EA Sports to give up exclusive rights to NCAA Football Games

[Hasselbeck]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...to-give-up-exclusivity-of-ncaa-football-games

Maybe 2k jumps into the fold with NCAA? That'd be awesome.

 

[killgod]

2K lost a ton on NHL and MLB, not sure they get back into football with NCAA. If there's belief the Madden exclusivity is going to end, then perhaps, just so they can use NCAA to offset the cost of building a football game.

NCAA sales just aren't high enough to entice anyone I think, not with a developed product already on the market. Or perhaps for next console cycle, when everyone kind of "resets" a bit.

end of my random thoughts..

 

[July 4 1776]

2K lost a ton on NHL and MLB, not sure they get back into football with NCAA. If there's belief the Madden exclusivity is going to end, then perhaps, just so they can use NCAA to offset the cost of building a football game.

NCAA sales just aren't high enough to entice anyone I think, not with a developed product already on the market. Or perhaps for next console cycle, when everyone kind of "resets" a bit.

end of my random thoughts..

I fully agree. I think in the long run this will help EA

 

[Rip]

2k football games were far and away the best sports games I have ever played, ever. APF 2K8 was a fantastic game and I loved it a ton and if they made another football game I'd be extremely stoked even if it was NCAA.

This could help them tweak their engine to modern standards for when the NFL license comes up. I'll take any 2k football game.

 

[krulmichael]

You know, I'd still be curious to play another college football game. Whether it's 2k or someone else...hasn't EA really been the only people making college football games since the mid-90's?

 

[NAHSTE]

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefoo...to-give-up-exclusivity-of-ncaa-football-games

Maybe 2k jumps into the fold with NCAA? That'd be awesome.

Their last CFB offering was total shite ...

 

[Sharkweather]

 

[Argath]

2k better bring back 2khoops before starting a 2k ncaa football game :shifty:

 

[BigBucs]

2k football games were awesome from a realism and presentation standpoint. It best reflected what actually happened on Sundays regarding player interactions and the technical aspect, that said the player models and how they moved were retarded. AP Footballs player models were god awful. How anyone on the development, or anyone else for that matter, thought otherwise is retarded. Not to mention the god awful waddling run animations. Ill take Maddens player models and movement 10/10.

 

[svetz17]

2K has to do college basketball first, then they can try other franchises like NFL and NCAA. Trust me there is a demand for a college basketball game, especially during March.

 

[svetz17]

That being said... 2K5 is one of the best games ever and, if they recreate that magic, they can do whatever they want.

 

[Golden Taters]

EA will probably get another exclusive deal with the NFL, as that's how the league likes to operate. Without being able to make a NFL game, there is no chance 2K will jump into NCAA.

 

[ThunderHorse]

2k football games were awesome from a realism and presentation standpoint. It best reflected what actually happened on Sundays regarding player interactions and the technical aspect, that said the player models and how they moved were retarded. AP Footballs player models were god awful. How anyone on the development, or anyone else for that matter, thought otherwise is retarded. Not to mention the god awful waddling run animations. Ill take Maddens player models and movement 10/10.

I have to agree about the player models in 2K8. They weren't terrible in 2K5 (2K5 looked better than Madden 05) but the run animations were indeed pretty bad, I think it was because of the sprint mechanic that 2K used with tapping the A button. while the run animations were not exactly smooth, if you go to a replay and watch yourself sprint using things like charge and burst you can see your player do little things like duck his head (as if he's accelerating) and straighten up as he hits top speed. 2K8 looked a lot smoother running animation wise (imo) but the player models were pretty awful. I'm not sure why, maybe it was a developmental thing, maybe they were trying to better emulate bodies of the players who played in the past, idk. However there's no debate that by the times Madden 08 and 2K8 were out Madden's player models had surpassed what 2K was putting out.

2K's thing has always been the subtleties though. You see that the game respects momentum, you can feel that momentum when you play. There's no ice skates, there's realistic juke moves, realistic stiff arms, realistic passing game and the strategy aspect of 2K is pretty damn good, especially in 2K8 where they introduced coverage shells where in effect you could disguise any defense in any way you wanted.

A Small Demonstration

Kudos for whoever spots the Houston siting.
​

One thing about 2K's Football games that I love is the fact that doing anything with your "User Skills" is extremely similar to "Feast or Famine". It's tough to land a big hit (unlike EA's football games) but when you do it's arguably one of the most rewarding things in sports gaming. The way 2K mapped juke moves and stutter steps to the right stick for ball carriers was awesome too. very realistic, very skill involved because of the # of moves that you can do. In EA's games they had the highlight stick, removed that and have incorporated this lean thing (which is retarded imo but whatever). juke move wise there's nothing, the ice skating nature of the game means you don't really have to respect momentum. Madden has juke right, juke left, truck/lean, and that absolutely retarded high step. (2K had a shimmie, a shimmie juke left, a shimmie juke right, a shimmie back stop, a stop and go, a juke left to right, a juke right to left, a stop juke right, a stop juke left, stop spin right, stop spin left, spin left spin right, spin right spin left,). Why is it that I'm seeing a better feature from a game that hasn't been updated since 2008?

If you've got any experience with the 2K football series you'll understand that it's a lot like their basketball game in the sense that individuals who know the game and have some legit skill stick wise will always, always, always beat a lesser opponent. the potential for bullshit in this game is simply not as high as it is in EA's games.

That Said, 2K had it's cheese too

I would absolutely love to see what 2K's NFL vision is today in a video game.

 

[dope]

i'm wondering with the ability to no longer import anymore if they just stop all together making ncaa.

not to mention all the money they are going to be paying out due to the class action lawsuit

 

[Rip]

2K's A.I system was much better and used real football concepts. Your player would use the appropriate animation as opposed to madden where he'll do a backflip, handstand soulja boy dougie catch when he could just reach his arms out. Not only that, but the ball wasn't static, it was a separate entity like 2k hockey's puck. I'll post a video of mine about that.

Also, not only that, but the blocking was brilliant and positions were actually useful. A good defensive end made his presence and would get you hell unless you did something as opposed to Madden where Jared Allen is less valuable than a 60 ovr LB who has 90 speed.

Better players would show up and it was apparent. It was awesome. It involved gameplanning and gave me my most intense and fun games I've ever had.

Here's that video

Kinda goofy, but hey, sweet right?

 

[ThunderHorse]

2K's A.I system was much better and used real football concepts. Your player would use the appropriate animation as opposed to madden where he'll do a backflip, handstand soulja boy dougie catch when he could just reach his arms out. Not only that, but the ball wasn't static, it was a separate entity like 2k hockey's puck. I'll post a video of mine about that.

Also, not only that, but the blocking was brilliant and positions were actually useful. A good defensive end made his presence and would get you hell unless you did something as opposed to Madden where Jared Allen is less valuable than a 60 ovr LB who has 90 speed.

Better players would show up and it was apparent. It was awesome. It involved gameplanning and gave me my most intense and fun games I've ever had.

I'll disagree about the blocking but only to an extent. 2K8 still didn't program guys to turn around, so once your O-lineman got to the point no one was in front of him he'd just keep running, he wouldn't turn around and find someone to block.

But the point I wholeheartedly agree with is the fact that what made this game was the Matchups. I don't think a lot of people understood that, and I think that's kind of why the game died like it did. 2K8 is ALL about matchups, it's all about where you decide to put your talent. like you said, if you have a Gold, or even Silver defensive end, he's going to make his presence known, he's going to be effective in the pass rush, you would not only see but feel a legitimate difference between a generic defensive end (no intense worries), a Bronze Defensive end like Dexter Manley (Can give you trouble but isn't going to break your gameplan), and a gold like Reggie White (Is going to completely change the way you attack the defense).

A gold QB makes throws a Bronze can't, Gold HB's are able to do moves faster and do more with less momentum, Gold WR's like Rice are absolutely a problem to deal with.

In this game you can make a power run team with a strong defense and they will play like a power run team with strong defense, and the way "abilities" worked in the game was awesome, because you actually took ADVANTAGE of those abilities. you used those things and you considered these things when putting your team together. If I've got a guy like Gale Sayers, who's going to return kicks, I might not need a Lem Barney, Ricky Sanders, Rocket Ishmael, etc. if I've got a gold quarterback I can afford to have less talent at the wide receiver position because I know my guy is going to make the throws, but on top of that, if I have a gold QB like Marino throwing to Rice, it's going to be a TOUGH game for the defense assuming I know how to play. and that's how it SHOULD be.

But Really, Abilities completely make the difference in players in this game, Dick "Night Train" Lane plays differently than Rod Woodson even though they're both gold cornerbacks. Lane is going to be a force in the run game, He's going to get off of blocks, he's going to bust heads, he's still going to make plays on the ball but he can't cover like Rod Woodson, he can't read O's like Woodson, and he doesn't have the return ability of Woodson. On the flipside, Woodson isn't usually going to knock someone out but with Lane you better keep your head on a swivel.

 

[Rip]

I'll disagree about the blocking but only to an extent. 2K8 still didn't program guys to turn around, so once your O-lineman got to the point no one was in front of him he'd just keep running, he wouldn't turn around and find someone to block.

But the point I wholeheartedly agree with is the fact that what made this game was the Matchups. I don't think a lot of people understood that, and I think that's kind of why the game died like it did. 2K8 is ALL about matchups, it's all about where you decide to put your talent. like you said, if you have a Gold, or even Silver defensive end, he's going to make his presence known, he's going to be effective in the pass rush, you would not only see but feel a legitimate difference between a generic defensive end (no intense worries), a Bronze Defensive end like Dexter Manley (Can give you trouble but isn't going to break your gameplan), and a gold like Reggie White (Is going to completely change the way you attack the defense).

A gold QB makes throws a Bronze can't, Gold HB's are able to do moves faster and do more with less momentum, Gold WR's like Rice are absolutely a problem to deal with.

In this game you can make a power run team with a strong defense and they will play like a power run team with strong defense, and the way "abilities" worked in the game was awesome, because you actually took ADVANTAGE of those abilities. you used those things and you considered these things when putting your team together. If I've got a guy like Gale Sayers, who's going to return kicks, I might not need a Lem Barney, Ricky Sanders, Rocket Ishmael, etc. if I've got a gold quarterback I can afford to have less talent at the wide receiver position because I know my guy is going to make the throws, but on top of that, if I have a gold QB like Marino throwing to Rice, it's going to be a TOUGH game for the defense assuming I know how to play. and that's how it SHOULD be.

But Really, Abilities completely make the difference in players in this game, Dick "Night Train" Lane plays differently than Rod Woodson even though they're both gold cornerbacks. Lane is going to be a force in the run game, He's going to get off of blocks, he's going to bust heads, he's still going to make plays on the ball but he can't cover like Rod Woodson, he can't read O's like Woodson, and he doesn't have the return ability of Woodson. On the flipside, Woodson isn't usually going to knock someone out but with Lane you better keep your head on a swivel.

Well I can agree with that when it comes to blocking, but when it comes to having a REAL pocket is was brilliant. I absolutely love having to charge up to make throws, moves and hits. The thing that enrages me with madden is that the pocket is a joke, they look like robots and they literally will run up the field attacking the safety instead of letting the same LB in for a nano blitz.

You're very right that a player made his presence. The animations are just beautiful too and there was real momentum, not this EA crud. I remember having I think Willie Brown (on that Raider team video I posted) across the line from a bronze receiver (Willie Gault, pretty weak guy) and I ran a cover 0 as that's very similar to what hte 60s and 70s Raiders did and Brown literally pushed Gault over. It's stuff like that.

The catching animations, running animations, ALL animations were fantastic. The use of game planning was great too. My buddy and I would always play each other and make fun teams and try to emulate a style or team.

Thinking back, passing felt so right. Nothing felt better than driving up the field, especially late in the game, and throwing for a touchdown. The defense was actually fun too and the tip drill is something Madden hasn't and never will get right. Returning interceptions actually felt real too.

A modern 2k game would be absolutely amazing and would require madden to work harder and make better games.

 

[Rip]

There were some awesome gems in silvers, bronzes, and even generic characters though.

Randall Cunningham was a really good silver QB and Kosar was a great bronze. Christian Okoye was borderline overpowered for a halfback too.

Andre Reed was a good silver WR while Alvin Harper, Cliff Branch, Anthony Carter and Dwight clark were really good bronze WR's

Ben Coates at silver TE, Pete Metzelaars at bronze TE, Brad Van Pelt at bronze OLB, Dexter Manley at TE (almost overpowered), Spielman at bronze ILB and all those dudes. Gold TE's were the most underrated though for sure. Never got into getting starred linemen too much.

 

[ThunderHorse]

There were some awesome gems in silvers, bronzes, and even generic characters though.

Randall Cunningham was a really good silver QB and Kosar was a great bronze. Christian Okoye was borderline overpowered for a halfback too.

Andre Reed was a good silver WR while Alvin Harper, Cliff Branch, Anthony Carter and Dwight clark were really good bronze WR's

Ben Coates at silver TE, Pete Metzelaars at bronze TE, Brad Van Pelt at bronze OLB, Dexter Manley at TE (almost overpowered), Spielman at bronze ILB and all those dudes. Gold TE's were the most underrated though for sure. Never got into getting starred linemen too much.

Yeah,

you play it enough and certain guys start to jump out at you. Van Pelt is a bitch, flat out (I mean that in a good way). He's big and his reach tackle attribute means he can cover even more ground. it's tough to beat that guy to the edge, you may get some extra yards but you're not getting away.

I played around a little bit with using Starred lineman (you can see it in the vid I posted) and got mixed results. One one side of the coin I had all day to throw the ball (just nobody to throw to lol), but sometimes the lineman were almost TOO effective. I tried using a Gold Guard once, I forgot his name, but he would actually pull so fast that he'd always overrun the guy he was blocking, the Silver Guards seemed to be better at pulling and because they weren't running as fast they'd usually find the block okay.

Matchups Matchup Matchups. Get a Gold TE like Shannon Sharpe or Mike Ditka and have fun being able to seal the edge on run plays and rape linebackers in pass coverage.

Really though the special thing for me is Gold Quarterbacks and how they can make throws nobody else can. It's hard to intercept Marino, Montana, Young, etc. because they always put the ball in the perfect spot. only time you can get them is when they throw off their back foot or off balance and even then you're chances aren't great because they can usually make those throws too (which a HOF QB should be able to do. Right?)

 

[Rip]

You wanna know who was a beast tight end? John Mackey. Try him out. Arguably the biggest receiving threat behind Jerry Rice.