In order to make the latest crop of sports video games as "realistic" as possible, the programmers at EA Sports are going overboard. Can you guess which THREE of the following ridiculous video game features is real?
a. In "NHL 2005" Franchise Mode, there is a random possibility of a season or part of a season being cancelled because of a lockout;
b. In "NCAA Football 2005", you can create your own cheerleaders;
c. In "MVP Baseball 2005" Franchise Mode, players are randomly tested for steroids and suspended if found positive;
d. During a game in "Madden NFL 2005", you can challenge "mistakes" made by the computer referees and overturn calls;
e. During a game in "NBA Live 2005", you can argue with referees and get thrown out of a game;
f. In "NCAA March Madness" Dynasty Mode, players can be suspended for various violations, including cutting class;
g. In "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005" Career Mode, your success will attract real life golf equipment manufacturers, who will sponsor you by giving you free clubs;
h. In "Rugby 2005", there is a check box that allows you to turn "Blood" on and off.
Rob added:
i. In LPGA 2K5, there is a chance of being "outed".
These are the correct answers: d, f, g.
d. During a game in "Madden NFL 2005", you can challenge "mistakes" made by the computer referees and overturn calls;
This is beyond absurd. I downloaded the "Madden 2005" demo to try out the game, and I was astonished to find this little built-in "feature". Now think about this: the SOFTWARE may have gotten the call wrong. The COMPUTER that drew the little pixels to indicate that my tight end got his knee down before the ball was stripped may have made a MISTAKE. And yes, you have to wait for the little animated zebras to run to the sideline and confer before the call is reversed. Well, this sucks the enjoyment out of WATCHING, so thanks for also sucking the fun out of PLAYING the game.
f. In "NCAA March Madness" Dynasty Mode, players can be suspended for various violations, including cutting class;
This is directly from the Games Revolution website review of the PS2 version:
"Your players will skip class pretty frequently, so you’ll have to spend discipline points to suspend them from games and straighten them out. If you don’t do this harshly enough, the NCAA will get on your case and threaten to bump you out of your conference. Since you have to spend a diminishing number of points disciplining guys, you can run out before the season expires and get screwed because your star forward decided to get into a bar fight."
Are you kidding? When you recruit these players, can you ask them if they already have a drinking problem?
g. In "Tiger Woods PGA Tour 2005" Career Mode, your success will attract real life golf equipment manufacturers, who will sponsor you by giving you free clubs;
From EASports.com:
"Play a Career: Obtain sponsorships from real equipment manufacturers and strive to surpass Tiger Woods on the overall money list."
You can get sponsorship money from numerous manufacturers, such as Ping, Cleveland, Callaway, Nike, etc., and unlock their equipment to use it. Nice insidious form of product placement! Remember: you can put a price tag on anything. Even the anti-marketing market, which is a huge market.
Please, if it's in the game, it doesn't REALLY have to be in the game.