![]() Capcom was previously notorious for its approach to releasing new versions of its Street Fighter titles. Other franchises, publishers, and genres that have come under fire in the past have found ways to alleviate or circumvent this problem. ![]() However, the sports genre isn't the only category, nor are EA Sports and 2K Games the only publishers that have been criticized for the annual or rapid release schedule. ![]() That decision likely comes from the licensee or the publisher. And that is a fair defense of the developer in many ways it's unlikely the developers are the ones making the ultimate decision to release a game every year. The defense always offered up for sports games is they have short development cycles since they need to come out at the start of each season. The Madden team has tried to place increased emphasis on its Franchise mode (only after a massive fan campaign, mind you), the NHL series has implemented various gameplay enhancements to underwhelming effect, and the once-lauded NBA 2K franchise has felt staler and more exploitative with each passing entry. My fellow Game Informer editor Kimberley Wallace recently wrote an op-ed about how stuck in a rut sports games are, and I could not agree more. ![]() Now, my answer is always, "How important is to you? How important is having the latest rosters?" If even one of those is wishy-washy, my answer is either "Wait for a sale" or "Just play last year's game." This song and dance has only become more noticeable as the years have continued. ![]() Whenever I talk to anyone about the latest middling entry in Madden NFL or NBA 2K, the first question I always receive is, "Should I buy this one if I already own last year's?" I used to have to think more about whether I'd recommend a sports gamer pick up the latest iteration, but over the last several years, the games have felt just that way: iterative. I've been covering sports games for more than a decade now, and I've been playing them for nearly three times that long. ![]()
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