Appreciate Sports Gaming, Don't Ruin It

[spankdatazz22]

Re: Appreciate Sports Gaming, Don't Ruin It

I love sports game and while some have made very good strides (NBA2K11, MLB The Show) there's a good amount that frankly have underperformed.
I also think FB games have been satisfactory at best. Aweseome games??? Not IMO but to each their own.

Agreed. I don't think all sports games can be lumped together and the developer efforts judged the same way. Then there's the extenuating circumstances - Madden gets criticized harshly (and imo rightly so lots of the time) because of how it's underperformed, but also from consumer frustration with it being the only option available. In the same way people criticize MLB2K for limiting baseball gamers' options - although there is at least limited choice in being able to purchase a PS3 and buy The Show if a person is that big a baseball fan.

I think it isn't limited to sports games though - gamers overall have grown increasingly cynical about everything it seems. When Microsoft released their new XBL update, I read tons of over the top negative comments like "It's too bright - this SUCKS/IS HORRIBLE",
"Where are the blades - this SUCKS/IS HORRIBLE", etc. People seem unable to have nuanced discussions. For some people things have to be the best ever, or they're the worst.

[JerseySuave4]

BS. I complain about Madden because after buying this game since it's inception 22 yrs ago, I have a right to criticize a sub par effort by EA. They have done an outstanding job with NHL, and FIFA, and one heck of a better job with NCAA. And year after year I keep showing my faith and support for EA by purchasing their games. But the issue with Madden needs to be rectified. I agree with one thing, and that is not to buy Madden anymore until they get it right. Question for all who settle for anything. When u order food from s restaurant, and they serve it to you, and it's been undercooked, or it's cold like its been sitting for a while, do you eat it, or do you tell the waitress to take it back and bring you food done right? Its the same premise for anything we pay for, whether it's a product or a service. You deserve to have it right, after all you paid for it. If EA wants to give Madden away free, I'll play it and complain about nothing!!

This is a major part of the problem i think. Many of us are in the 20-35 year old range where we grew up since the SEGA Genesis days of Madden 92, NHL 94, etc. where those games were just flat out fun to us because we were kids and it was more about the entertainment than having everything look realistic and be 100% glitch free. Now we've all been playing games for 15+ years and as we've gotten older, understood technology more, and gotten smarter we've become more demanding of our games now we're at a point where we basically want virtual reality.

We want the game to be so accurate that it looks and feels like we're actually there. The fun factor has become an afterthought to realistic presentation, perfect gameplay (with no mistakes because we all know in real life there are never mistakes like missed dunks, dropped passes, missed blocks, etc), and perfect graphics that look like the real thing we see on tv. Whether the game is fun or not is no longer the issue because we place so much emphasis on those other things mentioned that it prevents us from just enjoying the game.

Think back to Tecmo Super Bowl for example. If you picked the correct play of the offense the defense rushed through the offense practically unblocked. Did that prevent us from enjoying the game? Nope. But then in a game like Madden or NCAA where you have the run commit function where the defense comes up to play the run and gets through blocks better we complain and cry foul and say its not realistic. Does it prevent us from enjoying the game? For a lot of people that answer is yes. See how different things are 15 years later.

This year i took more of a just enjoy the game approach and i must say its the 1st time in a while that ive enjoyed the hell out of the sports games. Maybe its because the quality of the game was actually better but i dont sit there and cry about the minor issues in the game, the lack of pass blocking, the glitches in 2k. When i used to do that stuff it would take away from my enjoyment of the game and i would find myself just complaining and pointing out all the bad instead of enjoying the good. If i spend $60 on something i want to enjoy it and feel like it was worth the money. No one is making me buy the game. Even though EA has the NFL rights i'm not forced to buy Madden. There are other games and other ways to get the NFL type game without having it be Madden. I am not required to buy MLB the Show. So if i choose to buy it why would i sit there and focus on the negative if its going to hinder my enjoyment.

[stlstudios189]

what I have learned is every game has a group that dislike it

[stlstudios189]

what I have learned is every game has a group that dislike it no matter what

[Uncle Stumpy]

great article, well said. Props to you

[poilbrun]

I agree with a lot of the article, whinefests serve no purpose. But how can we, as fans, related to the game company the problems we face in the game so that they can correct it, if not by voicing our opinion? As someone commented before me, bitching is different than constructive criticism.

And sometimes, you can do nothing else than be angry by some moves by the developers. In Madden, EA allowed us to create gameplans for every team, then removed the functionality to modify an opponent's gameplan in a patch. How that change was decided, I have no idea.

[Skyboxer]

Re: Appreciate Sports Gaming, Don't Ruin It

$60.00 = Right to complain about sub par games.
Now if I was able to return these games when they end up being trash then ok. That's why I try and purchase most games used so I have that option.


Now complaining endlessly that a stadium wall color isn't correct is one thing but if I play a game where the fundamental foundation of the sport (or any game for that matter) is terrible, the gamer has every right to voice their opinion.

IMO

[superjew887]

all i want is a good sim engine...keep everything else the same lol

[Qball128]

Re: Appreciate Sports Gaming, Don't Ruin It

I 100% agree.