Re: No Euro Game From EA
Do you really want a sim?
I'm pretty sure I do, yes. FIFA could be a lot better without being a sim, but, ideally, I want a really solid sim. I want to be able to lose myself in the game, immersed in football... not constantly having the illusion shattered.
Totally agree with you here but those games were far more arcade orientated and were certainly more fun to play than any football title on current gen.
They were more enjoyable generally because they tended to make fairly unambitious improvements to the previous game, and therefore in terms of gameplay they have been by far the most polished versions almost every time. The main FIFA's have all too often made bigger changes and then lacked polish leading to major balance issues (or worse in the case of the Impact Engine).
They certainly aren't 'far more arcade oriented' than the main FIFA's. Some of them were, to be fair, but, I don't think FIFA 10 WC was significantly more arcade than FIFA 10 or FIFA 11. It's not like one is arcade and one is sim. Either way, it's not the realistic portions of the game which frustrate me in FIFA. That's how I can gauge that I want a sim.
It's more important to me that the game plays well, than it is that it is realistic, but I want both, and, to a large extent, I don't think the two can be separated with a football game.
Fifa could be better yes but couldnt every game? We seem to live in a strange world where every game is over analysed even if that game is very good. Start getting in the habit of that and you just wont enjoy gaming.
Fortunately, even though I am a very harsh critic of the games I play, I have no problems 'enjoying' gaming. I have played some absolutely fantastic games this generation, and am more in love with my hobby than I ever have been.
FIFA just isn't one of those games. It is in some ways - I don't think I've ever had more fun gaming than I have, at times, done on Clubs on FIFA 10 and 11 - but I find myself endlessly frustrated with recurrent flaws year after year after year.
You're right - every game could be better. Not only that, but FIFA is much better than most games and I think it is the best of the football games right now overall. Let's be clear though - FIFA 12 is not a game bordering on perfection which I'm nit picking at. It's a game with lots, and lots of problems which you can find endless discussion of.
As you touched upon, this is just video game marketing speak for: "we either can't or don't wish to spare the manpower required to dev & QA complex changes, it's far more efficient to apply new assets and front-end to what we've got." It makes complete sense, really, from the perspective of a specialised title released on this schedule. Streamlines development greatly, as well as facilitating the many benefits of electronic distribution.
In comparison to the main series, the tournament titles aren't in the same bracket. World Cup 2010 sold around 2.5m copies (Euro 2008 half that), compared to the 10m/11m that the last three main FIFA titles have each shipped. On that basis, it makes sense to divert less resource.
And what is the punter's impulse to buy the tournament game? Is it the quality of the game itself, or are they just looking for the authenticity of the tournament? I don't know the market research but I wouldn't be surprised if it indicated the latter.
I'm a bit of a cynic, but given that most people buy FIFA because they want the 'authenticity of football', I'm pretty sure that will also be the reason why most people buy the Euro/WC/CL spinoffs. In the bigger picture, most of FIFA's problems probably boil down to the fact that the game's sales don't correlate especially well to the game's quality. Pretty much the problem with all of gaming these days (or capitalism in general).
Marketing and humility are yet to be acquainted, as you know. It's just positive spin, a way to avoid ending the blurb on the negative 'there are no gameplay changes'.
I think it's one thing to be confident in your title, but just occasionally it tips over into being arrogance which bites a little, especially when so many people are incredibly frustrated with FIFA's gameplay. It's the kind of thing you don't see from smaller developers because they can't get away with it.
), Euro 2000 and FIFA WC 2002.
I thought they might implement some of the graphics from Street. 
I think I'll pass on this.
