Part one of my two-part look at gaming giant Electronic Arts: first, the positive
Okay, so the title is a bit misleading, we’re all still allowed to hate on EA. I mean, fuck them right? How dare they improve NHL 09 to be one of the best sports game ever made, how could they have the audacity to publish Dead Space, Mirror’s Edge, Left for Dead and Rock Band 2, in the same year? Could it be that the all-powerful EA might actually be trying?
Let’s recap some of the good things they have done these past few years.
-Skate was a breath of fresh air and made me remember skateboarding games used to be fun. Skate 2 looks even better, as you can finally get off your board, re arrange objects to set up good lines, and they promised to make vert tricks actually, you know, work.
-NHL 09 is almost without question, the best hockey game since NHL 94, in my opinion best sports game of all time, it’s really that brilliant.
-This year alone, they will have their names on Dead Space, Mirror’s Edge, Left for Dead and Rock Band 2. Huge holiday games and I’m sure it will show in their pocketbooks.
-They seem to have stayed away from the ridiculous DLC they once tried to spit out. I’m sure they still charge for silly micro transactions, but remember “The Godfather”? They were charging real money for in game profits, that’s retarded.
-Burnout Paradise is an example of DLC done right. Unlike Microsoft which FORCED Epic to charge for the Gears DLC, they let Criterion release free updates (which are significant) to their open world driving game.
Overall they seem to be changing their image a bit. They have a long way to go before the can erase the harm that has been done to their image but, it’s good to see them trying.
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(( Best Football game experience EVAH! ))
I have to say they might take over the world after all? I'm NOT going to go so far as, not fearing their future mergers though.
Please moar internal growth of the quality aspect. Before we go shopping again.
I haven't really stopped to think about it before, but it looks like EA is taking some positive steps forward in the eyes of many gamers. Good for them.
I've enjoyed their games since I can remember.
Do I hate for DRM
or do I love for the multitude of games they have a hand in that are not shit.
My world has been rocked.
Yeah, I agree with you 100% (though it should be "the" instead of "than" in your title). NHL 09 may very well be the greatest sports game ever made, and they have been supporting a lot of fresh and innovative games lately (don't forget Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure, which they're publishing).
You try being the CEO and telling 40 and 50 something year old investors about piracy and used sales; All they hear is the sound their bank accounts potentially losing money. Not ever publisher is public like this, so they get to play Good Guy to EAs bad guy. It's just not right.
And I see nothing wrong with buying out developers, so long as they let good companies continue to do their own thing.
Also, Activision isn't the new EA -- They're far worse right now than EA has ever been, at least as far I remember. 3 Starcraft 2 games? Disgusts me so much I don't even want to buy any Activision games, even Call of Duty and GH4. I just don't want to support them anymore. They treat the customer like a piece of shit with a wallet.
And as for EA's DRM, again, try explaining it to investors. They have a lot of control sometimes, so what they say carries weight. EA most likely has it's hands tied in some regard with DRM.
Stuff like Dead Space does make EA appear to know what they're doing. But Left 4 Dead, Rock Band are made by separate development teams where EA has no control whatsoever. To think that Valve and Harmonix work for EA is quite a bit off from the truth.
I seriously was in love with EA BIG back when SSX and the first 2 NBA Streets hit. That was back then the only way you'd find me playing a EA game. Now they have gotten a bit better and not complete moneymonsters. But they still are in the sports games I don't buy. (live, madden, etc.)
and the fact Skate was made, turned out great, and basically put the THPS games out of business, that's a good step IMO. Cause people say THPS was getting meh anyways. (Haven't played since 2)
Left 4 Dead is created by Valve which is not owned/run by EA. Rock Band is by Harmonix, which is owned by Viacom.
The main grudge people have w/ EA is them re-releasing sports games every year & barely improving them. Also monopolizing licenses like NFL.
I dont hold much of a grudge against EA because I don't re-buy sports games every year, and they've continued to support PC while other devs have left it.
But I do have a grudge against them for being one of the lead supporters of in-game-advertising. One of the main reasons i never bought Battlefield 2142.
Also their predilection for making certain weapons only available in many games if you jump through marketing hoops or buy the collector's edition.
I am well aware that they did not develop games like Left for Dead and Rock Band. What I do like about their new way of publishing is that they seem to be giving developers a lot more space to be themselves. Valve has said EA does not rush them, which is surprising given EA's track record.
They DID develop Skate and Dead Space though. Plus, if people's biggest gripe with them is sports games, they seem to have gone to a great length to actually IMPROVE their games this year. I don't play it, but I heard even Madden was fun this year.