PixlBit

Bigger, but not better.

In 1988, the Summer Olympics took place in Seoul, South Korea. Capitalizing on this event, Konami released the latest game in their Hyper Sports series, Konamic Sports in Seoul on the Famicom. The game was released a year later in the US as Track & Field II. If the original Track & Field were a person, it would be the humble, modest friend quietly entering the room. Track & Field II, on the other hand, is more like the gregarious guy that wants to be the life of the party. Instead of the meager eight sporting events of the first game, this one features 15 athletic events (11 of which were new to the NES series).

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The embattled publisher brought some serious game to E3.

It seems like the emerging theme from this E3 is redemption. There are quite a few companies this year that have to do a lot to gain back the trust and support of consumers. EA is certainly at the top of that list, although Microsoft just may have beat them to the punch in the past few weeks. Electronic Arts came on strong at their press conference, showing off new games, as well as some surprising sequels.

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For the first time in years, the Madden series has seen some major upgrades.

Over the past few years, I have been very disappointed by the Madden series and have chosen EA’s alternative series, NCAA Football. Each progressive entry only saw minor changes and a noticeable lack of substance. Perhaps worse, most modes in the game were minor variations of the core sport, with some simple roster adjustments. This year EA finally brought some new material to the table making for a great football experience.

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