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ESPN examines possible Madden 08 cover athletes
ESPN’s videogame site now features a piece presenting nine potential candidates with odds on their likelihood of being the cover athelete for Madden 08.
The players/odds are:
Peyton Manning 7-2, Tom Brady 5-1, Chad Johnson 8-1, LaDanian Tomlinson 9-1, Reggie Bush 10-1, Vince Young 12-1, Larry Johnson 15-1, Brian Urlacher 20-1, Devin Hester 100-1.
For the sake of this article, lets assume that ESPN has inside knowledge of who has been chosen to be on the cover this year and that person is within this group. What could we gather from this set of candidates?
Most of the players fit in as those who have been widely suggested as possibilities. One really stands out to me though as someone who made it in to this article who might not have otherwise.
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2K Sports releases first screenshots from The Bigs
While being slated for a summer release (Gamestop lists it currently as 6/1 which essentially means unknown date) very little has been revealed about the new game from 2K Sports The Bigs.
What do we know about the game right now? We know it is an ‘arcade’ style game in the mold of the now retired MLB Slugfest series. We know the focus is on improving your created player or team of players and not a franchise type mode. We know it will have online play for up to four players (yay!). We know its coming out on the 360, PS3, Wii, PS2, and PSP.
Now we get a look at the game and it appears to be shaping up really nicely. It does have that Slugfest look to it with the comet trail off of batted balls and super-jumping outfielders. Thats what you would expect from a game like this. The graphics appear sharp and bright presenting a fun environment to play within.
Click the thumbnails below for a larger view of each screenshot.
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First info on All-Pro Football 2K8?
A member of the Operation Sports forum BadBoy49er has received the May edition of Game Informer magazine, which contains the first preview of All-Pro Football 2K8.
Among the highlights according to that member:
Ok first the graphics
This is definitely an early version because it looks like its not even XBOX 1
Although it is mentioned the graphics were very early and they would be improvedNow for the info i know you guys really want
ill just make bullet points-No crib
-No first person football
-They have late hits
-You wont be able to recrete NFL teams or players
-No euphoria engine ( at least the way they spoke of it)
-greatlly improved animation engine
-Injuries actually take into account the type of hit and angle
-They do away with the 0-100 rating system. They now use a tier system that takes into account +/- rating in many different catagories.
-Stadiums are very animated, for example one team is named the Rhinos and the stadium has a giant animatronic Rhino built into it.
-Crowds now have 64 different types all with 64 different types of animation.
-AI is GREATLYimproved, running backs now actually use cutback lanes and dont get themselves caught behind the line
-O-line/D-line interaction has been greatly improved as well
-They say early footage they have seen shows great improvment in transition animation which makes the game run even more smooth than before.
-They have much more complicated animations now, for example a QB throwing on the run while being hitIt’s safe to say that there will be a huge level of disappointment if all of this is true. The big thing that stands out is not being able to replicate the NFL even through editing. Many people assumed that the game would be fully customizable down to just about every detail.
“Play the game and shut up”? What happened to wanting to please the fans who have stuck by the company though the years? At least don’t insult them.
Where is the intrigue? Where is the pull that is going to make people want to buy this game? Sure there will be more announcements made about the game to come, but in a first look at the game you would expect the big idea or something exciting about it. If the preview is summed up properly, I sure don’t see that.
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Ambulance Carnage
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This reminds me of a time when things that would now be considered glitches actually added to the appeal and enjoyment people had. Maybe we just didn’t take games as seriously back then. There is nothing like seeing players randomly plowed down by an ambulance. The irony!
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Ask Padre #2: What makes for good downloadable content?
Since the Xbox 360’s launch and subsequent utilization of the Marketplace there has been a great deal of debate over the subject of downloadable content. What is worthwhile? What is a waste? Are companies holding back on things only to release them later as D.C.? Lets take a look at some of the things that have been offered in sports titles thus far to see how the releases have progressed.
Madden 07 downloadable stadium (300 MS points = $3.75): A lot of work went into the stadiums, but it was a steep price to pay when you couldn’t use them online. The experience from them was empty and didn’t hold for very long at that. Some things didn’t make sense also. Why did the astroturf of the Kingdome show field degradation as the game progressed?
Madden 07/NCAA Football 07 alternate uniforms (free): They were ultimately released for free but couldn’t be used in online mode either. Most of them ended up being throwback uniforms, maybe to avoid the pressure from Microsoft that you can’t charge for content that is available on other versions of the same game such as the PS2/Xbox. It was a good gesture by EA to release them for free. Alternates should be expected to be included in the 08 games.
Madden 07 strategy videos (200 points = $2.50): These weren’t explained properly when they were released. They weren’t replacements for the instruction book or basic tutorials. They were legit strategy videos that would help people
improve their game. I think most immediately dismissed them thinking they were a ripoff. May not have been of use to some, but they would’ve been to others.Tiger Woods 07 max out player (200 points= $2.50): Allowing you to max out your player without having to work through the game seemed insane. What is the point then? I suppose some people would like to just play the courses without having to worry about it. If they choose to make the purchase and they have fun with it that way that is their choice. Everyone else can decide against the purchase.
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Roster editors rejoice!
Microsoft has officially announced a keyboard attachment for the Xbox 360 controller. The main reasoning behind the need for the keyboard is being attributed to the new Windows Live Messaging features being introduced in the spring update. However this will surely be a great addition for anyone who spends time editing rosters in sports games. While the use of a USB keyboard is supported by the 360, this attachment actually will be much more convenient and cut down on the time spent inputting information.
It appears to be slightly larger than the keyboard on my Sidekick as well as many other phones that are out now. After using it for a short time it became quite easy and quick to type with. I suspect that will be the case for most people with the new controller attachment. I know I would prefer it over having a seperate keyboard set up and switching back and forth between that and the controller.
The attachment is set to come out sometime this summer, price as of yet unknown. Hopefully it’ll make its way out before the release of games such as NCAA Football 08 and All-Pro Football 2K8.
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Hot Topic 4/7: Devin Hester’s 100 speed rating
Predictably, the reaction to the news of Devin Hester receiving the first ever 100 rating in Madden for his speed has been mixed. Browsing through various forums and sites reporting on the news I’ve gathered up some of the more common statements that have been made on the topic.“So and so ran a faster 40 time than him”
The 40 time does not necessarily have to equate with the speed rating. Some guys just play faster on the field than the 40 time would suggest. He may be the most explosive with his speed, or speed may be a bigger factor for what he does so it shines in a different light.
“He isn’t faster than so and so from the past”
Don’t compare Hester to someone from the past, EA isn’t doing that with the ratings. Hester is only being compared to the other players that will be in Madden 08.
“Now EA can’t make anyone faster”
This simply isn’t true. The 100 rating for speed that is programmed into Madden this year is not the fastest they can make any player go from now until eternity. Its simply the fastest player that will be in this version. They could make the speed of the best rated guy in future years go faster than Hester will this year.
“Hester isn’t the fastest player in the history of the NFL” Joystiq article.
Well duh. Thanks for pointing that out. That would make sense if the rating were based on history.
“There is no such thing as a perfect 100”
That doesn’t mean someone can’t be the best at what they do within a sample of people. So compared to everyone else in the sample that you are studying, one person is going to play the fastest. If you ranked 300 NFL players in speed someone has to be the fastest or close enough to be tied for the fastest. If you don’t utilize the highest number on your scale, why even have it?
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A positive result from exclusive licensing
Amidst all the anger and frustration that has settled in for fans of games that were adversely affected by exclusive licenses comes at least one thing to appreciate and look forward to. The companies who hold the licenses must come up with new ways to generate revenue to offset those costs, and the companies who do not hold them must be more creative and unique in the games that they offer to consumers.
NFL Head Coach was released last year by EA Sports, an attempt at a coaching simulation/strategy game that surely would not have been made if they didn’t hold the full licensing. If 2K was able to produce an NFL game, it would’ve made Head Coach the third NFL ‘simulation’ title out there and it would’ve been an even tougher sell. It had its own niche it catered to, however it was still reliant on general football fans to be successful. EA also continues to produce NFL Street which is their ‘arcade’ style football game.
While 2K Sports holds the third party license for baseball, they still have to justify paying that cost by taking full advantage of it. They will be releasing The Bigs this summer, an arcade style game that has a lot of potential as a change of pace title to replace the now retired MLB Slugfest series. If EA was still releasing an MLB licensed game and Midway still had the ability to produce Slugfest, The Bigs may never have come about.
Meanwhile on the other end of things, the licensed games that were locked out forced these companies to come up with new ideas. Midway introduced Blitz: The League which gave the opportunity to experience the extreme side of a fictional football league. Sony planned on releasing Road to Sunday which would’ve been a combination fighting/football game with a storyline, however it was canceled during development. EA Sports offered for the first time a college baseball game after the MLB deal which ended that side of their MVP franchise. 2K Sports is releasing All-Pro Football 2K8 which is expected to have past legends of the NFL involved and a heavily customizeable environment.
Would we have seen these titles if the exclusive license ordeal had never happened? While it’s generally regarded as being a horrible development in the history of sports gaming, it can’t be ignored that at least it has spurned some fresh ideas and a wider array of unique games to choose from.
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