Madden '09 demo is out

The demo for Madden 09 dropped a day early. I don't like the way the demo is set up: you get the virtual trainer and get to play as the Giants during their game winning drive in last year's Super Bowl. So your actual play time is very limited and you don't get to play defense at all. Hmm.

Now for the good. First, the game is drop-dead gorgeous. The visuals are just outta sight, looking like the cut scenes from past Madden games. The game plays quite a bit like NCAA only a bit tighter. Supposedly the obvious flaws in NCAA were corrected in Madden. The passing seems well done though drops are a common occurrence. I think EA wants to put more more of an onus on the users by making us hit the manual catch button. We'll see how that goes in the final version of the game. The offensive line doesn't create a real pocket, but it does a better job of protecting you than in the past. Also, if the QB drops back too far passing is no longer an option. This should help against the online cheesers.

The running game seems pretty nicely balanced as the ball carrier fights for extra yards if you use a special move while being tackled. These moves are not only effective but look nice as well. We'll have to hope this isn't too effective.

Defense is obviously a big question mark, as you aren't allowed to play that side of the ball. The CPU gets an effective push with their DL, but no one knows if the same will hold true when you play defense. I have not played enough (or been good enough) to notice if the pursuit angles are broken the way they are in NCAA.

My hopes are high for Madden, which is unusual since I have not enjoyed it in quite a while and I was pretty disappointed with NCAA 09 (pre-patch anyway). The Madden developers say that a patch should be available on release day, so game play should be even tighter than it is in the demo. If that's the case and the most glaring problems from NCAA are taken care of, Madden could be very special indeed. I find myself being skeptical but falling for the hype once again.

NCAA 09: Unfinished Business

Well, there are a TON of issues with NCAA 09 that have seriously taken away a lot of the fun factor for me. From brain-dead AI to things that simply don't work as they should, the game is a buggy mess. Bill Harris over at Dubious Quality has a list made up that sums up the problems beautifully. It reads:

"Game design:
--speed differences are greatly exaggerated (breaks basic gameplay)

Special teams:
--kickoff and punt coverage (horrendous)

Offense:
--CPU quarterback completion percentage (way too high)
--CPU quarterback pass selection (almost no deep passes)
--CPU quarterback response to blitz ("psychic" power)*
--CPU quarterback (ineffective as runner)
--CPU running game (ineffective)
--CPU running backs (overuse of jukes and special moves)*

Defense:
--CPU defensive line (unable to pressure quarterback)
--CPU defense (unable to play man-to-man coverage)
--CPU defense (pursuit angles totally broken)

Officiating:
--penalties (almost none called)

Please note the * by two items: QB response to blitz and RB overuse of special moves. These are subjective evaluations, and hence have a different designation than the other items, which are easy to objectively document.

It's not difficult to see all of these gameplay issues. It doesn't take an expert or a perfectionist. All it really takes is some basic familiarity with college football and an open pair of eyes, because these issues are very, very obvious. Bill Abner (the dean of sports game reviewers) was one of the earliest people in the country to have a final copy of the game, and he quickly documented many of these problems."

Bill could not be more right on the money. The gameplay is just plain broken in many important areas and the sliders that are there to tweak gameplay are ineffective at best. Why was this game shipped with so many problems? Well, that brings us to another brilliant post on another excellent blog, Shawn Drotar's 5WG. In an searing article, entitled EA's Bobbled The Ball, Will It Still Make The Catch? Shawn tells it like it is:

"NCAA Football 09, in particular, definitely feels like a potentially brilliant game got rushed; something that’s bound to happen with sports titles - it’s telling when Electronic Arts’ CEO, John Riccitiello, makes a clear point in an interview with VentureBeat, noting: “I don’t think the investors give a shit about our quality. They care about our earnings per share.” I appreciate Riccitiello’s candor here, because the truth is this: it’s the number of sales, not the quality of the titles, that matter to the multi-billion dollar business; that’s Capitalism 101."

Further, Shawn adds:

"Whether these games can be “patched” or not is only partially germane to the discussion. It’s simply not realistic or proper for EA - or any other developer, for that matter - to expect its customers to purchase essentially unfinished products and hold to the hopes that said company will eventually deliver the complete experience. Nobody went to see “The Dark Knight” last weekend hoping that the film’s climax would turn up in mid-September."


EA is aware of the problems and is working on a patch to address some (but not all) of them. They hope to have the patch released sometime in September. That's 2 months after the game's release. By then, Madden will be out and many people will have moved on from NCAA 09, perhaps even trading the game in for credit towards the purchase of Madden. Will EA care? No, because they will have already gotten your money twice.

Everyone knows games are bound to have a bug or 3 when they are released. But that's not what we are talking about here. We are talking about fundamental problems that keep this game from resembling anything close to a real football game. Is it still fun? In an arcadey way, yes. But this game is supposed to be representative of real college football. After all, by snatching up the exclusive rights to make an NCAA football game, EA has assured that they are the only game in town.

So the patch will eventually arrive and perhaps it will make the game play much better, perhaps not. I'll keep my fingers crossed because I love college football. But given EA's track record, the fact that they already have our money and that they have no competition in the market, I won't be expecting too much.

But boy, Madden sure does look good this year...

Just too damned busy

Sorry for the lack of recent posts, but things have just been insane with John and the other kids. Crazy busy. I have been neglecting the blog and I need to get an article in to BOM as well. Bear with me while I try to get things under control.

Good news today though; Barb is going to nursing school as we had hoped. Her boss has apparently agreed to pay her full salary so that will make it doable. She is extremely excited and I am so happy for her. Congrats, Sweetheart!

NCAA Football '09 is here!

I picked up NCAA '09 this A.M. and have been playing it all morning. So far I am having a blast. I started the Campus Legend mode, where my high school QB led his team to the state championship. He was highly recruited and it just so happened that Michigan offered me the starting job as a freshman! So I made my way to Ann Arbor where I hit he practice field running. In the first game, we blew out Utah and my QB had a great day passing and running and was named the national offensive player of the week. Game 2 was a hard fought battle against Miami (Ohio), but we pulled it out to go 2-0. My stats were down and I threw my first interception, but we got the win so that's what matters. Up next? $@#%&^*! NOTRE DAME. Oughta be a good one.

I'll have more impressions as I play more of the game. Right now I am really liking Campus Legend mode, so I may be there for a while. If anyone wants to play a game over Xbox Live, hit me up!

GTSM gets a big makeover

As you may already know, I write for GTSM (Gaming Theater And Sports Media). Well, that is gonna change, because GTSM is becoming Beyond Media Online! George and Ted, co-founders of GTSM have found us a better, more user-friendly home. Again, I am proud to work for these guys and the staff they have assembled is top notch. Right now we are in transition mode. The switch will be final in a couple of weeks. You can read all about the changes here.

You can be confident that BMO will have the same great writing and friendly forums to make your visits memorable. Please stop by soon!

Finished "Watchmen"

Excellent read. The ending caught me off guard but it was in line with what happened throughout the book. If you are looking to read a graphic novel, this is a great place to start. I need to figure out which one I want to read next.

Worked a double today (16 hrs) so I am tired and going to bed. Have to be back at work in the A.M. I will check back tomorrow (hopefully) with some big news about GTSM.

Goodnight!

Still on the NCAA '09 fence (and more football thoughts)

I am waiting to hear some impressions from someone who gets the PS3 retail version of NCAA Football '09 before the release date. I have read assurances that the PS3 version is identical to the 360 version, but the demos were not really close; the 360 version was much better. I have pre-ordered the PS3 version, but will be switching to the 360 unless I can get confirmation that the PS3 version is up to snuff. Decisions, decisions.

You can read early impressions on the 360 version at Bill Abner's website, The Nut And The Feisty Weasel. Don't be alarmed that Bill is a died-in-the-wool Buckeye's fan. At least it ain't Notre Dame.

Getting psyched as usual for the real football to begin. My beloved Wolverines are in rebuilding mode with a new coach and an entirely different offensive scheme, so it could be a lean year. I am thinking 7 or 8 wins. I do like the direction they are headed though. It was time for new blood and new leadership.

Mizzou has lots of promise this year and I will be following them closely as well, but I honestly think all the talk of an undefeated season is a bit much. I see them losing a couple games this year. Heck, the opener against Illinois should be a real dogfight. My wife and I are thinking about going to this one; it should be a helluva time at the dome.

As far as my St. Louis Rams are concerned, well, let's say I am eager to see what they have this year. I don't foresee more than 6-8 wins this season, but the offense should be exciting with new offensive coordinator Al Saunders, and I am really anxious to see what #1 pick Chris Long and #2 pick Donnie Avery bring to the table. I think Avery could surprise a lot of people, especially with Saunders calling the shots. Once again, the success (and health) of the offensive line will be the key.

Watchmen

I have never gotten into comics. I never read comic magazines when I was a kid. I have never read a "graphic novel" (aka comic book), although I own both 300 (which I will proudly tell you that I got well before the movie was even announced) and From Hell. I bought them because they are supposed to be very good and I was eager to try something new, but I never actually got around to reading them.

I started to get a bit of an interest in comics after I played Marvel Ultimate Alliance on the 360. I picked this game up mainly because it had so many characters to choose from that it seemed to have a lot of replayability. I enjoyed the game immensely. As I played, I slowly got sucked into some of the character's stories and thought it might be cool to learn a bit more about them. But I never followed up on that, either. In fact, I was very interested to see Iron Man in the theaters because of Marvel Ultimate Alliance, but once again, I didn't followed through.

Then Time Magazine came out with an issue about the 100 greatest movies, albums, novels, etc. since 1923. Firmly planted within the 100 best novels list was Watchmen, a graphic novel by Alan Moore, the writer of From Hell. I started reading up on Watchmen and I soon discovered that many folks consider it the best graphic novel yet written. That really piqued my interest. I ordered it from Amazon.com and started reading it just a few days ago. And one word can sum up my feelings:

WOW.

It is incredible (so far). It completely turns the superhero genre upside down and at the same time takes it to spectacular heights. It is at times hysterically funny, especially when talking about when the first masked crime fighters arrived and how silly they all felt giving themselves names, dressing up in costumes and wondering whether it was practical to don capes.

But the amazing achievement of Watchmen is just how psychologically complex all of these characters are. They are presented as real flesh-and-blood people, each with their own code and philosophy. Some are inherently wicked, while others are noble yet misunderstood. Most of them have no real superpowers at all; they are just masked vigilantes who are trying to make the world a better place. Many are misguided and arrogant and most of them lose sight of what their original intent was. It has been an amazing journey so far and I am only about a quarter of the way through the book. I can't wait to pick it back up again. It is that compelling.

This experience has made me very anxious to try other graphic novels, at least the ones that are considered classics in the genre. I imagine that after I finish Watchmen, I will finally get around to 300 and From Hell. A movie adaptation of Watchmen is being made, to be released next year. I can't imagine they will be able to capture the magic of the novel, but I wish them luck. In the meantime, I plan to savor each and every twist and turn in Watchmen.

The Great Novels, vol. 2: The Alienist

The year is 1896. The City is New York.
The hunt is on for a baffling new kind of criminal...

A serial killer.

This is the reading experience of a lifetime.

So read the cover of the paperback edition of Caleb Carr's tremendous suspense novel, The Alienist. I was hooked immediately and bought it on sight. I had read an enthusiastic review of the novel when it was first published in hardcover, so I kind of realized what I was getting into. But I had no idea that it would wind up being one of my favorite works of fiction. I started reading the book on a flight down to Florida, where I was heading for a week of vacation. I ended up finishing the book just a couple of days later; it was too hard not to go back to it, even while staying at a beach side resort.

I have recommended this book to lots of people and the most frequent response has been, "I'm not really into science fiction." Well, neither am I. And despite the strange title, The Alienist has nothing to do with sci-fi. You see, back before the turn of the century (the late 1800's; I keep forgetting about the recent turn of the century), people who were mentally ill were thought to be "alienated" from society. The experts that studied such people were therefore called alienists. They were the forerunners of psychology.

As noted earlier, the novel takes place in 1896. It is a time when future president Teddy Roosevelt is the New York City Police Commissioner. A series of ghastly murders begins; young boys who are paid to dress up as girls to prostitute themselves are being found not just murdered, but strangely mutilated as well. Roosevelt, who is new on the job as commissioner and clashes with the old-school police and high society (due to his effort to fight corruption) stakes his reputation on an unusual team he gathers to solve the crimes. He turns to well-known alienist Dr. Laszlo Kreizler to figure out not only who is committing these heinous crimes, but why they are compelled to do so. Kreizler is a compelling character, supremely intelligent and far ahead of his time but also widely distrusted by virtually everyone, as the study of the human mind was in it's infancy and often seen as crackpot science. Roosevelt has known Kreizler for a long time, however, and trusts his theories. Mutual friend John Moore, a crime writer for the New York Times is brought along by Kriezler, and it is through his eyes the story unfolds. Moore narrates the book and gives a spellbinding account of not only the crimes, but also turn of the century New York. The novel does a terrific job of actually transporting the reader back in time, to a place where carriage rides through dusky street lamp lit roads was the norm.

Kreizler and Moore also recruit Sarah Howard, a strong, fiery woman who yearns to be the first female police officer in the city. Steve Taggert and Cyrus Montrose, two former patients of Kreizler now in his charge, join up and serve various purposes. Roosevelt also wants an official police presence on the team and adds the brothers Isaacson, Marcus and Lucious, who are detective sergeants with a keen interest in criminal science. Through these brothers, we are introduced to radical new procedures such as fingerprinting and other, less successful methods of evidence gathering. And although Roosevelt doesn't interfere, he casts a large shadow over the whole investigation.

As more bodies turn up, it becomes obvious that the immense social divide between rich and poor will only make things more difficult for our investigators. The lowlifes and gangsters don't want their profitable businesses (including prostitution) to become the focus of a police investigation. The rich, meanwhile, don't even want to hear of such sordid crimes and don't care one whit about the victims, as they are "undesirables" to begin with. Narrator Moore shows us both sides of the city and the culture war boiling below the surface.

The investigation takes many twists and turns, dead ends are numerous and promising leads vanish into thin air. All the while, Kreizler keeps us well informed about then-modern psychiatric theories and why he agrees (or disagrees) with them. These ruminations are fascinating and give discreet clues at to what is going on. As the teams gets closer to the answers, they also come closer to alienating everyone in the city: the rich, the poor, the gangsters and of course, the actual killer. And no one around them can be trusted.

Finding the killer is no easy task as they are basically looking for a needle in a haystack. With such seedy characters all around them, there is no shortage of suspects and no shortage of danger either. The pressure on them is enormous as the gangsters push back, the rich try to make it all go away, and the police board and society puts Roosevelt under terrific strain. It bears noting that the Roosevelt character is terrific, full of gumption and vigor, and he becomes flesh and blood before your eyes. Carr does a tremendous job of drawing him out fully and the novel is all the stronger for it.

The Alienist is many things: a page turner, a suspense thriller, an historical work of fiction and a treatise on the early days of psychology. It does all of these things remarkably well and the sum winds up being even greater than the parts. One of the original reviews stated that it was a cross between The Silence Of The Lambs and Ragtime. That's a great line, but mostly because it is completely accurate. You'll be enthralled by the crimes and investigation as well as 1890's New York come to life. Come for the suspense and stay for the atmosphere. The Alienist has it all in spades.