OT: EA Sports Didn't Mean to Mock Texans with Madden Spots

[Fiasco]

what about hit sticks? QB vision cones? Superstar modes? Owner modes? I always thought they pushed the envelope well.

Sounds like the feature list of a new car. Integrated map holder, cup holder, lockable glovebox for your valuables. No improvement in the actual performance of the car itself.

The root of the game is playing football. The physics of Madden is awfull. Balls still change trajectorys untouched mid flight. Player bodies still move through each other. Passes can still be completed after passing magically through a defenders torso. But I can buy a couch for my superstars apartment... Maybe in Madden 08 they will integrate the latest Ikea catelog..

Also, ESPN sold more copies that year because it was $20. If it would have been $50 it wouldnt have touched madden. With that, if Madden went down to $20 it would break its own sales marks too.

Of course when you provide an equivilant product at less then 1/2 the price your going to outsell your competition. You are inferring that it is an inferior product that only outsold Madden because of price. If that is the case why didn't the 2K franchise outsell Madden before?

Price aside, NFL 2k5 was still a better product then Madden 05.

 

[SuperSpck]

Everybody brings up valid points but the Madden game was at it's best when it had competition forcing it to think of new ways to innovate.

2k was a great game series for the same reason Madden has been a great game series so many times (and in a decade-plus span you're allowed to have a few tarnish moments) because of our love of football.

You can't tell me there aren't millions of people who have fond memories of Techno Bowl. Talk about physics and the like, but at the end of the day having ANY choice in a football game is good enough.

That said, the golden age of virtual football was when EA and 2k were having an arms race.

EA made the smart business decision and eliminated the competition by TKO, but what's more fun playing a game of catch with a wall or playing with a person?

Like I said, smart business decision, bad creative move there's no real innovation when there's no need to innovate.

(and yes, QB vision, line blocking and such do count, it's just the icing on the cake)