EA: 25 sequels, 1 original

Stephen

As I read on TCAL, EA's release schedule for the rest of this year includes 25 sequels and a single original game.

They're releasing the 16th version of NHL hockey, the 11th version of need for speed, and the 13th version of PGA Tour golf, along with another version of john madden football and a couple of other truly flogged dead horses.

:rolleyes:

Talk about milking it.

Jammer

So what, if people are buying them. I look forward to the next Fifa/Pro Evo/Halo/Gran Turismo. Don't see the problem.

People buy them, so they keep making them.

Prior Of Taize

oh the surprise :rolleyes:

is it not however an indication of how good some of the games they made truly are?

i know that the past 2 years of EA's life (for me) has been horrific but some of their stuff isnt bad.

EXCEPT RUGBY 2005...OMFG I F*CKING HATE THAT F*CKING SH!T F*CKING TRAVESTY OF A GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :mad: :mad: :mad:

monkeyfudge

What's the original title though?

I'm willing to bet it's actually not all that original in gameplay terms anyway.

Mr E

From the NYT article, it looks like its The Godfather (which isn't actually out until Spring).

Rhyme

As long as the games are enjoyable who cares, id sooner play a 9/10 re-hash than a 4/10 truly original title

Mr E

I'd rather play a 9/10 original title. Maybe thats just me.

Hercule

EA want money and has no shame - just look at the amount of sims expansion packs - its sickening. But, at the same time they bring a lot of joy to a LOT of people (fools mostly) who enjoy what ever crap EA spewed out that month and at least that is something.

Also dont forget they created some top series like Need for speed,Medal of Honour and SSX - there is no questions that the first few in the series of these games was excellent then EA just got greedy and pap like MOH: Pacific Assault and Rising Sun were born.

In general the EA games sports titles are crap but the people who buy them dont know much about games (usually) so they get by on their graphics and licenses alone and people DO enjoy them so maybe we can cut them some slack

I will not allow harsh words against the Madden NFL series - those games are quite good

did you know?
:The voice of Metal Gear Solid's Solid Snake "David
Hayter" is the same dood that says "EA SPORTS.......ITS IN THE GAME at the start of every EA sports title"

iregk

Lets be honest were we really expecting any else from EA or as someone called them a while back, Elasticated Arts...

Problem is though people buy them. FIFA has become like a jersey, you simply have to have the latest. Nobody wants to sit down and play FIFA 05 pick say Chelsea and not have Wright Philips on the wing. Its stupid but people buy them. They are the biggest games company on the planet for one reason, they dont think original, they play safe every time adn give the public what they want. Updates of proven formulas and rehash's.

Die hard gamers hate them but then again die hards are only maybe 10-20% (open for correction) of the overall public. Why go for the minority when you can coner the majority? Its business after all.

evad_lhorg

well out of all of those "sequels" id say the only one i am likely to get is Burnout revenge.

steviec

I hate articles that give off statistics like that and then don't actually tell you what the games are...

The article also points out that 9 of the top 10 selling games last year(not from EA, in general) were also sequels, so I'd love to know what the other one was. God of War is all I can think of but not sure if that was out last year in the US or if it sold well.

But yea, whats the big deal? People want to buy their games and EA provide. They'd be insane not to release sequels to their big games. And there's nobody in the games industry that would do any different. Nobody complains about Pro Evo being milked, in fact they'd be more likely to complain if there wasn't a sequel. And general concensus among reviews the last couple of years is that far more effort has gone into improving FIFA than into improving Pro Evo. It hasn't caught up yet but its getting closer. And in nearly every other sport EA Sports are peerless. Fight Night is brilliant(and original when it first came out last year), as is Madden, I've had fun with NHL games over the years too, and the PGA games. Their basketball is the only one I don't think I've ever gotten into.

monument

It doesn't go to the end of the year, but here is the latest release list, which I got today...

09/09/05
Madden NFL 2006 PS2
Madden NFL 2006 xbox

16/09/05
Burnout REvenge ps2
Burnout Revenge xbox

16/09/05
Madden NFL 2006 Cube
The Sims 2 NIghtlife PC CD
Madden NFL 2006 PC CD

23/09/05
Tiger PGA Tour 2006 Cube
Tiger PGA Tour 2006 PC CD
Tiger PGA Tour 2006 PS2
Tiger PGA Tour 2006 Xbox

30/09/05
Madden NFL 2006 NDS

30/09/05
NBA Live 2006 Cube
NBA Live 2006 PC CD
NBA Live 2006 PS2
NBA Live 2006 Xbox

07/10/05
Nascar 06:
Total Team Control PS2
Nascar 06:
Total Team Control Xbox
Total Club Manager 2006 PC CD

14/10/05
Black and White 2 PC
Black and White 2 Collectors Edition PC


14/10/05
Marvel Nemesis
Rise of the Imperfects Cube
Marvel Nemesis
Rise of the Imperfects PS2
Marvel Nemesis
Rise of the Imperfects Xbox

28/10/05
Battlefield 2 Modern Combat ps2
Battlefield 2 Modern Combat xbox
Marvel Nemesis
Rise of the Imperfects NDA
SSX on Tour Cube
SSX on Tour ps2
SSX on Tour xbox
The Sims 2 GBA
The Sims 2 NDS
The Sims 2 PS2
The Sims 2 Xbox

KdjaCL

Stephen wrote:

:rolleyes:

Talk about milking it.

yeah should be move like Valve and release ....hmmmm well hmmm ...........





kdjac

Jammer

iregk wrote:

Problem is though people buy them. FIFA has become like a jersey, you simply have to have the latest. Nobody wants to sit down and play FIFA 05 pick say Chelsea and not have Wright Philips on the wing. Its stupid but people buy them. They are the biggest games company on the planet for one reason, they dont think original, they play safe every time adn give the public what they want. Updates of proven formulas and rehash's.

Have you windows XP, or have you ignored the evolution of Windows as well as the Fifa Series??

You like to have the new Internet Explorer on your desktop dont you?

I like playing Fifa, so i buy it. Doesn't mean i know less or more about gaming or football or anything, come to think of it. I enjoy it, i play it. Same way i like playing PES, GTA, GT and the originals that come along.

They're the biggest company because they release the most games! Cop on, and realise theres a market for it, and they fill it. People enjoy their games, so they make more.

Would the world survive now without another fifa? Yes.

Would the world survive now without another windows? Yes.

But that wont stop either of them, and that doesn't bother me at all.

iregk

Jammer wrote:

Have you windows XP, or have you ignored the evolution of Windows as well as the Fifa Series??

They're the biggest company because they release the most games! Cop on, and realise theres a market for it, and they fill it. People enjoy their games, so they make more.

Hmmm obviously you missed the entire meaning of my post so lets take the first part of yours. Yes i have windows xp and for that matter yes i have Fifa 2005 altough i did get that as a gift rather than buying it myself. I like my football game so i have fifa 05, chances are i will still have that in 3 years time without getting the new version, why, because im happy with what ive got. Until i get a 360 or ps3 i will upgrade then.

Now for the second part of your post. Go back, re-read what I typed and maybe then you will COP ON to exactly what I said.

Just to help you out:

iregk wrote:

they give the public what they want

flogen

Jammer wrote:

Have you windows XP, or have you ignored the evolution of Windows as well as the Fifa Series??

You like to have the new Internet Explorer on your desktop dont you?

I like playing Fifa, so i buy it. Doesn't mean i know less or more about gaming or football or anything, come to think of it. I enjoy it, i play it. Same way i like playing PES, GTA, GT and the originals that come along.

They're the biggest company because they release the most games! Cop on, and realise theres a market for it, and they fill it. People enjoy their games, so they make more.

Would the world survive now without another fifa? Yes.

Would the world survive now without another windows? Yes.

But that wont stop either of them, and that doesn't bother me at all.

If windows released a new version every year with no changes except some novelty factor I wouldn't buy it. I have xp, but that's only because I got it with my machine. Chances are by the time vista comes out I'll have to get a new machine, which will come pre-installed with it.

Back on topic this isn't really surprising. Even the average gamer has to be getting sick of this, but with the next round of sequals next year having superior graphics, thanks to the next gen, EA can get away with it for another while without having to try. Saying that, I'd say we're 5 years off a gaming meltdown if this continues.

Retr0gamer

What i find the most annoying thing about EA is how well their crap games sell because they are hyped and advertised. I think this can only be damaging to the market as a whole. Imagine if your first game was Goldeneye: RA. You bought it because you saw it on TV. A game like that could put you off videogames forever. I have to say that EA do publish some great games and even publish the odd Squaresoft RPG to europe but they do release a fair amount of recycled tosh and just plain bad games that seem to sell. If EA had put as much effort into selling Strangers Wrath instead of Goldeneye: RA we wouldn't be losing a fantastic developer like oddworld inhabitants.

It's just a little bit sickening when a company like EA makes a ridiculous amount of money compared to say Capcom, that has been releasing an awful lot of original IPs and original game ideas as well as significantly improving sequels whilst actually listening to the response of the gamers.

Edit: (for EA if they are listening) I'm playing Burnout 3 at the moment. The DJ is annoying and NOBODY likes the nu-metal/american soft rock cock that is supposed to pass as a soundtrack.

Loobz

SSX on Tour tbh (XBox), I have an uncontrollable addiction to SSX games - its just too much fun. Each release betters the last so they can keep making SSX games forverer and ever and ever....

Dagnir Glaurung

I hate the everyone creams over details of the new update for PES every year now. And then condemn EA in the same breath.

rainbow kirby

Retr0gamer wrote:

Edit: (for EA if they are listening) I'm playing Burnout 3 at the moment. The DJ is annoying and NOBODY likes the nu-metal/american soft rock cock that is supposed to pass as a soundtrack.

Totally agree with ya on that one!
The soundtrack is poo. I'm playing Burnout 3 at the moment too... fantastic game but the soundtrack is like having open-ear surgery.

evad_lhorg

WHY? PRO EVO is the best. it gets better while fifa remains the same.

I may give Battlefield modern combat a look on the xbox when it comes out.

ObeyGiant

Retr0gamer wrote:

Imagine if your first game was Goldeneye: RA. You bought it because you saw it on TV. A game like that could put you off videogames forever.

Well, let's hold on here just a minute and think logically about what you're saying. If Goldeneye: RA was your first game, you would have nothing to compare it to. Nothing to tell you "hey, they could have done these controls so much better". So the game would appear to be, at worst, 'mediocre'. At best, you'd think it was amazing. All the shooting and explosions and mwa-hey!

I mean, I'd go so far as to suggest that 95% of us first played awful games, and probably loved them too. Me? Indiana Jones and the Lost Kingdom. Awful game, hooked me in completely.

So let's not knock EA for that.

sprinkles

Dagnir Glaurung wrote:

I hate the everyone creams over details of the new update for PES every year now. And then condemn EA in the same breath.

The thing is the ne PES ALWAYS has vastly improved features, whereas EA update the teams with the latest transfers, tweaks the graphics and changes the 2005 to a 2006 and sits back for another 10 months when they'll just go ahead and do the same. Konami actaull listen to their customers and imo don't get the credit they deserve. If PES 4 was the same as PES 3 I would not be buying their next version but as it is it was a huge improvement. I used to buy FIFA and after a couple of years I realised that they weren't making any headway and compared to PES it was years behind.

I look forward to Black and White 2, although EA have had no influence in the dev and will just milk it for money but their welcome to becasue it is shaping up to be a great game.

The Burnout series, imo, has got worse since EA got theit hands on it, flashy (ugly) presentation, smeared all over it, with a carp soundtracka nd adds for Tiger Woods Golf throughout the game. The extra money for development helped the game progress but at what price. EA is the gaming worlds devil, sell you soul for quick profits.

steviec

sprinkles wrote:

The thing is the ne PES ALWAYS has vastly improved features, whereas EA update the teams with the latest transfers, tweaks the graphics and changes the 2005 to a 2006 and sits back for another 10 months

That's just not true. FIFA 2005 was a vast improvement on 2004. The matches played so much better, the first touch was a worthwhile addition and the gameplay just felt right. In the last few years FIFA has improved at a much faster rate than Pro Evo, they add things and make big changes every year while PES gets a slight tweaking. I always get the impression that people think playing PES makes them superior, its like the gaming equivalent listening to obscure bands and putting down the popular ones simply because their popular. FIFA is a good game and getting better and while it's by no means perfect I hope it gets better and expect it will. I'm not saying PES isn't better, I'm just sick of people who want FIFA to fail and allow the football game market to stagnate with Konami's yearly tweaks.

skywalker

Hercule wrote:

In general the EA games sports titles are crap but the people who buy them dont know much about games (usually) so they get by on their graphics and licenses alone and people DO enjoy them so maybe we can cut them some slack

I will not allow harsh words against the Madden NFL series - those games are quite good

Right so people who buy EA games know nothing about games, except the franchise I like, that ones differant. :rolleyes:

sprinkles

steviec wrote:

That's just not true. FIFA 2005 was a vast improvement on 2004. The matches played so much better, the first touch was a worthwhile addition and the gameplay just felt right. In the last few years FIFA has improved at a much faster rate than Pro Evo, they add things and make big changes every year while PES gets a slight tweaking. I always get the impression that people think playing PES makes them superior, its like the gaming equivalent listening to obscure bands and putting down the popular ones simply because their popular. FIFA is a good game and getting better and while it's by no means perfect I hope it gets better and expect it will. I'm not saying PES isn't better, I'm just sick of people who want FIFA to fail and allow the football game market to stagnate with Konami's yearly tweaks.

Well I'm basing my experience on the last 3 FIFA titles I bought, years ago granted but I have played the more recent ones and they don't seem to be much better. I mean with spin offs like the unmeasurably bad FIFA Street how can you take EA seriously. (And yes I have played FIFA street and anyone who likes it deserves to be ripped off by EA)

I don't want FIFA to fail, I want EA to fail, their lack of respect for the common gamer (who pay their wages) is astounding.

I agree about the obscure bands but that doesn't apply to my statement. I'm not looking down on people for liking what popular because PES is clearly popular too. I don't think less of people who like FIFA just becasue it sits at number 1 in the charts, I look down on them because they are influenced by hype and buy a franchise based on its commercial worth rather than it gameplay, choosing graphics and licences over the feeling you get when you've worked for hours perfecting you gameplan and finally manage to score against AC Milan with you newly promoted master league team on 6 stars. But then again I'm one of those people who listen to obscure bands.....

Ivan

Jebus, cos people keep buying them? No, its because they cost so little to update a little bit of code every few years that they can afford to sell so few of them and still make it worth their while.

EA is well on its way to becoming a monopoly, imho.

Dagnir Glaurung

sprinkles wrote:

The thing is the ne PES ALWAYS has vastly improved features, whereas EA update the teams with the latest transfers, tweaks the graphics and changes the 2005 to a 2006 and sits back for another 10 months when they'll just go ahead and do the same. Konami actaull listen to their customers and imo don't get the credit they deserve. If PES 4 was the same as PES 3 I would not be buying their next version but as it is it was a huge improvement. I used to buy FIFA and after a couple of years I realised that they weren't making any headway and compared to PES it was years behind.

I should have explained what I meant in slightly more depth. PES is immensely superior to FIFA. I've been an ardent fan of the series since ISSPE on the PSX(which I still occasionally play today, if only to have Batigol great again) and have converted many people to PES from FIFA. However, PES doesn't advance that much from year to year. It does get better every year(except PES2 which I didn't like because it was far too easy to dribble through everyone on any difficulty or against humans).What annoys me is how excited people get over say, dynamic weather. Which is a nice addition to be fair. Bandages then. A lot of people went nuts over these. Why? The quest to get every team licensed irks me too. I'm perfectly happy to spent an hour editing everything. I don't care what goon they lure in to do the commentery, it'll suck anyway and I'll turn it off.

Basically, I don't like people creaming over these pointless statistics and features. Maybe because it's too close to the FIFA then; if all anyone cares about are these things.

And it doesn't always improve. I was damn annoyed when they took away the three division Master League.

EA are trying with FIFA now. PES is obviously getting too big. This is how it should be, two companies raising their game every year.

Well, maybe they shouldn't do it every year. An update for a tenner will do me every second year.

KdjaCL

Dagnir Glaurung wrote:

Well, maybe they shouldn't do it every year. An update for a tenner will do me every second year.

having had WE9 for last few days , you gonna really pissed off at how little has changed.

I would go with a tenner upgrade but thats not gonna happen as long as people pay €60 for update 1.09 each year.

kdjac

Dagnir Glaurung

I've ordered WE9 I knew I should have waited for WE9:I

KdjaCL

We 9 1st impressions




kdjac