5 Ways to Improve NBA 2k

The NBA 2k series is probably my favorite sports videogame franchise. In my opinion, it's really only rivaled by the MLB: The Show franchise and I just find basketball games more fun to play. It just blows away on pretty much every level anything that EA Sports is offering right now.

This is not to say the game doesn't have its faults though. It just seems that 2k fixes them a little bit every year and in general makes you feel more connected to the game of basketball with each fix. The announcing and presentation are amazing and I just wish that the football games on the market were this realistic and fun to play. Here are a few ways 2k could improve upon this already awesome basketball videogame franchise.

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This is pretty awesome right? 

1. Passing – Nothing is more aggravating than watching your player throw a pass right into the defender. 2K needs to allow you to choose whether you're throwing a bounce, chest, or lob type of pass. 2K12 added a lot of emphasis on the defense being more in the passing lanes, so this year they need to allow the player to counter this defense.

Also, there's absolutely no reason that when you throw a post entry pass your player lobs the ball 30 feet into the air to let the defender get under it. What exactly is the thought process behind this being in the game at all? It's so frustrating to make this pass and watch your opponent casually steal it from you. I get that they wanted to make post entry not as easy as it has been in the past but this is absolutely a ridiculous way of going about that.

They also added somewhat of a delay to each pass thrown now and that's something that just really has to go. It's basketball, you should be able to reverse the court quickly to find the player the defense rotated off of. This is not the case when you play NBA 2k12 and allowing quicker and more accurate passes could go a long way in making this is a more realistic game.

2. Online Play – I am yet to buy an NBA 2k game where the online play actually works correctly. Even now almost a year after NBA 2k12's release, I still get lag when trying to play a game online. This is just inexcusable and I do not understand why it is never fixed. There's really not much else to say on this one but it is definitely a reason why people buy the game and there's no reason it doesn't work. Online gaming is something every other company has seemed to figure out except 2k Sports.

3. Fast Breaks – The fast break system in NBA 2k12 is simply broken. It's not based on the speed of your player and it is easily the most unrealistic thing in the game. Andrew Bynum should not be able to chase down Chris Paul on a fast break. It'd be one thing if the defender actually made a play on the ball but what happens is your player just gets inexplicably slow and gets pulled into the defender behind him like the defender has his own gravitational pull.

I understand that in previous NBA 2k games it's been a little easy to exploit the fast break and that's why the system is this way. That said, it doesn't make it any less frustrating or unrealistic for the player. I really hope 2k figures out a work around for this system because it's just dumb watching fast players not be able to go on a clear fast break.

4. Post play – Despite improving post play in NBA 2k12 it still has a long way to go before it makes any rational sense. If you have a defender who has literally no post play defense but high defensive awareness and block ratings you can play him at 4-5 with no problem. Dwight Howard should not be shut down by Andre Iguodala. It's just a stupid system and it feels like good post offensive players have never been rewarded in this sports series.

It makes the game pretty unrealistic when the person your playing against doesn't have to account for your post players. Basically the Lakers are Kobe Bryant creating havoc and Andruw Bynum and Pau Gasol just there for rebounding and defense. It's pretty ridiculous when even the CPU when you play against them doesn't throw the ball down in the post when you're playing against the Lakers.

5. Team defense – I would like to actually see rotations and real team defense as opposed to the gravitational pull defense NBA 2k12 has. If you have a player with high defensive awareness in the middle (Tyson Chandler, Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnet, etc.) they will just suck up every player who goes into the paint no matter how wide open they are to the basket. Tim Duncan is easily my most hated sports videogame star due to this as he's not nearly the force on defense he once was.

It's ridiculously easy to get into the paint against even the most stingy defenders, but when you get by the original defender you either get an easy basket or you get sucked towards a player with high defensive awareness. It is just frustrating when you burn the defender and go for an uncontested lay up only to have a player warp over from 7 feet away to contest your shot. It's also ridiculous how that unless you have a star player you always miss those shots. I swear you have to be a very good player to ever get a 3 point play in the game.  

Madden 2013: Can it actually be good?

If you play Madden I’m sorry for you. No other fans have been subjected to such lazy and rushed game development than Madden fans. Every year since EA bought the exclusive rights to make NFL games, the game comes with an extensive list of issues and a severe lack of polish for 59.99. The games never necessarily had bad game play but for a game that’s been worked on for almost three decades, it’s completely unacceptable the state Madden is in. With that in mind, let’s look at the Madden series over the past couple years and what could be improved on in Madden 2013.

Game Engine­ – The real issue with Madden is that it is a PS2 game running with HD graphics. There’s only so much the developers can do with a game engine that’s over 10 years old at this point. This explains why nothing is ever really changed but just slightly tweaked from year to year. It’s also why Madden still can’t include real gang tackling because that would require them to rewrite the whole game. While EA made the invisible wall you used to run into before you got tackled less noticeable, it’s still there because the game relies on preset animations for every play.  Maybe sometime in our lives EA will scrap this old game engine and start a new because the game certainly plays like a 10 year old game in its current state. There is a 0% chance they adopt a new engine while still making the game for Xbox 360 and PS3.

Gameplay - This has remained stagnant since the jump to Xbox 360 and PS3 and outside of a few tweaks here and there, I can’t see the gameplay being remarkably different. This is a problem because the gameplay every year just seems to be further and further removed from the game you watch on TV. There are so many things I find wrong with the gameplay from Madden 2012 I put them in a nice little list.

1. Linebackers jump like Michael Jordan in coverage and magically swat down passes they don’t even see.

2. Most tackles involve the tackler being completely horizontal when tackling and gang tackles still don’t really exist.

3. Receivers either make an incredible sideline catch or don’t even bother trying to stay in bounds.

4. It rains ridiculously hard way too frequently. (Especially in Franchise)

5. The computer still cannot manage the clock at all. They automatically take a timeout with a minute to go regardless of the situation and will kick field goals with 25 seconds left on the clock.

6. The best blockers in football just will stop and do nothing on some plays.

7. Screen plays work about 1 out of 15 times doing them.

8. Play action seems to work based on luck rather than establishing the run and never works on All-Madden.

9. Cornerbacks defy physics to jump routes then drop the interception.

10. Apparently instant replays do not exist in “Authentic NFL Broadcasts.”

11. Special teams are just completely unrealistic. Fair catches are called for no reason and I’ve never seen the AI miss a field goal.

Don’t get me wrong. Playing Madden against other people is still as fun of an experience as it was a decade ago but it’s not at all a different experience. While these complaints are minor in some cases, you’d think a game running on the same game engine since 2001 would not have inexcusable things like terrible AI. I would like to see EA fix some of these issues at the very least but they probably will not.

Game Modes – There is absolutely no excuse for Madden today to have less game modes than it had in the past. It seems every time it moves to a new console they strip all the features of the game and slowly reintroduce them as "brand new," like they never existed in the first place. Madden is great to pick up and play with a friend or against a stranger online but its game modes just feel so half-assed. I will comment on the Superstar and Franchise modes as I feel those are the crux of the game.

Superstar- Superstar mode in Madden 2012 is atrocious and that’s being kind. These game modes are awesome in NBA 2k and MLB: The Show but EA apparently doesn’t care what the rest of the industry is doing. Hopefully Madden 2013 will make the mode not as completely boring and broken as it was in 2012. Literally, all you do in the current mode is play the games and improve your player. Your coaches play calling makes no sense because the AI in the game is atrocious, no matter what your player is a starter so there is no competing for a roster spot or doing anything an up and coming NFL player would have to do, and worst of all your attributes advance way too quickly and never based on how your player is actually doing.

For instance, I made a running back for the New York Giants in Madden 2012. He was a 65 overall but he was starting over Jacobs and Bradshaw for absolutely no reason. After practices and pre-season where he hardly touched the ball despite being the de-facto starter he was ranked a 70 but with ridiculously high speed and acceleration. He did nothing to earn getting better yet he kept getting reward points because the Giants offense was doing well. Also, despite the Giants turning into a passing team this year everyone knows there’s no way they just wouldn't run the ball, which seemed to be the case for my player. By the end of the year the Giants won 14 games and he finished with 1,100 yards on 8.2 yards a carry, yet never got more touches. The Giants won the Super Bowl and there wasn't even a wrap up of how I did that year, it was just all the sudden the next season. Here’s a game mode that doesn't reward you or make you feel like you’re doing anything but wasting time.

Come on EA, this is unacceptable. Make this mode have something. Contracts, endorsements, roster spot battles, trades, player customization, or really anything substantial would make it better. I haven’t played this mode since Madden 2006 and I remember it being far more robust then. Why even keep it in the game if it’s going to be worse than it was several years ago?

Franchise – I remember when they added an Owner mode to Madden that allowed you to run the business side of the team as well as the general manager side of things. Apparently we weren’t smart enough to handle this so what we have in Madden now is just a Franchise mode. This Franchise mode isn’t broken but it’s just lifeless. Yeah, they did add some stuff like pre-season player cuts, player roles, a free agent bidding process, and some improved player scouting but none of it really seems special. EA always adds features that existed in past iterations and touts them as brand new, and that’s what the “upgraded” Franchise mode seems like to me. The Franchise mode isn’t bad but let’s look at a few ways they could make it better.

1. There’s a 10 year limit to Franchise. I don’t typically play that long but what if you wanted a rookie to break an NFL record. Is there any reason to limit the amount of years you can play at all?

2. The NCAA draft class import feature is full of glitches. I renamed several players their real names in NCAA and they were not there in the draft class. I never remember having problems with this in the past.

3. They added player roles but there’s still no indicator on how your team is getting along. Teammate chemistry is so important in the NFL I can’t believe this hasn’t ever been added.

4. You have to scout a player to figure out their Combine statistics. Wouldn’t this just be readily available stuff for any general manager? They apparently don’t have NFL Network.

5. There are still no restricted free agents, practice squads, computer trades outside of draft day, or rational pre-season substitutions. (Hakim Nicks got hurt playing safety in the 4^th quarter in one of my pre-season games...that can't happen.)

Presentation- This is where Madden really need to improve. Despite focusing on presentation Madden 2012 was one of the most lifeless games I’ve ever played. The announcing absolutely needs to be addressed and apparently is being totally reworked this year. The stadium PA broadcaster is somehow worse as it sounds like EA used a robot that was recorded inside of a bathroom for this voice. While they added introductions for every team, they all feel similar and fail to really encapsulate the excitement before a game. (Probably due to the robot in the bathroom announcing the whole thing) Just play one game of any other sports game right now and it feels more authentic and exciting than even a playoff game in Madden.  Every presentation touch EA has in Madden right now can be skipped over without feeling like you’re interfering with the experience at all.

Madden in its current state is not a bad game. It’s just not an acceptable one for how long they’ve been working on these games. I hope in Madden 2013 I won’t feel like old Maddens had more features or better gameplay as I’ve felt the past few years. I really doubt anything will change however, because it doesn’t seem like EA actually cares about improving the game at all. I hope that all the changes they’re going to bring in this year will actually address the issues I stated above and not just be used as hype to sell the game.

The entire product at this point just seems like a cash grab and that’s probably why EA is subject to such criticism. There just isn’t enough of an improvement from year to year and it seems like they introduce features every year that will sell the game and not necessarily improve it. I didn’t purchase Madden 2011 and wish I never purchased Madden 2012. I hope Madden 2013 will change my feelings towards this series but I very much doubt it will.

8 Ways the Videogame Industry Hates You

With Electronic Arts recently winning the Golden Poo from Consumerist.com for being the worst company in America I decided to make a list of ways video game publishers screw over their loyal costumers. I understand that Electronic Arts is not the worst company in America but just stating that there are worse companies does not exonerate Electronic Arts, Activision, Warner Brothers, Ubisoft, or any of the other gigantic game publishers from their dickish actions.

1. Downloadable Content (DLC) – Publishers are using downloadable content as a way to cash in even further on games that are already overpriced at 59.99. One would assume that 60 dollars is enough for one videogame but many games have multiple DLC’s ranging from 10-30 dollars. This would be fine if the content is worth the price but it very rarely is. In the cases of Call of Duty or Battlefield these are simply map packs which cost the company almost nothing to produce. When first person shooters were actually not populated with teenage retards and pretty much exclusively on PCs companies used to give users the ability to make their own maps for multiplayer and there were literally thousands of maps for players to use. Instead we pay 15 dollars for 4-5 new maps while EA and Activision roll around in fountains of money and children’s souls. I haven’t found a DLC worth paying for and I’ve embarrassingly paid for more than I’d like to admit.

2. Online Passes – Due to game companies loving profits and hating you the gamer, many have decided to include online passes for their games. These are usually included with a new purchase of the game and ensure that you can play multiplayer or download (and pay for) all the bullshit overpriced downloadable content.

They did this in order to combat used games sales because god forbid the consumer not give them 60 or more dollars for their game. The game industry constantly complains about how the used game market is killing the industry despite presenting no evidence that it’s any different than the used book market. There are talks about eliminating the used game market all together on the next wave of consoles and with digital distribution seemingly the only rational next step for gaming, they probably will succeed. It’s sad that these companies who rake in billions of dollars in profit are worried about the used game market that shows no noticeable impact on their sales. Every time the videogame industry remotely struggles they’re very quick to tell you it’s the used games market’s fault. They literally want you to purchase a commodity for 60 dollars 

plus whatever downloadable content and then have that commodity be totally worthless after you bought it. Let’s be totally clear, this is not just unfair, it’s evil.

3. In Game Purchases – This is kind of like downloadable content but more of a slap in the face to the gamer. In game purchases are paying for something you could normally do in the game so you can get it right away. For example, in MLB: The Show’s Road to the Show mode you make your baseball player who’s trying to become a successful baseball player better by playing games. Sony has allowed gamers who don’t feel like going through this process to purchase attribute points right off the start for a nominal fee. I feel like it defeats the purpose of the game and I feel like you should never have to pay for something you can get in the game anyway. If they felt some players might like to progress quicker in the game they should make you be able to customize the game mode, not charge you. I don't play a lot of IOS games but this seems to be frequently found in most of the games available on the App Store. It’s really just a despicable cash in for companies and shouldn't be tolerated in any means.

4. Remakes – Remakes, “HD Collections,” or “ports” have taken the game industry over. If you played a game that’s over 5 years old, and it was good, chances are it’s been remade for HD televisions and will cost you between 20-60 dollars. Most of the time it’s just the same game with updated graphics and once in a while they’ll throw in a few extras that don’t really add to the game experience much. I guess it isn’t enough to make a crap load of money off the consumer the first time around so companies need to really milk them for every dollar they have. “Buy our game for the 16^th time or you’ll miss out on the remake where we replaced all the characters, action and story with Tim Tebow, only 59.99!”

5. Perennials – If there is a new version of the game you like to play released every year, chances are you’re paying for bullshit. I’ll just use Call of Duty and Madden for examples. Both are not bad games and have pretty solid gaming engines behind them, but both have not added a single fucking thing to their games in the last 5 years. You’re essentially paying for a new coat of paint over the same product every year. Sports games in general tend to be huge offenders of this and I’ve explained by dislike of Call of Duty in my article, Call of Duty Fucking Sucks. I wonder if you can figure out what that article is about.

6. Gimmicks – So many videogames are targeted at people who don’t like to play videogames through gimmicks. Remember how the Nintendo Wii was going to change gaming by getting people off their couch? Well guess what? It didn’t change a thing! There are literally about 10 games (Being totally generous here because the real number is probably 0) for the Wii that actually make use of the motion controls or do anything that is actually innovative or fun. The Wii sold through the roof proving what morons we all are, and so did the Microsoft Kinect and Playstation Move which were just rip offs of the already failed gimmick. I have to stop with this one before I enter into a territory where I just start insulting everyone. All I have to say is did you really think playing videogames was going to get your fat ass in shape?

7. Advertising- When you pay 59.99 for a product the last thing you should have to do is see shameless ads. EA is a huge offender of this with Gatorade ads running on Madden to Burger King ads running on their Fight Night series. It isn’t enough to just sell you an overpriced videogame but they have to advertise inside the game itself? That’s just disgusting right?

8- Pre-order Incentives- Again, the videogame industry is so concerned you don’t buy games used that they offer “exclusive content” as incentives to pre-order a game. When videogames weren’t as mainstream you used to actually have to pre-order a game to have it on the day it came out. Now game retailers like Gamestop lie to you about their supply (trust me you can buy whatever game you want the day it comes out) and offer you incentives to pre-order that are almost never worth it. The content is almost never exclusive to pre-orders because companies love money so much that they’ll eventually release it anyway.

I don’t think it’s asking too much for companies to make a reasonable profit without blatantly stealing your money. I mean some of these tactics can only be described as greedy in the best of light. Let me sum things up explaining the game Mortal Kombat that was released last year.

The game was a remake of the games released in the 90’s and was also rereleased in the early 2000’s. It debuted at 60 dollars and had special pre-order content on it that you could only get if you pre-ordered the game. It also had downloadable content already available at the online store on the day of its release. The worst part about this downloadable content was that it was already included on the disc you just bought. So it obviously didn’t cost the company a cent more to include this content as it was made before the games release but the consumer was still expected to pay 5-10 to "unlock" it from the disc. On top of that they expected gamers to pay 5 dollars for the extra characters they’d be releasing in the upcoming months. 

If this isn't a sickening and unacceptable way to treat your customers then what is? Just because video games are “unimportant” doesn’t mean that Warner Bros. in this case can just blatantly milk money out of you. Games are art and I totally don't mind paying for them to be developed because they're awesome. It's just tough to buy these games knowing you're supporting companies that don't give a shit about the art and just look at you as a walking dollar sign.