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Friday Discussion: Sports Edge: Daniel: I don't play a lot of sports games, they suck.
Arthur: *shakes head in disgust* You sad little man you.
So, who has the edge in the videogame industry when it comes to sports titles? There are really only two choices, the veterans of the biz, EA Sports, and the newly re-built Sega Sports brand. However, I'm certainly not implying they are the only two companies who produce great sports titles; Nintendo has been known to create some fairly decent sports games over the years, titles like Ken Griffy Jr. Baseball and Kobe Bryant's NBA Courtside were nothing short of fantastic. Though, Nintendo doesn't cover a broad enough range of the sports world for them to be labeled as contenders. Then again you could prefer the stylings of Acclaim Sports, and if that is the case, then you have my condolences.
If you consider in the fact that sports games are the best selling genre of games here in the U.S., then you'll understand how important this war is to Sega and their future. Today the Sega Target staff gives their opinions on whom they think has the edge, EA or Sega.
Ryan's Pick: Even
I recently wrote an article dealing with the overall 3rd party battle between Sega and EA. You can check it out by clicking here. In it I stated that Sega will never outsell EA when it comes to sports games. And I faithfully stand by my word on this matter. It's quite simple actually. EA has a strangle hold on the mainstream audience, but that's not saying Sega hasn't captured their share of jocks as well, especially recently. Another edge EA holds is that they cover the overall sports spectrum more so than Sega. EA Sports has such sports titles as Nascar, Golf, and even the unknown sport of Rugby! That's okay though, Sega has one kick ass tennis franchise.
However, just cause EA sells more copies of their games don't mean they are necessarily better. I actually believe Sega has the edge quality wise. Their games just play better in my opinion. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Visual Concepts simply couldn't have done a better job in re-establishing the Sega Sports brand, it still amazes me how far their games have come in a relatively short period of time. So here's my final verdict: Sega has the edge in gameplay, while EA has the edge in sales. Who knows though? Maybe one day when enough people recognize Sega's quality, Sega will win the battle on both fronts.
Daniel's Pick: Sega Sports (eventually)
Round one will go to Electronic Arts, for the simple fact that the industry titan has been running on all cylinders for years, and has had more time to work on their key franchises across the board. While the quality of games coming from both Sega and EA will be top notch, the fact that EA actually has more sports franchises to draw from, and a history of presenting them onto other platforms will weigh heavily in their favor Ц initially.
Sega will produce slightly better sports titles that won't sell as great. It comes down to branding. Ask any gamer to name a football game, and 9 times out of 10 they will say Madden (unless they are a Sega junkie). Sega's top-drawer product will get seen by other platforms this year for the first time. While not selling as well initially, the exposure will be phenomenal. Then gamers across all platforms will see Sega's commitment to quality. The fact that Sega has pioneered online console gaming won't hurt none either. (I can see the reaction now УGee, this magazine says that Sega can make this game as good as Madden and go online. Cool!Ф)
Of Course EA will work on bringing their sports games online as well, but it just won't be the same. Sega has it all down. Ask anybody who has actually played NFL2K1. While round one will go to EA, look for the next round to be much closer Ц if not completely owned by Sega.
Arthur's Pick: EA Sports
The main sports games that I play are football, so I will be basing all of this off of my experiences with Madden and the NFL 2K series. I have been spending all week thinking about which one to pick as my favorite and I just can't seem to do it. EA's AI seems to be better and the games are more realistic than that of the ones made by Sega, but Sega's games seem to have a little bit better of a feel to them. Both games have all the same options, moves and practically the same plays. Both are updated every year with new rosters and options. Additionally, both games have the best graphics out of all the sports games. So I had to find a tiebreaker. The only thing I could think of is the commentary. Sorry to all the Sega Sports fans out there, but you just cant beat the witty comments of John Madden and Pat Summerall. To be truthfully honest, in the end it doesn't matter which game you choose, both games will satisfy any sports fanatic out there. [Ed. Note: Arthur was smoking crack when he wrote this.]
Bill's Pick: Sega Sports
There were many things for me to think about when deciding how I would answer this Friday Discussion. This was actually the hardest one for me to date, even though I picked the question! I had to think about the past, present, and future of both EA Sports and Sega Sports.
EA Sports definitely has the better past; they've been making classic sports games for a very long time. The present goes to Sega Sports because of their NFL 2K and NBA 2K series' on the Dreamcast. Those two could very well be the best sports games ever. And finally, we have the future. Whoever I think will have the better future will be the winner... and it's Sega Sports. Each and every game they make is getting better and better, so why would that pattern stop on the new consoles?
With Sega Sports taking two out of the three parts of my decision (present and future) I obviously think Sega Sports has the edge. Compared to EA Sports they may be considered the rookies, but I always cheer for the underdog.
Ben's Pick: Even
The EA Sports vs. Sega Sports saga is just beginning, as Sega is set to invade all of the next generation platforms with their wide array of sports games. The majority of the people in this discussion will most likely side with Sega for obvious reasons (it's a Sega section after all), but I have mixed emotions on the subject.
I've played a good share of both EA and Sega Sports games, and I'm a bit hesitant about deciding who's the better here. While I enjoy Sega's football, basketball, and tennis titles more than anything out there, I enjoy EA's soccer, hockey, and baseball titles more so than what the competition puts forth.
In many scenarios, most would like to see the underdog succeed. Sega's the underdog and EA is the company that already has a firm grasp upon the sports area of gaming. Now that Sega is a 3rd party developer, they can put forth a good effort in trying to de-thrown Electronic Arts.
This kind of rivalry will only make the world much better for gamers, as we will receive better upgrades each year for the sports titles, instead of the run of the mill roster changes and the supposedly smarter AI.
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