Need for Speed2 Xbox A Sloppy Excuse (1 Viewer)

[Iain Lambert]

Given that a PAL HD standard doesn't even exist, and takeup in NTSC land is still small, I hardly think that they are shutting out a major section of their market by investing the time in other areas. I really like the inclusion of 16x9 modes, as I game on a widescreen TV, but I'll admit that it tends to be European dev houses that do this, since its only here that 16x9 isn't a tiny minority either.

 

[RayKk]

You can argue all you want on graphics over game play, for my money I want both, if EA does not want to do both then don't do the game, get the hell out, judging by the response on here and other threads, most people are ready to tell EA to FO

 

[Iain Lambert]

I'm not trying to make people buy games they don't want to, and I think its perfectly reasonable for you to choose games that will make the most of your advanced setup over ones that won't. Its just that, on a worldwide scheme of things (and EA are very definitely thinking worldwide with a game like LotR, not just the US) - support for minority hardware is always going to take a backseat to features that are useful to everyone.

 

[James Zos]

Yes, but if you look at the thread about EA's new hockey game on the Xbox, the complaint is not about a lack of support for advanced features, it is about a stuttering frame rate .... surely we can all agree that that a steady frame rate should at least be a minimum requirement?

 

[RayKk]

Does anybody know EA's customer service email address as I am having trouble locating it and maybe if you people are interested we could all email them, it would be very interesting if we get a real response back (bots not included) and throw in a link to this thread or other threads you know about, I don't expect anything back from them but it would be a good confirmation that they don't give a sh*t.

P.S leave email on this thread if you have one.
Thanks

 

[Kevin Alexander]

If this is all about EA not wanting to lose money on XBOX "extras" because of the smaller user base, I have an idea for EA: Save even more money and don't make the game at all! If EA favors Sony, I can live w/ that. After all, this is a business. But to intentionally screw XBOX owners is low.

 

[Brandon_H]

I don't see how EA not spending a lot of time and money on Xbox "extras" is screwing anybody.

There are plenty of consumers out there who DON'T have Hi-Def widescreen TVs, or 5.1 surround systems, who only own one console -- the Xbox -- and want to play "Madden," "NBA Live," etc. on their systems. EA is putting out a product that those consumers want. It might not be spending money to optimize for hardware features that few can take advantage of, but they are releasing a product in demand.

For those of us who want Xbox-optimized games, we can exercise our freedom of choice and buy something else. If there are enough of us to hurt EA's sales, the company will reconsider its Xbox strategy and begin optimizing its releases for the system.

For all of us on this board bitching about EA's Xbox ports, there are hundreds of satisfied customers who don't know or care about the differences between the PS2 and Xbox versions. If enough people did care, EA would spend the time and money needed to optimize for Xbox in order to secure those sales.

Like it or not, we are not representative of the mass market, and won't be for a number of years. For us to get what we want on a vast scale, 1.) Xbox would have to be the leading console, and 2.) HDTV would have to be as much of a commodity as TV.

 

[RayKk]

That what I say also, don't buy EA unless they smarten up.
I do own a high def TV and 5.1 sound system but I got that way after the Xbox was released and I was just using a standard 27" Sony with just composite input without S video and the games such as Halo and Rallisport still looked great mind you not as good as new XBR450 but it was good enough to stop me from buying PC games and spending a whack of money on graphic cards, I held off and doing a major upgrade on my PC and threw the money into a new TV and sound system, I've lost interest in playing games on a 21" monitor as I find it better and more comfortable to sit in a lounger starring at a TV then sitting upright in front of a computer monitor, I've talked to allot of people who have dropped the PC gaming for console gaming merely because they were getting pissed at the fact that 6 months down the road new games coming out required more power and the frame rates dropped because they now didn't have enough power in GPU or CPU to handle it, then you have to down grade graphics and turn off TSR's or overclock to get frame rate.

 

[Kevin Alexander]

Brandon, you're completely missing the point. This is not just about having a game optimized for the XBOX. A game designed for the PS2 and then ported to the XBOX should not look noticably worse, play noticably worse, have fewer levels, and be as buggy as hell than the same PS2 game. Are you trying to tell us that we're not seeing things correctly? Is it too much to ask for a game at least on par w/ the PS2 counterpart?

 

[Brandon_H]

No, I absolutely agree. If you my previous posts in this thread, I think you'll see that.

 

[Kevin Alexander]

Sorry Brandon. I misunderstood your comments. I didn't mean to sound as if I was going on the offensive. I guess my post above was a bit ambiguous.

 

[Brandon_H]

No problem.

The issue here, I think, is that for whatever reason, EA dropped the ball on the Xbox and 'Cube versions of NFS -- the latest of some stupid errors in their ports lately.

It's too much to expect EA to spend time and money to enhance a game significantly for superior hardware, when that hardware doesn't have the user base to support those expenditures.

But regardless of platform, EA has to put a quality product out there -- no bugs, and no missing features without good reason. If it can't do that, it deserves all the ridicule hurled its way.

 

[BrianB]

without good reason

That's the thing. A lot of people here are blindly accusing EA of going out of their way to screw over XBox owners. From what /I've/ heard, the dev process for NFS on the GC & XBox simply didn't go to plan. That's a damn good reason.

 

[RayKk]

I also heard he dev process didn't go the way EA wanted it to but the fact is they put it out now they have to live with it, why did they release it at this state, they obviously thought it was good enough, what where their beta testers thinking of (did they have any?).
My opinion is the consumer should stop buying and living with what ever software companies throw out at them, frankly I don't give a damn what problems the companies have, they themselves have to iron out their own problems because if they don't the consumer will straighten them out over time, if you think IM being a little rough with the companies here I take it from experience, software companies I have worked for gave ridiculous deadlines and expectations from the upper management, many who have no development experience just bean counting, but thats the way it goes, when you have a ridiculous deadline, you work endless hours on end, you get tired, you get careless and you make mistakes.

 

[Brandon_H]

I do and don't agree with you, Brian. I don't think EA is blindly going out of its way to screw over Xbox owners. At the same time, I believe someone at EA should have asked some hard questions about what happened with the Xbox and Gamecube versions, and maybe pulled the plug or shifted gears a lot earlier.
The product out there has some significant flaws, judging from reviews and forum comments. I have to wonder why these weren't spotted, and dealt with, at an earlier point in the development process.
If EA couldn't develop the three versions simultaneously, it could have pulled the plug on the Xbox and Cube versions. It would have lost some development money, of course, but EA hasn't been shy about yanking promising titles that weren't living up to quality standards ("Aliens: Colonial Marines" being one recent example.)
Worst-case scenario, EA is out development money and HFS quietly becomes a PS2-only title. No inferior product would be foisted on Xbox and Gamecube owners. Later, if PS2 sales warranted, EA could have ported that version over to Xbox and Gamecube.
I know EA is under pressure. It takes a lot of heat for delays/cancellations in its high-profile titles, and that heat could certainly translate into a hit to the stock price. But NFS isn't "Madden."
Maybe I'm wrong, but I doubt many people would have cried wolf much if EA had said, months ago, "The Gamecube and Xbox versions weren't progressing nicely enough. We're dropping them." Or, as is so often the case, EA could have said nothing at all, instead letting the cancelled versions slip away quietly to their deaths, as happens to so many announced, but never released, games.
From the development team's standpoint, there probably are some damn good reasons the Xbox and Gamecube versions aren't as polished as, and lack features present in, the PS2 version. I certainly don't lay the blame at the feet of any one programmer, executive, etc. I couldn't even if I wanted to, because I don't know enough of the story.
But I do think EA, as a company, dropped the ball on this one, and it reflects poorly on their efforts.

 

[BrianB]

But I do think EA, as a company, dropped the ball on this one, and it reflects poorly on their efforts.

I don't disagree with that sentiment, Brandon. I disagree with some of the more vocal complaints in this thread about the programmers not caring, no effort etc.

 

[Ricky Hustle]

I did the best thing I could do to express my displeasure at EA. I returned NFS2, one less sale for them. Picked up Sega Soccer Slam instead. Sega is a company that deserves my hard-earned cash, so now they have it instead.

 

[RayKk]

Looking at Rick Gregorio's latest post and others it looks like the majority rules, most don't care about excuses the bean counters and programmers come up with, its the end user that counts, crap is crap, save or get your money back if you can, unfortunately this is the only thing that works!

 

[JamesH]

I for one wouldn't mind if EA went under or just miraculously dissapeared. EA is a perfect example of the negative side of the industry today. 90% of the games they release are derivative crap. Just look at this list, it reads like a "who's who" of boring and uninnovative games.
http://www.gamefaqs.com/features/company/21.html
All EA does is make new sports games the first year new systems come out.....then proceeds to recycle these games for the next 5 or so years. They complement these 'spectacular offerings' with bland entries into other genres aimed at catering to the lowest common mass market denominator. About the only positives I can think of them providing are NBA Street, SSX, and publishing Square's games. It really bothers me to see people paying $50 for "Madden Roster Update 2003" while games that actually had love and care put into them get ignored. EA is just a giant, money sucking sponge. It's sad that they are the so-called "market leader" when I can't even think of a single game they make that could be considered the best in its genre(unless you happen to love the sims?).
To be fair, all of the big companies have been trying to cash in to some extent, but at least the majority of them provide at least something with reedeeming value. Although Sega has pushed out some dubious DC to PS2 ports lately, it also provides some of the most innovative and cutting edge games around. Same with Konami, Namco and Capcom, while they are guilty of the occasional shameless pandering to the masses for a quick buck, they also provide top notch games with tons of redeeming value.
To see the effects of companies like EA, look no further than this topic. There are actually gamers out there who don't expect to get a total package that takes full advantage of the system it plays on for their $50.

 

[Jerry Gracia]

I can clearly see that I'm in the minority when I say that in my opinion, the XBOX version of NEED FOR SPEED: HOT PURSUIT 2 is vastly superior to the PS2 version.
Here's my take on this issue:
I’ve been reading much about the comparisons of Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 on the internet and in gaming magazines (XBOX vs. PS2). For the record, I own both the XBOX and PS2 and I also own both versions of NFPHP2. One of the most consistent things I keep hearing is how much better the PlayStation 2 version is than the XBOX version. Here is an interesting quote:
“the Xbox and GameCube versions of Hot Pursuit II have slightly detuned graphics, mushier controls, and inexplicably, a variety of minute but tangible omissions from the PlayStation 2 game.” –GAMESPOT.COM
I can’t help but wonder how the author of this review came to this conclusion. The controls may seem “mushier” due to the fact that on the XBOX, NFPHP2 handles more like a SIM than the PS2 version. The PS2 version is as ARCADEY as you can get in a game in my opinion…I think they are mistaking “tight” and “responsive” handling with ARCADE handling! “Detuned graphics”!? This one has me baffled! Again, I don’t know what kind of TV they are using or how they might have their reviewing monitors set up, but the XBOX version is clearly the better looking version. The PS2 version, when compared to the XBOX version, looks very PS1-like…heck, I even think the car models are better looking on the XBOX!
I heard that the PS2 version had a “faster” frame rate. Granted, when I played the PS2 version for a few hours yesterday, there was a great sense of speed…but there was also a sense of cheapness in the graphics. Everything that flew by just had that PS1 look/feel to it. I also heard that on the XBOX, the frame rate was slower…again, these folks are confusing slow frame rate with simulation! When you drive a slower car, the frame rate will seem to be slower. Yesterday I ran some fast cars and the frame rate was every bit as good as in the PS2 version, but with prettier scenery going by! HOWEVER, in order to get that great sense of speed on the XBOX you have to use the 1st person road view, if you use any of the “outside” 3rd person views, the sense of speed is not there, this may be the grip most people have with the frame rate on the XBOX. Here’s something that some XBOX owners may not know…the RIGHT trigger actually acts as a boost button! The game manual and the game itself has no mention of this! (at least non that I could find)
I like the game play much better on the XBOX. You don’t just mindlessly drive, you actually have to drive smartly…especially when a cop is right next to you, they can and will spin you around in 360 degrees all the way around and you can do the same thing to the cops! Tap their rear quarter panel and see them spin out out-of-control as you look back…its very satisfying to see that! You can do this to the AI cars, too! But you have to be careful because sometimes it’ll throw the handling of your car off and you can wreck as a result of these tactics too! The PS2 physics are much different, very different in fact. On the PS2 version, all you have to do is not let the cops pin you against the guard rail/wall…other than that, its quite easy to out run the cops on the PS2 version…there is never a threat that the cops will bump your rear quarter panel and spin you around in circles because it seems this type of handling physic isn’t programmed into the PS2 version. I tried over and over to produce this in the PS2 version and it never worked. Even setting the handling to “extreme” didn’t help on the PS2…your car slides, but it never completely spins out on the “extreme” setting.
The PS2 version is much more forgiving. Little skill is required and perhaps that’s just what EA wanted for the PS2 version. The XBOX version requires a certain level of skill in navigating the turns, not allot, but some…much like in Gran Turismo 3.
I don’t understand how/why so many web-site and gaming magazines have rated the PS2 version consistently higher than the XBOX version. If you only own the PS2, than you’ll be happy, no doubt. You won’t miss the other version until you play the game for yourself….and then again, maybe a more sim oriented NFP game isn’t your cup of tea, and that’s all good. But for me, the XBOX version is preferred.
If you own an XBOX and a PS2 and have been wondering what version to get, I say get the XBOX version!
If I had to part with one version, it would be the PS2 game that would go.
Something to ponder…I am 28 and I prefer the XBOX version. My friend is 29 and he also prefers the XBOX version (we played both versions extensively yesterday)…my son is 8 and he likes playing the PS2 version. Make of that what you will.
If there is one thing that I wished was available on the XBOX that is on the PS2 version, it’s the replays! The PS2 has a great replay after you run a race. You also have multiple camera angles to choose from during the replay. I can’t understand why this couldn’t have been implemented on the XBOX. On the XBOX, you only see the replay from the same camera angle you had during the race…I mean, what’s the point in that!?
The 5.1 Dolby Digital surround sound can’t be beat on the XBOX either!
Here’s a brief summary comparing the two versions:
PS2 = Mindless fun.
XBOX = Calculated, prettier fun.
Just my view on the subject.