Message to developers, less is more. . .
Over the last decade and change, we’ve witnessed gamers complain about every major release from all aspects of gaming. However, the one genre that we wished that was never affected, was sports titles. This created some of the biggest memories for our entire lives, through inviting friends over before online gaming.
At the time, PS2 had the most elite titles for any console, including Madden 2005, which we felt was better than NFL 2K5. We soon saw games like NBA Street, NBA Ballers, NFL Street, MVP Baseball, and even WWE Smackdown vs. Raw: Here Comes the Pain.
The PlayStation 2 really became the greatest video game console ever made, with its deep library. So much, that there was never a dull moment of gaming during its entire 6-year run – which felt like forever back then.
Sadly, those moments didn’t continue into future console cycles, as we’re approaching the PlayStation 5 for early 2021. The reason why sports games fell off the way they did, is because developers tried to make titles replicate their real-life counterparts. Many forgot the point of what video games were meant to do, take us away from the real world.
The real reason why sports game peaked with the PS2, is because developers weren’t overthinking in the creation process. Things were basic and to the point. With emerging technology of updated consoles down the line, developers spent too much time on millions of animations.
This led to many mediocre titles, being created with little innovation happening. In recent years, we’ve seen the WWE 2K series being compared a 15-year-old title on the original PlayStation. Due to companies using the same graphics technology, we’ve seen even lazier gameplay being innovated.
We prefer the gameplay above anything; but if the graphics are horrible too in the process, then we have nothing to talk about it.
For many years, gameplay has been horrible in sports gaming, without seeing any significant graphical leaps. Lighting and proper facial scanning is also an issue that hasn’t been quite addressed. This is nearly 20-year-old technology we’re looking back at, which says a lot about the state of modern gaming.
Considering NFL 2K is returning for virtual-currency-based MyPLAYER, we’re losing hope every year for sport games. With next-gen PS5 and Xbox Series X systems on the way, the future doesn’t look bright.