Not only does EA really not have any incentive to put out a great game but...

[EAreaper26]

Quote: Originally Posted by Netherscourge

ESPN NFL 2K5 satisfied the simmers and the arcaders, cost $19.99 on day ONE and remains the most critically accepted NFL videogame to-date. Then EA bought NFL exclusivity and the NFL2K franchise was dead before it could even be built upon. Life sucks, what can you do?

it didn't satisfy me, all I remember is the game freezing all the time, qb spy not working, and horrible servers.

[Netherscourge]

Quote: Originally Posted by EAreaper26

it didn't satisfy me, all I remember is the game freezing all the time, qb spy not working, and horrible servers.

Well, I never had any problems with that game. But, that's neither here nor there...


I'm come to accept that I'll probably never see a NFL 2K game again and I've been trying to re-adapt to Madden these past couple years.

It's just weird seeing Madden Next-Gen still playing catch-up to a 4 year old game...

As for sales and success - as I said, NFL2K5 was awesome by most people's standards - but Madden 05 still outsold it because most people make decisions based on BRANDS rather then actual, comparison and contrasting.

Sometimes you just can't win.

[cactusruss]

Quote: Originally Posted by EAreaper26

it didn't satisfy me, all I remember is the game freezing all the time, qb spy not working, and horrible servers.

2K5 satisfied my need for a product that was both an excellent drink coaster and a sweet frisbee.

[mastershake88]

Quote: Originally Posted by mrsinister11

wouldn't it actually be detrimental to them? I'm not trying to bash EA, i think there games are decent, and i think this years game will be alright. but think about it, if they put out a ridiculously awesome game. something that catered to everyone. arcade style play for people that wanted that a great sim engine for us realistic players fully customizable - sliders, rosters, playbooks, players, equipment, uniforms, stadiums, hot dog prices, anything else that people want to customize awesome presentation great graphics with field degregation and awesome animations etc. etc. etc. if they actually did this wouldnt it hurt them? seriously, im not trying to bash ea right now i'm just being honest. if they gave us all these things we want this year, wouldn't it realistically just hurt their sales next year? it's sad, but i think that's the case, and how can you really blame them? i'm a personal trainer in a small town, if i was the only p.t. in the entire area i could charge a ton of money for not much 'cause who's going to compete with me for customers? not only that, but if i actually got everyone in shape, it would just hurt the money i make in the future 'cause nobody would be left to need my help. that's why there needs to be competition, fat ladys need to go, ok jerk off you charge to much, and my *** isn't even getting smaller, so they can go to the next guy. that is the true shame that there are no more nfl 2k games, not because i liked them better, which i didnt, but because madden is not only not compelled to put out the best possible game, but it could only hurt them. i see topic after topic dealing with how to improve the game, hey i make the topics too. to me its sliders, to other people it's presentation, to others, the list go's on and on. these are all things that should be on the next gen system, but unfortunately without any competition its just not going to happen. its sad 'cause a better product would actually result in less sales for ea

Stop and realize the hypocrisy of your own thread by what is highlighted in the red and then look at your title to the thread.If you don't know what I just said then you need to think harder about that then. I'm not a fan of either company but there are ways to express. I'm not gonna say why you need to look at the red lettering and then think about what I said because I will leave that up to you.

[mrsinister11]

Quote: Originally Posted by MaddenMan

The biggest flaws with your logic are these: The NFL is constantly evolving, new players, teams, rules, technology, therefore the game will evolve too, it's like saying last year was the best year that ever happened in football ever so lets just watch it over and over again. Even if Madden 09 is the best football game to grace our lives ever, and EA decided to give away free rosters for next year's game, the great majority of gamers would be upset, who wants to play 2k5 over and over if they make 2k6 7 8 9 etc? Also another misconception is that EA doesn't care about the die hard fans, if anything the community interaction has blown that theory out of the water, btw EA can be known as the old stock market men who run the company and the actual developers, I'm talking about the devs. Last misconception: Madden diehards will buy the game no matter how good or bad year in year out if there is no competition - completely untrue and EA knows it, there are far too many other video games out there to occupy our time espeically since we can get our NFL fix every Sunday, Monday etc by just watching the game. No matter what there will always be people out there trying to bash a game and find it's faults, it's the nature of the internet, everyone gets an opinion even if it rl you are someone constantly ignored by your peers because of bias. The game hasn't even hit retail yet and people are complaining about it....... unbelievable. When the game comes out and is loved by the masses instead of getting a part of the fun and action there will always be people who motivated by whatever fancy will want to bash it and downplay it. At least OS is monitoring this behavior a lot lot more whereas a short time ago the forums were a hate board instead of fan boards.

i agree with a lot of your points actually. but to say my logic is flawed is incorrect.

- i am one of the people that would buy madden every year even if it was basically just a roster update. but to think that EVERYONE would? that's just wrong. by making a near perfect game and doing nothing but really a roster update the next year they would definitely lose sales, i'm not saying that nobody, or even most people wouldn't buy the game, because they would, but still they would lose some sales, and i'm sorry but ea seems to covet every single one of the sales they can get their grubby hands on.

one of madden's biggest selling points every year is basically telling you what sucked about last years game and then how they are going to fix it in the next installment.

they are already doing it on this very message board BEFORE 09 IS EVEN RELEASED!!!

I'm not saying they are evil and that its completely intentional just to dupe us, but what i'm saying is they in no way have the insentive to really "get it right" this year.


- go over to the 2k message board if you want to know who would play 2k5 over and over again. would all of those people buy 2k9 if it was released this year. absolutely, 100 percent.

but would they buy each and every game every single year? most would but not all.

if you have the customization to make the game you really want and spend the time and energy to do that with that years game, you aren't going to buy every single year, you will buy every couple of years and maybe even wait for a new generation of consoles. once again most people would buy, but not ALL, and once again EA'S grubby hands.

I mean people spend day in and day out creating rosters so they can play seasons with accurate players, schedules and uniforms from every season from 1983 with that game. if the games lets you customize to that extent and you take the time to do it you just aren't going to buy every single year and start over.

- at no point did i say they didn't care, that was obviously just asumed by you. obviously they are showing an interest in die hard player feedback like they never have before which is awesome. but to what extent will they go? once again it boils down to necessity, they have no need to realy make it all it can be they are not competing with anyone for sales, so will they listen to some input? sure, do they want to make us happy? of course, but do they really need to? are millions worth of sales on the line? no.

for example with all my gripes about the game, sliders for just about everything to let me customize the gameplay to suit me is what i want number 1. the number one thing i need in a next gen game.

i have a super detailed ongoing topic in here about what next gen sliders should look like. will they even look at it? possibly but i doubt it. if they do look at it will they take my advice, and if not mine somebody else who has ideas for sliders? i highly doubt it.

now say 2k with their awesome slider sets for all there sports games was back in the nfl picture next year you bet your *** they would be looking at my topic on sliders and anyone elses and trying to come up with ideas for the best set of sliders possible, now, there's no real incentive.


- finally you comment on people bashing the game and finding it's faults? the dev's are the ones who already announced 2 patches and dlc for stuff that is wrong with the game before its even released, we didn't have to look very far.

you make it sound like im a 2k fan boy, i'm not. i prefer madden. but to say its a perfect game of football is way the f off, i'm sorry. i and many people like me want to be able to customize these games, and i was just making the point that ther is no incentive for them to let us.

by the way have you played ncaa? its almost unplayable offline vs. cpu, i think i have a right to talk about what is wrong with that game and what could easily be done to fix it for the madden reiteration.

[IStillDoWhatIDo]

they never have to worry about ideas. OS is a free services that provides them with quality customer feedback. I think they should always aim to make the best game possible.

[Netherscourge]

I agree with the OP - altering the formula might upset their yearly intake. Most people are used to Madden as-is and rocking the boat at this point would do more harm then good to their sales forecasts.


There is a need for a NFL license football video game these days, whether people want ot admit it or not. We live in the age of the internet, fantasy football and high-tech videogames.

There's billions to be made. Shareholders to please. Ferrari's to pay off...

[Other Guy]

I think your underestimating peoples' obsession with having what's new. You have a point that Madden boasts about the flaws they have corrected as a sales pitch. That may appeal to some people, but not many. People buy Madden every year because they want the have the newest version. That goes a long way. Nobody wants to be the guy playing 2007 while eveyone else is on 09. Especially with online play. Who are you going to find online playing 07?

Good or bad, Madden doesn't change much from year to year, but millions still buy it every year. It's a human (American) obsession.