Reviewers Get One Right and One Wrong
by 
The first two sports titles of the year have been released in MLB Front Office Manager and 3 on 3 NHL Arcade. Both have been hit hard by reviewers despite their lower prices. In the case of MLB FOM I had some positive hopes for it and initially liked it but a couple major issues have negated all that and with a patch unlikely there isn’t much hope of getting much enjoyment out of the game. On the other hand 3 on 3 NHL Arcade delivers exactly what it promised as a light-hearted fun offering but it isn’t being evaluated that way by the reviewers.
So this is my first attempt at a video Padrecast. I recorded my thoughts on the subject of the reviews of these two games and laid that over video of them both. It’s an experiment so feel free to leave your opinions or suggestions for future offerings. Continue on for the video.
February 12, 2009 at 4:16 pm
MLB FOM..what a waste…i bought the game unfortunately, hoping it could turn out to be a fun game but all the problems associated with it, as well as lack of roster updates, has left me with no choice but to not play it. I played it for two hours on the day it came out but have yet to touch it since.
February 12, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Yeah that's pretty much how it went for me too. Initially encouraged by the manager mode but the problems with the game wiped that out and 2K isn't going to offer any post-release support for it in all likelihood.
February 12, 2009 at 4:35 pm
Pasta 2k doesnt support anything like they should. I bought 2k8 basketball and it was my first 2k basketball game and the instruction book doesnt even tell you how to execute all the moves. Go to there website and nothing there either.
You know a company is pure garbage when they cant take the time to include a proper instruction manual with there games. Thumbs down to 2k, I'll stick with EA from now on.
February 12, 2009 at 4:31 pm
I just don't understand why anyone would want to play a boring game like that anyway. If you really want to play a boring team management game then there are plenty on the PC which were done way better.
When will you guys come to your senses and realize that 2k isn't what it used to be and they are rapidly declining. Lets look at the tale of the tape.
MLB 2k8: Pure Garbage
NHL 2k9: Not as good as there previous titles and blown out by NHL 09
NFL 2k9: Doesn't even exist thanks to EA and probably a good thing since All pro football 2k was crap.
NBA 2k9: A good game but so was 2k8, 2k7, 2k6……………..pretty much the same thing every year.
Don king boxing: G-A-R-B-A-G-E. Even facebreaker from EA is better than playing this crap
Tennis: Might actually be a decent game if for the fact that no one plays video tennis anymore.
MLB FOM: EMBARASSING…………should have been working on mlb2k9
MLB2k9: If the screenshots are any indication, this game is headed for mediocrity and fast.
February 12, 2009 at 6:46 pm
Out Of The Park 9 is an awesome text-based sim that does everything anyone interested in the baseball management genre could ask for, not to mention stats coming out of the wazoo…
February 13, 2009 at 3:55 am
Exactly Skihawks. I have OOTP9 and love it…. until it inevitably crashes! That's why I never really enjoyed PC gaming, because of all the hiccups and crashes, plus you have to keep your system up to date to enjoy graphically challenging games. That's actually one thing I dislike about this next gen console gaming. You have to almost always download something after you purchase a game and then there will be fixes you have to download to get your game working properly because they couldn't have it working right when they released it. The reason I always enjoyed console gaming so much more than PC gaming was because there was no BS like that, but now that there is, I'm actually starting more into the PC realm (just bought a beast of a PC that shouldn't be obsolete for about, oh, another 3-6 months).
February 12, 2009 at 8:56 pm
I can't fault 2k for there games as of late……..they are not as prosperous as EA in terms of financial resources and manpower. Give credit where credit is due………i've seen more signs improvements from 2k than Ea has past and present for better or worse. Come on, dude……..this is there first attempt at a sim, text based game………what did you expect? If you were this harsh towards 2k, i hope you don't think Ea is perfect. I've read and heard so many complaints from gamers……especially hardcore gamers on why majority of EA's games are straight garbage…..why the company as a whole ruins gaming franchises and waters down the overall product. Lets look at my version at the tale of the tape:
Madden and Ncaa Football: has been and probably will be a total joke………if you think all-pro was crap, then these football titles shouldn't been released on a year to year basis. Why not have patches on discs?…..so that people can update rosters and bugs? New features don't cut it because its the only football gaming choice many people have……..which is why there's also hate for MLB 2k especially from 360 owners.
Tiger Woods: A game loaded in features with bland gameplay versus the computer AI
Nascar: Similar regard to the golf game……….
Fifa: Too technical as far as controls……..still not as good as its competitor in accessibility
Fight Night: Only worth anyone's time if they play multiplayer only
Live and Ncca b-ball: Have you played anywhere nearly as enjoyable to play as the 2k b-ball games? If anything 2k's "good game" has beaten out EA horrid game.
NHL: not a hockey fan…….can't access here
MVP: as you said with NFL 2k……..doesn't even exist thanks to 2k and probably a good thing since the college version was crap.
Unfortunately, you don't realize that 2k has made efforts to improve their products……..just not in the way you're seeing it right? Those franchises that I've mentioned have been around longer than FOM and yet still haven't delivered. Gameplay, my friend……..its all about gameplay with 2k. If you're looking for text-based, you're judging the wrong book, man.
February 12, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Hey Padre,
I really enjoyed your video Padrecast and I hope that you do these on a regular basis in the future. Of the two games commented on, I'd be more inclined to go with NHL Arcade 3 on 3 over Front Office Manager.
February 12, 2009 at 5:20 pm
Good reviews man. I totally agree about NHL, it's a GREAT game.
What are you using for your video capture?
February 12, 2009 at 5:24 pm
I'm looking into getting an HD PVR because right now I'm just using a simple capture card (WinTV). I really want to record some HD content.
February 12, 2009 at 6:44 pm
It's a great little device… I have one myself. The biggest negative though is the requirement to have to convert all of your videos before you can do any editing. On my system, a typical conversion is around 8 hours for a 1 hour video.
Let me know if you have any questions or want to see some examples.
February 12, 2009 at 5:51 pm
You are one fruity man.
February 12, 2009 at 6:11 pm
I've submitted a long list of potential patch fixes to the 2k Forum Admin Ron2k after he asked me to compile a list of notes. He forwarded to the proper people. Keeping my fingers crossed
Articula is my forum name there – I'll keep everyone posted
February 12, 2009 at 6:48 pm
thats cool and i hope so but theyve done that for other games (prizefighter, nhl 2k9, top spin) and then never patched them either.
February 12, 2009 at 8:02 pm
UPDATE: Ron2k has forwarded your long list of fixes to the circular file for immediate distribution. It should be hitting the Landfill any time now. ;P
February 12, 2009 at 6:19 pm
Greaat vid…I would love for you to countinue to do these reviews, because now we can get an accurate review of a sports game without bias opinion…
February 12, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Great…yeah what format do they come out as? I watched some samples on Youtube HD and they looked really nice.
February 12, 2009 at 7:16 pm
They come out as Hi-Def Transport Stream (.TS files). It comes with a media converter so that you can convert it to other formats (I typically go with WMV) but again, that takes approximately 8x the length of the video. There are some TS cutters out there but in any of the NCAA videos I've worked with, it doesn't cut clean (I assume because of 60fps).
Here are some videos I've made from it
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=gschwendt&...
Feel free to PM me on ncaaStrategies (same username) if you want anymore info.
February 12, 2009 at 8:13 pm
3 on 3 Hockey is trash. Played ata friends, the fun wears off quick, not worth the purchase at all. Oh found a review for it too:
http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/sports/3on3nhlarcade/...
February 12, 2009 at 8:39 pm
That review is an embarassment. Here is a real one.
http://reviews.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/1651/3-on-3-...
But it doesnt surprise me if it wears off for some quickly these type of games generally dont last as long as the realistic ones for how long I play them too.
February 13, 2009 at 1:39 am
Great job, Pasta.
Keep it up. You are pioneering something in this field that the mainstream can't match.
February 13, 2009 at 3:01 am
You sickly mess.
February 13, 2009 at 5:06 am
like the windows movie maker touch at the end.
February 13, 2009 at 8:09 pm
I knew you'd chime in. Thanks!
February 17, 2009 at 10:18 pm
nhl arcade stinks. you are extremely EA biased.
nhl arcade is terrible, every other arcaded hockey game that has come before has been better and could fit on xbla – hitz games for example.
you keep talking about 10 dollar value blah blah as long as you understand blah blah …no the reviewers just thought it sucked and wasn't fun..i don't think it's fun either. there are much better options for downloadable games than this.
if this gets and 8 from you, than stickball does too —-but it won't because you are an insane EA nuthugger beyond repair. Don't call reviewers 'so off base' when you are so completely blinded by your own bias towards EA.