Getting a bit frustrated with EA anyone.

What is the problem with EA games. Recently there is specuation over the company cutting jobs and its share prices ave dropped a bit due to less than predicted sales of recent titles. The reasons behind this to me is so blindingly obvious my eyes are bleeding.

My case in point, or at least my most recent example of this is the board game Monopoly they have released. Its a simple game that best illistrates whats wrong with EA and the points go right accross their gaming range. The whole point of this game is that its a family get together game, a social passtime for that relaxing chilling out and for the most part thats what it delivers. Thats all fine you might think but my first gipe is why the heck isnt this game more than 4 players. The board game is and I have more than 4 people want to play, such a simple error that starts off a list of simple experience ruining glitches. Next up is there is no online features or multiplayer, what the truck, even UNO has this and its the single point that makes me feel a little ripped off by the title, its a god damn multi player only game for crying out loud and XBL is the single biggest asset to console gaming. Next is the options to customize the rules, they are so basic Ive almost gone out and just bought the board game and its hardly a difficult area to get rigt now is it. Lastly is the fact that board games involving Die are partly about chance and almost everyone thats seen this game at my house has made this point. How hard would it have been to include an option to use your own die and tell the game what was rolled, somehow having the concole rolling them gives everyone doubts as to just how random a throw is and at key points it really gets people sulking (funny when its not you on the receiving end of a really bad throw lol).

I'm not ranting so much about the final product as the basic oversight of EA. Yet again they publish a title that has obvious appeal across the spectrum and yet again they fall so short. They constantly get a good idea or franchise, churn it out, then leave you with a feeling of it being incomplete. Its like they rush it out as fast as possible to get it on the shelves, then just want you to run and buy it so they make their money, throw it on the proft pile and move on. No support, no interest no real depth or quality. They go on about how people wont buy their titles, especially new ideas and the like, but then thy leave out seemingly obvious must have features. They don give after sales support in the form of updates and DLC and they just dont seem to see this. One look at the FPS genre shows you how important the mulitplayer side of things is (Halo anyone, Cod anyone, Forza anyonem sheesh!), yet dead space doesnt include this. As good as it is its single player game just isnt an Oblivion, Fallout 3, Fable 2, Assasins Creed, MGS or Mass effect and it needs a something to keep people playing to make it more value for money.

EA just dont seem to care about what people want only profits. Maybe now they are starting to flounder a bit they'll take note but some companies seem oblivious to the blindingly obvious. For now I just want to see them get out the console market and stay on the PC till they wake up and realise times have moved on from producing games that only have start and quit options.

Anyway, rant over.

What is the problem with EA games. Recently there is specuation over the company cutting jobs and its share prices ave dropped a bit due to less than predicted sales of recent titles. The reasons behind this to me is so blindingly obvious my eyes are bleeding.

My case in point, or at least my most recent example of this is the board game Monopoly they have released. Its a simple game that best illistrates whats wrong with EA and the points go right accross their gaming range. The whole point of this game is that its a family get together game, a social passtime for that relaxing chilling out and for the most part thats what it delivers. Thats all fine you might think but my first gipe is why the heck isnt this game more than 4 players. The board game is and I have more than 4 people want to play, such a simple error that starts off a list of simple experience ruining glitches. Next up is there is no online features or multiplayer, what the truck, even UNO has this and its the single point that makes me feel a little ripped off by the title, its a god damn multi player only game for crying out loud and XBL is the single biggest asset to console gaming. Next is the options to customize the rules, they are so basic Ive almost gone out and just bought the board game and its hardly a difficult area to get rigt now is it. Lastly is the fact that board games involving Die are partly about chance and almost everyone thats seen this game at my house has made this point. How hard would it have been to include an option to use your own die and tell the game what was rolled, somehow having the concole rolling them gives everyone doubts as to just how random a throw is and at key points it really gets people sulking (funny when its not you on the receiving end of a really bad throw lol).

I'm not ranting so much about the final product as the basic oversight of EA. Yet again they publish a title that has obvious appeal across the spectrum and yet again they fall so short. They constantly get a good idea or franchise, churn it out, then leave you with a feeling of it being incomplete. Its like they rush it out as fast as possible to get it on the shelves, then just want you to run and buy it so they make their money, throw it on the proft pile and move on. No support, no interest no real depth or quality. They go on about how people wont buy their titles, especially new ideas and the like, but then thy leave out seemingly obvious must have features. They don give after sales support in the form of updates and DLC and they just dont seem to see this. One look at the FPS genre shows you how important the mulitplayer side of things is (Halo anyone, Cod anyone, Forza anyonem sheesh!), yet dead space doesnt include this. As good as it is its single player game just isnt an Oblivion, Fallout 3, Fable 2, Assasins Creed, MGS or Mass effect and it needs a something to keep people playing to make it more value for money.

EA just dont seem to care about what people want only profits. Maybe now they are starting to flounder a bit they'll take note but some companies seem oblivious to the blindingly obvious. For now I just want to see them get out the console market and stay on the PC till they wake up and realise times have moved on from producing games that only have start and quit options.

Anyway, rant over.

the1stmoonfly

If you want to play Monopoly, play the real boargame for goodness sakes!

Although I will admit that EA's reputation cannot be fixed by only 1 good year of titles.

Isn't interesting that all their good games are made by outside studios where EA is only the publisher, and when it's made in-house (like Army of Two) it always dissapoints.

Activision and Eidos seem like the pricks of the industry but I don't focus on publishers when I'm interested in a game so I don't really get worked up over it.

Isn't Black 2 in development by the way. that's EA I believe.

Hold on....did you just say that Dead Space's single player experience is outclassed by FABLE 2 and ASSASSIN'S CREED?! oooooh man. EA has put out a fantastic 2008 and you're utterly blind if you disagree. For the first time in years, they've tossed out several really ingenuitive, special new IPs instead of churning out another year of lackluster sports titles. While some have faltered (Facebreaker) others have succeeded massively, like Dead Space. The problem is that in today's economy and 2008's sequel heavy release list, a lot of these quality titles struggled sales-wise, namely Dead Space and Mirror's Edge. I don't think that it's a matter of "oh noez no multiplayer!" but more one of they're having to compete with known franchises, like GTA, MGS, Gears of War, Resistance, etc, all franchises that are ALREADY big names that don't need establishing: gamers have limited funds, and they'll know what they're getting with Gears. Gears is already a known franchise, and so it's already more of a must have. I really hope that EA's struggles don't stop this initiative and continue to allow creativity as opposed to going back to their old ways. Btw, EA don't care about what people want and only want profits? WHAT?!!! This is the ONE year where EA has CARED about creativity and putting out quality titles and you STILL say that! This is a case of them putting out creative, fun titles for the hardcore gamer...they just didn't give YOU what you wanted, which was multiplayer (hence your long rant about Monopoly...which i'm still struggling to grasp). Let's look at what EA put out this year: Spore, Left 4 Dead, Red Alert 3, Dead Space, Mirror's Edge, Crysis Warhead, Battlefield: Bad Company, Mercenaries 2 (admittedly disappointing), Rock Band 2, Army of Two (again disappointing, but still a good try at a new IP), Burnout Paradise (best Burnout yet), Boom Blox, Skate 2, and their usual sports lineup (Madden, Fifa, Tiger Woods). Honestly, your post just proves that no company can make everyone happy. EA put out one of the best years they've ever put out, where they really put their heads on the line to try and give impressive, new content to discriminating gamers and they took a lot of risks. Some paid off, some didn't. But to say that they only care about profits? 1. Be realistic. They're a business. If you're a business that doesn't care about profits, you're not a business, you're a charity. 2. How can you say that about a company that put out so many fresh new titles? They HAVE realized that "times have moved on" and the games they put out reflect that. I hate to say it TC, but games do not REQUIRE multiplayer to be good or successful. Bioshock didn't have multiplayer, Super Mario Galaxy didn't either, unless you're going to tell me with a straight face that both of those games were crap? Bottom line, this thread is just heinously incorrect on pretty much all fronts. It's you, TC, who are behind the times. Were this thread made in 2006, i'd agree with you. Unfortunately, it's 2009, after a year where EA did their damndest to address the issues you point out.Paladin_King

For me this typifies EA's problem, especially when console games are amongst the most expensive games there are. They will produce something potentially very good, but without that something extra that is so crytical these days to give real value for money then they will fall short. Also I just cant forgive it when something as smple as Monopoly is left lacking, thats just lazy and thats something I see alot wih EA games. The only EA games ive really thought were good lately was burnout paradise, BF2MC (but it still wasnt supported with updates or DLC like just about every other game has, even though its still very popular today) and Fight Night 3 which had some very minor and forgivable gripes. For me I would point out Little Big Planet as a way to do something a bit different and get it right, and thats without me ever having played the game. I understand EA needing to make a profit, but if their games where more complete, and some of the other titles didnt feel so rushed then they would be making more profit. Just look at UBISOFT, they are just producing similar stuff to EA but tht little something extra they alsways give helps them sell games so much better, even the glitchy ones.