The Recycle Bin

It looks like EA Sports is about to do the needful and patch NCAA Football 09. We can look at this two ways.

WTF was EA thinking releasing a game with this many issues? Or we can be grateful that EA Sports is addressing the many issues with the game. At this point the horse is out of the barn, so I am going to wait and see what if the gameplay improves. If it does, we may have a wonderful game on our hands, but will anyone notice as Madden 09 is due in 10 days?

Patch info at OS, via digitalsportspage (Page 15). The follow could really improve my gameplay experience

Dynasty
– Faster simming between weeks

Gameplay
– Improved coverage on kicks

Bug Fixes
– AI sliders for will now work correctly
– An issue with missing stats after simming has been fixed
– Ball carrier will no longer run out of bounds when changing hands and heading towards the sidelines

Am I upset that purchasing this game day one basically made me a “beta” tester? Yes, I am. Should EA have delayed the game until it fixed some of these issues? Yes, absolutely. Should EA Sports get a “pat on the back” for doing the right thing? Maybe, but this may also encourage the behavior of “release it now, patch it later” games. Still, happy horse shit aside, I am looking forward to an improved game when the patches are available.

I just had a total “oh shit” moment with the Madden 09 demo for the PlayStation 3. After calling a play, the players walked to the line and got ready for Eli to call for the ball. For some inexplicable reason, #69 (G, Rich Seubert) decided to walk away from the line of scrimmage. I figured that I must have pressed L1 one too many times, resulting in a false start, but the flag never came.

Instead, #69 just turned around and slowly started walking away from the line of scrimmage (towards the bottom left-hard corner of the screen), leaving a nice hole just left of the center, and between the tackle. I was helpless to use my one time out or snap the ball.

WTF was happening? I repeatedly tried to call a time out, but could not. I figured some bug had to be at work here, and when the play clock ran down to zero I would be called with a delay of game penalty (or false start).

Nope.

After the play clock hit zero I called an audible. Thankfully #69 got his head out of his ass and ran back to the line of scrimmage. I ran a play without any consequence (no delay of game or false start).

Un-f’ing real. I have never seen something so damn strange in a video game. Well maybe I have, but words fail to express how strange it was to see this cowboy decide to walk away from the line of scrimmage. I tried the replay option, but it did not show him leaving the line. If it did I would have taken a picture of something to upload.

Strange stuffs at work in this demo.

I spent some time last night with the Madden 09 demo, and to be honest, I am not sure what to think.

You start out by taking a serious of Madden IQ tests. I’ll throw up mine for all to laugh at (grins and giggles all around please) …

• Rush Offense (All-Madden @ 20%)
• Pass Offense (All-Pro @ 40%)
• Rush Defense (Pro @ 80%)
• Pass Defense (Rookie @ 80%)

I ended up with a measly 509 rating. Ouch. So offense was fairly straight forward and easy, but rush defense was really just a guessing game. If I picked the direction the running back was going to take, I ended up passing the test. If I guessed wrong, well, that’s why I ended up with a Pro rating. Pass defense was the worst; I really did not know what buttons to press, so I failed most of the test.

It will be interesting to see how Madden IQ comes into play with the overall experience. Bill Abner has the full game (360 version), and as has been reported all over the place, this year’s game does not include CPU sliders.

That is very much a WTF moment. First, the sliders in NCAA Football 09 were broken. Now this; no sliders at all. In theory Madden IQ will somehow level the playing field, which is probably fine for some online games, but not so much for single player games. Why not just use the NCAA Football 09 “equal teams” feature?

After doing the Madden IQ junk, the demo lets you play a “Madden Moment” – last year’s Super Bowl. You are the Giants, down 10-14 with under two minutes. Fourth and one; Patriots on defense. You score a TD, you pass the “Madden Moment.” Fail to score, and you fail the test.

That is the extent of the demo. You do not get a chance to try out the defensive side of the ball.

More to come later.

First real trophy brag moment for me just happened a few minutes ago. I decided to tackle Super Stardust HD and finished off the last two levels, which put my trophy count at 11. Or as I like to say, Level 2 baby! I am a Level 2 PS3 whore.

Simple pleasures my friends, simple pleasures. Can you say Miller Time? I thought you could. Time to break out the High Life to celebrate.

Currently downloading the Madden 09 demo and the full version of Eden, the latter of which is good for a whole treasure trove of trophies.

After reading the recent playstation blog update on Gran Turismo 5: Prologue, I came away with an empty feeling. Disappointment.

Seriously, who cares about all the video crap that is being released on Gran Turismo TV?

On Friday, August 1st, Gran Turismo 5 Prologue owners will receive a significant update that will take their racing and automotive experience to a new level.

The heart of this update is a new line-up of exciting automotive programming for “Gran Turismo TV”, our in-game automotive media channel. Gearheads will enjoy a host of new free and pay-per-view programming, including “Top Gear“, UK’s premier car entertainment program, and Japan’s “Best Motoring” video magazine, dedicated to the pursuit of the pleasure of driving.

Disappointment quickly turned to frustration. Maybe even bitterness. How will a bunch of videos take my racing experience being taken to a new level?

In addition, other gameplay enhancements come with this update, like fixes in penalty judgments, more tire choices for Time Trial and improved physics during collisions between cars during online races (YES! We’ve been carefully monitoring players behaviors online and all your comments on the forums.)

Where are the other updates? Better single player racing AI? New tracks? More cars? Seriously, the Gran Turismo TV episodes may be neat, but I would rather the developers concentrate on fixing the gameplay, enhancing the racing experiences (with more cars and tracks), and adding trophy support.

What is going on with Gran Turismo 5: Prologue? Is it a demo that is slowly being enhanced? If the developers are concentrating on Gran Turismo TV, what the hell is going on with the full release?

According to ps3fanboy, the PlayStation 3 is EA’s biggest source of income [starting in 2008 … financial data … all that jazz … link in the article referenced].

PS3: 139mln (13mln, 969%)
360: 81mln (47mln, 72%)
PS2: 79mln (61mln, 30%)
Wii: 57mln (29mln, 97%)

So what does this say about PS3 owners? Sorry. Could not really come up with anything clever other than lemming jokes.

Another hump day is starting, so let’s get on with the random updates.

No matter how often I look, there is never anyone playing Calling All Cars. What a crock of crap. It has a 77 rating at metacritic, so it is not as if the game is all that bad. I have even started a few online games just to see if anyone would jump in; alas no takers.

I have been enjoying the PixilJunk Eden demo; cannot wait for the full game to be released (should be later this week).

Oh and I’ve been calling,oh hey, hey, Johnny! Can’t you come out to play?

I am not sure how to describe the game. Surreal graphics and music, combined with strategy, discovery, and high scores. Did I mention the game has trophies? It is nice seeing some really different and interesting games available on the PlayStation Store.

Sony has release Firmware version 2.42. No idea what it contains. Will download it before work, but may not have anytime to check out the minor features in a minor update. I assume this one has to be minor patch type fixes.

NCAA Football 09 continues to be a fun, but very broken (read more bugs than an anthill) game. If you are going to dump it before Madden is released, now is the time. By September, I can see NCAA Football 09 getting a $10 price drop, along with a massive devaluation on eBay. I am torn. I really do not have enough time to play two football games, but NCAA Football 09 has a chance to be really good (in addition to fun) if the promised gameplay patch in September delivers the goods. Fun times.

I think Braves fans knew it was coming sooner or later. Teixeira had to go; no way the Braves were going to be able to afford to sign him to a long term deal. Today the Braves sent Teixeira to the Angels.

On Tuesday, the Angels made the kind of deadline blockbuster they’re often accused of never making when they traded first baseman Casey Kotchman and pitching prospect Stephen Marek to Atlanta for the right to run Teixeira out there as their first baseman for the next two months.

Initially, according to a source, the Braves asked for Kotchman, top pitching prospect Nick Adenhart and a third player in exchange for Teixeira. But the Angels told Atlanta that although they might be willing to talk about, essentially, a Kotchman-for-Teixeira swap even-up, they were not willing to open a hole in their club for either 2008 or 2009. The clubs then compromised Tuesday afternoon by agreeing on Marek, a 24-year-old Double-A right-hander who wasn’t regarded as one of the Angels’ premier prospects.

I do not know enough about Kotchman or the AA prospect, but it was probably the best Atlanta could do. Disappointing, but understandable.

PlayStation Blog posted the official list of Greatest Hits titles.

The first round of games includes

* Warhawk, Motorstorm and Resistance: Fall of Man, SCEA.
* Call of Duty 3, Activision
* EA Sports Fight Night Round 3, Need for Speed: Carbon, Electronic Arts
* Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas and Assassin’s Creed, Ubisoft
* The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Bethesda Softworks
* Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Tecmo

A couple of weeks ago I was wishful that Ratchet and Clank Future: Tools of Destruction, Oblivion GOTY edition, and Heavenly Sword would also get the Greatest Hits treatment. I think that R&C will get Greatest Hits treatment by the end of the year, but not sure about Heavenly Sword. I can understand Bethesda not offering Oblivion GOTY because sales of this game would all but erode their PlayStation Store offering of DLC.

Final note. What the hell is Sony thinking going with red cases?

I never got into Resistance. A handful of hours here, and a few chapters there, but mostly a dust collector.  Really just an expensive rental, and another reason that I should not buy shooters.  It is not that the game was bad.  I think the only reason I picked it up was because it was suppose to be one of the best games on the PS3, and at the time (May 2007) there was not much else the PS3 had to offer.

Yesterday I sold the game for $30 on eBay, which was great timing since Circuit City is selling the game for $29.99 along with MotorStorm. I guess this sale is the lead-in for the new Greatest Hits line.

Warhawk was also listed, but it quickly sold out online. The game bundled with a bluetooth headset must have been too much for gamers to pass up.

By now the lines are drawn. You either love the game, or you hate the game. I do not think there is much middle ground on this one.

Bill Harris pretty much hates NCAA Football 09, as he has pointed out in a series of articles. Click here, here, and here for all the reasons that NCAA Football 09 has failed Mr. Harris.

I am a fan of Bill’s site, but I do not think the game is all that. Certainly not perfect, but for me still fun. Such is the world of opinions; they keep things interesting.

Maybe there is relief in sight. According to Operation Sports and Pasta Padre, a gameplay patch will be released in September

The second patch, which is intended to improve different gameplay elements, is still in the evaluation period. Right now a reasonable expectation on when this patch will arrive is September. So far it will include fixes to sliders, improvements to kick/punt return coverage, and various tuning to areas such as zone coverages, man vs RBs, and strafe catching. There will be more included in the patch but as of now those are the things that are confirmed.

Of course by September no one may notice; everyone will be playing Madden. Still, for college football fans, some simple improvements to NCAA Football 09 will make a fun game even better.

gameshark, courtesy of William Abner, posted some E3 Madden 09 impressions. Fairly detailed for a quick 15 minute session, but it sounds like Mr. Abner did not have enough time to really hit on gameplay issues/concerns.

A skeptical gamer will expect updated rosters, maybe some updated graphics, and a few new non-gameplay related features.  Contrary to popular opinion, the gameplay does change each year; minor tweaks and the like, but not always obvious changes from year-to-year.  At the end of the day, each release of Madden is at its core, still Madden.

Now that EA has exclusive rights to release NFL games, the pressure seems to be off EA to make leaps in gameplay.  Years ago when EA had to go up against Sony’s GameDay serious, and more recently the 2K games, EA had to innovate.

Fast forward to this year’s game.  Of note are the new Rewind, Backtrack, and Madden IQ (score) features.

All of this is tied back to the new Madden IQ score. This is another feature you can completely disable but this new rating is basically your Madden Aptitude rating. When you first fire up the game you are presented with a series of holographic tests and drills from running, throwing, tackling, playing pass defense, etc. When you’re done John Madden reveals your Madden IQ. This is further broken down by area: you might score highly in running but poorly in passing, or you might be rated highly in run defense but terrible at stopping the pass. Based on your IQ the game will tweak settings accordingly. It’s like your own custom set of gameplay sliders. Again, this is an optional feature and we’ll have to see how well it works after we get a deeper look into it.

I bet I would score really low with my Madden IQ. Not because I do not understand football, but because I am not much of a joystick jockey (is that term even valid anymore). Dexterity challenged gamers should find the new Rewind feature quite useful.

The Backtrack feature is going to be neat for those of us that like to “breakdown” plays. The Madden 09 developers better not have the same issues exposed in replays that are present in NCAA Football 09. Talking about frustrating the snot out of gamers; EA could be setting up from some serious backlash if the Backtrack feature exposes holes in Madden’s gameplay.

I am going to get Madden, as I have each year for as long as I can remember, but at least it sounds like Madden is going to offer a different (hopefully better) experience this year. For the past four or five years, I have only played Madden for 2-3 weeks before quickly throwing it up on eBay. Hopefully this year I will get better value for my money.

It’s hard to believe, but with all the bashing, NCAA Football 09 is actually fun. There has been enough negativity on this one that you may think it is a total suckfest. The game is certainly not perfect, but sometimes fun trumps nagging issues. Take this recent game for example. I decided to send my beloved Bulldogs against the Bowling Green Falcons. For the first time ever, the Weather Channel feature actually worked. Game time temperature was in the upper 80s, with a nasty 22 mph wind that would play havoc on field goals.

Run Knowshon. Run!

I decided to dress in red instead of using the black jersey. If you are a UGA fan, the black jersey is this game is simply incredible.

I won the coin toss and opted to receive the ball. I managed a long drive, with Moreno finally punching the ball in for a 7-0 lead. Several possessions later, the Falcons managed a field goal to make the game 7-3. I quickly answered with a field goal, and closed out the half 10-3.

Things remained nip and tuck until Bowling Green tied the score with 65 seconds remaining in the game. I worked the clock, and made judicious use of my timeouts to work the ball in scoring position, but despite my best efforts, my 33 yard game winning field goal attempt started left, but blew wide right. Damn wind. Overtime.

Major strategic bug alert. Bowling Green won the coin toss, and decided they wanted the ball first. That is a big no-no; much better to force your opponent on offense first.

I could not stop Bowling Green; they took a 17-10 lead. Still leaning on Moreno, my workhorse tied the game 17-17. A Knowshon draw, followed by Bowling Green getting called for off-sides, resulted in me having four attempts from inside the four yard line. Moreno’s 3rd TD on the day put the Dawgs up 24-17.

A lot of times I feel like NCAA Football 09 is scripted, but there was nothing scripted about my defensive stand. First down was an incomplete pass; should have been an interception. Second down resulted in a nice user sack. Third down the Falcons had a nice pick up on a screen, but it all came down to fourth and seven. Crossing patterns generally work, but I sniffed out the play and stopped the Falcons’ receiver short of the first down marker to escape with a victory.

Yes, there is some crap in the game (NCAA Football 09, not the specific game described here), but it is fun.

Go Dawgs!

I am not sure if porn and videogames go hand-in-hand (make your own damn puns), but I do know that it is a matter of time before some of the more adult oriented Japanese anime makes it into a US videogame. Niche for sure, but it is coming sooner or later. Or maybe a more realistic version of some Hot Coffee. Or maybe Conan unleashed. You get the point, and so does PSXExtreme

I believe it’s only a matter of months before a big-name pornstar has a cameo on a TV sitcom. I think we’re just a tweak away from one of them putting out a solo music album. And yes, I don’t think pornstars in video games is far behind, or actually, based on that news, maybe it’s already here. Of course, the big question is, do consumers see this as a problem? I’m guessing that many don’t, provided the products are still rated appropriately. But are we crossing an invisible line? Are there even any lines left to cross in this society? I dunno… I’d be a lying, elitist nimrod if I said I’ve never watched porn, and I’m in no position to lecture. But I’m not lecturing; I’m merely making a statement of fact, and then following it up with a question: adult entertainment will most certainly become a larger and larger part of the video game industry in the future, and is this a bad thing, regardless of ratings?

Pretty much spot on, but I still think it will be anime that paves the way. Ghost in the Shell; something that will seem more innocent than outright porn. Within two or three years, adult games are coming to a PS3 near you (probably via Blu-ray).

Clay Dreslough asked me to take a look at his latest version of the long running Baseball Mogul series. Ask and ye shall receive. I’ve installed it (file is literally half the size of the mammoth Out of the Park Baseball 9 download) and played two games. My initial reaction is mixed. The interface has that quaint Front Office Football 1980s feel to it in some spots. However, the game day interface is interesting and there is quite a bit to like about it. Baseball Mogul probably won’t tear away OOTPB 9 diehard fans, but I played one game and looked forward to playing a second.

I’ll post more detailed comments as I work through it. I see Jonathan has gotten quite fancy with pictures, so I’ll have to see about posting some screen shots at some point.