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EA Sports Family Play style on the Wii; so easy, your dumb family can play

destructoid.com — Electronic Arts has announced a "new play style" for the Nintendo Wii line of EA Sports titles. Called EA Sports Family Play, this style of play enables gamers to control main actions like shooting, passing, etc. using only the Wii remote; the game does the rest. Games like Madden 08 will feature Family Play style, along with Advanced controls.

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  • iluvatar, on 10/11/2007, -3/+79I'm sure there's going to be lots of negative posts relating to this decision ("weewee is 4 kidz lolz!"), but everyone needs to remember they're not getting rid of the standard control scheme, just introducing this as an alternate.

    I think this is a great idea, and I actually think it should be implemented on all versions (not just Wii). We all have that one friend who's a god at Madden (or any given game). It's no fun playing against him because he always wins. And that's exactly how the average person feels playing against you (yes, you, the digger checking the video game section). I remember once as a kid I got my dad to play me in NBA Jam. I destroyed him in the game and he never wanted to play again, because there's no point if you're always going to lose. This new control scheme will even the odds and allow me to play my friends and family who normally aren't as good. And this way everyone has fun, too.
    • chriscohoat, on 10/11/2007, -10/+4when i'm losing i'm not having fun.
    • shaunmadams, on 10/11/2007, -1/+14Great. Now there are more games that my wife can kick my ass at thanks to Wii.
    • xerus, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2Well when she kicks your ass too much, then you say "Now its time you try the real style of control."
    • spudnic, on 10/11/2007, -1/+10I consider myself a bit of a hardcore gamer, and I think this is a great idea too...
      Can't really see how anyone would have a problem with it. It's not like letting people use aimbots in Counterstrike
    • Icebird, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4yeah, but I still think you could do so much more with the advanced control scheme that it wouldn't matter still the casual player. That casual player will still keep losing. It's more I think for people who just want to pick up and play the game without spending anytime learning the controls because they won't be playing it for very long and for many days.(casual players)
    • KnThrak, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Plus, and this is the really funky thing:
      Look at the pictures!
      Even with just the Wiimote, that seems everything but easy, seeing you have to do the movements yourself. I can see lots of veteran NBA playing screaming and cursing even on "Family EZmode". Let's better not talk about full control then, although I have a gut feeling that since we're talking EA, the "Advanced" scheme will be the classical one, i.e.: way way easier to play with.

      But seriously, have you checked out the screenshots? Now, instead of just giggling, imagine the speed of the NBA game + having to do all those moves, in realtime. Have fun, but don't complain when you fail ;)
      • krd1979, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Yeah I checked out the screen shots and it doesn't look that hard to me. Once you get used to the controls I think it'll be quite natural.
    • joelsp, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1it is a great idea, although it isn't that new. Madden'05 had an ezplay mode for instance that made playing the game mindless, and easy.
  • Adonai, on 10/11/2007, -0/+40I actually like this option. I play Tiger Wood's '07 with my sisters (8 and 4) and can set the wii-mote to "easy" and it only really interperets the "strength" of the swing (i.e. no hooking or slicing), so when they attempt to swing the club but can't get it quite right they still get a really nice swing and it helps them to play with my father and I at or near our level.

    In other games (like, say, Wii Sports) whenever they play with us, we usually do so much better than they do that they get very frustrated or don't want to play because they know that they can't "compete" with us. This is just a nice way to let the kids have fun while the "adults" still get to have a regular gaming experience (read: we don't have to intentionally suck at golf to keep things interesting for them). Kudos to EA on this one, although I can see it being just as nice of an addition on other systems, even though it's obviously much more suited for something like the Wii.
  • Bodhesatva, on 10/11/2007, -2/+15Awesome choice. Very good job EA.
    • motang, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Hopefully this is will attract more people into playing sport games.
    • victorycig, on 10/11/2007, -2/+20"Very good job EA."
      Don't hear that too often these days...
  • j4nj1m3n3z, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6this will be great for the nintendo new target audience that has made the wii a top-seller. plus online play will juice up these sports games so you can always find someone at your level to play against.
  • thenewkasanova, on 10/11/2007, -4/+2Dugg for the title. Made me laugh out loud.
  • supertom, on 10/11/2007, -3/+13My family is not dumb, will they be able to play it?
    • Jambi, on 10/11/2007, -0/+8I'm afraid not.
    • elvenseven, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3Give it to your boyfriend.
    • afruff23, on 10/11/2007, -1/+17Just get them to watch 15 minutes of fox news for every hour of family play.
    • xerus, on 10/11/2007, -2/+15 minutes if it happens to be the O'Reilly Factor.
  • pwallroth, on 10/11/2007, -2/+3Take it back...
  • GhengisKhan, on 10/11/2007, -0/+24Hey, if it benefits those who play drunk, I'm all for it.
    • ffleming, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2My thoughts exactly.
    • Lasereth, on 10/11/2007, -5/+1And you just discovered the reason why the Wii became a hit so quickly. #1. It's $250, and #2. people play it drunk so the crappy games seem fun.
    • GhengisKhan, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2Drink, Wii, wee, drink, Wii, wee....
  • waynesim, on 10/11/2007, -12/+2If it means bringing the family together, albeit smart or dumb...great!

    http://hubpages.com/hub/homeowner-loan-uk
    http://hubpages.com/hub/learn-spanish-language
  • crisisaverted, on 10/11/2007, -5/+4My family is retarded, awesome!
  • piratearggghhh, on 10/11/2007, -1/+21But can a caveman play it?
    • Trel, on 10/11/2007, -4/+2And more importantly, will it blend?
      • fxspec06, on 10/11/2007, -0/+4No. And it will never blend. So don't ask again. Ever.


        Seriously.
    • celkin, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0I'm a caveman, and I find that very offensive!
  • cswnow, on 10/11/2007, -5/+2My family is a bunch of cavemen. Is it easy enough for them to do?
  • garbanzo, on 10/11/2007, -4/+1When I play Madden with my dad, I just pick plays and let the AI run them. I usually win. If I were controlling the characters, he wouldn't stand a chance.
  • SubDJ, on 10/11/2007, -0/+6I'd digg this announcement for the controls introduced by EA, but I can't because of another lame blog title from blogs like Destructoid and their sarcastic opinionated 'reports'. These controls are a really good idea, and actually might make me want to BUY these sports games. Just read the original report.
    http://wii.ign.com/articles/801/801326p1.html
    • tiberone, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1'This is not a game, but rather a fancy way of saying, "Your drunk aunt can now play NBA Live by swinging her hands wildly."'

      oh come on, you have to admit that's good!
    • MedHead, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I think Destructoid was pretty accurate here.
  • NuchDog, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Great, now I can beat my family AND have to explain to them why I can do all these cool moves and they can't.
  • PantherX, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3Good, because Madden 07 isn't that great on the Wii... too many things to remember to do... reminded me of real footbal... which is why I like video games.
  • drimo, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3I hope they apply these controls to NHL 2008 as well!
    • Jeffler, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1NHL 08 isn't coming out for the Wii (Good thing I bought a 360 to go with my Wii, or this would make me furious)
      • katar, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I was completely bummed when I saw that NHL 08 wasn't coming out on the Wii. Maybe next year. :-(
    • Ignathius, on 10/11/2007, -2/+2wait... there's still an NHL?
  • Ugoff, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Not my cup of tea but it's a great idea. I'm tired of pwning my dad and sis on everything.
  • ccfoo242, on 10/11/2007, -1/+0What's the negative? They still offer the advanced control. Tell your buddy to stop being a pussy if you have a problem with it. Otherwise let people have some fun...
  • aspoon, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1...as long as it's an OPTION...

    select play style: EASY, NORMAL, or REALISTIC
  • cesclaveria, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1this is what I was expecting, well not exactly, I mean, with out the Wii and the new video game users this kind of new thinking, new approaches would have never come to be, see we are talking about EA the most unimaginative video game company in the history of gaming... and yet they did something different, new, cool and good with the wii that will benefit everyone, I want to see how other more creative game companies will innovate in this coming years.
  • AnnaBay21, on 10/11/2007, -4/+0it is not interesting to play when all you have to do is to watch and the games does the rest. LEARN TO PLAY because it is interesting and not because it is easy!
  • sinurgy, on 10/11/2007, -3/+2It's not a bad thing but it's still hard to imagine the Wii getting dumbed down any further. Not trying to talk smack here, I'm just saying the Wii is already ridiculously easy and user friendly.
    • avidlinuxuser, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1Games like Madden 08 will feature Family Play style, along with Advanced controls.
    • Prodigy921, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1I know you weren't talking smack...so this is just a general comment.

      Why is something being "user friendly" and "simplified" seen as some terrible disaster and travesty?

      If Sony came out with a machine that would read your thoughts and you could play video games with your mind would this be "dumbing it down" because you aren't doing a complex series of button mashings? No...
  • Lasereth, on 10/11/2007, -8/+1Let me get this straight....no one wants to admit that the Wii controls are gimmicky and usually don't work well, but now developers are starting to MAKE separate control schemes that are dumbed down so you don't actually play? Yes, let's EXPLOIT the Wii controls. ALL we care about is swinging the wiimote through the air. The WII is selling well because it's FUN!!! SWING IT THROUGH THE AIR BECAUSE IT'S FUN!!!!!!!! NOW WE CAN SWING IT THROUGH THE AIR EVEN MORE AND HAVE FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Ugh.
    • R3Dirkulous, on 10/11/2007, -1/+3WTf did you just say?
    • spwpi10, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1I like the controls and I don't have any problems with them when I play. Call of Duty 3 played really smoothly for me, my 9 year old brothe rwho could never play an fps with two joysticks picked it right up and started playing. Every game i've played the controls are fine, and work as they are supposed tho.
    • krd1979, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1Have you even played a Wii before? The Wii controls are gimmicky just like the analog stick or shoulder buttons were gimmicky. Just wait until next gen when all the consoles have motion control.
      • GreyICE, on 10/11/2007, -1/+1So its a gimmick like the dreamcast's screen on the controller, but everyone will have it next generation. Can you fanboys even get your stories straight?

        Gimmick = speaker on the remote. THAT'S a gimmick.
  • CDNhammer, on 10/11/2007, -0/+3This is awesome. I will actually BUY these games, and I've never bought a sports video game before.

    Kudos to EA....this is brilliant. Really.
  • sonic007, on 10/11/2007, -7/+0Yes this sucks! I am smart enought to play on pc with keyboard controls. Some people just cant play video games and shouldnt because they just arent smart enough........
    • Prodigy921, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2And this right here is the reason so many people have a negative view of videogames. Elitist assholes who think that just because they devote their lives to video games, that they need to catered to constantly and butlered to by the industry.

      Let me guess your one of those assholes who goes into games like W.O.W. and just slaughters new players or likes to challenge people who you know you can just kick the ***** out of because it makes you feel like you're awesome.

      The sad fact of the matter is many of the video game nerds, who decried sports and such in high school because it was 'elitist' and 'mindless'; are now the same bullies they despised then. The jocks so many gamers hated in HS because they felt sports and such were for them and no one else and treated people like *****; are reborn in video gamers who feel all games should be for the elite and those who can't dedicate their lives or don't have the dexterity to play shouldn't be allowed.

      In my opinion, anything that can get more people interested in video games and can help expand the market and help it to be more widely recognized and appreciated is fine in my book.
  • greenblob, on 10/11/2007, -0/+2This might work well with those, you know, AO rated games. You have one hand free.
    • b3mus3d, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1And you can work out someone's priorities by finding out which hand they use for the wiimote...
  • howyoudoin, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1HEY EA!!! Donte Culpepper Doesn't play for the dolphins any more! pfft!
  • MedHead, on 10/11/2007, -2/+3The dumbing down of games for stupid people is exactly what I was worried about when I first learned about the Wii. I certainly hope this idiot-proofing of games doesn't begin to seep into the other markets.
    • 13tongimp, on 10/11/2007, -2/+1It's the wave of the futre. Thanks to the Wii, the industry is going to be super watered down with licensed crap, shovelware, party games, and everything will be dumbed down so that grandma can play with little Billy. It's going to be a huge flood or garbage. Hooray for the "Revolution"!!!
  • bluemansteele, on 10/11/2007, -1/+2Speaking of idiot proofing games, do any of you understand that BOTH modes of play are available? They could have offered the easy mode as standard but instead both are available. What the heck are you even complaining about?
    • MedHead, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1My fear: two modes today, only one - that being the idiot mode - tomorrow.
      • Prodigy921, on 10/11/2007, -0/+1wow...that without a doubt is the dumbest argument I've ever heard. congrats

  • krd1979, on 10/11/2007, -0/+0Personally I would like to see this on all games because especially when you have a bunch of people over to play games this will make it easy to pick up and play. So people that have never played before can jump right in and then when they feel comfortable and get the hang of what's going on they can step up to advanced controls. Think of it as "training wheels" for games.
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