The Weekly Release [Archive]

bapenguin

08-08-2005, 04:11 AM

Well...football season officially kicks off today with the release of Madden 2006. My advice...protest EA's monopoly on Football games and don't buy it....if you must have the game pick it up used when the time comes.

Monday
Madden NFL 06 (PS2 (http://www.gametab.com/ps2/madden.nfl.06/4005/), Xbox (http://www.gametab.com/xbox/madden.nfl.06/4004/), GameCube (http://www.gametab.com/gcn/madden.nfl.06/4153/), GBA (http://www.gametab.com/gba/madden.nfl.06/4418/), DS (http://www.gametab.com/ds/madden.nfl.06/4464/))
Graffiti Kingdom (PS2 (http://www.gametab.com/ps2/graffiti.kingdom/4302/))

Tuesday
Advent Rising (PC (http://www.gametab.com/pc/advent.rising/3976/))
Sacred Underworld (PC (http://www.gametab.com/pc/sacred.underworld/4373/))
Dragon Ball GT: Transformation (GBA (http://www.gametab.com/gba/dragon.ball.gt.transformation/4463/))

Wednesday
Rhem 2 (PC (http://www.gametab.com/pc/rhem.2/4081/))

DVD
The Muppet Show Season 1 (http://www.imdb.com/rg/MUPP1_REC//title/tt0074028)
KungFu Hustle (http://www.imdb.com/ad/?id=20624&spec=Sony/vaio&to=30&bg=%23FFFFFF&rule=sony_flip&dest=http%3A//www.imdb.com/title/tt0373074)

Theater
Deuce Bigalow: European Gigolo (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0367652/)
The Skeleton Key (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0397101/)
Four Brothers (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0430105/)
The Great Raid (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0326905/)

G-Man

08-08-2005, 04:29 AM

Let us not forget "Thundercats: Season 1" on DVD Tuesday!

Grimgrock

08-08-2005, 04:59 AM

I am wondering if the changes they made for the PC version of Advent Rising will make the game worth buying.

Is it wrong for me to not care that EA has a monoply on officially licensed NFL football games? For me, I'd rather have a slightly more stylized version than perfect physics and photo-realistic pictures of the players faces. Give me some Backyard Football and I'll be happy. Does the EA agreement extend to the NFL Players Association?

Why do I say this? Spending entirely too much time playing Hot Shots Golf on the PSP. The game doesn't have any 'official licenses' but it is still quite fun.

Maybe I'm just not serious enough about my sports games.

Ernst_Jager

08-08-2005, 05:35 AM

Kung Fu Hustle was good. Might have to pick that up. Sacred had so many game stopping bugs I would be hard pressed to buy the expansion.

VoodooKarma

08-08-2005, 06:34 AM

After reading the review of Madden 06 in the latest OXM I think I will just stick with last years ESPN game for my football fix.

HerrLogi

08-08-2005, 06:36 AM

ANyone know when dungeon siege 2 is coming out ?

Kefkataran

08-08-2005, 06:41 AM

They made a sequel to Deuce Bigalow? Fucking... hell.

Anyways, the Sacred expansion pack is tempting, but I've actually been replaying Diablo 2 on a whim, so I think I'll just stick with that for now.

Bydo_Empire

08-08-2005, 07:03 AM

Or, if you really want to get back at the man, you should protest the NFL by not watching any games or buying any merchandise. They're the ones who wanted an exclusive deal, and TTI, Ubisoft, Activision, and others all bid on it. As much as an exclusive deal sucks, you can't blame EA. I played more ESPN than Madden last year, and they were both great games. This years' Madden looks great, though. I want to try out the QB passing cone thing, though. Seems like it might add a bit too much confusion, but hey, at least they're adding something significantly new to game play.

PacerDawn

08-08-2005, 07:03 AM

Blizzard has exclusive rights to the Diablo and Warcraft worlds. Therefore, I am boycotting Blizzard products. Fantasy games aren't any good unless they are set in the Diablo and Warcraft worlds.

< /sarcasm >

protest EA's monopoly on Football games and don't buy it

This comment is just silly. EA does not have a monopoly on football games. They just have exclusive rights to use NFL team names and players. Football isn't just the NFL and nothing else, as apparently many people are going to wake up and find out.

TrackZero

08-08-2005, 07:06 AM

I am wondering if the changes they made for the PC version of Advent Rising will make the game worth buying.

The rumor mill has been that all the delays on the PC version were to address all the various bugs and redesign the targetting system. If this is the case, it could be a kickass game. I waiting to hear what the reviews have to say.

Kefkataran

08-08-2005, 07:09 AM

Or, if you really want to get back at the man, you should protest the NFL by not watching any games or buying any merchandise.

So... same as always for me? Count me in!

Blizzard has exclusive rights to the Diablo and Warcraft worlds. Therefore, I am boycotting Blizzard products. Fantasy games aren't any good unless they are set in the Diablo and Warcraft worlds.

That comparison doesn't really hold water. The reason so many people are aghast at the EA deal is that it's unprecedented in the world of sports videogames. And it's not just a fictional intellectual property - it's something based (obviously) in the real world that up to this point theoretically any company had rights to use.

Borys

08-08-2005, 07:22 AM

Madden series US sales:

MADDEN NFL 2001 - 940,140
MADDEN NFL 2002 - 3,004,568
MADDEN NFL 2003 - 3,925,399
MADDEN NFL 2004 - 4,916,650
MADDEN NFL 2005 - 5,625,145

MADDEN NFL 2006 - 7M units?

Probably.
3 new platforms - 360, DS and PSP. There's also the possibility that Sony will lower the price of PS2 to $99 to counter 360's launch.

Ultimate casuals game + ultimate casuals console both for $149?

EA will be rolling in dough.

netcraazzy

08-08-2005, 07:31 AM

Blizzard has exclusive rights to the Diablo and Warcraft worlds. Therefore, I am boycotting Blizzard products. Fantasy games aren't any good unless they are set in the Diablo and Warcraft worlds.

I think a better comparison would be if Blizzard somehow got exclusive rights to fantasy themed RPGs. You could still have your Sci-Fi and whatever else they could think up but if you wanted a fantasy RPG WoW would be your only choice. Since like 90% of the RPGs out there are fantasy themed this would suck pretty bad even though WoW is a damn good game. It's even worse with Madden because like 99% of football games used the NFL license.

bapenguin

08-08-2005, 08:35 AM

most people want a football game for the NFL players and teams. Something you can only get in EA's half assed football game.

AgtFox

08-08-2005, 08:42 AM

most people want a football game for the NFL players and teams. Something you can only get in EA's half assed football game.
I know you're just trying to spark debate, but everyone should just live with the fact that some people actually like EA's sports games and some people don't. I am one of the former and just get tired from the arguments from both sides about which is better and which is half-assed, etc.

The mainstream game players (who I like to call Joe Gamer) could care less if EA has the exclusive license or not...they are the ones that buy the millions of copies of Madden and that may be one of the only games they pick up during the year.

Kefkataran

08-08-2005, 08:55 AM

The mainstream game players (who I like to call Joe Gamer) could care less if EA has the exclusive license or not...they are the ones that buy the millions of copies of Madden and that may be one of the only games they pick up during the year.

And the hardcore gamer does care and will continue bitching about it. If you're interested in seeing the opinions of the mainstream, casual gamer expressed, why would you come to a site full of hardcore, full-time gamers?

MosBen

08-08-2005, 08:57 AM

askheaves

08-08-2005, 08:59 AM

Another 'The Weekly Release', another week with no PSP releases.

Then again, I never upgraded my 1.5, so I have new releases every day.

AgtFox

08-08-2005, 09:01 AM

And the hardcore gamer does care and will continue bitching about it. If you're interested in seeing the opinions of the mainstream, casual gamer expressed, why would you come to a site full of hardcore, full-time gamers?
I'm not necessarily interested in the opinions of the mainstream, but if Evil Avatar is truly a site full of hardcore, full-time gamers chances are that the majority wouldn't give the time of day to sports games anyway.

AgtFox

08-08-2005, 09:07 AM

Just because most people don't boycott doesn't mean we shouldn't either. And it's not as much about liking Sega's better as it is about not wanting to support a company that addresses competition with exclusivity.
OK...I'll bite on this one. People like to take one of two sides on this. It is a known fact (although whether you believe it or not is up to every individual) that the NFL was the one that was looking for a company to purchase exclusivity. EA obviously put the biggest bid in (Sega and Midway, along with others, also put bids in). EA was faced with either having a future without their centerpiece (for sales) or paying top dollar in order to keep it going.

The other side are people that ignore the fact that the NFL asked for bids and just figure EA bought it outright. The NCAA, ESPN and Arena league licenses were a little more shady and not as much is known whether EA sought those out or the sections were looking.

I can understand the hate for EA that comes from many people. They have purchased and assimilated many companies (like Westwood) and they are the #1 game publisher out there. Many people feel the games they bring out are crap (which everyone is entitled to their opinions) and that they keep on bringing out sequels to the crap.

bean19

08-08-2005, 09:15 AM

When the news of exclusivity came out some time ago, I recall hearing that NFL actively sought an exclucivity deal. The NFL makes more money that way. So, while I don't really care enough about football enough to care if there is more than one exclusive game title out each year, I do think that you should share you anger at EA with the NFL.

As an aside: I like Madden games, but I'll be holding off for the 360 version.

danhoo

08-08-2005, 09:17 AM

MADDEN NFL 2006 - 7M units?

...

EA will be rolling in dough.

Yeah, and a good chunk of that dough will be going to EA executives and producers who did minimal work. Jeebus Borys, you're making me sad.

Kefkataran

08-08-2005, 09:31 AM

but if Evil Avatar is truly a site full of hardcore, full-time gamers chances are that the majority wouldn't give the time of day to sports games anyway.

Well, what can I say, that's true as far as I'm concerned.

Taco

08-08-2005, 10:29 AM

Give me a break Pacer, even with sarcasm that was a retarded comparison.

And yes, they only have license for NFL. Guess what? If a football game does not have NFL teams and player's it's not going to sell, unless it has some cheesy gimmick like the Blitz games.

Taco

08-08-2005, 10:30 AM

but if Evil Avatar is truly a site full of hardcore, full-time gamers chances are that the majority wouldn't give the time of day to sports games anyway.

Totally disagree. Not sure what the reasoning is behind that. Hardcore gamers don't play sports games?

fitbabits

08-08-2005, 10:43 AM

I'm not necessarily interested in the opinions of the mainstream, but if Evil Avatar is truly a site full of hardcore, full-time gamers chances are that the majority wouldn't give the time of day to sports games anyway.

What the...? Sports games are at the top of my favorite genre list. Does that mean I should take myself elsewhere?

Kefkataran

08-08-2005, 11:14 AM

Sports games are at the top of my favorite genre list. Does that mean I should take myself elsewhere?

YES! GET OUT! GIT!

bapenguin

08-08-2005, 11:30 AM

I know you're just trying to spark debate, but everyone should just live with the fact that some people actually like EA's sports games and some people don't. I am one of the former and just get tired from the arguments from both sides about which is better and which is half-assed, etc.

The mainstream game players (who I like to call Joe Gamer) could care less if EA has the exclusive license or not...they are the ones that buy the millions of copies of Madden and that may be one of the only games they pick up during the year.

Exactly...the Joe Gamer and the Mom and Pops don't care about the title so much as they care about a Cover Athlete and what teams they can play. Take the fact there won't be a real NFL Athlete or Actual NFL teams in a game, you basically take that game out of the equation for uniformed gift buying parents and the like. That is why it's not good. Some people that it was bad before paying 50 bucks a year for basically "roster updates," now it'll be 60 a year for roster updates. I just can't see there being much innovation.

PacerDawn

08-08-2005, 11:33 AM

I'd actually prefer to have a football game that wasn't based in reality. The way these sports games are set up these days, they try to accurately model the teams based on the last season played. So, if a team did poorly last year, it will do poorly in the game as well. Why would someone want to purchase a game where their favorite team is going to suck?

And anyway, why the difference between other games? I see all the time here where people look upon games based upon existing licenses with horror, and yet it seems to be a must-have when it comes to sports games?

Whether people are going to buy football games without the NFL name is irrelavent, and something which really nobody can say one way or the other until it actually happens.

And the analogy I used is correct. It's basically "brand" we are talking about here. EA has exclusive rights to the NFL brand, not to football. Blizzard has the exclusive rights to the Diablo and Warcraft brands, but not to fantasy games.

Taco

08-08-2005, 11:38 AM

Diablo and Warcraft were created by Blizzard, it was not sold to them. There is no parallel between the two whatsoever.

In any case, it doesn't matter what you like, the masses are not going to by non NFL licensed games, and in turn non NFL licensed games will cease to be made. How many did you see before EA snatched up exclusive rights? Other developers could of saved a ton of money if they thought they could of made a non licensed game sell.

Skookum

08-08-2005, 12:24 PM

The rumor mill has been that all the delays on the PC version were to address all the various bugs and redesign the targetting system. If this is the case, it could be a kickass game. I waiting to hear what the reviews have to say.

All the reviews linked to here seem to be for the console version, or they don't mention the controls. That "flick" thing seems to be an amazing bad idea. Fingers and toes crossed in hopes that they just remove it and let us pick and choose our own targets like, well, every other goddamn bestselling PC game that has ever come out.

bean19

08-08-2005, 12:25 PM

Diablo and Warcraft were created by Blizzard, it was not sold to them. There is no parallel between the two whatsoever.

I think the analogy would be more apt if it were more like:

What if Blizzard sold the rights to Diablo and Warcraft to EA? Would you still buy or enjoy fairly solid titles from that license if they came from a fairly hated mega-publisher?

For what it's worth, I think Madden is a good title. I also think competition is a good thing, but since I'm not a huge sports fan (I buy one tennis game for each system and buy my Madden titles after they've plummeted in price), I'm not nearly as concerned as the rest of you.

However, I am a huge RPG fan and would go nuts if Blizzard sold out to EA, especially if I thought there titles were bad or middling (as seems to be the consensus among the malcontents present). So I totally get where you guys are coming from.

Of course, Blizzard isn't likely to sell out to anyone with WoW having 3 million subscribers throwing in, let's say, $10/month (to adjust for long-term plans and foreign subscription rates and to make easy math). That's a very rough and probably too low estimate of $30 million/month. $360 million/year. Even after you factor in a but load of servers and a but load of support staff and a but load of ongoing development (but lets be honest, there isn't a butload of development), that's a lot (much more than a butload) of money.

WoW!

Liquidize105

08-08-2005, 12:27 PM

Yeah, people want to play their favorite teams, not a bunch of make-believe teams with make-believe star players on them.

NFL's nailed down. It's about authenticity. Blitz is coming out with something new, but there's only room enough for one of those.

MajSheppard

08-08-2005, 12:40 PM

I agree, if you buy Madden your a un-American bastard who loves Comunisim. The only monopoly I want is the board game, and I only want that to gather dust in the closet.

Cyrano

08-08-2005, 01:00 PM

bean19

08-08-2005, 01:20 PM

I agree, if you buy Madden your a un-American bastard who loves Comunisim. The only monopoly I want is the board game, and I only want that to gather dust in the closet.

You are lampooning the severity of statements by mocking conservative media right?

Sometimes hard to tell because people online will make fun of conservative media and sometimes also use it to make their point. . . albeit one constructed on mockery of a third party.

vanlandw

08-08-2005, 02:25 PM

this should clearly be an easy week for me to save some money on.

if i get the urge to play football i will play my $15 dollar copy of ESPN 2005 I got on release day.

:)

AgtFox

08-08-2005, 03:12 PM

Is there a link to a respectable news article that says that the NFL is the one who demanded the exclusivity deal? The reason it's hard to believe is because EA's deal comes right on the heels of Take-Two putting the pressure on them by selling their sports games for $20. It just seems like a natural response for EA to go after exclusivity after that. An article in the NY Times today implies that that's what EA did.

I'm not saying that I have any proof that EA instigated the exclusivity deal. It just seems that with rumors going both ways about who started the deal, it's easier to believe that EA did because of the timing.
EA had lobbied for exclusivity in the past (as did Sega, Take Two, Midway, Microsoft, etc.). Here is a link to a Gamespot article (http://www.gamespot.com/news/2004/12/13/news_6114977.html) (it's the quickest article I could find):

"A source close to the negotiations said it was at a spring 2004 off-site meeting attended by top NFL officials that the league determined it would take the league license exclusive. GameSpot was told the league put the license up for bid and that EA was among as many as five software publishers competing for it. An EA spokesperson said today, "Obviously, exclusives are more expensive. We are most certainly paying a premium."

If I look deeper (don't have the time right now) I could find something else.