What FIFA can learn from the NBA 2K series

Us Europeans are a football loving continent, it is something that we hold very close to our hearts and are, in total, the champions of. As a result, the yearly balls fest that is FIFA is always a huge event, selling loads and being lauded by critics, the FIFA franchise is widely regarded as the best sporting game in the world; only by European journalists though. Take a 5 hour trip across the pond and the biggest game out there is the NBA, or to a Europeans eyes, 'moving netball'. Whilst FIFA is the most popular and successful sporting simulator in Europe, over in America, the NBA 2K series is massive, and unlike FIFA, it introduces considerable changes with each iteration. After spending over 5 months with 2K12, playing a game of FIFA seems incredibly dull and lifeless, the 2K series just does things so much better. Here is what FIFA can learn from the brilliant NBA 2K series.....

Atmosphere

Football is all about the atmosphere, just look at the World Cup. If you have ever been to a live match you have experienced that buzz of community and passion, but on FIFA? Its pretty dead. Whereas the 2K series conveys the electric atmosphere and the excitement of the sport, FIFA seems to be very subdued. The crowd sing dully, the pitches are dull, and the presentation is slick, but rather dull, the list goes on. By taking tips from the team at 2K sports, the FIFA franchise would see a much needed improvement with increased atmosphere. In NBA 2K12, it feels like you are watching a real life match, in FIFA? It feels like your watching a D-League stinker.

Presentation
Over the years FIFA has improved its presentation and feel. It is a very classy affair, with shiny gold menus and swooshing sounds. But, when you dive into a game, the nearest thing you come to a slick slide is the EA Sports logo spinning. The NBA series creates its feeling of realism by its in-game presentation. Different replays are sponsored by different companies, player statistics pop up to show you even more information and the screen transitions are constantly changing. As a result, each game feels like a televised affair, not an arcade experience like with FIFA. If FIFA were to include new camera's, a range of replays and an overall wider array of transitions, it would become much closer to watching a game on Sky Sports, a huge step for a game which strives to be realistic.

Crowd
Every year that FIFA makes a large gameplay innovation, the crowd are always forgotten. Much like the previous points, the crowd in FIFA results in a slightly boring affair. They hardly move at all, they seem to be lifeless and when they do move, it is in perfect synchronisation. Whilst the 2K series does not have 20,000 separate animations for every spectator, the range of movements are enough for you to believe the crowd are not simply copy and pasted all over. Although this may not be a major point when you are playing the as game you take little notice of the crowd, but much like the atmosphere and presentation, it creates a more cohesive experience that makes you feel like you are watching a live match, not playing a £40 game.

We are all individuals! 

Care and Attention
In no way does the FIFA series lack a love for the game, but when compared to the 2K series, FIFA seems as loving as Freddy Krueger. One thing that the NBA prides itself on is its rich history of players, so to celebrate this, the 2K series include 'Greatest Mode' which consists of famous matches where specific players showed their true power. Classic basketball players ranging from Michael Jordan to Bill Russel each have era-specific games, all of which are full of love and passion for the sport. As an added bonus, older games have a black and white tone and simple presentation, once again making it all the more authentic. However, when compared to basketball, football blows it out of the water for history. Imagine playing famous and infamous football games as footballs greatest ever players; Pele, Maradonna, Bobby Moore, Frank Beckenbaur. Partner this with a carefully created period specific style, and you have yourself onto something truly special.

The FIFA series is great, there is no denying. Grab 4 friends, 4 controllers and a game of FIFA and you have yourself one of gamings greatest gifts. But, much like any game, there is always room to improve. The NBA 2K series is the greatest sporting franchise. I haven't even mentioned the fantastic My Player Mode, the streamlined Association and the gorgeous graphics, but small steps are the the most effective. By making these improvements, the FIFA franchise could become much closer to its real life counterpart, and as a result, become one of if not the greatest sporting simulator out there. 

LittleBigPlanet Karting? Deja Vu.

Canadian retailer Future Shop Gamer announced on Twitter yesteray that the next installment in PS3 franchise LittleBigPlanet will be a karting game. Unlike previous LBP games, LBP Karting is supposedly being developed by the team at United Front- who created last years Modnation racers- and will be released alongside a Move steering wheel. Whilst this is great news for fans of both LittleBigPlanet and kart racing games, we cannot help but feel a little dubious.

I adore Media Molecule in every way. I love the way they work, their ethics and above all their awesome creation of LittleBigPlanet. After LBP 2 was released last year, I along with many other people were incredibly excited to see what their next project was. Brimming with pure creativity, the team and Media Molecule can literally create anything they want to, and as the little darlings so Sony's exclusive rally, they would have the world at the finger tips. I'm not doubting LBP Karting, just slightly irritated that the team have not gone onto something completely original and even something revolutionary, as LittleBigPlanet was one of this generations only and most innovate titles.


Another rumour emerged this morning claiming that LittleBigPlanet Karting is actually Modnation Racers 2, but utilising the LBP name to gain extra sales. This is completely understandable to be honest and a good move but either company, but the LittleBigPlanet franchise should move on and the team at MM should try something new. It is obvious that they are sticking to what they know best and as they create the best and really only Create. Play. Share gaming franchise, but the genre defining concept deserves its own new ip and platform.

The kart racing genre is great, I personally adore it. Whether it be Modnation Racers, Mario Kart or Sonic Sega All Star Racing, a karting game can always bring a childish grin to my face. Modnation racers offered an incredibly easy to use track creation method and I cant really see a next instalment approving on something that was almost perfect. Media Molecule are the place to go for innovation, and although a new karting game would be great, we've already seen 'Karting Creation' done to an absolute tee. Other genres could benefit hugely from a LBP spark, say the stale FPS genre or even the puzzle genre. We would love to see MM try their hands in those areas, not the karting genre.


LittleBigPlanet Karting will be amazing, I'm sure of it. Unless the team at Media Molecule all get struck with an internal alien, murderous parasite, I'm pretty certain they can create the pinnacle of the Create. Play. Share genre. I, along with many others just feel they could have been a bit more adventurous, taken more risks and dived into the deep end. However, any game with Sackboy in is a stamp of innovation and originality, so heres to LittleBigPlanet Karting!

Twisted Metal Impressions

If you have stumbled onto the PSN since yesterday you may have noticed a giant flaming clown face staring at you. Yes, this is the demo for the widely anticipated new Twisted Metal developed by the infamously outspoken David Jaffe and his team at Eat Sleep Play, and after putting in around 2 hours of solid gameplay, here are my overall impressions of the demo:


The demo offers 4 different modes, a training mode for single player and a challenge mode which is simply a 'last man standing' match, with 10 other AI opponents. Sadly, there are only 2 maps on offer, but as this is a demo, this is wholly understandable. The training mode does a very good job at introducing you to the controls and how the game runs, but the challenge mode seems to be, well, too much of a challenge. Supposing a cautious gamer is going to try their hand at the challenge mode before the online, its a little unforgiving and a bit too difficult. There is a choice of two modes if you choose to play online, a classic deathmatch and a new game mode named Nuke which was shown at E3 2010. Out of both modes Nuke seems to be much more team orientated and structured whilst, although it is still incredibly fun, the standard deathmatch is incredibly hectic and chaotic.

So the game modes for the demo are overall solid, offering 3 completely different styles of play and a very comprehensive tutorial, which comes as a surprise in these modern times. In terms of a look (I understand this is a demo, but its pretty close to the final thing), the game looks great. The animations are incredibly smooth which is a god-send when the screen is filled with colourful rockets and projectiles The car models seem to be very detailed and wonderfully designed. There also seems to be an overall darker tone to Twisted Metal, much like Black, which was almost too dark. Its not exactly cel shaded, but the style is certainly very bold with a very dark colour palette. Whilst the look is certainly atmospheric, some longer lines of sights look slightly dull and brown, however, this may just be a personal preference.

The demo offers a range of vehicles, including a motorbike and even a new helicopter.

The actual gameplay is very fun and mental, which suits the game perfectly. Even after a short tutorial, you will be able to send huge flying homing missiles or even be able to utilise the amazing special attacks to great extent. There are many power ups spread around the map but a seemingly dire lack of health packs which is a mild irritant. The one main niggle with the entire Twisted Metal demo though are the controls. Do forgive me, but I have never played a TM game before so I may be completely new to the franchise's control scheme, but as a newcomer the control lay out is incredibly counter intuitive and unnatural. The use of Square for accelerate and X for sharp turn seems to be a very strange choice as most games would have the controls the other way round. Likewise, the use of the L2 and R2 buttons for firing is awkward as L1 and R1 are change weapons, resulting in a constant scramble of weapon choice and then shooting. Apart from the counter intuitive control scheme, the responses are very sharp (which is needed!) and seem to incorporate all moves nicely. 

So there we are. I understand that it is merely a demo but I think many of you will agree that it is pretty close to the final thing. I love the huge array of weapons, the awesome style and the smooth gameplay, so chuck in the amazingly deranged characters and a full rooster of modes, and Twisted Metal is a must buy release for me. Twisted Metal is bound to be a hit in the US, but over in Europe? Im not so sure. Us Europeans may find it a bit to explosive and manic, but Eat Sleep and Play, you have gained yourself one extra customer in the form of yours truly.

Who Rocksteady should tackle next

After the runaway success of Batman: Arkham City earlier this year, suggestions have started flying regarding who Rocksteady should tackle next. A rumour today tipped off the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise as a forefront runner, but whilst that would be awesome, I mean, their bloody turtles who are ninjas, Rocksteady could experiment with many other franchises. Here are a few that would benefit hugely from the 'Rocksteady' treatment:


Spider Man

Spider Man games have always been a bit 'meh'. Usually plagued by repetitive combat and dull flat settings, the worlds favourite web-slinger has never really been transformed from page to game very well. 2010 Spiderman: Shattered Dimensions seemed to steer the franchise back on track but ultimately, last years An Edge in Time completely destroyed all that was good about the former. A darker more moody Spider Man would look great and after seeing the ease of which Batman can fly about Arkham City, Spidey's iconic web slinging would fit right at home. Whack in the huge array of villains from the Batman series and you have a whole range of enemies to cause Spidey as much pain as possible.




Fantastic Four
Forget the crap films (except that wonderful Jessica Alba in a skin tight suit......), The Fantastic Four are one of Marvel's oldest creations and also one of their most awesome. Rocksteady could experiment with a four player co-op mode where each person takes control of a single player. Throw in the unique powers and skill sets for each character and you've got yourself a wholly new multiplayer experience. It would be interesting to see if Rocksteady could create a rich and immersive online experience after the absorbing single player Batman as it would act as a true test of the developers skills. A Fantastic Four game would have to have one of the many classic Fantastic Four story arcs, but after seeing Rocksteady's interpretation of Arkham Asylum, there is little doubt that they would slip up here.




X-Men

Much like The Fantastic Four, a new X-Men game could rock the online world. There have been previous X-Men games but, surprise surprise, they were rubbish. Rocksteady could take the franchise and make it into something completely new. Once again an online feature would be welcome as you could take on the world with your 'posse', perhaps being reminiscent of Red Dead Redemption's free roam mode. However, a single player experience would be just as involving with the narrative, carefully, changing characters. The pacing would be excellent with a manic Wolverine level seamlessly blending into a supernatural Storm mission. It would be a lot of work and could be risky with unbalanced characters and a confusing story, but if one studio could nail that, it would be Rocksteady. 








Watchmen
Whereas Arkham City was an open world experience that, unlike Arkham Asylum, allowed player freedom, an adaptation of Watchmen would have to be a very focused, linear game. Whilst some people dislike the linear style of gaming, games like Portal and even the Call of Duty series show that developers can camouflage the sigh posting in such ways that it is almost unnoticeable. Watchmen is hailed as one of the greatest graphic novels of all time, and it is understandable at that. The story is detailed and twisting whilst it handles mature themes and, like the Dark Knight films, shows the real life troubles experienced by super heroes. Not only would a Watchmen game offer a new look at the famous novel, but it also could potentially handle very mature themes whilst being a superhero game. The actual gameplay may not be the most inventive ever with a stronger concentration of hand to hand combat (which Rocksteady have nailed in their Batman games), but the game could offer one of the greatest stories ever told with a focused design. And it would make nerds around the world squeal with joy!




Deadpool
Deadpool is quite an unknown character, which is surprising supposing he is one the most unique and hilarious superheroes out there. The beauty of Deadpool is that he breaks the fourth wall a lot. In his comics he constantly talks to the reader, sharing his views and even occasionally offering criticism to his own comics. Only has Psycho Mantis in MGS 2 broken down the infamous fourth wall, and when he did it the gaming world took a gasp in amazement at what was happening before their eyes. Deadpool features in Marvel vs Capcom 3 and he talks to the player then. It is funny and is something new that us gamers rarely ever see. I truly believe that not only would a Deadpool Rocksteady game be awesome as his combat is out of this world and his back story rich, but by breaking down the fourth wall Rocksteady could truly create something new and unique.










Hellboy
I have a soft spot for Hellboy. I loved his films and Ron Pearlman is simply out of this world with his bass-ey voice and terrifying stature. Rocksteady could create an awesome atmosphere and setting with a more supernatural vibe with demons and monsters etc. It would be a perfect mixture of realism and fantasy and although it would be a step away from the Batman universe, Rocksteady could create an amazing experience. Hellboy would heavily concentrate on hand to hand combat, but there is also the usage of modern day and experimental weaponry, and as a result, a more clunky version of Devil May Care would be the answer here. Add in the co-op partner of Abe Sapien and you can have a two player experience, perhaps even a completely different story to go with it.










What would you like to see Rocksteady attempt? Would you like another Batman who do you think another superhero deserves their time in the spotlight? Leave a comment of your thoughts! Thanks
James

We don't need the next generation now!

This week there has been an explosive new array of rumours all 'confirming' that Sony and Microsoft will announce their next generation consoles, the PS4 and Xbox 720, at E3 this year. Coming from gaming site MVC, the rumours have gathered great controversy and have set the gaming world alight, sparking debates bout specs, launch games, and marketing strategies etc. However, whilst a new step in technology is always welcomed, the 8th generation is not needed now.

Im fine thanks!

Just a quick peek back at 2011 will show you the huge range of incredible games released on modern day consoles. Games such as Crysis 2 and Battlefield 3 pushed the Xbox 360 and PS3 to their graphical limits, and as a result we were blessed with two stunning games that even five years ago, would have deemed impossible. Likewise, the releases of Portal 2, Skyrim and Batman Arkham City stand as testaments to how far developers have come with their utilisation of today's consoles. Look at Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion; released in 2006 is hailed as one of the greatest RPG's of all time, yet, skip ahead 5 years time to the release of Skyrim and you can see Bethesda's newly found skill at squeezing every last drop from today's machines. Textures are profoundly better, the atmosphere built is staggering and the shear size of it blows any other game out of the water.

Looks nice doesn't it?

Developers are finally understanding how to get the best out of our consoles, and there is no need to rush this. By releasing the next generation of consoles, developers will be forced to suddenly abandon all hard work of Generation 7 and move straight into making below par games for a new, confusing and intimidating console. This is now more prevalent than with Sony's console, the Playstation 3. Originally slated to have a 'ten year life span', a mere 5 years on and we are being faced with the concept of a new console, hardly ten years! Also, PS3 gamers have had to put up with average and occasionaly crappy ports form Xbox games for the last 3 years, but, as 2011 has shown, developers are starting to become much more accustomed with the PS3 and are able to utilise it in every way possible. Just look at Gabe Newell and Valve. Newell claimed the PS3 'was closed like a GameCube' in 2006, only to swallow his pride in 2010 by appearing on stage at E3 to exclaim that Portal 2 'would be the best on PS3'. This sudden change in attitude towards the console is due to developers greeting used to how it works, and as a result, better games can be created.


Gaming is about evolution, and whilst a new generation is always going to offer a wide new choice of games and technology, it is not needed now as we have reached a point in time where developers have finally nailed this generation. Lets savour this moment for a while and cherish the incredibly roster of games that are out and are coming out.