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August 2003
A
CHAT WITH THE CRITICS
 Eric
Butcher
Editor
punchbutton
What's the biggest improvement you've seen in game
development over the past year?
Well, I'm
mostly (about 99 percent) a sports gamer, so that's
usually my focus. But I'd have to say the level of
realism, especially with this year's football games, is
mind-boggling.
What still needs to be improved?
AI (artificial intelligence) ... well, I suppose
that's something that could ALWAYS be improved, although
it continues to get better every year.
What was the best "sleeper" game of the past year and
what made it stand out?
Are there really "sleepers" anymore? About the
closest I can get is MVP Baseball 2003, mostly
because the last version of Triple Play Baseball
was so horrible. I think most people were expecting the
worst, and were surprised as hell that MVP was so
good.
Who, in your opinion, are consistently the best game
developers and what makes them so?
EA's Tiburon studio does some amazing stuff with the
Madden franchise, and I've always been a fan of
Nintendo's first-party titles. Hometown folks Ensemble
Studios also do some good stuff.
If you could give game developers 3 tips that might
help their games receive more critical-acclaim, what
would they be?
1) Never underestimate the power of rumors (leaked or
otherwise).
2) Word-of-mouth is still the best form of promotion.
While being secretive about some things is necessary,
you should never completely shut yourselves (or your
games) off from the public.
3) People are always suckers for realism.
Next >>>
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A Chat with the Critics Link
Index:
Richard
Aihoshi
Editor In Chief
IGN Vault Network
Wagner
James Au
Writer/Designer
Embedded Journalist
Jim "Ripclaw"
Broach
CEO
Gamer's Pulse Magazine
Eric
Butcher
Editor
punchbutton
Steven
"Westlake" Carter
Reviewer
Game
Over Online Magazine Computer Games Magazine
Victor
Godinez
Staff Writer/Game Reviewer
The Dallas Morning News
Tricia "Kazi
Wren" Harris
Freelance
Dave
"Fargo" Kosak
Director of Publishing and Community
GameSpy Industries
Phil
LaRose
PC Game Guy
St. Paul Pioneer Press/
Knight Ridder Newspapers
Chuck
Osborn
Senior Editor, Features
PC Gamer
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