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PlayStation (Games) XBox (Games)

ESPN NFL 2K5 Rushes Into Bug Issues 45

Posted by simoniker from the touchback dept.
Thanks to GameSpot for its article discussing issues with the online modes of Sega's PS2/Xbox title ESPN NFL 2005, as "a server update will be released on Friday 'to address the login and roster problems some of you are experiencing.' The problems affect both the PlayStation and Xbox versions of the game." Amidst messageboard rumblings of "AI issues", the high-rated, budget-priced title also seems to have a separate problem with the Xbox Live version, as it's advised if you're "having difficulties getting another user to accept your challenge or if you are not receiving challenges once you've created a match, [to] power down your Xbox and restart" - the developers, apparently wrestling with the previously mentioned Xbox Live "LSP (Live Server Protocol)", are planning to fix this problem by August 6th.
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ESPN NFL 2K5 Rushes Into Bug Issues More

ESPN NFL 2K5 Rushes Into Bug Issues

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  • Hmm (Score:3, Interesting)

    by obeythefist ( 719316 ) on Tuesday July 27, 2004 @04:31AM (#9809293) Journal
    I thought console games didn't have any bugs?

    Although it is fortunate that the problem can be fixed on the server end.

    I know serious bugs occur with PC games. As the code becomes more complex, so the risk of bugginess increases. PC games can be patched easily however.

    Console games are beginning to come close to PC games in terms of complexity, with the next generation of consoles around the corner now, so what will happen when a serious bug is found in a console game, that can't be fixed on the server side?

    • Re:Hmm (Score:2, Interesting)

      by dammitallgoodnamesgo ( 631946 )
      There have been showstopper bugs dating back to the SNES days - several RPGs had bugs which could cause your save-games to be deleted.
      • The SNES/64 bugs in RPGs such as Zelda, Perfect Dark, etc, relating to a loss-of-savegame-information issue were more or less because of bad batteries or bad printed circuit boards inside the game themselves, not bad programming.
        • Star Ocean for SNES had a nasty bug - an actual programming bug. Then again Star Ocean II for PSX had some nasty bugs, and Star Ocean III for PS2 had to have the first edition pressing recalled for some emergency bug-fixes. Oh, and PAL Metropolis Street Racer was broken - you couldn't get enough points to unlock every secret.
          • Another bug on Metropolis Street Racer --- remember how the levels were supposed to reflect the actual time, according to the console's internal clock and the time zones? Well, it was night about all the time in Tokyo. Argh.

            Anyone knows if it was corrected for the USA release?

    • Re:Hmm (Score:2)

      by cluke ( 30394 )
      The reason console games are (or should) be less buggy is that they use standardised hardware.
      PCs have all the testing problems you would expect from all those different set-ups, but instead of using patches as a last resort, they seem to be used an excuse to launch an unfinished game early to get the revenue stream moving.
      • Another reason why they are is that console games have to be approved by the console-maker before it is sent for mass duplication.

        Once game X leaves [insert third-party publisher name here]'s Quality Assurance department, it is immediately sent to [insert console maker regional section name here]. Even if the third party publisher thinks the game is ready, the console-maker can refuse it for a bunch of reasons, including it being "too buggy".

        Obviously, as money is always implied, some console-makers are m

  • Sigh (Score:3, Insightful)

    by DaveJay ( 133437 ) on Tuesday July 27, 2004 @05:15AM (#9809400)
    And so, one of the best things about colsoles -- inability to update on the fly, necessitating stronger quality control before release -- falls to the wayside. Bluh.

    • Re:Sigh (Score:3, Insightful)

      by cassidyc ( 167044 )
      xbox + live + harddrive = patchable games

      but that is no excuse, it's not like you are having to deal with hardware/config issues here

      CJC
      • I thought MS had strictly forbidden XBox live to be used for bug fixes, only content updates.
        • I think the error is server-side, not client side so there isn't a need for a distributable patch. (On a side note, it seems they use the Live service to patch Live often enough.)
    • One of my long-standing favorite requirements with console games - relatively high quality. Seems like that's gone to the dogs, though. It's sad, it really really is.

      Latest game I've been playing, though, Front Mission 4 - no bugs as of yet. I'll just keep at that one.

  • not sure about this trend (Score:3, Insightful)

    by h0mer ( 181006 ) on Tuesday July 27, 2004 @08:22AM (#9809883)
    I'm having a lot of trouble deciding whether patching console games is a good thing. In fact, I'm sure it totally depends on the developer. Case in point:

    Ex. 1) Ninja Gaiden Hurricane Pack. This is awesome. New stuff that makes an already great game better. Some armchair critics will say that this stuff (especially the camera) should have been in the game in the first place. The fact is, even if Team Ninja never released this patch then Ninja Gaiden would still be one of the best games on Xbox.

    Ex. 2) NFL 2k5. Bugs that interfere with normal usage are unacceptable. I don't want to get home from EB and find out that my new game crashes if I try to enter the second level with a crossbow equipped. This would be a step closer to PC gaming, of which I want no part of. Except for Doom 3.
    • Ex. 2) NFL 2k5. Bugs that interfere with normal usage are unacceptable. I don't want to get home from EB and find out that my new game crashes if I try to enter the second level with a crossbow equipped.

      Crossbow?? No no, you are thinking of XFL 2k5...
    • Some armchair critics will say that this stuff (especially the camera) should have been in the game in the first place.

      Early reports (such as at IGN) are stating that the new camera, surprise surprise, is essentially useless in combat. It apparently mostly helps in the adventure sequences (ie finding stuff in the environment). I wonder if Team Ninja is just including this camera to show certain people "See, a full control camera you havet constantly fiddle with in a fast action game like Ninja Gaiden suc
  • i thought developers weren't allowed to update their games, to at least garner some quality control...
    Guess now Thief 3 and this game are down the road of patches : What's next ?
    • Game developers are not allowed to patch games via Xbox live unless the update fixes a problem related to Online play. The problem with ESPN 2K5 clearly meets this requirement.

      Theif 3 will not be patched because the AI bug does not effect online play. (besides the fact that Theif 3 is not a Live enabled title in the first place)
      • I'm pretty sure it's patched on PC though.

        I wonder if Microsoft is preventing this because it would open the floodgates on lower quality testing on Console games - up until now, the only real advantage that consoles have over PC's.
  • Can anyone tell me what AI issues are being talked about? The only thing I've noticed so far is a defensive lineman able to run right by an offensive lineman about once a game for a sack when he should have been blocked. The commentary is a bit screwy every now and then but that isn't AI related really.
    • That sounds like typical AI issues in football games where the developer is not smart enough to program a good AI (especially for linemen it seems) so the linemen "cheat" to get statistical results similar to that of a real football game.

      I have always wanted to find a football game where the difficulty setting makes the computer AI smarter rather than making the computer players more talented or more of a "cheater" (ex. playing Amateur difficulty puts you against a Jerry Glanville or a Dennis Ericson while
  • They had league problems last night. As in it took forever to download the leagues and usually it'd just time out and say it was incapable of getting the leagues.

    I really with they'd let you play Franchise mode onilne. Where 2 players are able to have their own teams inside a Franchise like on Madden 2004.

    Its a good game though, I've already played like 10+ games in 4 days.

    -- Alex

  • Bugs (Score:1, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I've only noticed 1 quirky bug, when the other team challenged a play during the challenge the play clock ran out. The play was overturned on the challenge and on top of that I got nailed with a delay of game; that shouldn't happen.

  • NFL 2k5 is a bug ridden nightmare... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by yunfat ( 200898 ) <<moc.cam> <ta> <narat>> on Tuesday July 27, 2004 @03:32PM (#9814905)
    There are so many issues with this years 2k5 that the ESPN forums are crawling with bug reports and angry gamers. Never have I seen such dissatisfaction with a console game of any type...

    The developer, Visual Concepts, refuses to acknowledge many of the reports and has only acted now out fear and liability.

    More disheartening is the fact that almost all the online reviews for the game made no mention of the bug filled mess that is online play. NFL 2k5 recieved almost perfect rankings from most of the magazines I read, leading me to beleive that most review sites do little, if any homework on the games they review.

    Also, no mention was ever made of the features removed from the game that were present in last years version. Chat capability and the ability to change playbooks have been REMOVED from this years game, yet the developers chose to add useless features for marketing and hype that detracted from 2k4's flawless gameplay.

    This is clearly the last year for the ESPN videogames. It's unfortunate, but they don't have the resources to compete with EA. They can't even playtest their games.
  • "Currently, users must reset their Xbox if they initiate or receive four or more challenges if they wish to send or receive game invites."

    That's not a bug in your game; that's merely a feature of using a Microsoft platform.
  • in the instruction book for the ps2 version of nfl 2k5, it says that you can add your own music. after searching high and low through the game, i can't find that feature anywhere.

    does anybody know the reasoning behind this or are they just making us ps2 hdd owners feel bad about our purchase?

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