I remember talking to my brother once while playing a "realistic" first-person shooter and saying how difficulty levels were a really stupid idea for a game that's supposed to be a simulation, and while playing sports games recently - especially since my purchase of NHL 08 - the idea is more evident than ever.
I'm sick of sports games relying on dumbing down the AI of the user and giving the CPU controlled team super-human ability when increasing difficulty levels.
I thought playing on pro was too easy, so I cranked the difficulty up a little bit, and what do you know? Every time I go to poke check someone, I get called for tripping, every time I try to hook someone a little bit, I haul him down and get called for hooking, the opponent is nearly guaranteed to intercept passes in even remote vicinity and steal the puck every time I get near them, and worst of all, my own teammates act like retards and stand around in the defensive zone while the opponent controls the puck for five minutes straight before my goalie finally manages to hold the damn puck (assuming they don't score). Also - and this is by far the most annoying - all of a sudden, each player on the opposing team has super acceleration and puck control and can be literally standing still and flatten me with a body check, when I can be flying, attempt to check someone, and not even have them lose control of the puck.
Rainbox Six: Vegas was the first game I've seen to fix this problem: the game had a beginner difficulty level, and a difficulty appropriately called "realistic". Why can't sports games follow this? Obviously, the game can't be completely realistic when the players behave differently on different difficulty levels. I'm really thinking about returning this game; pro is too damn easy, and all-pro is frustrating as hell.
I'll be back later. Tell me what you think.
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