut scenes for huge chunks of time between gameplay.

Ya I got soooooo tired of watching cut scene after cut scene for 30 mins a pop. I am not one who rushes through those normally, I like to dive into the story and make it like a movie. But MGS 4 just over did it to the point that I was ready to trade it in (and I did)

I really don't get how people can say GTA was a disappointment but say Saint's Row 2 is Game of the year.

I agree. It was not my favorite game of the year (GTAIV) BUT I did think from a graphic/scale/techology/phsyics aspect it was quite impressive. But to each his own I guess.

[Stroehms]

Re: Disappointments of this year.

MLB 08: The Show

Bought a PS3 for it and it didn't live up to my expectations.

Hopefully the RTTS is deeper next year and there's a new pitching mechanism.

Other games:

MLB 2k8
Top Spin 3

[Seymour Scagnetti]

Re: Disappointments of this year.

Really disappointed with Resistance 2. Coop's fine but I can see it getting old pretty fast. The campaign just seems to promote run and gun without strategy unlike the 1st one and the bosses are easy to kill. The campaign just feels scripted. I really think R1 is the better game in every respect except the coop and graphics, even the sound was better in R1.

Here's the most obvious flaw, what the hell happened to the enemy AI. It's completely dumbed down and the chimera just walk right into the open waiting to get blown to pieces, same with the bosses and your weapons are too powerful, 2 or 3 good shots take down a chimera and they don't get stunned and get back up like they did before when you don't pump enough bullets in them. The fact that there are way too many checkpoints also kills the tension in this game. Used to complain about some games not having enough checkpoints but R2 went overboard making them too abundant.

Some of this stuff is what's making the campaign so boring. The AI was incredibly smart in R1 and were strategic, maybe the best I've seen in a FPS, and they get lobotomized in R2. They spent alot of time making the game look "epic" and it does have that look but it looks like they spent very little time making it play "epic'.

There are no deathmatch maps for more than 20 players while R1 had 40 player deathmatch maps. Also it looks like you can't create a game where there are 1 hit kills, big negative. R1 had both but every map in R2 is run and gun thru corridors, really no skill involved. The maps were alot more interesting in R1.

[Behindshadows]

Re: Disappointments of this year.

Okay!

2ksports games

MLB 2k8 - Straight Poo

NHL 2k9 - Garbage and Graphics took a step back!

NBA 2k9 - Sliding, Overbearing A.I. too many bugs!

Sony

NBA 09 The Life - Trash to the fifth power.

Resistance 2 - Sadly enough it's terrible.

Socom - what a waste and a joke!

MGS 4 - I mean seriously am I playing a game or am I watching a movie. Seriously! Not enough game and too much cinematics.

Gran Tursimo - really when is 5 coming already.

OTHERS

SW: Force Unleashed - Too short and crap.

Mercenaries 2 - everything was wrong about it.

Battlefield - Hated it!

The Club - Over rated garbage

GTA IV - Whack! Not much fun once you beat it and I'm enjoying Saints Row 2 more!

[auburntigersfan]

Re: Disappointments of this year.

If anyone on here says ncaa 09 is underrated they obviously haven't utilized the Online Dynasty feature to it's potential. I'm still playing OD daily with my friends. I know it took a lot of development time, but it was worth. If they would have spent the time on ai, and getting all the stadiums there is no way I would still be playing the game.