PS4 sports games feedback

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NintendoPower1
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PS4 sports games feedback

Postby NintendoPower1 » February 8th, 2015, 2:36 pm

Hey VGC,great site,I enjoy it a lot for quick reviews. One thing I've noticed is consistent apathy towards this newer generation of sports titles, and can't say I blame you. Here's your ratings on the most recent releases thus far this generation:

MLB 14 The Show - C
Madden NFL 15 - D+
NBA 2K15 - C
NHL 15 - C

Just curious you're underlying theory why these have been so unimpressive to you? In my opinion, I think as graphics advance, they've added bells and whistles and lots of simulation junk, but never really done things to change the actual dynamics of making the game FUN. It's the 100 yards or baseball diamond as it was 25 years ago but I don't think they're any more fun than turning on a game of Tecmo Super Bowl.

Also the industry becoming increasingly contracted has basically destroyed competition. I remember years where you might have 3, 4, 5 baseball games on the market any given year to choose from. Now there's not even a third party company who MAKES one! No one is being pushed to innovate or given a different spin on the sport to draw inspiration from.

What are your thoughts on this trend?

Jon1
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PS4 sports games feedback

Postby Jon1 » February 9th, 2015, 3:54 pm

It's absolutely sickening what's happened. I was lamenting this fact recently in another thread. In the mid 90s there were so many sports franchises you couldn't even keep track of them. Now it feels like it's sanctioned by the government or something, it's so ridiculous. Here's your sports game everyone, enjoy it! And I'm glad we're specifically talking about the PS4, because i actually like the graphics on the XBONE and am definitely interested in the Wii U, but I'm SOOOOOOOOO sick of Sony being this titan of the industry. There's something about its graphics that's just too digitized in a bad way and it goes all the way back to the PS1. I can't stand it anymore. My friend got a PS4 and I was telling him to trade it in for a XBONE or even a Wii U. I'm so sick of what Sony stands for.

ptdebate1
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PS4 sports games feedback

Postby ptdebate1 » February 9th, 2015, 4:42 pm

To me, Sony stands for "good games" like Shadow of the Colossus and Suikoden. And the PS4 definitely looks less "digitized" than the Xbox One due to the fact that the hardware supports more powerful anti-aliasing (resulting in a softer, more natural image). I have both consoles and these days I slightly prefer the Xbox One, but image quality is objectively inferior on it.

As for Sports games, I have to agree with you all and say that the pickings are pretty slim. There are interesting ones like #IDARB and Wii Sports that definitely tap into that old school flavor, but by and large the genre lacks variety these days.

Verm1
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PS4 sports games feedback

Postby Verm1 » February 9th, 2015, 4:49 pm

You've beaten me to it; I was debating asking the Critic this question.

While he seems to enjoy sport's and video games of realistic sports, I don't think he enjoys realistic video game portrayals of sports.

I debate he would prefers something more like Dead Ball Zone (PS1) or Brutal Sport's Football (Jaguar) for instance (I've a soft spot for the former myself). Obviously, that is just my analysis, rather than fact.

Orion1
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PS4 sports games feedback

Postby Orion1 » February 9th, 2015, 5:22 pm

[QUOTE=Jon] And I'm glad we're specifically talking about the PS4, because i actually like the graphics on the XBONE and am definitely interested in the Wii U, but I'm SOOOOOOOOO sick of Sony being this titan of the industry. There's something about its graphics that's just too digitized in a bad way and it goes all the way back to the PS1. I can't stand it anymore. My friend got a PS4 and I was telling him to trade it in for a XBONE or even a Wii U. I'm so sick of what Sony stands for.[/QUOTE]

Do you really think there's that big of a difference between the PS4 and the Xbox One?  Many titles are released on both, and recently they have looked the same.  Someone at work asked me which one they should get.  I talked about the exclusives for each, but in the end I told her to flip a coin.

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VideoGameCritic
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PS4 sports games feedback

Postby VideoGameCritic » February 9th, 2015, 8:10 pm

Yes I have been disappointed with the latest generation of sports games, and I think you guys have hit on many reasons why.  They really aren't any better than the last generation, and look about the same.

It seems like the latest titles have focused on online play and making incremental improvements to the graphics.  I prefer playing locally, and the visuals have reached a point of diminishing return.  Yes they are better than ever, but who cares?  Yeah the guy looks like a real hockey player.  Big deal.  It's boring.

In striving towards realism these games have lost the arcade flavor that made the old games so much fun.  Try playing NHL 15 and NHL 94 back-to-back.   NHL 15 is a lot more realistic but a heck of a lot less fun.  Yes some new games include arcade modes but these are usually afterthoughts.

And yeah, companies like EA who are monopolizing the sports have taken a lot of the fun out of them.  You get one game per sport - take it or leave it.  I used to get excited about a new sports game, but now I wonder if it's even worth picking up.


NintendoPower1
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PS4 sports games feedback

Postby NintendoPower1 » February 9th, 2015, 9:02 pm

Thanks for the response, I agree totally. Somewhat good timing is I just read today that RBI Baseball 2015 would make it's way to Steam and home platforms this year. Albeit it looks to be primarily a mobile port and last year's game got a pretty mediocre response, but at least its SOMETHING in this barren landscape.

Herschie1
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PS4 sports games feedback

Postby Herschie1 » February 11th, 2015, 12:28 am

[QUOTE=videogamecritic]Yes I have been disappointed with the latest generation of sports games, and I think you guys have hit on many reasons why.  They really aren't any better than the last generation, and look about the same.

It seems like the latest titles have focused on online play and making incremental improvements to the graphics.  I prefer playing locally, and the visuals have reached a point of diminishing return.  Yes they are better than ever, but who cares?  Yeah the guy looks like a real hockey player.  Big deal.  It's boring.
[/QUOTE]

I somewhat agree. You see the difference, but it's not so much when you jump from PS3 to PS4; it's more when you go back to the PS3 that you realize the difference in graphics. I was wondering what the heck they'd be able to do anyway, it's getting to the point where the human eye can no longer tell the difference. 


[QUOTE=videogamecritic] In striving towards realism these games have lost the arcade flavor that made the old games so much fun.  Try playing NHL 15 and NHL 94 back-to-back.   NHL 15 is a lot more realistic but a heck of a lot less fun.  Yes some new games include arcade modes but these are usually afterthoughts.[/QUOTE]

To each their own I guess. I mean, Tecmo Super Bowl is fun and all, but I definitely prefer the more realistic games. 

[QUOTE=videogamecritic]And yeah, companies like EA who are monopolizing the sports have taken a lot of the fun out of them.  You get one game per sport - take it or leave it.  I used to get excited about a new sports game, but now I wonder if it's even worth picking up.

[/QUOTE]

Yeah, this really sucks. At least you have fairly honest companies such as SCEA who show an obvious effort each year with MLB: The Show, but then you have companies like EA who we've seen more than once just phone it in with games like Madden. Competition tends to bring out the best, but lack of competition naturally inspires complacency. Remember when Madden had competition? I do, because I still play Madden 05 every now and then. I could only imagine what they could have done. Madden and 2K could have been like Brady and Manning. 

Viper821
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PS4 sports games feedback

Postby Viper821 » February 11th, 2015, 11:21 am

I think the main problem with modern sports games is that they are just too realistic. Thanks to trying to follow the pro leagues, they take the stuff that doesn't translate well into the video game realm especially baseball and football. The whole point of playing games is that I want to do stuff I can't in real life, like have 300+ hits a game (NHL 2003) or play a shortened mini-season/tournament with NHL All Star teams! It also seems like many of these games feel more like a job than a leisure activity: I already work full time AND get paid for it!

If I want to see a realistic hockey game I will buy a ticket and see it like I did last night! What a concept!

Verm1
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Joined: December 31st, 1969, 7:00 pm

PS4 sports games feedback

Postby Verm1 » February 11th, 2015, 1:23 pm

This leads into a bigger question about games in general though.

Are modern games generally more realistic than older ones? 
Do modern gamers want more realism in their games?
Are developers taking the easy way out with regards to creating believable worlds?
Has it always been the aim of games, but technology constraints have limited etc etc?

In a game like Grand Theft Auto, we can fill in the gaps in the universe based off experiences of the real world? But in a game like Mario, we can't?


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