Slashdot Mirror
Only NFL Game This Year Gets Lukewarm Response
aendeuryu writes "The first reviews are in for Madden '06, and the reception is underwhelming -- it's scoring an average rating of 79% on gamerankings.com (at the time of this submission). The reviewers on Gamespot (7.8) and 1up.com (9.0) have different takes on the game, but the readership of both sites doesn't (7.4 and 7.8 respectively). Gamespot's criticisms put the game in a less-than-exciting light: the new QB-vision feature adds realism but takes away from basic fun, and (perhaps most damning) the graphics rate a 7 out of 10 on what was supposed to be a next-generation title. Normally, a mediocre game release isn't a big deal, except that, because of EA's negotiated exclusivity deal with the NFL, this is the only NFL title you'll get to play this year. So, what are the players to do?"
You're trying to tell me any sport-based game was ever fun?
Do you see what I did there?
Shhhh.... Your going to ruin it.
Remeber, Slashdot hates the evil EA. Who cares if they they have to spin the numbers to make their point.
roche
Bah Humbug!
So, EA, an American company, must step up to the plate and produce a game? Why aren't Australian developers rising to the challenge? Oh, right, because it's always America's fault.
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
I don't get the appeal of American football, it seems to represent the worst of how Americans do sport.
Endless hype, adverts, cheerleaders, fireworks, half-time shows, adverts, patronising commentators, adverts, even more adverts. All sorts of crap that sport doesn't need, it's liked it's deliberately dumbed down in every possible way. Treating the spectator like an idiot with a short attention span who has to be constantly entertained or advertised to.
Over here in Britain, football's a lot different (And I don't mean the actual sport). Teams are called clubs, they have large local followings, ninety-two teams in the league, even the small teams from tiny towns get good support. In America, they're not clubs, they're franchises. Businesses designed to sell adverts. There's no loyalty because the teams move around to where they can make more money.
There's no league structure with dozens of teams, and hundreds more below them, just a few big marketable franchises, nothing below it, no relegation or promotion.
We have cup competitions where even small amateur teams can be drawn against the best in the world. In America, there are no small teams, just a few big teams never playing anyone else. No chance of small clubs becoming big because the NFL is a closed system. Over here, small amateur clubs can rise right to the top.
We have loud passionate fans, you have fat bastards sitting there in a semi-comatose state. No singing, no banter, but fast food and giant cups of coke.
We have international games, where the whole country can get behind a single team. You don't have that.
We have sports that can be played by people of any body type, you have 400 pound steroid-fueled freaks of nature.
This isn't just NFL, it's a lot of American sports in general. I don't know why it's like that, it's completely soulless, any last ounce of interest sucked out by marketing executives. American football might be an interesting sport, but I wouldn't know because I can't look past all the crap that comes with it.