While summer is a great time for rest, relaxation and a period of time without the stresses of class (with the exception of you poor souls in summer school right now), it’s not the best time for a gamer.
As a strategic sales ploy, most video game publishers hold their blockbuster releases for the fall to capitalize on those holiday shoppers.
Both the “NCAA Football” and “Madden NFL” franchises have made EA Sports some serious money, and every year they kick off my unofficial start to the fall gaming season.
“NCAA Football 2011” was released on Tuesday, and I’ve spent most of my free time playing it and counting down the days until its night in the real Death Valley, not the virtual one.
Would you like a review? Of course you would.
Luckily, this one will be quick.
Did you like “NCAA Football 10”? If so, good — you’ll like “11” because it’s the same game.
Buy it.
Did you not like “NCAA 10”? Then guess what, you won’t like “11” because it’s the same game. Don’t buy it.
There, that was easy. Three out of five — let’s move on.But this got me thinking, how on Earth is EA allowed to release the same game every year and tout it as new?
To give EA Sports some credit, the running mechanic in “NCAA 11” is slightly improved and they did make certain tweaks to the overhauled online dynasty mode.
Oh, and they added school specific pre-game rituals such as Michigan jumping to hit their banner, Miami running through the smoke and Mike leading the Tigers out of the tunnel, but that’s about it.
Tackling animations are still wonky. My players still run directly through referees and can even walk through walls while celebrating a touchdown.
I just don’t understand what the developers have been doing for the last year. I know they didn’t spend their whole time and budget on running animations.
At first, I could defend the yearly release cycle because each year’s version would have updated rosters and minor game tweaks.
But now with most consoles connected to the Internet, games are constantly being patched and updated via an online fix. Rosters could also easily be updated to match players to teams, as well as the players’ current attributes.
The question is whether or not EA wants to build a game engine to support this type of update — and right now it looks like a resounding no.
Why innovate if you don’t have to?
The reason EA can get away with putting very little innovation in each iteration of its football games (and this includes Madden as well) is because it doesn’t have to — it has no competition.
It’s easy to be a winner when you’re not contending with anyone else.
Ever since EA acquired the license for the entire NFL (including teams, players, logos, stadiums, etc.), they’ve been the sole football video game out on the market.
Sure others have tried with “Blitz: The League” and “All Pro Football 2K8,” but without the NFL license all competitors have failed. No one wants to play with teams they don’t know about, no matter how much better of a football game it is.The newest challenger to the EA football crown is 505 Games’ “Backbreaker.”
Backbreaker’s physics-based Euphoria engine allows players in the game to react with one another in more realistic manner. Running, jukes and especially tackles look and feel more real than in “Madden” and “NCAA.”
However, the same problem arises, without the official NFL license — as well as a frustrating control scheme – Backbreaker fell into the space of rejected mediocre football games.
Now by no means am I completely hating on EA as if it were run by Steve Jobs — I still love playing “NCAA Football” every year because of my love for college football as well as the few  improvements EA has done with “Madden.”But competition is what fuels innovation and without it, “Madden” or “NCAA” will never be the complete football experience everyone expects year in and year out.
EA’s contract with the NFL, as of right now, is set to expire in 2012 — which gives the developers two years to improve their engines just in case they were to lose that precious exclusivity and 2K Sports or even 505 Games were to come nipping at their heels.EA’s already lost basketball gamers to 2K Sports’ “NBA 2K” series. I don’t think they want to lose the virtual version of America’s real pastime either.But Drew Brees is on the cover of “Madden 11” this year, so I’ll be there waiting to buy the game as soon as it comes out along with the rest of Who Dat Nation — and I can’t wait.
Madden Curse, be damned!–
Contact Adam Arinder at [email protected]