Need for Speed2 Xbox A Sloppy Excuse (1 Viewer)

[RayKk]

On my first review I rated the game after about 3 hours play and I slightly tried to favor the game because Ive been a NFSer from version 1 in Dos, now I have gotten further into it and loaded NFS Hot Pursuit, NFS High Stakes and Porsche Unleashed into my PC and started looking around because the sceneries looked very familiar, I also looked at the PS2 version, now Im pissed at EA.
NFS for Xbox is a cheap slapped together watered down nothing new sloppy conversion, this was not what I was expecting from a block buster series of racing games that EA made for PC, EA basically said lets slap together what we have from previous games and add a little bit of scenery change and some other minor things, the PS2 version has more things to it, is there something wrong with Xbox owners or something, is EA pissed at Microsoft, just what the hell were they thinking of, I know all about reusing code and graphics but this is ridiculous what happened to quality! I am most likely going to stop buying anything EA.
Final thought, THE GAME IS CRAP AND LIKELY TO PUT IT ON TOUR. See miles of boredom tour thread and you will know what I mean. http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...threadid=99097

 

[Chris Flynn]

I'm glad to see someone else who's upset at EA and their poor excuses for Xbox games.

Facts:

1. We get nothing but sub-standard ports from the PS2 with almost every EA game released. Case in point - Need for Speed : High Stakes 2, Madden 2003.

2. EA flat out refuses to incorporate online play in their Xbox sports franchises. Case in point - Madden 2003.

3. EA has a poor support record for games they release. Case in point - Rampant cheating in Medal of Honor : Allied Assault for PC with no patch or Punkbuster support in sight.

Electronic Arts is a sad excuse for a game publisher these days, and although they have a few talented development houses under their name, they are second only to Acclaim in the poor quality of most of their titles. This goes double for Xbox and Gamecube releases.

 

[Ryan Peter]

I don't think I could go a day without my daily Need For Speed 2 Xbox review.

 

[James Zos]

It will probably cheer you up to know that the Xbox Medal of Honor game is expected to be a direct port of the crappy looking PS2 version, with some multiplayer modes thrown in. Gamecube owners can stop smiling though because EA is expected to do the same thing with the Gamecube version of MOH.

 

[Lou Sytsma]

The NFS series has always underwhelmed me.

 

[BrianB]

Why is there /two/ threads complaining about NFS on the XBox? Surely one is enough?

 

[Peter Manojlovich]

EA knows which side of the bread their butter is on. It's the ps2, so if you're an xbox owner get used to insult upon injury from the good ol' boys at EA.

EA along with Sony has entered into a disinformation campaign claiming all three current next-gen consoles are essentially the same performance-wise. However, back in year 1 of the ps2, both companies were talking about just how much more powerful the ps2 was to the dreamcast. Sony had all sorts of charts showing the wide disparity in polygon pushing power, etc. EA of course, shunned the dc completely, and went on to arrogantly but, correctlly profess that without their support, the dc was as good as dead. Now, that the ps2 is on low end of the food chain from a spec standpoint, all three consoles are mysteriously the same.

EA will do what it can, to maintain the ps2 as the console leader, because this is where their greatest sales lie. So, no online for the xbox madden, a different developer for NFS:HP2, late port jobs like MOH:Frontline, MIA games like Battlefield 1942(Does anyone know wha'ts going on with the xbox version.) Absolutely no attempt to exploit xbox advanced hardware graphic features they know the ps2 would not be able to replicate.

EA is about one thing and one thing only, MONEY. They have no intention of advancing the state-of-the-art in videogaming. They program to lcd and look to cater to the largest demographic. When was the last time EA took any type of real risk, when it comes down to game development. Sad, really, when you think about EA's origins under Trip Hawkins, who tried to profile game developers as artists who should receive the same type of attention that writers, musicians, and other creative individuals receive on a normal basis. EA is the defintion of a corporate game developer selling videogames like a butcher sells steaks.

 

[Brandon_H]

Programming to the lowest common denominator and catering to the largest demographic keeps EA in business. Like it or not, it's good business sense and strategy.

EA is not a first-party, second-party or "boutique" software developer. If it were, it might be able to justify spending millions to develop versions of popular franchises solely for Xbox and Gamecube, in order to capitalize on those consoles' specific abilities.

As it stands, EA can't justify those costs. Frankly, incurring those costs probably wouldn't even increase sales by much, if at all. If a significant sales increase were possible, EA would indeed spend the money to go all out on its Xbox and Gamecube titles.

Believe me, it has done the market research. It has done the cost-benefit analysis. It doesn't care whether you boycott its Xbox titles, because you and the few thousand other (currently) pissed-off gamers wouldn't generate enough sales to pay for the increased development expense needed to do an Xbox version right.

As an Xbox owner, am I pleased with this approach? No. But i understand it. Yes, EA is "only" about the money. All businesses ultimately are. Yes, EA does what it can to maximize sales of its PS2 product, because that's where EA makes its money. That's good business sense.

Let's take a look at EA's largest competitor, Sega. Sega HAS had some outstanding support for Xbox of late. It has released a number of titles exclusively for Xbox, and done an admirable job of enhancing its Xbox ports. Has it paid off? I doubt it.

According to IGN, "NBA 2K2" Xbox sold 90,000 copies. The PS2 version sold 375,000 copies. "NFL 2K3?" A little closer -- Xbox 60,000, PS2 78,000. "NCAA 2K3?" Xbox 6,000, PS2 13,000.

Wonder why Sega scorned Xbox with "Virtua Fighter 4," arguably its most important franchise? Because the PS2 version was able to sell 360,000 copies. Sega's best-selling Xbox title sold 90,000. Sega will give Xbox the "boutique" games, the Jet Set Radios (80,000 copies sold) and the GunValkyries (50,000 sold) of the world. But when it comes to the titles that pay the bills, even Sega goes where the money is. That's business. That's life.

 

[James Zos]

It is sad that both the Xbox and the Gamecube have far greater graphics power than the PS2, yet companies like EA design everything around the PS2's specs, in a sense crippling the other systems, because the PS2 has the largest market share. If the same game on all three systems doesn't benefit from what the two most powerful ones can do, it is essentially still a PS2 game, no matter what system it is on. If the same game looks the same on all three systems (or even worse, if it is a particularly bad port) mainstream consumers will see no reason to consider the other two. "Hey my Playstation version looks just as good as the other guys!" It's a vicious circle.

 

[RayKk]

It seems like Game publishers are going the Music industry route, NFS is just a best hits of previous versions with poor graphics just look at how many times the Rolling Stones were repackaged and look at the dilemma the music industries in now, they blame pirating on everything, I was looking at some cds the other day and counted only 1-2 good songs on various cds, they have been conning artists and the consumer for years before Napster, then they have the balls to indict the public as being dishonest, it seems the same thing is going to happen to gaming, is it the greatest hits innuendo or is it piracy, who is going to bring who down.

 

[Brandon_H]

A bit off topic, but I'm not sure I follow your logic there. Everyone knows when they buy a "Greatest Hits" CD, what they are getting -- a collection of previously released material, maybe with one or two new songs. If you don't like the Stones enough to buy the album for those new songs, you don't buy it. I don't think that counts as a "con" on the music industry's part.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the music biz is full of saints and angels. But "greatest hits" compilations and repackaging popular products don't make them devils, either.

 

[RayKk]

Im comparing the gaming software industry to the music industry (and I like the Stones) NFS for Xbox is merely a video game greatest hits equivalent to a music greatest hits
cd, you can repackage it all you want eventually you will get tired of it, the format and game box may change but it seems the content remains the same, we are the end user, we pay good money so we can demand better but is anybody listening???
P.S if I have 3 cds that contain all the same cuts as 1 greatest hits cd has, do I buy it? I figure the only reason to buy it is to save space in my cd changer, as for the NFS game I bought it expecting a upgrade and utilization for the Xbox power (a new format).

 

[BrianB]

as for the NFS game I bought it expecting a upgrade and utilization for the Xbox power

So you completely ignored all the reviews that stated is wasn't what you wanted?

 

[RayKk]

I bought the game before any real reviews where out (my mistake I admit it) but somebody has to buy it and review it, the game sites who advertise software wont give it a proper review worrying about revenue (their always good with words), I went in with high expectations from a proven record with NFS. I've spent my money now Ill wait for somebody else to spend their money first on the next round.

 

[Duane Robinson]

Is it really that expensive to start development of a game on the GC or Xbox then port it down to the PS2? Are you telling me that adding bump-mapping to a game, better textures, and ensuring that it runs at a decent frame rate on one of the more advanced systems and then taking these features out for the system that can't handle it would bankrupt a huge company like EA. I'm sorry but that's BS. It's been said that it's harder programming for the PS2, so why not start the game on the other two consoles that are easier to program for and get a good product out and then port it to the system with the biggest userbase. When people see the difference they can either stick with their less advanced version or upgrade to one of the other consoles so that they can have a better gameplaying experience.

What ever happened to ensuring that the consumer got the best product that you are capable of delivering? Guess that's too much to ask for these days. Well I know where my money will go, to developers who want to give me the total package of graphics and gameplay. I'm done spending my hard earned money on half a game while these developers guard their bottom lines and try to cheat me out of my money. If a game is coming to all three systems I see no reason not to take advantage of the best hardware that's out there and allowing customers to make the choice of which version they want to buy. I own a PS2 and if I want PS2 games I'll buy it for the PS2 (might even get it cheaper). Buying the same PS2 game in an Xbox or GC box does not change the fact that it's still a PS2 game. That's why this whole graphic whore thing bothers me.

It seems like people have been brainwashed into accepting these developers' mediocrity. There's nothing wrong with playing a game that's not state of the art but there's also nothing wrong with demanding high quality games that offer both graphics and gameplay. With games like GT3, Metal Gear Solid, Halo, Rogue Squadron, Moto GP, and Rallisport Challenge why should we settle for games like New Legends, Bruce Lee, Wreckless, and all these mediocre half-games. Since when as a consumer is a companies' bottom line more important than what you get for your money. Let them worry about their bottom lines and sort that crap out, all we should be worrying about is getting our money's worth when we plop down our $50 on the counter.

 

[Brandon_H]

I'm not a developer, but I would think it would be a lot easier to port up than down. If you build a nigh-perfect Xbox game, you would have to cripple it to port it to PS2 -- which has the biggest user base and the most sales potential. You concentrate your resources on where you can maximize your profit.

You're absolutely right about this - if you don't like what EA is doing (and EA is hardly the only company "guilty" of this) -- you don't have to buy its product. You can spend your money on something else. That's the beauty of capitalism.

I own all three systems. I read the early reviews and bought NFS:HP for the PS2. Most of the time, I'll buy the Xbox versions of EA games, if only for the moderately improved graphics. But I don't expect EA to spend the time and money to add bump-mapping, 720p output, etc. to an XBox port that isn't going to recoup that investment in sales.

The only way this is going to change is for the Xbox to become the dominant console. Then, PS2 owners will whine and complain about "shoddy" ports that don't take advantage of their hardware's strengths.

 

[James Zos]

What strengths would those be? Seriously, I mean in terms of graphics - what strengths does the PS2 have over the other two?

 

[RayKk]

This is getting to be a great thread, I enjoy reading all the replies, its this kind of stuff that makes people aware and not only that the software companies read these boards, Ive been in the programming business for a long time and I tell you after they read this kind of stuff there are 1 of 2 things they do, they dismiss you and make sure the bottom line is ok or they act on it, the problem today is too many revert to current bottom line (thats what the share holder wants) the fast buck but hey look at high tech today, look at all the companies that went south, they where multi billion dollar companies ON PAPER, when it came time to pay the piper (programmers heating bills and massages) there was no fu**ing money, just paper with bullshit forecasts and expectations.
Ya I know Im swaying from the topic but it all ties in.

 

[Derrik Draven]

What strengths would those be

...the cool, blue, L.E.D.?

 

[Ricky Hustle]

Just how many threads are needed to discuss this game anyway?