The Madden 2010 : Mojave Experiment

Well, the NFL season is almost over. This means a few things -

• Flex Games and Playoffs
• Christmas is right around the corner, and...

Madden 2010 is only 8.5 months away. This will call many Madden 09 purchasers to sell their Madden 09 on EBay or even to GameStop *shudders*.

What many of them don't notice is that in their attempts to scrape together $60 to buy Madden 2010 and a brand new experience - they are actually selling away the Beta release of Madden 2010.

I would like to see something like what Microsoft has done in order to trick people into liking Vista. The Mojave Experiment.



I would like to see the reactions of hardcore football gamers when people try to trick them into thinking they are playing Madden 2010 when it is in-fact Madden 09.

When Is The WiiPod coming out?

For the last few years I, along with the rest of the tech world have been bombarded by trendy marketing and smug users. The first thing that comes to mind when I think about smug/arrogant people is usually a MacBook. After that comes the iPod and then the Nintendo Wii - both of which use the Abercrombie Generation as their primary base.

I always had people trying to explain their logic in getting a Mac. The problem is, if you have to explain the logic of anything to a logical person you have already lost your argument. Why get a MacBook?

- I need it for iTunes
- I am a film major
- I am an art major
- I like to act like I am typing a screenplay while sipping my chai tea at a hippy coffee shop.

These are the typical explanations you can expect from anyone in the market for a new Mac (the 4th is usually unsaid and simply implyed by the user glancing up every 5 seconds to make sure someone sees that they have a Mac).

The Mac has never really been cool to own until the iPod came around. The worst part about this is that the iPod needs to have iTunes on a computer. The problem with iTunes is that it is a garbage program. Sure, it might run well on a Mac but it simply cannot work on a PC without bringing an error at some point. My PC has crashed multiple times just trying to run iTunes. Considering Apple is supposed to make great flawless software from the heavens I am just a little surprised that they can't develop software for the PC.

I am convinced that Apple purposely designed iTunes to suck the life out of any PC it is installed on.

The case is similar with the Nintendo Wii - the ultimate yuppy gaming machine. I used to think it was for little kids until I saw the true target audience - on their Macs. It all makes since now - Apple is in kahoots with Nintendo in a plot to take over the world through trendy marketing and juvenile gimmicky kids games.

Madden 09 Disc Unreadable - How I Fixed It

OK... I am not suggesting that ANYONE else do this...

I thought I had fixed the issue by deleting all of my Madden content (3 year Franchises, etc)... Lost everything, got through a game....

Turned off the 360 and put in Madden... Unreadable Disc at Favre screen.Here is where it got interesting.

Every time I heard my 360 drive spinning like a freight train I knew it was close to "Unreadable". So, I pop out the game... Look at my 360 and lift up the front of the console about 2-3 inches and try to look inside...

THEN I get so angry I just let it fall those 2 inches. All of a sudden I start hearing a little clicking sound... I start thinking "OH Shiznit!... I deserve this after dropping it, but OH SHIZ!"I turn off the 360 and turn it back on...

No clicking...
I put in Madden 09 and wait to hear my 360 spin at 50000 RPMs...Nothing, almost silent...Voila! It boots up and my 360 is running better than ever!Playing Madden as I type...Loading times are better, everything is smooth.

My problem has been fixed.

Note: To get a legit fix simply save the game to the harddrive with the NXE.

Slim Down The 360? - Yes Please

Well, the rumor mill has been grinding quite a bit in the past week or so. Once again it focused on the XBOX 360's shrinking chip technology. Basically helping the 360 go the way of the Original PS2 via the PS2 Slim (a much nicer and efficient piece of hardware).

The only problem I have with anything like this is that it always seems to leave early adopters (like myself) out in the cold. Apparently Microsoft will feel as they always do and say- "You have a lot of fat in that old RROD 360, it should overheat enough to keep you warm while we leave you in the cold."

Well, maybe that is true. Fact of the matter is, the 360 was poorly designed to begin with and they are taking their time fixing case, chip and overall design flaws.

I am starting to see why so many of my friends stick to PC gaming. In the end they are the engineers in charge of their hardware and they can develop better components than most of the companies making consoles.

Microsoft needs to see the forest for the trees. Offer trade-in slim models to people with proven problems in the past. Simply use XBox 360 registration for this and you will continue to win our hearts and minds.

Madden 09 - Rent First, Buy Never

Top Line

Pros

• New graphic effects for the field (Field Goal nets, etc)
• Better player animation/motion
• Difficulty Test (Some love it, some hate it)... I like it
  

Cons

• Franchise Mode Is the Same As Madden 08
• Still has wonky roster, progression, draft, free agency glitches (after 3 years on next gen)
  
• Nothing really new...at all
• Online Franchise is half-heartedly done
• Online Gameplay is still laggy
• Tom Hammond is possibly the worst announcer ever (I would take the radio announcer over him)... BUT Chris Collinsworth is amazing
• Feels more like a Wii Family game than anything close to an NFL quasi-simulation
  
• Players seem to have been redone with some sort of cell-shading technique. There is a blue glow around many of the players (at least on my standard definition TV)

I managed to hold off on buying Madden this year. I did end up getting NCAA 09, but that was money well spent (since it was only $5 out of my pocket with a $50 gift card).

I have read countless reviews, impressions and rants about Madden 09 leading up to this point.

I decided I would put down the cash and see how it was for a week. I am glad I only put down that little bit of money! This game is fun. I will give it credit for being a somewhat entertaining piece of software.

However, most people I relate to tend to want a Franchise/Dynasty mode with some reason to have longevity. Madden 09 does not provide longevity to the Hardcore offline Franchise gamer. It does on the other hand provide a good time for their "casual" audience that has played Madden for the last 10 minutes instead of the last 20 years. I have played madden since Madden 92. I must say, this iteration has been a slap in the face.

The presentation is a joke. With the same navigation and menus as the 07 version and the same drab non-gratification when you win the Super Bowl. It's like someone at EA just went in and said, "Please, rip the fun out of this game before we take the people's money.".
Yes, I know I said the game was fun; and it is for about an hour. After that Hammond's voice will start sounding like a Dentist Drill. (Not to mention hearing Hammond say in his best Ben Stein "He gets drilled" after a big hit) if you play the game you will know what I am talking about.

This game gets rave reviews from all of the sycophantic gaming websites and magazines. I on the other hand give this game a different rating-

6/10
C-
One Middle Finger

The Developers and Producers from EA keep telling us that 2010 will be better with Franchise, etc.

I for one will be renting that game as well. Instead of giving those gaming monopolizers another blind dollar.

Public Beta Testing for EA Sports Is Not Only Demanded It Is Necessary

The past four years of Madden and three releases of NCAA Football on XBox 360 and PS3 have been full of glitches, bugs and overall disappointment.

The Franchise/Dynasty Modes that were made popular on PS2 and XBox have become bastardized versions of lazy programming and development from EA on next gen consoles.

The problems are numerous-

• Broken progression and regression systems
• Broken Draft and Draft Import Logic and AI
• Disappearing Free Agents
• Roster glitches and bugs
• Inaccurate uniforms
• Unrealistic play by CPU controlled players

The list goes on and on....

Many hardcore gamers have been asking for Open Beta Testing- I am demanding it. EA Producers and Programmers have called hardcore gamers "The Beta Testers" however, the problem with this is that these so called testers are paying for a broken product every year.

EA should delay the release of their games by a month and allow for the extra month to be a Beta Test period for a release available free of charge.

This should include

• 3 seasons of Franchise with complete features available for testing and diagnosing problems, glitches and bugs in the game.

This download should be set to expire exactly 30 days after its release. This would prevent anyone from "free-loading" a beta as a real game forever. (See COD4 or Halo 3 Beta)

Game quality would increase as would sales.

This is not a request it is a realistic demand and it is necessary.

The Great Debate (or at least one of them)

I am finding that I am "in the market" for a new PC or Notebook PC.

Yes, "To be mobile or not to be mobile", that is the question.

I have been talking with my brother and many of my friends about my dilemma. It seems that I am basically left with the plaguing question of whether I want to have a powerful 'pimped out machine' or if I 'want to look like I am writing a screen play at the local coffee shop'.

I find myself battling with the specs of each machine.
Then I think about the amount of use I would have on either machine.
And finally, I am left to decide which is more important in the end.

Well, if I had to step back and make a choice right now I would say "Desktop".

Now I am stuck in my office whenever I want to do anything PC related. However, it also forces me to get out of the office and go outside without work/games chasing me too closely.

If I had a laptop, I could take my work where-ever I want. However, gaming on a notebook is like driving a Yugo on the Autobahn, it just doesn't look right or feel right.

While it may sound like I have made my decision, I am really still torn over the decision (which will only come to fruition when I have the money to do so).

My ideal results would be this:

Good Desktop
Good Laptop
80GB iPod

Right now I have:

Crappy Desktop PC


(I can walk and iPod...Just in case that came to your mind.)

Don't Walk and iPod

The saying usually goes "You can't walk and chew gum at the same time"
However, now I am starting to see that in practice with the iPod generation.
People here in Athens, Ohio (primarily college students) seem to think that having those little white wires connected to their head give them a free pass to be oblivious.

I have nearly been run into, walked into, sat on top of and even run over by these poor deaf, dumb and blind people. I swear, someone out of this crowd would be a pinball wizard, if they could pull their head out of their ass.

Now, I will admit, I do want and iPod. (see my last blog for proof)

On the contrary, there should also be an iPod permit that people should have to test for, much like a driver's license.

If you can't either walk in a straight line or show that you see what you are doing when listening to your iPod, you will not be permitted to use it whilst walking. In other words, you FAIL!

So, for those of you that feel my pain whenever people bump into you or their "iPod existence" just pisses you off to no end- keep this in mind. They will eventually get hit by a car or have their privileges revoked.

Friends don't let friends walk and iPod.

iPod

When the iPod first came out I was skeptical.
"Why would you need to replace CDs?"
Then Napster made its way into my little world and MP3s became the best thing since sliced bread.
Then I thought- "Well, I can burn these all onto CDs... No need for a silly iPod."

Years later... I am suffering from withdraw. I am suffering in general.
I feel like I did when I was the only kid still playing Atari 7800 when most of my friends had an NES.

So, for Christmas I asked for a microSD card for my phone. "This will be like and iPod!!"
In short... No... IT WON'T!!!!

My Samsung CU540 has MP3 playback, etc. but the navigation is horrid and I have killed two pairs of headphones on it. (The headphones are a different story...for more on those check back for my blog on "Body Glove" headphones)

To save some time for myself and my readers (if there are any of you out there). Don't go on the cheap... If you want an MP3 player, just get an iPod.

Now I am stuck without a working set of headphones for my phone and my CD player is looking like a blessing again (which makes me want to throw up in my mouth a little bit).
I have over 200 GB of music and no good MP3 player to load down with a few gigs of noise.
I could have taken the $60 in headphones and $30 in my microSD card and gotten an iPod shuffle... But no, I thought I would be "smart"...

Don't be smart.... Get an iPod and be like everyone else. That is the only way to go through life in an oblivious daze of music.

(Stay tuned for my iPod User Review - Ohio University Edition)

EA Sports - A Quick "How To" In The Destruction of Sports Gaming

Electronic Arts has recently made at least one offer to purchase the game developer Take-Two. Take two has a hand in some of the most popular games in the console market.

The most popular game released by Take-Two in recent history is the Grand Theft Auto series. The wonderfully ultra-violent and hilarious game has sold millions of copies over the years. Take-Two/2K Games have also had a hand in BioShock, Oblivion and many other non-sports games.

Electronic Arts is, of course, the "developer" of Madden NFL Football, and virtually every other market of sports gaming. However, the problem with EA is that they have been known to buy out companies or obtain market monopolies in order to push out competition and therefore, sell the same games with minor tweaks to the masses. The most unfortunate part about this is that consumers are simply too stupid to realize this.

The offer from EA to Take-Two should serve as a warning to gamers that the entire gaming industry it about to shift dramatically. I hope that EA uses their 'would-be' new resources to push development of new ideas faster and farther. However, they do have a track record of disappointment in the eyes of most intelligent gamers.

$2 Billion was denied by Take-Two.... I would expect to see a deal for around 6 to 9 billion after the release of Grand Theft Auto 4.

The UFL Is A Reality...Virtually

Ok, lets break down what the UFL is.

The UFL is the ‘brainchild’ of Mark Cuban and a few other rich guys. The UFL is a new Professional (American) Football League. Essentially, Cuban believes that football fans desire their sport so much that they would watch it year round or (on Fridays?) during the fall. Personally, I agree with this idea in the context that I want football year-round. Arena Football simply isn’t football. And Canadian football?…please.

The problem that NFL Europe and the XFL (the football league sponsored by the WWF/WWE) suffered from was a lack of being taken seriously by most people, and rightfully so.

However, I see a possibility for the UFL to exist if no where else but in the hearts and minds of gamers everywhere. While the NFL has done everything possible to encourage monopolies of the sport of football in its foundation and in the video game industry; the UFL can take steps to combat this.

How can this be done?

2K Sports. This company was essentially a victim of a broken market economy in video game licensing. EA Sports bought the rights to everything NFL. This crushed 2K’s chances of making a licensed football video game for the next 5-6 years.

However, in 2007 2K gave every gamer hope for the future. They released All Pro Football 2K8. While this game included former NFL Legends, it contained little else. It was stripped down and lacked the features that many NFL 2K fans and Madden fans alike had come to expect in football games. This was primarily “Franchise Mode”.

2K basically said their reason for not having a Franchise mode revolved around the fact that their game had no way of having a ‘history’ of a league. They figured that it would be silly to make another version of Blitz: The League. That made sense.

However, I believe that if Cuban were to spearhead a sponsorship campaign for 2K Sports UFL Football there would be a little more popularity for the game in reality and in virtual reality.

In this first installment, you could open up many options for the game itself. Sense the UFL doesn’t exist besides in the minds of dreamers like Cuban and myself, it would open up creativity in the video game. APF2K8 allowed the gamer to create a team from colors to the City and team name. However, this lost a lot of luster once you realized that the league you joined only lasted a year. You got to use Legends, which got old pretty quick (no pun intended). There was really no replayability in the game itself. If you played online, you may find a few good games and maybe a good league to join. When all was said and done, the game was really a half-hearted attempt to bring interest back to 2K football. Interest came back, but people were soon disappointed when there was no Franchise Mode.

If 2K wants to make a smart business move, they should contact Cuban about the UFL. The game could revert back to the Franchise mode and presentation of NFL 2K5. However, there will be a pool of thousands of players to choose from (all of them fictional) when you create your team and the UFL. There would also be the option of bringing this option online.

Once online, there would be multiple leagues where you have the option to Draft an Expansion league where everyone picks their own players from the pool; or start from Default Rosters. The Default rosters could be pre-assigned teams and cities already filled on the game.

The possibilities are endless.