EA Speaks about the NFL, ESPN, and AFL Deals

[1fortheroad]

Yep there are alot of them, I think some of the emulators allow for online play.
http://www.tecmoworld.com/

People who have been complaining about Madden since they got the NFL deal, take note. These guys love Tecmo Bowl, for whatever reason they want to keep it alive. They do not complain about not liking the new generation of games. They make is possible to keep playing their game.

[Blahzie]

Quote: Originally Posted by quietcool72

Serious? You are the one on the MADDEN forums trolling and trying to start crap with anyone who doesn't sit back and believe that the NFL deal is the end of civilization as we know it, and that the orbit of the Earth was somehow effected. What's your point? You have every right not to buy an EA game ever again. You have every right to not like their games. You have every right to feel that the deal hurt competition (and I agree with you.) Bud why do you and others feel the need to TELL US ALL THAT OVER AND OVER AGAIN? Will it change the situation? No, and I'm sure you realize that. Is it helping the situation at all? No, and I'm sure you realize that. So there you go. Post again, get it all out (if it hasn't all been spilled out already in your posts and the other umpteen posts on the matter from other posters). You have the floor, Blahzie. Let it all out. Spill out all those upset feelings. Once its all out, we'll all give you a big ol' virtual hug like this was some heartfelt topic discussed on the Oprah Winfrey show. What else do you want from us? Tell us what you want to accomplish with your posts? Tell us what they will really change in terms of the facts as they are? What is your point?

Alright, buddy, settle down.

First off, i already made my points in this thread - points that you still have yet to address. That's fine, though, since i never expected you to do so.

Second, exaggering what little of my post you did understand isn't doing anything for the discussion we *could* have had. "End of civilization"... i never even intimated as much. I simply explained why i have very little faith in EA's ability to publish a quality football game and why i'll likely not be buying Madden 2006.

Third, if you never wanted a discussion in the first place, you probably shouldn't be reading a message board. "Discussions" sometimes involve conflicting viewpoints.

Look, obviously my presence here distresses you so i'll leave you and your bachelor's degree and your wife (WTF?) alone.

[bangpow]

Quote: Originally Posted by 1fortheroad

Yep there are alot of them, I think some of the emulators allow for online play. http://www.tecmoworld.com/ People who have been complaining about Madden since they got the NFL deal, take note. These guys love Tecmo Bowl, for whatever reason they want to keep it alive. They do not complain about not liking the new generation of games. They make is possible to keep playing their game.

I like Madden and ESPN, but i also have a soft spot for Tecmo Bowl. I need to check that out when i get home.

[quietcool72]

Quote: Originally Posted by Blahzie

Alright, buddy, settle down. First off, i already made my points in this thread - points that you still have yet to address. That's fine, though, since i never expected you to do so. Second, exaggering what little of my post you did understand isn't doing anything for the discussion we *could* have had. "End of civilization"... i never even intimated as much. I simply explained why i have very little faith in EA's ability to publish a quality football game and why i'll likely not be buying Madden 2006. Third, if you never wanted a discussion in the first place, you probably shouldn't be reading a message board. "Discussions" sometimes involve conflicting viewpoints. Look, obviously my presence here distresses you so i'll leave you and your bachelor's degree and your wife (WTF?) alone.

Heh heh...
You are my kind of SOB.

You want it, you got it

Quote: Originally Posted by Blahzie

Grow up a little. Understand that there's more to know about everything than what you see or hear or are told. Let me illustrate by example: T2 signed an exclusivity agreement with the MLBPA and MLB that does NOT exclude first party development. So they managed to get the agreement, eliminate the major competition and not screw Microsoft, Sony or Nintendo out of potential profits from their first party games all at the same time, thereby retaining a good relationship with the people upon which they depend for their product to be successfully distributed. Not to mention that they also manage to keep themselves honest by ensuring competition on some scale.

What's to "see and be told." Look, I'm the furthest thing from a Madden fanboy there is. But all I see is that EA is a corporate entity (like Take Two) who is in business to make money. I don't "like" the obliteration of competition, but it was the NFL's license to sell any way they wished. Surely you wouldn't debate the legality of the deal, because -by law- the NFL has that right. You really gloss over the MLB issue with all kinds of sugar and spice and everything nice, but sell that line to the PC gamers who buy baseball games. Every game on the PC is- by definition- a 3rd party game. And guess what?- Take Two owns those rights, yet has yet to indicate wheter or not they ever intend to make PC ports of their MLB game. (History shows that VC has had no interest in doing so in the past.)

So how about you feed this sunny, happy "good relationship with people" stuff to PC baseball game fans- who may end up with NO MLB GAME out of this deal. Tell me this deal didn't potentiall f*** the PC gamers who play baseball (and they are many...)

(Notice though, I'm not calling it unfair either- I'm calling it "the face of business" and that's the breaks. Just like the EA deal. Deal with it. Move on.)

Okay... what next? Oh...here we are...

Quote: Originally Posted by Blahzie

You can only see minimal effort in the last few years (momentum, call challenges, DB AI improvement) as a DIRECT RESULT OF THE EXISTENCE OF A VIABLE COMPETITOR. And now that their only incentive is gone, what on earth makes you think that EA will all of sudden do the honest thing and completely overhaul Madden for 2006?

Now, again, I love ESPN NFL 2K5, but strong competition by Madden or EA in general has yet to ever seem to push them to playtest their products or do quality control beyond the complete, abnormal, unexplainable minimum standard that they seem to do.

Why didn't the darwinistic view of "competition improves all things" seem to apply there? You'd think that going up against EA would mean they'd buckle down and do that much more to insure that the product going out the door didn't have as many problems as it did.

You are right- every game has bugs, but VC's are often SO noticeable and SO outright blatant that it amazes most gamers. Don't take my word for it, read the Op Sports review of MLB 2K5 and even that reviewer mentions this as not just an anomoly, but an outright trend in 2K releases. That's not a good reputation to have. But there's an example of something unneffected by the big competition that existed.

Look at NFL 2K1 on Dreamcast. It sold lots of systems. Lots of people (including myself) loved the game at that time. Curiously enough, they had no competition on that platform. Ever.

But again, overall- I agree, more competition is ideal- but if you go back to point one, this is the face of business and licensing. How do you think American Express/MasterCard feels about being edged out of use by Visa "The Official Card of the NFL".. (and of Gillette Field, apparently.)

That's licensing for you. It is what it is. Again, I'm not giving you opinions here, I'm giving you facts of the matter.

..and while we are on the topic of opinions...

Quote: Originally Posted by Blahzie

Yeah, except at the end of the day, no one really gave a crap whether EA fanchmucks liked the game or not, because we had a better product in our game systems. Now we're facing 5 years of mediocrity.

I rest my case. I guess anybody who buys Madden is- in your mind- an idiot, and anybody who buys their product (which you -and your crystal ball- KNOW will be mediocre for the next five years) is an outright "Shmuck"?

Opinions are like anal apartures- everybody has got one. Yours just happens to stink more than most.

I'm done conversing with you. Its been fun.

[jeb68]

"my part-time teaching of Christian apologetics"

quietcool72,

What exactly does this mean? Please explain yourself.

[quietcool72]

Quote: Originally Posted by jeb68

"my part-time teaching of Christian apologetics" quietcool72, What exactly does this mean? Please explain yourself.

Jeb68,

Potentially innappropriate forum topic to get into. Apologetics comes from a Greek term and it means to "defend logically through evidence/data" though. We have enough off-topic stuff here, and i wouldn't want that happening more than it already is about another topic such as religion.

If you really want to know, private me.

[blackceasar]

All I can go on is EA's track record with the Madden series. Do I like it? Yes, do I think they have been lazy with it though. Yes. Could have EA been doing more ALLREADY with the game in the past few years? YES. Why havent they? IMO, because they dont have to. There are enough people who buy it who like it just fine the way it is. That is NOT me though.

Here is a scary though, and it's just a though. All the Madden Fanboys out there who bleed "Madden or Die"...what if..just what if Madden turns into a football game that YOU dont like anymore? Where will you turn to then?

Here is even scarrier though. Look at how bug ridden ESPN Baseball and MLB2006 is. What if Madden shipped and bugs in it that totally killed the game and it wasnt patchable? Where would you go to get your NFL fix? Im not dogging EA, and Im not exactly a ESPN fanboy either. Im just saying I hate the fact that If I dont like Madden next year I wont have no where else to turn. If Take Two got the deal I would be writing about them instead. I like Madden but I DO for the time being prefer ESPN 2k5. If Madden was my top choice of football game Id still be upset but not as much but now its like I was going to buy a new 2005 Ford Mustang but I cant now because the company who makes Gremlins has signed an exclusive deal with tire, wheel, sheet metal, etc manufacturers so now if I want a car next year, no mustang for me...ill be rolling a Gremlin.

Once again, anyone who thinks ANY kind of exclusive deal is a good thing is a flat out fool. Yeah I said it. The fools can flame me now.

[quietcool72]

Quote: Originally Posted by blackceasar

All I can go on is EA's track record with the Madden series. Do I like it? Yes, do I think they have been lazy with it though. Yes. Could have EA been doing more ALLREADY with the game in the past few years? YES. Why havent they? IMO, because they dont have to. There are enough people who buy it who like it just fine the way it is. That is NOT me though. Here is a scary though, and it's just a though. All the Madden Fanboys out there who bleed "Madden or Die"...what if..just what if Madden turns into a football game that YOU dont like anymore? Where will you turn to then? Here is even scarrier though. Look at how bug ridden ESPN Baseball and MLB2006 is. What if Madden shipped and bugs in it that totally killed the game and it wasnt patchable? Where would you go to get your NFL fix? Im not dogging EA, and Im not exactly a ESPN fanboy either. Im just saying I hate the fact that If I dont like Madden next year I wont have no where else to turn. If Take Two got the deal I would be writing about them instead. I like Madden but I DO for the time being prefer ESPN 2k5. If Madden was my top choice of football game Id still be upset but not as much but now its like I was going to buy a new 2005 Ford Mustang but I cant now because the company who makes Gremlins has signed an exclusive deal with tire, wheel, sheet metal, etc manufacturers so now if I want a car next year, no mustang for me...ill be rolling a Gremlin. Once again, anyone who thinks ANY kind of exclusive deal is a good thing is a flat out fool. Yeah I said it. The fools can flame me now.

Heck no- you are dead-on. Exclusivity stinks, but you hope for the best in whatever game is made, I personally don't care who the developer is- I'll still give it a shot without prejudice- and it sounds like you are the same way.

I'm personally a bigger MVP fan than a MLB 2K5 fan, but I hope their future games in the series (MLB 2K6) kick butt. Though I'm not sitting here saying "Nope, MLB 2K6 was bug fest, and it will always be a bug fest."

Heck no. I'll be in line for it- day one. And I feel the same way about any potential 2K football game that might come out. You bet your arse I'll be in line for it- because I love football.