Slashdot Mirror
ESPN NFL 2K5 Rushes Into Bug Issues
Thanks to GameSpot for its article discussing issues with the online modes of Sega's PS2/Xbox title ESPN NFL 2005, as "a server update will be released on Friday 'to address the login and roster problems some of you are experiencing.' The problems affect both the PlayStation and Xbox versions of the game." Amidst messageboard rumblings of "AI issues", the high-rated, budget-priced title also seems to have a separate problem with the Xbox Live version, as it's advised if you're "having difficulties getting another user to accept your challenge or if you are not receiving challenges once you've created a match, [to] power down your Xbox and restart" - the developers, apparently wrestling with the previously mentioned Xbox Live "LSP (Live Server Protocol)", are planning to fix this problem by August 6th.
People who are otherwise non-gamers tend to love them, along with racing games.
There's a reason annual updates to the same old NFL and NBA games sell well year after year - the unwashed masses. Me, I wouldn't care if sports gaming were a niche instead of mainstream, I'd still hate them.
And so, one of the best things about colsoles -- inability to update on the fly, necessitating stronger quality control before release -- falls to the wayside. Bluh.
Do you know what is really going on in the world? (Beyond your bedroom door?)
In the console world (and the article is referring to console games) game sales in 2003 were broken down like this:
action (27.1%)
sports (17.6 %)
racing (15.7%)
role-playing games (8.7%)
fighting games (6.9%)
family entertainment (4.7%)
shooter games (4.6%)
Contrary to what you might guess by reading Slashdot, the world is not full of RPG playing geeks drooling over the latest mmorpg. Two of the most maligned genres (sports and racing) make up 33% of sales. That's a lot of games- and a lot of people. PC game sales are only about 1/3 of console game sales (and falling).
I just had 5 people come over to my house last night, and we played games for a while. Did they ask to play Morrowind? Or Zelda? Or KotOR? No...we played Basketball, Tennis and Golf.
Those games work in a social environment- there were guys and girls, some with experience on the games, some without. But we all had fun playing, and everyone liked the games. (I will go on record saying that Top Spin is one of the best party games ever).
It's fine that you like RPGs, and maybe you think they are the best things ever. But please realize that a large part of the world disagrees with you.
No reason to lie.
I'm having a lot of trouble deciding whether patching console games is a good thing. In fact, I'm sure it totally depends on the developer. Case in point:
Ex. 1) Ninja Gaiden Hurricane Pack. This is awesome. New stuff that makes an already great game better. Some armchair critics will say that this stuff (especially the camera) should have been in the game in the first place. The fact is, even if Team Ninja never released this patch then Ninja Gaiden would still be one of the best games on Xbox.
Ex. 2) NFL 2k5. Bugs that interfere with normal usage are unacceptable. I don't want to get home from EB and find out that my new game crashes if I try to enter the second level with a crossbow equipped. This would be a step closer to PC gaming, of which I want no part of. Except for Doom 3.
I'm on top of my game like I'm standin' on Xbox.
I like sports games. I like them a lot, and I don't consider myself to be an idiot.
Regrettably, there seems to be this elitist and narrow-minded opinion among many in the "gamer" (I despise that word) community that FPS and RTS games are the pinnacle of gaming's evolution, and that all other genres are somehow beneath them. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Virtually all popular sports are amazingly complex blends of strategy and skill. An astonishing level of depth exists in games like football. I'd go so far as to say that the level of intelligence and forethought required to coach a football team (electronic or otherwise) far outstrips the marginally functional level of brain activity required to build up a Zerg army and send it rushing towards your opponent, who is most likely doing the exact same thing. Even seemingly simplistic games like baseball have evolved very strong strategic components. (Look at some of the work that SABR has done.)
So, in summation, you're an idiot who has no idea what he's talking about, and, most likely, IHBT. Ah well...