The Video Game Thread

[The Ominous]

I've played mostly the Nintendo Switch Online gamecube games on Switch 2 haha. The Wind Waker, Soul Caliber 2, F-Zero GX, Super Mario Strikers...plus with the limited edition Gamecube controller it brings back all the nostalgia feels.

 

[John813]

Been rocking NCAA 26 since the release. Definitely some improvements over 2025. Transfer portal is a lot more hectic. Harder to build stacked teams, but they need to re-add promises to the game.
If you lie, then your prestige takes a hit. But to persuade a freshman to stay for playing time, if I have a A+ prestige rating, I should be able to keep him and then start him his soph year. And playing time should be a % of snap counts, not being the highest overall in that position.

 

[darthseinfeld]

Been rocking NCAA 26 since the release. Definitely some improvements over 2025. Transfer portal is a lot more hectic. Harder to build stacked teams, but they need to re-add promises to the game.
If you lie, then your prestige takes a hit. But to persuade a freshman to stay for playing time, if I have a A+ prestige rating, I should be able to keep him and then start him his soph year. And playing time should be a % of snap counts, not being the highest overall in that position.

I really wish 2k and EA would compete. I dont think the studios have competed with each other since EA discontinued NBA Live. Unfortunately I don't think 2K can touch the NFL for the foreseeable future. You may actually start to get high quality games. They are still enjoyable, but you can see the laziness too.

 

[John813]

I really wish 2k and EA would compete. I dont think the studios have competed with each other since EA discontinued NBA Live. Unfortunately I don't think 2K can touch the NFL for the foreseeable future. You may actually start to get high quality games. They are still enjoyable, but you can see the laziness too.

I miss the 2k vs Madden days. When Madden usually played catch up but had to give more features to compete.
I stopped playing madden since the 2024 title and I think still then there was no RFAs or standard 3 year contracts to UDFA. Contracts to your star player? Just one option. Just lazy programing for stuff they offered back in the 2005-2009 era of franchise.
Don't think I'll buy 2026 either for Madden. Giving EA 70 bucks a year feels bad enough lol.

Shame the NFL sold the rights to EA, and then extended it IIRC.
Cause I know 2k would dominate EA the second they made another NFL game, unless they micro-transactioned it to death.

 

[darthseinfeld]

Shame the NFL sold the rights to EA, and then extended it IIRC.
Cause I know 2k would dominate EA the second they made another NFL game, unless they micro-transactioned it to death.

I think exclusivity runs through 2026, but they will probably extend

2k probably would micro-transaction to death. NBA2K probably has as many as Madden does. Unfortunately even with competition, I dont think micro transactions and bloat are ever going away

 

[John813]

I think exclusivity runs through 2026, but they will probably extend

2k probably would micro-transaction to death. NBA2K probably has as many as Madden does. Unfortunately even with competition, I dont think micro transactions and bloat are ever going away

Just glad I experienced the golden age of console gaming in the early 2000's. Games finished at launch, good story lines, no microtransactions, great multiplayer(outside of certain remarks).
Now we got 4k graphics at the cost of everything else.

Halo 1-3, Battlefield/COD before it jumped the shark. 2k vs Ea etc...

 

[Juggernaut]

GIVEAWAY:

 

[SlammedZero]

Just glad I experienced the golden age of console gaming in the early 2000's. Games finished at launch, good story lines, no microtransactions, great multiplayer(outside of certain remarks).
Now we got 4k graphics at the cost of everything else.

Halo 1-3, Battlefield/COD before it jumped the shark. 2k vs Ea etc...

Agreed. Technologically, we're at a point where games are bigger, better-looking, more detailed than ever, and easier to access, too. But despite all that, it feels like gaming is in a rough spot right now. The lack of competition, especially in sports games, is killing innovation. Back when 2K and others were in the mix, developers had to push each other. Now? They coast on name recognition and roster updates.

It’s not just Madden either. This kind of stagnation is creeping into other genres too. I used to love Call of Duty, but it's laughable now. The tech’s amazing, but the soul? Sometimes it feels like it’s missing.

Speaking of the golden years, do you guys remember NBA Inside Drive? Might just be the nostalgia talking, but that was a great game. I remember us guys sitting around the bachelor pad playing that game all the time.

 

[darthseinfeld]

Agreed. Technologically, we're at a point where games are bigger, better-looking, more detailed than ever, and easier to access, too. But despite all that, it feels like gaming is in a rough spot right now. The lack of competition, especially in sports games, is killing innovation. Back when 2K and others were in the mix, developers had to push each other. Now? They coast on name recognition and roster updates.

It’s not just Madden either. This kind of stagnation is creeping into other genres too. I used to love Call of Duty, but it's laughable now. The tech’s amazing, but the soul? Sometimes it feels like it’s missing.

Speaking of the golden years, do you guys remember NBA Inside Drive? Might just be the nostalgia talking, but that was a great game. I remember us guys sitting around the bachelor pad playing that game all the time.

Open world games AAA games are having some struggles. However I think its alot of the old school getting old. Skyrim started a a period of extreme popularity in 2011. From that point open world games generally strove for that level of detail with Ubisoft style bloat to fill content. It worked for alot of games like Dragon Age Inquisition, Witcher 3 and Horizon Zero Dawn, Ghost of Tsushima.

But it seems that formula is catching less and less these days. I think you are in an interesting period where open world games are starting to follow different examples. From Elden Ring style Soulslike with Black Myth: Wukong and Lies of P. To Baldurs Gate style turn based games like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33

 

[bigdnlaca]

I think exclusivity runs through 2026, but they will probably extend

2k probably would micro-transaction to death. NBA2K probably has as many as Madden does. Unfortunately even with competition, I dont think micro transactions and bloat are ever going away

Been rocking NCAA 26 since the release. Definitely some improvements over 2025. Transfer portal is a lot more hectic. Harder to build stacked teams, but they need to re-add promises to the game.
If you lie, then your prestige takes a hit. But to persuade a freshman to stay for playing time, if I have a A+ prestige rating, I should be able to keep him and then start him his soph year. And playing time should be a % of snap counts, not being the highest overall in that position.

I was thinking about getting 26 but it seems to be split as far as fun factor.

I’m still playing 25 and enjoying it with my UCLA franchise on Heisman. What gets me upset about the game is that the rankings at times don’t make sense.. For example, I whipped Michigan (close but then I created three turnovers in the 4th) who was undefeated at 3-0 and ranked 10 while I was 3-1 with 2-0 in conference.

At the end, media still have me unranked while Michigan dropped to 17 and coaches poll got me at 25. Now, we play number 1 Maryland who is rated a 84. Crazy because we our only loss was a blowout against then #1 Georgia.

I’ll get 26 when the price gets reduced before the cfb season start and after Madden is released.

 

[John813]

I was thinking about getting 26 but it seems to be split as far as fun factor.

I’m still playing 25 and enjoying it with my UCLA franchise on Heisman. What gets me upset about the game is that the rankings at times don’t make sense.. For example, I whipped Michigan (close but then I created three turnovers in the 4th) who was undefeated at 3-0 and ranked 10 while I was 3-1 with 2-0 in conference.

At the end, media still have me unranked while Michigan dropped to 17 and coaches poll got me at 25. Now, we play number 1 Maryland who is rated a 84. Crazy because we our only loss was a blowout against then #1 Georgia.

I’ll get 26 when the price gets reduced before the cfb season start and after Madden is released.

The rankings is still a bit off.
By year two I had GT as a top team in CFB, dare to dream lol.

Hit #1 halfway through the season and was facing #9 Clemson. Beat them. Dropped to #2.
The rankings always favor the SEC on my first dynasty.
And I load my schedule up with top 10 teams to start the season so my SOS should be top in the nation.

Playing pass defense is a challenge to say the least.

 

[bigdnlaca]

The rankings is still a bit off.
By year two I had GT as a top team in CFB, dare to dream lol.

Hit #1 halfway through the season and was facing #9 Clemson. Beat them. Dropped to #2.
The rankings always favor the SEC on my first dynasty.
And I load my schedule up with top 10 teams to start the season so my SOS should be top in the nation.

Playing pass defense is a challenge to say the least.

I heard pass defense is tough and I thought 25 was tough too but once you remember the tendencies of cpu qb, they play pretty much the same. You just hope the DL can get there.

 

[John813]

I heard pass defense is tough and I thought 25 was tough too but once you remember the tendencies of cpu qb, they play pretty much the same. You just hope the DL can get there.

Best defense in the game is sending blitzes. Just know that in the 4th quarter the CPU QB becomes prime Tom Brady and their WR's are now Calvin Johnson and Randy Moss lol

 

[SlammedZero]

I’ll get 26 when the price gets reduced before the cfb season start and after Madden is released.

^^This is the way.

I’ve got NCAA 26 from GameFly right now. It runs super smooth, but honestly, it’s not different enough for me to tell anyone to rush out and buy it. Definitely worth waiting for a sale...it’ll drop eventually.

I was hyped to have NCAA Football back, but I've always been a bit worried it’d just follow in Madden’s footsteps with the annual cycle.

 

[bigdnlaca]

Best defense in the game is sending blitzes. Just know that in the 4th quarter the CPU QB becomes prime Tom Brady and their WR's are now Calvin Johnson and Randy Moss lol

If blitzes is the way to go, that kind of remind me of NCAA 12 where you have to bring blitzes every down just to get pressure. That isn’t good.

 

[bigdnlaca]

^^This is the way.

I’ve got NCAA 26 from GameFly right now. It runs super smooth, but honestly, it’s not different enough for me to tell anyone to rush out and buy it. Definitely worth waiting for a sale...it’ll drop eventually.

I was hyped to have NCAA Football back, but I've always been a bit worried it’d just follow in Madden’s footsteps with the annual cycle.

Some folks are saying that 26 is like Madden 25 updated.

I think 25 truly was special because it did play different from Madden 24 and 25 along with it being absent for over 10 years. Now, we won’t see that kind of hype probably until college basketball comes out.

Sometimes updating one game for years with DLC is better than coming out with the same game every year.

 

[bigdnlaca]

College Football is 48.99 on Xbox digital. Don’t know how long this last.

 

[Juggernaut]

GIVEAWAY:

 

[The Ominous]

Playing some WuChang on Gamepass. Im totally a SoulsLike nutso...and i absolutely love it. Bring the Pain!

 

[Khartun]

Playing some WuChang on Gamepass. Im totally a SoulsLike nutso...and i absolutely love it. Bring the Pain!

I'm glad some people love it, I can't stand anything Souls like. I'm probably too old. Get off my Zelda Lawn you young'uns!