It's easy to crack jokes about EA Sports' new "Freestyle" brand - as well as their "All-Play" tags for their Wii games - because jokes either EA Sports or the casual end of the gaming spectrum are a dime a dozen. Get past those, though, and you see new boss Peter Moore's being driven by a single, steely purpose: take what made Wii Sports such a hit, and apply it to every EA Sports brand you can think of. That's what he said at a conference in Vancouver yesterday, telling journalists:
We learned some hard lessons. That was the type of sports experience they were looking for and we saw that and decided we needed to redefine what our sports games were about.You can fault them for copying Nintendo, maybe, but not for giving EA Sports games what they've needed for years now: an entry level.
Electronic Arts looks to Wii to drive sports growth [Reuters]










Comments
Can I be the first to say: ew.
HOpefully this still means we'll see an ssx tricky sequal =D. Probably pull off uber tricks by waggling ¬_¬
Can you really fault anyone for copying Nintendo?
BTW I really like the EA freestyle logo. It's Pretty awesome. I want to meet the graphic designed who made that thing and shake his hand. And then steal his hand so I may create such amazing pieces. MWhahaha
@MrLister: At this stage of the game, no, you probably couldnt
@fadecy: you know that there was already an ssx game on the wii and it scored pretty highly. was one of the earliest titles ;)
Wow, now If only Sega would learn this lesson. Everyone who owns this console has played goddamn Tennis, you can't halfass it!
I wish Amped 4 would have seen the light of day, Amped 3 was a great early 360 title with great character. I know it's a 2K game but being reminded of EA Big just brings back memories of SSX/Amped/Shaun Palmers.
I bet the next Fifa will be the same as PES 2008 Wii.
You can't fault EA for wanting to copy Wii Sports, since people buy the console just for that game.
If they can match the simple fun and 1:1 controls of Wii Sports then they'll make a mint.
Just a few ideas for EA - how about a full fledged bowling game or a mini-golf game with multiple courses and the ability to design your own holes.
the reason why ea sports games fail on wii is because they suck. believe it or not, mini games are not a suitable substitution for franchise mode.
@sitsalot: True enough, but if you combine the player stats, and full out franchise mode with the 1 to 1 feel that the Wii could give you can get a deeper, richer gameplay experience. Screw tapping a button, I'd rather swing a bat any day.
Wii sports should have been a wake up call to developers, but sadly up until now they have been hitting snooze
@kingartie: I definitely think the mini-golf idea is golden. Especially with the recent onslaught of games with player created content. Being able to design your own mini-golf course, complete with obstacles and such, and then share them online for others to download sounds like a HUGE amount of fun. :-)
@elronathon:
I know. I own it =D
It's just SSX Blur didn't really feel like ssx. The uber tricks were grabs there was no character speech and no decent extras. I mean the origional game had a documentary and a jukebox and everything. And it had character profiles and interviews. Anyways what I' saying is I hope EA make another ssx game or I might cry. It's one of the franchises I've never got bored of. Even though it hasn't really changed.
EA Sports is all about where the money is
@fadecy:
Agreed! The wiimote was horrible to control. I just wish more Wii games would give you the option to play the old fashion way, gamepad. As for SSX the franchise has been downhill ever since SS on tour. I hope they're working on a true NEXT-GEN SSX. That would be something.
Haha i made a funny pun. downhill, get it?
@fadecy: ah shame, I was planning on getting it. I adored Tricky and had kinda been waiting for the next game release dry patch to pick up the wii iteration...
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