You can view the page at http://www.thegamingtailgate.com/for...otball-in-2010
You can view the page at http://www.thegamingtailgate.com/for...otball-in-2010
The dude abides.
Nice article.
I think it goes for ALL video games (not just NCAA or sports games) that sometimes we get caught up in what isn't in the game or what doesn't work the way we want and we end up shorting a game that is pretty solid and enjoyable. Sometimes it feels like we (I'm guilty of this as well) end up forgetting the point of video games (to have fun) and get hung up on issues & bugs posted online we wouldn't have run into or cared about otherwise.
In regards to NCAA, it cuts both ways. I can see and understand why people have stayed away until all last-gen features make their way back in, but next-gen technology has provided some features not possible that sometimes gets taken for granted IMO. I'm anxious to see the community reaction when all NCAA 11 features are known and also to where this franchise is headed with Roy at the helm. He and the team seem energized and it sounds like they have some ambitious plans over the next few years.
Personally, I doubt EA starts over when the next generation of consoles hit, but that's just a guess. I think they know they can't afford to do that and will learn from some of the issues (internal & external) that slowed them down at the start of this console generation.
I've been guilty of that as well. You focus too much on the negative and not enough on the things that make a game fun. Everyone has different tastes and standards. Some are able to overlook certain flaws while others can't. I really do see both sides of that argument.
There were certain flaws with NCAA 09 that I could overlook and end up liking the game. Some things with NCAA 10 bothered me when I would compare them with NCAA 09. If NCAA 10 was the only football game I'd ever played I would probably be amazed. But I can't judge the game in a vacuum like that so I ended up being disappointed despite the fact the game did improve in quite a few areas (improved sliders, cpu run game, cpu throwing deep).
MLB 2K10 is probably the most flawed and yet fun sports game I've played on the PS3. I've never seen a game with so many fundamental flaws (no errors or injuries, fatigue screwed up, etc) and yet I've been able to overlook them to have fun. Not everyone has been able to do that. On the other side of the coin, MLB the Show has always been a great game but has gotten stale for me because it hasn't changed enough. I passed on it this year despite the fact it's more polished than 2K10. You see the same thing with people overlooking flaws in Backbreaker but crucifying NCAA or Madden for the same thing. Sometimes a break or a fresh look at something can change your outlook. Having not played much football the last year I expect NCAA 11 to be a really good game in spite of the fact the game won't be perfect.
Great article JB. And great points guys. I would also like to address, on something CDJ said about EA not making the same mistake in the next gen of consoles, that I hope EA just doesn't release a title until they have fully adapted and know the title is going to take a big leap forward on the next gen of consoles. I wish them to keep it on (what is now) current gen until that leap happens, so as not to take a step backwards, and then catching up, and then moving forward in season 4 or 5. If that would mean waiting till season 3 on the Xbox and PS4, then that would be my wish. I also understand though, that they are in a business and they really don't have a choice financially but to release as soon as possible on the new interface.
Therefore I am probably one that will enjoy it on the 360 for a couple years after the new gen drops, similar to what many did with PS2 version for what is now several years. I'm confident that we are finally moving forward on this gen and really taking strides to making an unforgettable and truly enjoyable game for both the hardcore and less hardcore gamers of our time. I guess similar to what 04 is currently, except I really don't believe that 04 will be mentioned after a short while here.
And quickly speaking on the idea that anything should have been in since day 1: I don't believe in any capacity that everything that is fundamental to football could possibly be installed. Therefore "since day 1" has little significance in the grand scale of the title. Technically, everything that is added that improves realistically on gameplay "should have been in since day 1", but who's to say that there wasn't a more fundamental list of things that could be installed, and would take a foundation to do correctly? And who's to say they didn't try to install it, and just couldn't based on tech, fundamental principles missing in other areas, etc.? To me, saying that something "should have been there from always" is a little bit ignorant. Football is maybe the most complex sport on the planet, there are a million and one fundamentals, but where is the importance based? It's just a toss up, and we should just be happy they are finally getting some of the more core stuff, by our hardcore standards in the game.
Very good write up JB. As a gamer who first starting gaming as a kid in the late 70's on the Atari 2600, I couldn't agree with you more.
Never in a million years did I ever think video games would have advanced the way the have during my lifetime.
I'm going to be different than everyone else and say that was a horrible article.
Because I can.
Permabaaaaaaaaaaan. NOW!Originally Posted by JeffHCross
I'm going to be different than everyone else and say that was a horrible article.
Because I can.
Will edit in a wink in case people thought I was serious
Last edited by JBHuskers; 06-01-2010 at 11:49 PM.
HAHA JB, that's me and Jeff both banned in a matter of days by you.You're ROLLIN'
Iron fist baby....IRON FIST.HAHA JB, that's me and Jeff both banned in a matter of days by you.
Good write-up, JB. Thank you.
FWIW, here's my angle. I have played every single version of NCAA from the beginning. When the jump was made to PS2, I did my own rosters. Soon after, I discovered forums and roster sharing (was most grateful to NOT have to do my own rosters anymore). I have always sought a sim style. I work constantly to tweak sliders to give myself a challenge and to keep stats realistic. I have enjoyed every iteration of this series ALOT with 2 exceptions (06 and 08).
Sometimes it's easier to enjoy than others. In 06 and 08 there were too many things I couldn't fix with sliders (ie 08's Depth Chart interface). But, every other year, I find a way to have fun. Part of that has caused me to steer clear of forums from August to April so I don't know all the latest bugs, glitches and AI issues.
I have probably played fewer than 10 games online because of this. I even get pissed at my friends because they use some form of cheese when we play head-to-head. I personally have always found less stress (and more fun) in playing the CPU. If for no other reason than not having to deal with cheese.
Still, I did play an OD with a friend last year (thanks again CDJ for your help with the issues we had) and would love to do so again (although not with the same cheesing friend, lol).
I guess, for me, forums are great from April through July. But, once I have the game in my hands, I don't want to know EVERYTHING that's "wrong" with it. I'll seek help if I have an issue but, if not, I ignore the "OMG, WORST GLITCH EVAR!" BS that overruns the boards for months. F' that, I'll form my own opinion and usually find enjoyment.
I do want to add that I agree 100% that it is ignorant to believe that everything that took years to put in a current gen game will automatically be there the first year of next gen. It's unreasonable to assume that. "It should have been in years ago" is a backwards way to bellyache about what you now have.
I hope EA learns from this experience as well. The football games were too basic and unrefined when they hit next gen. They were much more prepared for the PS2 than the PS3. Quite frankly I don't see myself buying a PS4 for the first couple of years. I won't upgrade next time until I know the next gen games are better than the past. Furthermore, the graphics on the current systems are so good that the eye candy appeal won't be as strong in the next generation. They will have to appeal to better gameplay period.
Nice article man.
this!
It'd be nice once the game comes out to have a 'blissfully ignorant' thread where nothing negative can be brought up. I'd rather read all the good things people point out and be blissfully ignorant. I know I'll enjoy the game much more.
Sounds like an EXCELLENT idea to me. You start it and I'll be sure to be there and add to it.
Permabaaaaaaaaaaan. NOW!
Will edit in a wink in case people thought I was serious
Twitter: @3YardsandACloud
I would swear we thought this about the PS2. It seems blasphemous now, but I remember every year NCAA would come out and I'd think "it looks so reallllllllllll!!!!" only to look back at it now and go "wtf?"
Twitter: @3YardsandACloud
See, that's actually kinda funny to me because I've always been the opposite, I guess you could say.
Whenever I look at a game, especially one that hasn't been in development for very long (like all EASports games are), and I see pretty graphics I end up thinking, "Great. They paid more attention to making the game look pretty instead of making the game fun to play" or, in the instance of RPGs and such, "Great, they paid more attention to making the game look pretty and not enough time developing the dialog, story, and combat system."
I mean, sure, the graphic designers aren't the ones programming the game, writing for the game, ect, but they are part of the project's budget and developing time and if it takes 3 months to perfect the graphics because they are pushing the envelop in that department, that could result in less time and effort being spent in, my opinion, more important aspects of the game.
It may be an antiquated thought process now, but it just seems to me that the more games push to make the graphics look better, the more the same the gameplay is. It really frustrates me that the gaming environment (and on a broader scale the entertainment industry in general) is so cookie cutter and mass produced that games start playing, looking, and being more and more like each other. I get so bored with games so quickly now-a-days (except for NCAA) that the only time I ever end up playing them again after a period of time (sometimes after having only just gotten it and played it for a few hours) beyond first trying them is out of boredom of not having anything else to do. Games are so incredibly bland and the only reason why NCAA sticks with me for so long is because of how different it can be and online dynasties (and hopefully offline dynasties since recruiting is going to be so difficult now).
I guess, in the end, I just miss the good old days of gaming. Even now, after having played and beaten it so many times, I can go back and play Doom 2 again and get the same amount of joy out from it that I got so long ago. No FPS since has been able to hold a torch to that game. Even though it's dated, it still manages to scare the hell out of me and give me that adrenaline rush just like I got when I first played it as a kid. Hell, just talking about it here makes me want to play it again.
There are things that I like about where the current state of gaming is, and things that I don't. I like the fact that we can get patches to address any glaring or major issues, which theoretically should be able to overcome any major flaws in the game that are discovered post-release. Unfortunately with EA, they haven't addressed many of the critical issues for NCAA in years past, and there has been a virtual absence of downloadable content that can extent the life of the game (would have LOVED to see things like downloadable playbooks or historic teams/uniforms that came out post-release).
In terms of the actual gameplay, I have mixed feelings as well. There are certain elements that the game seems to do fairly well that were never really handled all that well on last-gen (DB-WR interactions come to mind as one thing), but it also seems like the game has stalled out in terms of improved realism, and we've entered this time period where every year there is some major AI flaw that creates unbalanced gameplay. Other areas, like CPU intelligence have made only incremental improvements since the series was on PS2.
I guess the bottom line to me is that I haven't had more fun with the games now than I did back when it was on PS2. Maybe this year will change that. I felt like '10 was a good effort, but there were just a couple of things that seriously detracted from it (run commit and messed up zones being the two biggest).
This is my 3rd generation of consoles. I played a little PS1 when I was a kid, and followed that up by playing a PS2 through my teenage years. Got a PS3 very shortly after release and have had one since then. From an NCAA Football standpoint, I actually preferred PS2 more. The PS2 was the dominant console and the vast majority of the community was on PS2, so it was nice having so many players to choose from to play against. I also think the games were higher quality(maybe I just wasn't as observant back then as I am now). Now, the PS3 and 360 are so much closer so the community is split pretty much right down the middle.
With that said, this current gen offers so much more potential with every game released. They have patches than can fix most game errors, and it seems development teams for all games are really starting to ask their respective communities for feedback. It makes sense, they're the ones playing your game so why not ask them what they do and do not like?
There's also now room for digital distribution. Like rhombic said, EA doesn't really utilize it, but I'd be all over it if they released premium playbooks, uniforms, or stuff like that. Not to mention the graphics on these games are so much better than anything the PS2 ever accomplished(duh), and the emphasis on communication on both PSN and XBL really bring the community together with features like universal friends list and messaging systems.
All in all, I much prefer this generation. I'm a graphics whore, I like that developers communicate with their buyers, I love the emphasis on community and social features, and I absolutely love that they can now fix games after they have been released as well as potentially adding new features/content via DLC.
Great stuff guys! Everyone posting their thoughts in this thread....GREAT STUFF. Love this conversation.
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