Thursday, June 24, 2010
04:53 PM - June 24, 2010. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
Two games that I did not write about during E3 -- mostly because of time constraints -- were Mario Sports Mix and John Daly's ProStroke Golf. However, now that I am back from the show and in the swing of things again, it's time to write up some quick impressions for these two sports games.
John Daly's ProStroke Golf
This demo served as my first experience with Sony's new motion controller, otherwise known as the PlayStation Move. In this demo, I was able to take a few shots on the driving range before playing through one hole.
Before you take your swings, you line up a shot like you would in any other Tiger Woods game. After you pick out where you want to hit the ball, you press a button on the Move controller while aiming the controller at a set spot on the ground -- in this case there was a golf ball on the ground at the demo station, so I aimed the controller at that object. At this point, you also go into a first-person view.
After the controller calibrates, you can then take some practice swings and readjust where you are aiming. Following that step, you press another button, and then the Move controller changes colors to signify that your next swing will be for keeps.
OK, so those are the mechanics, but how did it all play out? I felt like the Move controller and game held up well. The game was able to recognize the twists in my wrists, and it also reacted correctly to my swing power. However, the demo appeared to be set to a very easy level so the challenge of the game was hard to gauge.
There were also a few calibration issues during my time with the game, but at this point I'm chalking that up to unfinished hardware and a game that was still early in development. All in the all, the first-person view and controller brought a lot to the experience, and I think this title is shaping up nicely at this point.
Mario Sports Mix
I have an affection for most Mario sports games, and I make no excuses for it. In other words, it should come as no surprise that I was a big fan of Mario Sports Mix after playing it at E3. I also dragged my OS cohorts to the demo so we could play some two-on-two hoops and two-on-two volleyball.
Out of the two available games (dodgeball and hockey are being included in the full game), I enjoyed volleyball a bit more, but only because I had played a similar version of Mario hoops via Mario Hoops 3-on-3. The controls in both games were very simple and similar. You took a shot with the Wii remote by flicking up and then out at the apex of the jumpshot. Similarly, you would flick the Wii remote up and then out to serve in volleyball.
In both volleyball and basketball, there were power-ups that could be collected and used, as well as a special meter that filled up as you played. When you unleashed your special, you usually ended up scoring/winning the point, but I also successfully thwarted the special moves more than once.
Being a Nintendo game, there were also various Nintendo characters to choose from, and each character has his own attributes and specials. In volleyball, for example, Wario was very good at using his bulbous arse to block attempted spikes by his adversaries.
This title does not feel as deep as some other Mario sports games -- falling more towards a party game -- but the game still impressed me, and I look forward to watching how it develops in the coming months.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
06:43 AM - June 17, 2010. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
Need for Speed Hot Pursuit
This game is being developed by the Burnout folks (Criterion), and so that fact right there should excite plenty of people. Obviously, this is also a series that is going back to its "roots" by going with the Hot Pursuit angle.
In the demo, it was just one user as a cop against another user who was a runner. Basically, you are both in very expensive and stylish cars that you beat to crap as you go cops and robbers all over a scenic area.
All in all I was impressed with the title, and really, it's hard to hate the concept. I think most people like the idea of a police chase -- you can't turn off a police chase if you see it on TV -- and in this game it will not just be one chaser versus one police car. In addition, there will be a lot of the same integration and seamless online play that made Burnout Paradise great, and I can only assume there will be plenty of DLC as well, which was another great aspect of Burnout Paradise.
Lucha Libre AAA 2010: Heroes del Ring
I'm a big fan of wrestling and wrestling games, but I am not crazy about Lucha Libre at this point. I say that because the controls felt a little stiff, there seemed to be a lack of moves, and the wrestlers looked a little robotic when moving around the ring. For those who played TNA Impact, Lucha Libre seems to be falling into a lot of those same traps.
Presumably this game is not being targeted solely at the core wrestling crowd, but if it is, it might have a tough time breaking through unless it has some sort of impressive career mode or takes some steps forward in the gameplay arena. At the very least, the wrestler models looked solid, and I always like to see a development studio going a different route within an existing genre.
Hot Shots Tennis: Get a Grip (PSP)
This game gets a thumbs up from me because it seems to be carrying over most of the elements that make the Hot Shots Golf games consistently enjoyable titles: There are a bunch of characters with different strengths and weaknesses, there are a bunch of unlockables, the major single-player mode is just different enough to keep me interested, and there is loyalty and leveling up that goes on as well.
For the uninitiated in the Hot Shots world, if you play with certain characters for longer periods of time, the loyalty of that character goes up and you get bonuses. In this game, that means something like unlocking a new type of shot or improved attributes.
I did not get much time to mess around with the single-player mode, but as far as I can tell, it looks like a Pokemon setup. You will go to these open areas, and once you are there, you will walk around and challenge lower-tier tennis players to matches. After you beat those lower-class citizens, the "boss" of the area will finally accept your challenge to a match.
As for the gameplay, there are the standard shot types (top spin, lob, drop, slice), but you do not load up your shots like you might in Top Spinor Virtua Tennis. Instead, you just time the button presses to hit the ball at the right moment (you know you are timing a shot right if you see the little music symbol). In addition to the button timing, you control a red dot on the screen via the D-pad or analog nub. This red dot tells you where your shots are going to go, so you always have a visual idea of where you are aiming.
05:56 AM - June 17, 2010. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
Didier Drogba is a large human. He's also a muscular, tall and intimidating force on the pitch -- he's even more intimidating when he's allowed to wield a cast on a soccer field. However, it's hard to say that Drogba is always noticeable in FIFA. But the developers working on FIFA 11 are trying to change that this year. They want gamers to recognize Drogba on a visual level because he is a big and well-known striker that has a unique look. But they also want you to notice him just by the way he plays.
While playing the game, I certainly noticed Drogba on a visual level because the new player models and visuals were in full effect during any close-up camera shots. He looked incredibly detailed and proportional, which is actually quite a big step forward for FIFA. Drogba's impressive physique was also readily noticeable because his jersey just so happened to be two sizes too small (what a narcissist).
As for noticing Drogba for his particular soccer skills on the pitch, it is harder for me to say that will come through at all times. Drogba is a big target who -- even if he has a bit of a reputation as a diver -- is able to control the ball and beat out most defenders for 50/50 crosses. During my time with the game, Drogba got the best of a defender on a cross in the box and put the ball in the net. However, at this point in the development cycle, the tackling and shielding were still a work in progress, so I did not get to see how well Drogba was able to control the ball.
Either way, knowing the strengths of your players certainly seems to be a focus this year. Players like Berbatov are going to float around on defense more and be less effective in a defensive role, but you will want to get the ball to him if you want to make something happen while pushing the ball up the field. You won't want to push the ball ahead with Sol Campbell or do lots of tricks with him.
Essentially the developers are trying to make attributes and tendencies mean something. A player with outstanding passing skills will be able to really bend a lead pass through to an attacking striker. Some players with certain personality traits -- a high aggression level on defense for example -- will act different than passive players on defense. Other players who have strong shot ratings will try to look for their shot first rather than pass. I could give more examples, but I think you see where I am going at this point.
Now, I have tried to avoid using the term "Personality+" -- the term the FIFA developers are using to describe these changes -- until now because I wanted to write a brilliant sentence to end this portion of the impressions.
Ready? Here it comes...
It will be a big PLUS if all this effort put into the PERSONALITY of players works out, especially because it sometimes feels like all players and teams play the same way in FIFA.
Anyway, while Personality+ is the main thing I wanted to discuss after having so little time with the game, I do want to put a few quick-hitter things below in bullet form:
-For user-created chants, you can chant anything the little demon monkeys in your head dream up. However, little Timmy on Xbox Live will not be able to hear those chants, which does make sense but I still hoped it would somehow be overlooked.
-You can also insert music tracks into your games on the pitch.
-Passing has been tweaked this year to eliminate some of the ping-pong passing. Players with bad passing ratings will sometimes make bad touches or flub passes when trying to immediately get rid of the ball. You will also want to get a bouncy ball to a player with a good possession rating so he can settle things down a bit.
-Because of the tweaked passing, things also certainly felt a bit more congested in the midfield area. Due to this congestion, it seems like finding possession guys to guide the team through the defense could be important.
-It felt a bit easier to stop through balls and just deny passes in general.
Check back in the coming months for more FIFA 11 coverage.
04:02 AM - June 17, 2010. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
"Oh, I was unstoppable! Perfect combination of Mountain Dew and mozzarella, with just the right amount of grease on the joystick." - George Costanza as he discussed his Frogger skillsIt has been fascinating to follow the resurrection of NBA Jam. The developers are trying very hard to resurrect retro feelings in us all, yet at the same time, it is a fundamentally different experience. After all, it is a title being designed with motion controls in mind rather than an arcade stick -- I could fit a Bizarro Jerry reference somewhere in there, but I think I'm at my limit for Seinfeld references in one preview.
Nevertheless, NBA Jam is shaping up quite nicely for a couple reasons. First off, the developers are not trying to completely reinvent what made the game great years ago -- a good call because NBA Jam Tournament Edition has not totally held up over the years as sad as it is to say. Second, the developers have stripped away a lot of what belittled the series and other arcade hoops games, and instead gone back to the beginning of the Golden Age of arcade hoops to tune the core elements.
An example of these core elements involves the blocking system in the game. In the original Jam, blocking shots was not impossible, but it certainly was not easy either. However, in an arcade game, creating opportunities for big-time blocks can create those moments where you can turn to your buddy and tell him that you are in fact better than him. So what you end up with here is a blocking system where the developers have decided to increase the amount of blocks, but they have not thrown a gimmick on top of it like "defensive fire" or something along those lines.
The same type of principles seem to carry over to other facets of the game. Players with better dunk ratings have more dunk animations that can create impressive moments, but you are not going to have a "team fire" mechanic after doing a double dunk like in NBA Hangtime. It is all about creating a "pure" and basic gameplay experience that still has enough flash for an arcade game.
Now I mentioned the change in controls at the start, and so that is where I want to end as well. Obviously, I have never played any other versions of Jam with motion controls, but as an accepting person, I was quickly able to adjust and roll with this new way to play Jam. After all, it was never the intricacy of the controls that made NBA Jam a success.
That being said, the quality of the game might not make or break this version of Jam, which is odd to say. It seems like the developers are well on their way to creating a solid game, but the real issue is getting people to accept this new version of Jam. Nostalgia is a powerful weapon, and it will be hard to win over some of the gamers the developers of Jam are targeting with this new-meets-old title.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
01:45 PM - June 16, 2010. Posted by Steve_OS. Written by Chris Gunter
Since EA MMA doesn't have the license to the largest MMA company, they know they will have an uphill battle in the octagon video game cage. From what I saw today, though, their gameplay may have what it takes to take the fight three rounds, especially due to the "pick up and play" feel the game has/
The biggest gameplay feature, Total Striking, takes a page from Fight Night. It uses the R-Stick to map all punches. Add the Left Trigger/L2 modifier and you have an arsenal of kicks, as well. Blocking is mapped to the Right Trigger, which also allows "Parrying" if perfectly timed (also taken from Fight Night). A/X is your take down button, and B/O is your takedown block. Both buttons are also used as your transition/transition block when you are on the ground.
Now, the controls are fairly straightforward, but it is the way they are implemented that really pushes ease of use. When you push the Takedown button with no left control stick, it will try to use the best takedown move available at the time. But, if you manipulate the stick while pushing attempting the move, you can control exactly what you want to do. This seems to allow for new and casual gamers to not be overwhelmed with the game while allowing veteran MMA fans the opportunity to really pick an opponent apart.
Some things I am possibly worried about are the fighting styles looked very similar on different fighters with my limited time with the game. I hope to get more in depth with the game today and find out how much individualism each fighter has. I also would like to see more punch combinations to see if the "robotic" feel of striking is just not stringing together punches and kicks fluidly on the controller.
For more on EA MMA throughout E3, follow me on Twitter at @millenniumOS and @operationsports
03:29 AM - June 16, 2010. Posted by ChaseB. Written by TD St. Matthew-Daniel
With Gameflow and Locomotion being the two main features for Madden NFL 11, it’s safe to say gameplay truly is the name of the game for this year’s pro-football title. Gameflow, as promised, does speed up the pace of the game allowing you to concentrate on execution rather than having to call plays. However, we noticed a potential issue with the feature for the defensive team. When using Gameflow, the offensive information isn't displayed on the screen therefore leaving the defense guessing when manually choosing plays. Hopefully that’s an issue that can be fixed in the final build. As for player movement, the running game is much more intuitive with locomotion. The removal of the turbo button places more emphasis on your stick skills and as a result makes running much more rewarding. Catching animations and general wide receiver play are sure to please most Madden fans. In tight spots, receivers now intelligently react to the incoming pass. Gone are the days where only the defensive back makes a play on the ball or the receiver runs out of bounds on a catch without at least trying to keep his feet in play. Sadly, quarterback sliding is still very visible and the running animations, although fine-tuned, aren’t what they should be. Overall, a rewarding running system should make for a much more balanced football experience in Madden NFL 11.
Lastly, presentation this year has more in-game cut scenes, including players’ game day arrivals at the arena and new in-game replays. Ray Lewis' exuberant pre-game dance routine is also featured in the game. To my surprise Madden NFL 11 doesn’t have the “Lock on” camera that’s present in NCAA Football 11 for CPU games or head-to-head matchups. Player specific cameras are only available for Online Team Play. We will have more on OTP and more Madden NFL 11 in the coming days from E3.
Follow me @mrsimcity and @operationsports for more day-by-day E3 updates.
03:12 AM - June 16, 2010. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
I got to see NHL 2K11 for a very short amount of time, and so I really don't have much to say after such a brief viewing. However, I can at least relay some of what was told to me with a quick comment or two thrown into the mix. The new one-to-one controls in the game are being dubbed as MotionPlus 2.0. These new controls are obviously there to give you more control over your player -- hence that whole one-to-one thing. You can do moves or move your stick side to side in this fashion, and you can even do a nifty new move where you flip the puck up onto your stick and carry it Ovechkin style. That move in particular looked like it was pretty easy to pull off, but until I actually play the game, I won't worry about it too much.
On defense you can use these same refined controls for poke checks, stick lifts, blasting people with checks, rejecting passing lanes, etc. There are also broken sticks in the game, so clearly the broken-stick arms race has begun in the hockey world. In fact, I am eager to see if it leads to a Cold War between 2K and EA.
Skating has been refined as well, but until I actually play the game, it's hard to really say how the weight of skating and the various animations have changed. However, from a visual standpoint, I thought the skating animations left some room for improvement. It did not seem like the skaters were really pushing off each leg, rather just floating a bit more along the ice. But again, until I actually play the game, I'm really just commenting on what my eyes were telling my brain.
The development team has also been working on responsiveness along the boards, updating the commentary, arenas, lighting, and, in general, trying to bring the presentation more in line with what the NBA 2K series is offering.
Look for more info on this title in the coming months.
02:04 AM - June 16, 2010. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
It's not hard to find out about all the awards the NHL series has won over the years. (And if you do happen to forget, the folks working on NHL will be quick to remind you of the number.) But those awards were rightfully earned, so I can live with the borderline gloating. I can also live with it because the EA NHL series epitomizes the proper way to iterate a yearly sports franchise. At E3 I was able to check out some of the new gameplay things going on in NHL 11, which includes the new quick moves, broken sticks, checking system and faceoff system.
I want to start with the checking because it ties into the development team's focus on the physics engine this year. During my time with the game, I saw a ton of different checks. I witnessed brutal open-ice checks where the player slid along the ice after being decimated. I saw some checks along the boards where the puck carrier was hit but only his head banged off the boards as he fell. I saw some checks that were more nudges between two friends than heated rivals. I even saw a check where the initiator of the check bounced off its target -- call that one the Chara special. The point is there is a ton of variety to the checks this year, and you will not just see the same 5-10 check animations anymore.
And seeing a lot more dynamic checks adds a lot to the game in terms of "Oh Snap!" or "Wow" moments, but the checking system also needs some tuning. At this point, I'm seeing too many big hits or hits that are not quite lining up with the momentum of the two players. The biggest issue in this area seems to be the amount of "big hits" that occur. In a game of hockey, you really will not see many checks where a player is knocked to the ice. Now, while I don't expect to witness just a a couple checks a game where a player falls down, I do think there should be more instances where players are simply muscled off the puck rather than destroyed. To put it more simply, when the players are not really going near full speed, the ensuing check should not lead to a person landing on his butt. This checking system is still being tuned, and player size, checking attribute, momentum, etc. are all tying into these checks, so the idea is sound.
The new quick moves look good and are attempting to strike a balance between adding depth while not overwhelming users. You initiate these moves with the left bumper and then a quick flick of the right stick. My favorite new move is the ability to hop over flailing corpses as they try to slide in front of you -- nothing is more frustrating then losing the puck as you try to go around a defender who is sprawled out on the ice. It's easy to pull off, and the only concern is how easily you will be able to pull off the move.
Another cool move to avoid the poke check is another quick flick of the right stick while holding the left bumper to move the puck off your skate. It's a nifty move and, again, the only question is how easily these moves will be pulled off.
I witnessed the breaking of a stick while playing, and it was just fun to watch how the non-stick-having player went about his business. He can call for a stick, go to the bench and grab a stick or even be given a stick by one of the wingers or center out on the ice with him. He can even bypass the stick altogether and just try to play defense without one. The broken stick is also an in-play element out on the ice. If that broken stick is around the crease, it is not out of the question for a puck to go off that busted stick and into the net or at the very least disrupt a cross-crease pass. The broken sticks really just add to the organic nature of gameplay that NHL 11 is really trying to hit on this year.
As someone who has never played organized hockey, it is somewhat hard for me to understand the intricacies of the faceoff, but even so, I can understand the amount of depth to the faceoff system this year. The controls are pretty basic in terms of controls since it is all on the right stick. You can move the stick left or right, or even press up on the right stick at the right moment to knock away the opposing center's stick. But it's the scenarios that can be dreamed up that really make the new faceoff system interesting. If you are bad at faceoffs, you can simply try to battle the guy in the circle to a standstill so a winger can quickly come in and try to get the puck. In the same situation, maybe you battle the guy to a standstill because you want the winger on the right who has a wicked left-handed wrister to swoop in and skate across the slot and flick a shot into the top shelf. This is just one scenario that has many outcomes, but it makes me excited to think about the possible set plays and scenarios. Oh, I also have to mention that you can even shoot right off the faceoff if you time things right.
I don't want to go on too much longer, but let me just point out a few more things in bullet fashion:
-There seems to be less "suction" to the board play.
-There have been some tweaks to goalie animations -- should not see so many big rebounds on soft wristers and vice versa on hard slappers. In addition, it looks like the goalie handles the puck differently behind the net. As someone who has played hundreds and hundreds of OTP games in net, the first part especially excites me.
-There are now user-controlled goal celebrations.
Let me end with a final story from my time playing the game that sums up the focus on creating a "new" gameplay experience for NHL 11. While battling it out against a developer -- yes, I did win in OT after I gave up the tying goal with 2 seconds left in regulation -- a situation arose where a shot from the point was taken. As the shot was fired, cover athlete Jonathan Toews came across in front of the net and deflected the shot with his stick between his legs. His deflection pushed the puck just wide, but the animation tied with the sudden holy-crap-that-was-close-and-unexpected nature of the play was great to see after the deflection goals were nearly non-existent in NHL 10. That's just one moment, but it's indicative of the type of small moments I frequently witnessed during just a short amount of time with the game.
-CPU Recruiting has been tweaked and updated. Not completely sure if they will specifically draft to their team strategy as I didn't get too involved in dynasty yet, but I was told that it will not be possible for a 1-2 star school to just sign everyone like it was in years part.
-No conference realignments this year, as it wil not be hapenning until next year. They will look into this as a possibility for 12.
-No changes to the camera options. Still has the reverse lock cam on defense.
-The window of time for the hand off on the option has been slightly widened due to the reanimating of the hand off.
-Speaking of the option, the CPU seems to run it much better. Played some extended time with Navy versus Army, and the Army QB was pretty good about when to pitch, when to keep, and turning the ball up field.
-The CPU will cut the ball upfield on a much more consistent basis with the running backs. Gone are the days last year of the a CPU RB cutting the ball outside and losing his blockers. From what I have seen, it seems like the CPU run game will be something to keep qqqq
-No major updates to Road To Glory outside of the gameplay changes already known.
-The Speed Bust is now an option to turn on or off. You can change this from the menu system.
-Line play is still up for judgment. I saw some very good things, and a couple of iffy things. The offensive line seems to pick up blitzed well, but I did see some missed assignments on sweeps and such.
The playbook now allows you to scroll up and down between formations while looking at the list of available defensive formations.
That's it for now. Please leave any new questions, or something you may have not gotten answered, as I will be seeing more NCAA tomorrow.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
11:15 PM - June 15, 2010. Posted by Steve_OS. Written by TD St. Matthew-Daniel
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Read More - NBA 2K11 at E3: The Death of Isomotion
The OS coverage of E3 will begin in earnest later today, and then it will continue all through the week as we try to bring you anything and everything related to sports at the show.
We will be checking out 2K Sports and EA Sports today, but let me explain how coverage will work this week so there is no confusion:
When we are at the show during the day, you will not see many updates on the site by us. However, we will be providing tons of updates via the OS Twitter feed (@operationsports). In addition, you can follow my Twitter (@ChaseBecotte), Chris Gunter's (@MillenniumOS), or TD St. Matthew-Daniel's (@MrSimCity) to get frequent updates as well -- we're all at E3. We also have the Operation Sports Twitter feed that will update on our E3 page.
Once we return to OS HQ each night, then you will begin to see videos, previews, news, etc. on the site. Now, we might provide a couple things during the day that make it to the site, but your best bet to always stay informed of our activities is Twitter during the day and then the site at night.
Anyway, we're excited to get to work, and we hope you guys enjoy the coverage this week.
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