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Okay, maybe I'm taking this alittle extreme, but this is where I'm coming from:
As an aspiring game developer, I look toward the best ways someone can enjoy playing a videogame. I'm not going out to make the best videogame ever, but with the right dose of my artistic imput mixed with what gamers want these days, it won't be the worst game either. So I always believed that best companies are the ones that make games and decisions based on the GAMER. But that's slowly changing, more companies are trying to make the most money by any means possible, forgeting what game developers are here for, video games.
I'm not blind to other money driven decisions made by developers and publishers, and I watch their move as much as their games. I know THQ and the WWE been kissy face for years, but we can trust that THQ can level out the license to differnent developers; which is why no one complains: We still have three different WWE games to choose from. Choice, people.
I don't even buy football games, Hell; it was my brother's Madden '04 that got me into football games. But I feel better knowing if I don't like Madden, I have an alternate choice for my NFL sim-play. How did most of us feel when Vince bought WCW/ECW? Were we like, "Hey, business is business; we LOVE having ONE place to watch sports entertainment!" Hell no. After the InVasion angle, the last great WWE storyline, things went downhill for WWE. Coincidence, go bang yourself.
And Madden will suffer the same fate. They'll rest on nobodies bottom line but their own; we'll never know how good a Madden game can be because it's only real competitor can barely compete now.
I can see the reviews now; "ESPN Madden '06 is a great football game..." Compared to what, NFL Street 3? They can no longer say things like, "If you want a quality football sim, look no further." Because you can't.
You feel me, players?
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