What sports game is getting the short end of the stick.

[FifaInspected]

Anyone else find it almost funny the potential short rotation some of these games get? July's NCAA get's a decent life span with Madden not being released until late august. NHL get's released on sept 11 and within a couple of weeks Fifa and PES arrive (not to mention non sports games like Borderlands) followed by NBA on Oct. 2. Deeper into october forza lands as well as XCOM and MOH.

MLB: The Show seems to benefit from it's early year release.

[vinny-b]

__

[pk500]

Tiger Woods gets a huge bump from its spring release date. TW13 is a very good game, but I think a smaller reason why it caught fire here is because some guys are just jonesing for a new sports title besides baseball in March.

The glut of game releases at this time of the year is very tough on the willpower and the wallet. So far I'm resisting on nearly everything, waiting for Black Friday and Christmas sales. Only have purchased Madden and NHL, both with vastly reduced price tags due to trade-ins at Best Buy.

I've never understood why Codemasters releases its F1 franchise three-quarters of the way through the season. The franchise would get a significant bump in sales and attention if the game was released in late Februrary or March, just before the start of the Formula One season. Can you imagine Madden being released in late November or NBA 2K13 being released in Februrary?

[TCrouch]

I've almost purchased F1 twice, now. Not to threadjack, but I almost wrote a novel in the F1 thread about the AI in that game. I feel like that Codemasters team should give lessons to every other developer on how to write FUN racing AI. I have yet to wreck anybody in a turn 1 crash, despite being 3 wide many times. I can pick my way through crowds very well, and they respect your position better than anything I've ever seen. It makes me wish NASCAR and other games had the same level of AI in it. Now if only they would try to pass when they have a huge run on you, it would be perfect. I know Adam mentioned it, but they left off at your rear wing too often unless there's still a lot of straightaway left.

As to the original question--I'd actually say NASCAR. It gets a new version every few years it seems, and it's released as a broken and buggy product most times. And this year, NASCAR Inside Line is releasing on November 6th. At that point, there are only 2 races left in the real NASCAR season. That's like not releasing Madden until the AFC Championship game. Imagine not being able to play with proper rosters and teams until the season's almost over. For me, it's NASCAR and it's not even close.

[Pete1210]

The sports games certainly are released in a tight window. And now you have all the big fall non-sports games coming out every week.

I try and buy only what I have time for. If I'm not enjoying a game I will let it go fast.
This year I let NCAA and Madden go. I played the heck out of NCAA for 2 months, but it had some issues with in game stuttering and complete lock-ups. Moved on to Madden since I am a pro and not college football fan. The silly looking animations bothered me and I got bored playing CPU. Just wasn't having fun with it. With NBA 2K13 release I knew Madden will get shelved, so I cut my losses on that one. I never got into soccer games. I'm still playing NHL 10 for my hockey game. I'm thinking about finally upgrading there.

NBA 2K, being my favorite, stays in my rotation until mid summer at least. Between that, Borderlands 2 and some RPGs in my backlog (Skyrim, Witcher 2), I'll be waiting out the new releases. Possible exceptions being Need for Speed:Most Wanted, since I love the Burnout series, or MOH:Warfighter if the beta blows me away. Otherwise, I'll wait till Black Friday sales to add a game or two.

[fsquid]

The only game that I play year round is the Football Manager series. I'd say Madden coming out late August is weird for me. I usually get NCAA and then tire of that some when the soccer and bball games come around.

[vader29]

I don't know if this fits the category of a sport getting the short end of a stick but ever since the release of the original Wii Sports Bowling I've hoped that someone would get the PBA license and make a full franchise bowling game, seems that it would be hugely successful as the bowling games on the Wii and Kinect have been very popular and are one the best games that make use of the motion controls and could be played year round.

[FifaInspected]

For the first time since I started gaming i've not bought a soccer title on release day. I'm enjoying a GM connected league online in NHL 13 and a connected careers mode online in Madden. With the playoffs now here, i'm sure i'll pick a series or two and play them through via The Show. I'll grab fifa or PES on sale and may do the same with NBA at some point down the road.

[Danimal]

Man I was just thinking this.

I never even got a chance to play NHL with the club much and there never seems to be an organized play night anymore.

I won't even buy FIFA this year because last year I never got an invite to play so I figured that club is kind of locked down to hard core soccer players. I occasionally play it with my daughters so no need for a new version.

I was so enjoying NCAA but haven't touched it since Madden came out and it's hard to go back after the IE engine in Madden.

I hate NBA basketball and every year I get suckered into the hype of NBA2K whatever. I am trying to avoiding wasting my money this year. Now if there was a college game with an online league component I would be all in.

I also think I am done with my yearly show upgrades. The game just doesn't improve enough year to year to warrant the price. Most of that is because it is a stellar game but IMO The Show has defined the term roster update for the last 2 years.

I'd really like a decent manage only graphical baseball sim for the PC as well. I'd also really like an alternative to the arcade golf that is Tiger Woods. Talk about a product that could use a jump start with some competition.

On the whole there are just too many sports games clustered into a release window of July to November and I don't see what you can do about that.

[GB_Simo]

Terry, we've only just got the NASCAR 2011 game over here. PS3 only, digital download only, £7.99 for a full retail game and I still feel like I overpaid a little...

I've never understood why Codemasters releases its F1 franchise three-quarters of the way through the season. The franchise would get a significant bump in sales and attention if the game was released in late Februrary or March, just before the start of the Formula One season. Can you imagine Madden being released in late November or NBA 2K13 being released in Februrary?

EA did this with F1 2000, releasing sometime in April of that year. The result was a bunch of incorrectly-liveried cars, the Arrows being a particularly large distance away from reality, and performance figures that didn't stack up with reality - this was the year of Jenson Button's debut and he regularly tugged around in 20th place in EA's world, instead of competing for points as he should have been. The details were so far out of whack that EA released F1 Championship Season 2000 later that year, correcting the mistakes made first time around.

In this age of downloads and patches, you could just as easily patch in the correct details and performance updates in the way EA do now with Live Season modes, but Codemasters probably don't have the goodwill among the F1 hardcore to get away with that any more. That, and even on a 12 month dev cycle they've released a patch with over 200 different updates after launch, so the state they'd be in on a shorter cycle doesn't bear thinking about.

Which games get the short end of the stick? All of them, to an extent. It's a rare title that has anything like the longevity you used to see on these forums. Whether it's disposable income decreasing, busier lives or both, it just feels like the majority of us are picking and choosing to a greater degree than we used to rather than it being anything to do with release dates. The release schedule now can't be that different to how it was a few years ago - it's probably less clustered, in fact, because there's no Live, Triple Play, MVP, NFL2K, Inside Drive or whatever else you might have played - but I don't seem to remember games coming and going quite so quickly in the middle of the last decade as they do now.

[toonarmy]

I don't think any of them get a short end of the stick since fans of each sport are going to get the games representing the sports they enjoy. I suppose all of the late summer/early fall games are released in a fairly narrow window, so they have more competition with each other.

I do think that sports gamers get the short end of the stick on F1 games. Excitement for a sports game typically exists near the beginning of the season. Having a game come out so late in the season just plain sucks. I understand wanting to get the liveries and car performance as realistic as possible, but there is no need to wait so long to get that stuff into the game. It's not like the liveries are unveiled on day one of the season, or that we have no clue which teams will be near the top and which ones will be near the bottom. Other sports games released before the season starts don't know which teams will overachieve or underachieve, or which players will get injured, or who is going to win a championship, etc. If a player is playing better or worse then that is reflected in roster updates. The same could be done, as earlier suggested in the thread, by applying updates throughout the F1 season. I would have no problem with a F1 game being released within a month or two of the season starting even if the car performance models were not precise.

[pk500]

I have $40 worth of Best Buy credit. So it's one more new game purchase or a couple of used games at Best Buy for this household until the Black Friday and Christmas sales.

I asked my 11-year-old and 7 -year-old sons about their preferences this week, whether they wanted NBA 2K13, a soccer game, F1 2012 or a combination of used, older games for this final purchase for seven weeks.

Couldn't believe the maturity of my 11-year-old -- who is a HUGE NBA fan -- when he said: "I'm not sure if we should get another team sports game right now, Dad. We already have Madden 13 and NHL 13 for team sports, and we still can play those plenty."

Always nice when adults gain perspective and knowledge from their kids.

[Danimal]

Couldn't believe the maturity of my 11-year-old -- who is a HUGE NBA fan -- when he said: "I'm not sure if we should get another team sports game right now, Dad. We already have Madden 13 and NHL 13 for team sports, and we still can play those plenty."

Holy f*** I am calling DCS, you turned them into penny pinching cheap skates at 11 years old. I can't imagine what brutal torture methods are being used in that house hold. Hell if they were dogs Jack B would of made a documentary about you by now.

[pk500]

Holy f*** I am calling DCS, you turned them into penny pinching cheap skates at 11 years old. I can't imagine what brutal torture methods are being used in that house hold. Hell if they were dogs Jack B would of made a documentary about you by now.

LOL! I'm the Ron Mexico of financial education for youth.

Actually, my 7-year-old has nearly $200 saved from birthday and Christmas gifts and from doing chores around the house. He's even tighter with cash than his elder siblings.

No torture. Just resistance to impulses. And I don't mean electrical shocks.

[dbdynsty25]

Actually, my 7-year-old has nearly $200 saved from birthday and Christmas gifts and from doing chores around the house. He's even tighter with cash than his elder siblings.

That's impressive. I've got another friend who's got his kid on the same saving program. His 9 year old just bought a 1500 dollar laptop, all with his own money. Been saving since he got his first buck when he was like 5. All birthdays, christmas, allowances, etc. Couldn't not believe it. No way in hell my son is on that plan as I am a terrible example clearly.

[pk500]

Actually, my 7-year-old has nearly $200 saved from birthday and Christmas gifts and from doing chores around the house. He's even tighter with cash than his elder siblings.

That's impressive. I've got another friend who's got his kid on the same saving program. His 9 year old just bought a 1500 dollar laptop, all with his own money. Been saving since he got his first buck when he was like 5. All birthdays, christmas, allowances, etc. Couldn't not believe it. No way in hell my son is on that plan as I am a terrible example clearly.

Damn, that kid is an FDIC wet dream!

My youngest lad still has $200 left after buying a used iPod Touch from one of his older brothers' friends for $100. He's a saver and a Turkish bazaar horse trader.

[Jimmydeicide]

"No you need to haggle... 10 for that you must be mad"
Its DSP life of Brian


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n3LL338aGA

[AJColossal]

I also think I am done with my yearly show upgrades. The game just doesn't improve enough year to year to warrant the price. Most of that is because it is a stellar game but IMO The Show has defined the term roster update for the last 2 years.

That's funny you say that because I feel like The Show is the only game that really justifies a yearly purchase for me. Here we are, what 7 (!) months after the release and I'm still as enamored with the game as when it came out.

A big part is the refinements they make to the gameplay. I think I was getting to the point where the series was wearing thin, but they do enough to refine that gameplay to feel like a new experience and keep me hooked all season. It's just the best sim gameplay experience you can find in any sport.

I'll grant you, the game could use a few good "back of the box" features to shake things up, but unlike Madden or even NBA 2K, the Show is made for people who more than anything want the game to play like the sport it's representing.

[Brando70]

I'm with AJ, I think The Show improved a lot this year. A lot of it had to do with little things, but the overall game felt more natural, and I liked the challenge of pulse pitching even if the interface wasn't the greatest.

I think NFL games get the shaft the most considering the popularity vs. quality. NFL 2k4 was the last time I remember being floored by an NFL videogame. Even the 2k fanboy's wet dream of 2k5 was really buggy. Madden 10 gave me hope this series was going to finally make the leap, but I feel like it's been baby steps since then.

It's also a shame there hasn't been a college hoops game in a half-decade. I would love to see the NBA 2k engine applied to the college world. Unfortunately, the expectations for the level of detail make it almost impossible to make a profitable college basketball game.

[Danimal]

You both gave the typical answer I see from Show fans whenever someone isn't 100% glowing about that game. I like the game a lot and love how it represents the sports but what exactly did they do this year that was worth $60.

What in this years version had you saying I could never go back to the previous year?

NBA2K is a good example of a game that represents it's sports but actually improves substantially on a yearly basis with substantial features and I don't even like NBA basketball.

I'm not trying to argue with you but one time I would like someone to actually point out these changes instead of saying "little gameplay refinements"

[AJColossal]

You both gave the typical answer I see from Show fans whenever someone isn't 100% glowing about that game. I like the game a lot and love how it represents the sports but what exactly did they do this year that was worth $60.

What in this years version had you saying I could never go back to the previous year?

No, fair question. Off the top of my head, the standout improvements are hit variety, ball physics and what I'll call a more "dynamic" feeling on defense.

Ill be honest with you, I noticed the changes to the game immediately. I thought it felt like a different game, but to someone more casual, I can see where some of that would be lost on someone.

Would I like to see The Show branch out a bit more aggressively? Sure. I would love an "MLB Today" type integration, and something like the NBA did with its classic teams in '11-12 with old players, stadiums, & correct old pitching & batting styles.

I think that historical thing would translate really well to baseball & The Show, but I think we're looking at a much tighter budget with San Diego Studios.

[dbdynsty25]

I'm not trying to argue with you but one time I would like someone to actually point out these changes instead of saying "little gameplay refinements"

The two things I noticed immediately were the ball physics and the momentum playing a much bigger part in your fielders abilities in the field. Those two adjustments alone changed the game significantly in the field. $60 worth...not sure, but I paid $100. Gotta have the Vita copy too.

It's not a perfect game (batting interface is still just so-so to me and there are still too few extra base hits down the lines), but it's worth the investment each year. I think it's harder to add "modes" to a baseball game than it is to other games outside of a franchise or a "be a player" mode.

If they did more classic matchups like the NBA did last year with the Jordan Achievements, that would be kinda cool, but getting licenses for 20-25 players is WAY harder than it is for 5-10 so I'm sure that makes it impossible from a financial standpoint.

[Brando70]

I would add the Pulse Pitching mechanic as well. Even though it wasn't for everyone, it was a pretty significant way to mesh the meter and classic interfaces. It made pitching a lot harder in my opinion and required a lot more strategy in pitch selection.

The physics and hit variety to me were substantial upgrades. They made the ball feel much more lifelike when it was put into play. Stuff like hitting a drive down the line that would curve realistically when it rolled into a corner.

I also think Analog controls were new in MLB 11 -- huge improvement for fielding IMHO.

[Danimal]

Well I appreciate being called a casual fan, that's rich

Again I think it one of the best, if not the best sports game out there but I would of been happy playing the previous years version instead of dumping $100 (I did the DB route) I did last year. I won't be doing that again unless I see something substantial.

[FifaInspected]

After not playing the show for a few months I popped it back in last week.. it really is in a league of it's own.