cormack12
Gold Member
Honestly, this year could be the worst in terms of their output, gameplay and actual improvements. I'm not sure they even care about making single player games any more at whcih pint they should have to give up the licenses.
NFL '21 is pretty much a joke and has insane bugs and very little beyond a roster update. Their license is up this year so it's led to people speculting that they've just half arsed it as 2K will get the new license
Social media has been burning with the hashtag of #FixMaddenFranchise
NHL '21 won't even have a cross gen version as they wanted to concentrate on gameplay improvements which from previews have amounted to some sliders for player animations and customising slapshots. It's been in trouble for some time which is why the next gen versionw as supposedly cancelled. Responses to early reveals have not been glowing and again, fall into the same old, same old iteration with very little in way of actual updates/changes.
cogconnected.com
realsport101.com
Some feedback from the technical tests have been given
FIFA '21 arguably their tied biggest franchise which again, has stagnated and drawn ire from even the hardcore FUT reddit and facebook groups. Career mode is now pretty much Champ Manager/Sim instead of focusing on the actual games. The minigames between leagues are like training scenes for interns
Not be completely down, EA are promising there are big changes in Fifa 21 - but how many times have we heard this. Volta - one of the worst game modes ever, even gets a lick of paint.
https://www.pushsquare.com/news/202...improvements_way_more_control_over_your_squad.
They seem to be improvements EA want in the game rather than improvements that the players want. It's difficult to pull any more comments as negative feedback on agile dribbling, sweetspot, near-post shooting, pace meta have been removed from the Fifa sub so you have to go into private facebook groups
UFC 4 has taken a long break since 3 but still even though it promised a lot of improvements, most (like all the above) seem to be animation heavy improvements and haven't really addressed core issues with the game. Although simplifyng the control scheme has helped
web.archive.org
And on the flip side there will also be the staunch defenders of the IPs, but generally you get the same complaints from all franchises that you can probably groups into
- Reskin complaint: Not enough change has been introduced. Previous issues have not been fixed
- New features/modes no-one is asking for: Introducing Blitz, UFC Ultimate Team and Volta and taking up development time that can improve the core game
- Bugs/mechanics: Released with pre-existing bugs/conditions or game mode breaking issues that quickly become a meta and completely wipe out the compettive elements of the game
- New mechanics that don't gel in the game. I'm looking at tactical defending and timed shot in Fifa which are still sort of 'beta' in my mind, though tactical defending has made bigger strides but I feel this is just because they dialled back the AI and upped the stamina
Anyway, these games routinely score above 8 and usually between 9-10, why the fuck do games reviewers never call this shit out? Why does EA get a pass on this? Is it because most mainstream game reviewers prefer to get their hair frosted and play Fall Guys with buttplugs in and don't really know how to review sports games because they are not sports fans? Do we need a brave
sophnar0747
to put down Kingdoms of Amalur and write a shitpiece about this?
FYI, the dual entitlement programmes is good but I think it only includes Fifa/Madden at the moment (NHL is skipping) and it carries over FUT and career progress
NFL '21 is pretty much a joke and has insane bugs and very little beyond a roster update. Their license is up this year so it's led to people speculting that they've just half arsed it as 2K will get the new license
Social media has been burning with the hashtag of #FixMaddenFranchise
NHL '21 won't even have a cross gen version as they wanted to concentrate on gameplay improvements which from previews have amounted to some sliders for player animations and customising slapshots. It's been in trouble for some time which is why the next gen versionw as supposedly cancelled. Responses to early reveals have not been glowing and again, fall into the same old, same old iteration with very little in way of actual updates/changes.

EA Sports NHL 21 Needs Some Puck Luck
Hockey fans around the world are awaiting the word regarding EA's latest take on the NHL series. But, unfortunately, this year's iteration might not be enough to get players back out on the ice.

NHL 21: Review in Progress, First Impressions, Early Access, Gameplay, New Features, Release Date, Franchise Mode, Be A Pro, HUT, Trailer & more
EA dominate the ice, but will their next title improve on last year's offering and raise the bar? Release Dates are speculative unless clearly stated otherwise.
Some feedback from the technical tests have been given


FIFA '21 arguably their tied biggest franchise which again, has stagnated and drawn ire from even the hardcore FUT reddit and facebook groups. Career mode is now pretty much Champ Manager/Sim instead of focusing on the actual games. The minigames between leagues are like training scenes for interns
Not be completely down, EA are promising there are big changes in Fifa 21 - but how many times have we heard this. Volta - one of the worst game modes ever, even gets a lick of paint.
https://www.pushsquare.com/news/202...improvements_way_more_control_over_your_squad.
They seem to be improvements EA want in the game rather than improvements that the players want. It's difficult to pull any more comments as negative feedback on agile dribbling, sweetspot, near-post shooting, pace meta have been removed from the Fifa sub so you have to go into private facebook groups
UFC 4 has taken a long break since 3 but still even though it promised a lot of improvements, most (like all the above) seem to be animation heavy improvements and haven't really addressed core issues with the game. Although simplifyng the control scheme has helped

EA UFC 4 Has Some Clever Surprises, But It's Mostly More Of The Same
Sometimes, when an MMA fighter takes a couple years off, they come back transformed, throwing out so many new looks and techniques that it’s like they spent their entire time away in an extended training montage. Other times, they’re pretty much the same as before, but a little creakier, a...


And on the flip side there will also be the staunch defenders of the IPs, but generally you get the same complaints from all franchises that you can probably groups into
- Reskin complaint: Not enough change has been introduced. Previous issues have not been fixed
- New features/modes no-one is asking for: Introducing Blitz, UFC Ultimate Team and Volta and taking up development time that can improve the core game
- Bugs/mechanics: Released with pre-existing bugs/conditions or game mode breaking issues that quickly become a meta and completely wipe out the compettive elements of the game
- New mechanics that don't gel in the game. I'm looking at tactical defending and timed shot in Fifa which are still sort of 'beta' in my mind, though tactical defending has made bigger strides but I feel this is just because they dialled back the AI and upped the stamina
Anyway, these games routinely score above 8 and usually between 9-10, why the fuck do games reviewers never call this shit out? Why does EA get a pass on this? Is it because most mainstream game reviewers prefer to get their hair frosted and play Fall Guys with buttplugs in and don't really know how to review sports games because they are not sports fans? Do we need a brave

FYI, the dual entitlement programmes is good but I think it only includes Fifa/Madden at the moment (NHL is skipping) and it carries over FUT and career progress

