Who made better sports games this year EA or Sega?

stolf1 · Post by **stolf1** » Mon Dec 29, 2003 6:56 pm

EA has always dominated in the sales department. Sega has always been the favorite of hardcore gamers since the 2K1 series. This year I think things were different.
 
 Baseball: I thought MVP nicked WSB because of a great pitching and batting interface. MVP had many probs but it was better then the boring same old WSB.
 
 Football: Madden and ESPN are both great. ESPN has better graphics better presentation. However Madden has better AI escp. in the DB AI. Its a little to easy to pass in ESPN. I gave Madden the slight edge here.
 
 Baksketball Pro: ESPN has always crushed the acarde Live. This year Live is much tighter and plays a much better game. however I think ESPN still wins because of the heavy flawed franchise mode by EA.
 
 Hockey: A year ago ESPN or Sega destroyed the lackluster NHL 2003. I can´t belive it but it´s true EA is a much better game then the heavy flawed ESPN hockey. Broken sliders goalies that are too good on All-Star doom ESPN hockey.
 
 Basketball (college): I like EA here also once again it´s bugs that doom Sega. The game freezes and guys who stand around too much hurt ESPN. Close again but EA gets it done.
 
 All together EA has been pushed by Sega and they have delivered. There games escp. MVP and NHL have improved 10x. EA has been taking chances with there games instead of just sitting and watching Sega whip them year after year. ESPN has taken a step back ESPN football and College Hoops is better then lat years 2K3 games, but hockey and Pro Baskeball are not improved. Also ESPN seems to suffer from several bugs in hockey and college hoops. Sega may be in trouble A guy at Gamestop told me that Sega has stopped making College Hoops and Hockey because of poor sales.

FloridaGators · Post by **FloridaGators** » Mon Dec 29, 2003 7:04 pm

EA was beaten in the NFL Football. Madden´s alright but took steps back still in DB AI.
 
 NFL: ESPN NFL
 
 College Football: NCAA 2004 by default (but it is the game of the year).
 
 NHL: NHL 2004 from what I can tell. Haven´t played any but I will trust the people on this forum. I´ll be picking up NHL 2004 tomorrow.
 
 College Hoops: March Madness. I have grown to hate ESPN CH. Why is it that my guys can dunk the ball yet shoot 2 foot leaners off the top of the backboard? MM by default. Another game I´m picking up tomorrow as part of the buy 2 used games get 1 free at Gamestop.
 
 NBA: Live. Love the 10 man Mo Cap and ESPN NBA is same old Sega basketball. Forcefields, bad free throw models,etc.
 
 Baseball: MVP. Great graphics, sound, and wonderful pitching meter. Also like the non cursor batting system. It slightly edges WSB. HH is the best of the bunch, however.

Slumberland · Post by **Slumberland** » Mon Dec 29, 2003 7:09 pm

Oof, tough question. I´d call it a wash, with EA nabbing honors for hockey and baseball while Sega had better efforts in football and basketball. I´m one of the few who thinks ESPN Basketball plays really well, and I couldn´t get over how Live seemed to reward the pro-hop over finding the open man.
 
 Still, it´s not quite a two-horse race. Rivals and Inside Drive are excellent titles, and Acclaim puts out a pretty good baseball game. But if we´re just looking at EA and Sega, I´d call it a tie.

FloridaGators · Post by **FloridaGators** » Mon Dec 29, 2003 7:13 pm

The X factor in this thing should be NCAA Football 2004. The game´s fantastic with a great slider set (which I found at MaddenMania). It´s a wonderful game, a game that I wish to play online at some point. It does not get the love it deserves over here because it is not online for the Xbox.

snate · Post by **snate** » Mon Dec 29, 2003 7:15 pm

Believe it or not, I think you need to throw Microsoft in the mix. IMO they had the best basketball, hockey, and golf games this year. Their baseball game was the only one online and their football game had IMO the best new feature - RnL.

bdoughty · Post by **bdoughty** » Mon Dec 29, 2003 7:24 pm

I have to go with Snate on this one. Microsoft took the crown in my house because it offered the best basketball game, along with great golf and tennis games.
 
 I can barely touch NCAA 2004 and already returned Madden because ESPN is that much better.
 
 Hockey I stick to Hitz Pro.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Mon Dec 29, 2003 7:25 pm

Well, I have to tip my hat to Sega for ESPN NFL. It actually got me to sell Madden and not touch NCAA 2004. That´s the first time that´s ever happened since NFL GameDay 98.
 
 While MVP was a great first try, WSB seemed like a more complete game to me.
 
 As for basketball, I went with NBA Inside Drive, but I did get March Madness over College Hoops this year. And I don´t play hocket games, so I can´t comment on those.
 
 All in all, I´d say Sega made great strides this year. What´s better, they have obviously pushed EA to try harder, as EA´s baseball and basketball franchises have made big improvements. I´d actually say it´s a push this year.

matthewk · Post by **matthewk** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 11:57 am

For the first time in years, I am playing all of the major sports (NFL, NBA, MLB) on non-EA Sports titles.
 
 After finishing my ESPN Football season, I went back to Madden for a few games. Wow, what a difference. I have always been a great Madden fan, but damn does this game seem to suck now that I´ve gotten used to ESPN. The off-field stuff is better in Madden, but on the field it´s not really that close. Runners in Madden go down too easily, like they hit a brick wall. The defense has maybe 3 looks to it. I think I have finally weened myself off Madden.
 
 As for basketball, ID is the king. No one else need apply.
 
 Baseball was between HH and WSB, with WSB winning because it was fresher for me and it has a great franchise mode. HH just got too dull for me.
 
 I never thought I´d ever be able to say this, but I could happily without EA Sports. MS has Links and Amped, I am happy with the "old" Nascar games on the PC, and games like PGR2, Moto GP2, MX Superfly, Splashdown, etc.. keep me busy with all other sports.
 
 -Matt

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 2:15 pm

Well after not playing for a couple of weeks, I played ESPN NFL, Miami against Tenn and I got almost 350 yards with Ricky Williams.
 
 He had a bunch of long runs and averaged like 25 yards a carry. I kinda felt sorry for the guy I was playing. But he was doing stupid things like spreading the line and vacating the defensive backfield.
 
 I don´t recall Ricky going down on any first tackle in the game. These kind of rushing numbers are not atypical though, as he´s rushed for well over 200 yards several times. Some of the league stats bear out the gaudy rushing numbers for a lot of players.
 
 Some staunch ESPN defenders say you have to know how to play defense. I will say I´ve been lucky not to be on the other end of such rushing performance, so far. But I think they have to look into this for next year a little bit. Running backs getting over 200 yards or even 150 yards should be an infrequent occurrence.
 
 ESPN definitely gives you the outside running game that Madden has lacked for a long time. Just some fine tuning would make it more realistic.

RobVarak · Post by **RobVarak** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 2:24 pm

wco, I think the Rickey problem is based on the variance of difficulty between offense and defense.
 
 Running effectively with RW requires only a little, if any, extra effort. Throw in the occassional move and rely on his natural bull-like nature.
 
 It CAN be stopped if you know what you´re doing. For example, I know what I need to do to stop him. But doing it is another question altogether. You need to call the right defense, then consistently use the controls in a much more complex manner than running calls for. You have to strafe, power up, tackle perfectly and switch to other defenders quickly to gang tackle.
 
 All in all, it´s just tilted a bit too much in favor of the power RB´s I think. Not so much that it´s a problem in a game among relative equals, but certainly enough so that a substantially inferior player has almost no chance.

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 5:56 pm

Rob,
 You are spot on!! That´s really one of the things that gets me frustrated with ESPN. Good game except for.
 
 That should be their slogan, We make great games except for....
 
 NCAA takes the nod in football, over Madden and ESPN. I know it´s a college game but it´s still the best.
 
 College B-Ball
 I haven´t played College Hoops but MM isn´t all that great. Just like live there are really only to ways to score, pro-hop scoring, 3 point land.
 
 Bball
 ID gets the nod, I don´t think that Live is as good as once though. It´s a lot of fun but still just focuses on two parts of the offense. Dunking and 3 pointers. I know ID isn´t made by Sega or EA but still it´s the winner if you love basketball.

bdoughty · Post by **bdoughty** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 6:04 pm

Inside Drive is enjoyable to play because it is so darn smooth. The default camera angle is great also. I prefer College to Pro but ID makes it hard to go back to playing ESPN CB.

matthewk · Post by **matthewk** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 6:07 pm

I have had runners rack up 200+ on me in my season. I know Faulk lit me up, and one other guy, but I don´t remember who. I have Ricky on my team, so I don´t have to worry about him <IMG SRC="images/forum/icons/icon_smile.gif">
 
 At least in ESPN I feel like I have to worry about the CPU running. In Madden (even this year) I don´t feel much stress when I face the likes of Williams, Lewis, Green, or the like. I am ALWAYS in the top 3 run defenses without even trying. Personally, I pick ESPNs poison over Maddens.

cocoman · Post by **cocoman** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 6:08 pm

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD>Quote:<HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><BLOCKQUOTE>
 On 2003-12-30 10:24, RobVarak wrote:
 
 It CAN be stopped if you know what you´re doing.
 </BLOCKQUOTE></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>
 
 That is just too funny. I have to laugh when someone says that. I´ll tell you this, I can tell you what play I´m going to run and even tell what side it´s going to, then watch me break 4-7 tackles with ricky on my way to a TD or big yardage. The game is FLAWED! The only way I have been SLOWED down is with a very good defensive team. Thanks Say-Ga...you always find a way to ***** things up!

cocoman · Post by **cocoman** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 6:12 pm

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD>Quote:<HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><BLOCKQUOTE>
 On 2003-12-30 14:04, bdoughty wrote:
 Inside Drive is enjoyable to play because it is so darn smooth. The default camera angle is great also. I prefer College to Pro but ID makes it hard to go back to playing ESPN CB.
 </BLOCKQUOTE></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>
 
 I agree 100%...after playing ID 2004, playing College Hoops has been ruined for me by ID. CH feels like a clunky game and moves so robotic.

bdoughty · Post by **bdoughty** » Tue Dec 30, 2003 6:23 pm

Yep clunky and robotic are a fitting way to describe ESPN CB but I still find it more enjoyable then March Madness. Of course if MM can change a few things and widen the court it had some things going for it this year.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Wed Dec 31, 2003 5:40 pm

Stolf:
 
 Very good thread. My takes, with a twist, as I´ll add Microsoft into the equation when needed.
 
 Baseball: MVP and WSB both were flawed. No CPU hitters swung at anything out of the strike zone in MVP, and there were too many hits in MVP games. But the strike zone still is too big in WSB, and the fields are too small. MVP has the greatest potential, though, as the pitching meter and player throwing meter were very, very cool.
 
 Football: Madden and ESPN both are great games. I give ESPN the slight edge due to presentation and First Person Football, which I really enjoy.
 
 Basketball: I haven´t played either ESPN or Live because Inside Drive is just so damn good. It´s the WE 6 or High Heat of hoops´ games.
 
 Hockey: I´m with you all the way on this one, Stolf. I can´t believe EA made such a good hockey title this year with NHL 2004. A vastly improved game that would have been killer on the Xbox if it was online. The best skating physics of any console hockey game ever. Kush simply mailed it in after inheriting ESPN NHL from Visual Concepts. It didn´t fix the uber-goalies and added nothing but some spit and polish to the game. Overall, I think NHL Rivals 2004 is the best hockey game because it´s almost as good as NHL 2004 offline, and it has superb online modes.
 
 Too bad Sega or Microsoft didn´t make soccer or NASCAR games. FIFA 2004 was another joke, and NASCAR Thunder 2004 sucked after a while even though the Rivals-Friends feature was interesting for a while. Unfortunately, EA has locked up the NASCAR license well into this decade in an exclusive deal, so there won´t be a realistic NASCAR console game for a long, long time. So for those looking for realistic oval racing action, pick up IndyCar Series or the upcoming IndyCar Series 2004 (wink-wink!).
 
 Tiger Woods 2004 is a solid arcade golf game, but Links 2004 beats it pretty solidly except for licensed players and courses. Links is just a more realistic game from tee to green.
 
 Like MattK, I could live without EA Sports. But I really would like to play NHL on Xbox Live. That would be fantastic and the one EA game for which I would gladly pay $50.
 
 Fun thread, man!
 
 Take care,
 PK [ This message was edited by: pk500 on 31-12-2003 13:46 ]

JRod · Post by **JRod** » Wed Dec 31, 2003 9:18 pm

PK:
 We might see some soccer competition with MS this year. Rumors abound with a soccer title comeing down the pipeline from them. Not only that but you know an in-house MS game is bound to be XBL. If there´s a soccer game that has the same quality of Links, Top Spin and dare I say Inside Drive, look out FIFA. Plus it would help Xbox sales in Europe where there´s no real Xbox soccer game to speak of.
 
 Back to Inside Drive. If there was one area I would like to see improved it´s driving to the basket. While there´s less of a magical force field in ID it´s still entirely too hard to drive past people. IRL, players can´t stand up a driving Peyton, James or Anthony but in BB games this is all too common. And with wingspan problems in all games it´s rather tough to get around people that IRL you could just blow on by.
 
 I´m not saying ID is overrated but I do think some things could be improved. Still a good game although they butchered the nuggets.
 
 I have to say again, that I think Links isn´t too far removed from Tiger. Okay so you aren´t going to shoot a 55 evertime out but off the tee and with no wind the game is not all that different from TW. On the green the game is the most realistic golfing game I have played. I think this putting model is better the TW PC. I love it. It´s just ashame that for hard core gamers there isn´t an extreme level so that I can miss a fairway more often.

Badgun · Post by **Badgun** » Thu Jan 01, 2004 4:40 pm

Football-
 
 Sega. ESPN Football by a hair over Madden. Madden´s a great game, but ESPN´s just more fun this year.
 
 Basketball-
 
 Sega again. Even though Live was much improved, the poor graphics and the overuse of the Pro Hop (TM) did it in for me. While the ESPN game is far from perfect, it offered me the closest thing to real NBA ball than anything else.
 
 College Basketball-
 
 Sega. Mostly because it´s just blast to play, but it also has a lot of the presentation that ESPN Football made famous. Didn´t try March Madness, but read some awful things about it not having a ton of freshmen in the game.
 
 Hockey-
 
 I´m not an avid hockey player, but I did purchase ESPN Hockey and subsequently sold it on Half.com and picked up NHL Rivals, which I´m really enjoying. Can´t give the nod to either company here.
 
 Baseball-
 
 SEGA. NO contest here. WSB was the first game since Sport Talk Baseball on the Genesis that I played a full 162 game season with. I loved everything about the game. Had a blast with it. MVP was fun, but nowhere near as fun as WSB.
 
 Overall, I think I have to agree with some of the other guys. The company that made the most strides in its sports games was Microsoft. Even though Fever sucked again as usual, Links 2004, NHL Rivals, and NBA Inside Drive all are at the top of their class.
 
 The sad thing with EA was just about all of their sports games had something huge wrong with it. With Madden it was the draft class import feature, with Live it was all of the big name player becoming free agents and not getting picked up after their first year, and with March Madness, it was the insane number of starting freshmen that were nowhere to be found on the rosters.
 
 Personally, even though I liked Madden and I got a fixed disc, it was too little too late. By the time I got my fixed disc, I was already in love with ESPN Football and never really went back to Madden except to import my draft class and do the off season stuff, then I immediately went back to ESPN.
 
 The beautiful thing about it, I hardly even notice anymore that EA´s not on Xbox Live...it simply doesn´t matter. [ This message was edited by: Badgun on 01-01-2004 12:43 ]

Titantron · Post by **Titantron** » Fri Jan 02, 2004 1:41 pm

I´d say that EA made the better sports games this year:
 
 Madden and NCAA are better than anything Sega made. NHL 2004 is the best NHL game since Sega put out a buggy game. Live and March Madness are way more fun Sega´s basketball games. MVP was innovative but I liked Sega´s baseball game more. The edge goes to EA.