I've had this debate with people in relation to the old NHL 93 through 98 (on the SNES) and about NBA JAM and other similar games vs games from today which strive to be more realistic.

Do you have a preference? Is realism in a video game about sports really that important to you?


I've always been torn about this issue because no matter how good the AI is in a game there are always ways around it. Whether it is the wrap around goal from NHL 93 or give and go's in basketball games there is always a way to beat the system pretty easily once you know it and I find that ruins it for me a lot of the time.

I dunno. I like the realism that newer games have which generally prevent the cheaty stuff but at the same time I like dunking after jumping 100 feet in the air

Thoughts?

Meh, I don't really have a preference. Although I do love me some hilarious glitches, which are commonly found in more recent sports games. But when it comes to gameplay, give me some good gameplay, no matter the graphics, and I'll likely be happy with the game (unless it contains objectionable content like say, Outlaw Golf). NBA Jam can be just as much fun as NBA 2K15 (perhaps even more so).

I'm kind of split on this as well. I think that if you are trying to make a realistic game (such as FIFA, MLB The Show, etc.) it should be really realistic; however if you are trying to make a goofy game (such as Mario Superstar Baseball or Super Mario Strikers) it should not be realistic. Both are equally enjoyable to me. It just comes down to what the theme of the game is supposed to be. If you took actual baseball players and had them turning the ball into an egg when they hit it, it wouldn't be a very good game

I definitely prefer games that err on the side of realistic.

I'm a huge fan of the MLB the Show series, which is as close to real as baseball video games get. The physics are phenominal, the players play like they should, and the AI isn't really exploitable unless you mess with the sliders. And if you mess with the sliders, then you don't want to play the game the right way anyway, so realism isn't a factor for you.

I also like the NBA 2k series, which has made leaps and bounds within the past 3-4 years, and has slowly made purchasing a next gen console much more important, so I can keep up with these leaps and bounds.

The only games I'm finding not terribly realistic are the FIFA games (just get one fast striker, and you can dribble all over the field and into the net, even on the hardest difficulties) and the Madden games (every year, the game feels more broken than it was last year.)

I don't like my sports games to be too realistic, just enough to be playable. I'd rather play NFL Blitz over any Madden. I'd rather play Super Strikers. I'd rather play as Big in Sonic Adventure... ahem, maybe some games DO need some realism. My point is, I like fantasy or unrealistic aspects in sports games, because, I could always play a real sport. 




Not that I do.

I think for looks wise and the way the game is meant to be played, I want it to be as realistic as possible. However, with that being said, there are some things that just should be realistic. Maybe there should be a " fun " mode in some sports games, but Madden, NBA2K, MLB: The Show ( Is that who does baseball right now ) ,and whoever does NHL should be realistic. 

legacyme3 : Try playing as a really bad team on Legendary.. Then you understand that FIFA is realistic and not really a way around it apart from playing really well. If you pick the best team in the world or league chances are you will get a player that can run past players easily.. It happens in reality as well

I prefer my games to be on the realistic side and i always choose the difficulty that is the most realistic.. For FIFA i play on legendary so that way I can't win every game and every cup with my sub standard team.. As for other sports games i like to play them on a difficulty where i am just barely winning and have the chance to lose.. Winning by huge margins in a sports game is no fun at all i feel. 

With sports games you should really be realistic or not realistic at all.. A middle ground does not really work i feel. 

sonicmcmuffin :

If the only way to make a game realistic is to play as a s*** team on the hardest difficulty, then it's not realistic at all. Even on Legendary, just having one fast striker is generally enough to beat most teams.

And the only reason goals are ever seemingly allowed is because of borked goalie AI (they charge at completely inappropriate times) and silly logic by players not controlled by you. Since I can't control all 11 players at once, and the AI is seemingly against you, the game isn't realistic.

I usually find games like that kind of awful. If the only way for a game to get CLOSE to realistic is for you to hamper yourself through artificial difficulty, then it's not realistic. A truly realistic game should be enjoyable and feel like the game you are playing on all difficulties. But with how overpowered players are (even in my career mode, I average like 8 goals a game, and he doesn't have tremendous skills or athleticism on high difficulties).

I'm not talking about Messi or Ronaldo or Neymar or any super talented striker. At this point I'm talking a player more on the level with Landon Donovan (who really isn't that great any more, especially in the games) who manages to score ridiculous amounts of goals in the EPL. (I bought him on a loan from a team in my Manager Mode)

Landon Donovan is good, and while I'm not playing on Legendary (I'm getting tired of s***ty goal keeper AI on that level, you can call it realism if you want, but there is no reason Tim Howard or an elite GK like Neuer (I bought Neuer on Deadline Day because I figured getting a better GK would solve those s***ty AI problems) should be getting fooled so badly that they start charging at players before they are even in a position to score. I play hard nosed defense, using the cover system and don't give them an inch of breathing room, but it doesn't matter because my goal keeper ends up attacking us anyway, while a light chip is all it takes to loft the ball over my idiotic goalie.

Some people might call that realism.

I call it bulls***. I have never seen an elite goal keeper make the same idiotic mistake upwards of four times in a single game. I win a lot of games 8-5, simply because of stupid goal keeping. It's easy to exploit on offense too (which I learned is the best way to beat the computer, since they usually make the same mistakes on both sides of the pitch).

FIFA may be the best soccer game on the planet, I'm not the authority on that.

But outside of graphics and licenses, I can't even in good conscience say it has realistic gameplay. Everything about it has needed desperate work for years. Compare this with other sports games (which actually play like the sport they are trying to emulate) and FIFA is actually lagging behind.

legacyme3 : Sorry but which FIFA are you playing because i have never had these problems. 

sonicmcmuffin :

I've given FIFAs 12-14, and the past two World Cup games a try.

In all five games, the goalkeeper AI continues to be utter s***.