For better or for worse, 2016 has been quite a wild ride – so much so that it’s become an Internet meme. Aside from the strife in the Middle East and elsewhere, and the deadly terror attacks all over the world, Americans elected a reality TV star to the Presidency, the Chicago Cubs won the World Series, UK voters opted to Brexit, and most importantly for Big Meme, countless beloved celebrities met an untimely end – including Prince, David Bowie, Alan Rickman, and George Michael. Even Princess Leia was taken from us in just the past few days, and it's still not over.
Of course, here at DLH, we live in a video gaming world, and 2016 has had its share of interesting hits - as well as some (sometimes predictable from a mile away) major flops. While games like Grand Theft Auto V, Minecraft, and Counterstrike: Global Offensive continue to dominate sales even after years on the market, 2016 saw some major sequels and some brand-new concepts. And now we’re at the end of this blessed/cursed year, and the news is all about those games coming up in 2017. However, we’re going to focus on some of the biggest hits of 2016 – in case anyone missed them. Today let's have a look at 2016's biggest sports games.
Sports games make up a large chunk of video game sales each year, since all the major franchises get yearly installments, and serious fans have to be up to date – even if all that means is a few minor interface changes in addition to newer team rosters and player stats. At the top of the list in the United States of course is EA Sports Madden NFL 17, the 28th installment in a series that’s been running since the late 80s, and which is largely responsible for making the name EA synonymous with officially licensed sports games. Running on the same Ignite engine that the series has used since the confusingly titled Madden NFL 25 in 2013 (What are they going to do about a title in 20, Madden 17 offers a few minor tweaks to the overall formula, with a new ground game mechanic that’s supposed to provide a more balanced play experience, and a new and improved AI on defense. The cover athlete was New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Of course, there’s the other football, and 2016 also saw new entries in EA Sports FIFA franchise and its rival, Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer. Like always, FIFA 17 has all the official licenses, while PES 2017 seeks to capitalize on strategic partnerships with various teams and leagues, most notably FC Barcelona, with exclusive rights to their legendary stadium, Camp Nou. Konami also managed to work out a special partnership with the Brazilian Football Confederation, and exclusive deals with Brazilian teams like CR Flamengo and SC Corinthians. PES 2017 features Barça’s top players (Messi, Neymar, Suárez, Rakitić, and Piqué) prominently on the cover, almost like they’re bragging.
FIFA 17 brought the new features, though. The first FIFA game to use DICE’s Frostbite 3 engine, it introduces new attacking techniques, an active intelligence system, and most importantly, brand-new single-player story mode, titled “The Journey”, which follows the career path of Alex Hunter, a young footballer who’s trying to make it big in the Premier League. It features a dialogue wheel, similar to the system in BioWare’s Mass Effect games, and a full-fledged plot with a climactic “boss battle”. While it did receive its share of criticism, with some folks saying it feels like a needless addition tacked on to an otherwise “pure” sports franchise, other critics viewed it as a game-changing element that will have major repercussions on sports games in the future. And the way we see it, adding a stronger narrative element to sports games can’t hurt – as long as it doesn’t take away from the rest of the game.
EA Sports also gave us NHL 17, the 26th installment in a series that’s almost as old as Madden. The two series also share the same Ignite engine. While not introducing anything as innovative as The Journey, NHL 17 does up the ante with several improvements to the game’s AI and physics systems, and a revamped version of the “Be a GM” feature called “Franchise Mode”, which allows players to play as team owners. Also added were the World Cup of Hockey tournament mode and a fantasy draft derivative of HUT (Hockey Ultimate Team) called “Draft Champions”. The only criticisms of the game came from a few reviewers who felt that the HUT mode hadn’t changed enough since last year.
Another game that was really well received was NBA 2K17, from 2K Sports and developers Visual Concepts – another game in a long-running franchise. Like other games in the series, NBA 2K17 allows players to play as historic teams in addition to the current NBA lineup: the legendary “Dream Team”, aka the 1992 US Olympic Men’s Basketball Team (with Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Magic Johnson, Scottie Pippen, and other superstars), the ’95/’96 Chicago Bulls, the ‘85/’86 Boston Celtics, and more. Also present are 21 of the Euroleague teams, including the “Red Army”, CSKA Moscow. But perhaps it’s the game’s presentation that garnered the most praise, with visual elements like more realistic crowd and player movement, and commentary that for once is dynamic and enjoyable and not repetitive and annoying (a common problem for the genre). Gameplay improvements include overhauls of the MyGM and MyLeague game modes.
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