It's in the Game?

Sports and video games make for odd bedfellows. That frat boys and WoW geeks can be fans of the same medium is both amusing and strange, but it is a dichotomy that has existed since Tecmo Bowl on the NES. Sports games are one of the most economically important genres in the industry, as Madden sells millions of copies for every possible system each year. Unfortunately, the quality of most sports games has really declined during this generation of consoles. Franchises like MVP Baseball, NFL 2K, All Star Baseball, and 2K's College Hoops no longer exist, while games like Madden dominate the landscape. Why did this happen, you ask? Oh, I don't know. Might money be involved?

The downfall, I believe, of sports games came in 2005. EA Sports, Madden's publisher, gained exclusive rights to the NFL license, effectively ending games like 2k Football. Additionally, maybe in retaliation, EA Sports lost the MLB license. God, if only the two had been switched. EA's MVP Baseball franchise, especially its 2005 edition, was perhaps the pinnacle of sports games, and 2K's innovative and fun NFL game had far surpassed Madden's stale formula. While these deals may have been good for someone's bottom line (EA), gamers have suffered tremendously.

What has this loss of competition wrought? Oh, just the worst run of sports games that I can ever remember. Let's start, as all things must, with Madden. While EA's franchise may be one of the pillars of the game industry, its quality is, let's say, not high. This year's version is actually the best of any since the next-gen consoles were released, but that is damning it with faint praise. While it certainly does some things well, the majority of the gameplay is either flawed our outdated, and the franchise/superstar modes are incredibly buggy and downright frustrating. First, the gameplay. Madden has a tried and true mechanic, and EA never deviates. The only innovation in the last 5 or so years was the hit stick, but the other gimmicks made to look as though the game was "updated" have either completely failed or have just been forgotten. The "passing cone" comes to mind here. Part of this has to do with the consumer. Madden sells incredibly well every year, so why should EA care if gamers complain? The lack of any other competition, though, is the real culprit. This also applies to 2K's MLB. While Sony has an exclusive game of their own (The Show on PS3), MLB has the real stranglehold on the license, as it is the only baseball sim available on every console. I only play it because I love baseball and am a glutton for punishment. Why anyone else does is beyond me. The franchise mode is awful, the gameplay is worse, and there is no real incentive to improve.

Even worse is the regression during the so-called "next generation". I understand you don't have competition, fellas, but come on. Can't we at least have what we got on the PS2 and Xbox? Why are stats in simulated seasons so ridiculous? Why, when someone like A-Rod gets injured for 15 days, do the Yankees sign a scrub and then not play A-Rod when he comes back? Why do the Colts release Peyton Manning, who proceeds to sit on the free agent wire for two years? Why can't we fucking save in game EA? Why? If you're going to give us a buggy product, let us at least have the opportunity to save and not waste an hour of our lives (even though a save doesn't really alleviate that). And why, for the love of Christ, can't your team play well during Superstar mode?

I probably ask too much. I should be content with roster updates and marginally better graphics year after year. Here's your $60, EA! Don't put it to good use. See you next year!