FIFA 10: Do Madden's Bugs Get a Free Pass From Critics?

This past week, I reviewed FIFA 10 over at 1UP. I greatly enjoyed the game -- no matter how erroneously Metacritic might've interpreted my score -- but my rating was noticeably lower than most other critics. The latest entry in EA's annual soccer sim simply had too many bugs to earn above a B.

Anyone who's played EA Sports releases for any length of time knows that, due to yearly "back of the box" features and strict release dates, bugs are part of the game. But as critics, we usually have to gloss over some of these issues. That's happened in the past -- I've encountered plenty of bugs in prerelease versions (not just in sports games, by the way), but I usually have no hard evidence these issues occur in the retail version, so I have to assume that they don't occur -- or, at least, I can't really let it affect my score in any major way.

But with the European release of FIFA hitting two weeks earlier, I had documented proof that the game did ship with a laundry list of bugs -- over 60 in Manager Mode alone, in fact! And since I had this proof, I was able to do what I normally wouldn't be able to -- factor that into my score.

EA's flagship sports title, Madden NFL, hits North America first, though, so there's no way for critics to really factor in bugs to their scores -- not without proof. Madden review scores fluctuate slightly every year, but you won't really find critics pointing out specific bugs -- it's not until the game actually releases that fans on message boards start to document the yearly issues. But I know that critics wouldn't accept the same bug rate in an role-playing game or first-person shooter. Why is it OK to accept them in sports releases? And does that acceptance lead to grade inflation, particularly in the case of Madden?

Tags: Madden NFL 10, FIFA 10

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Toby Davis

October 24, 2009

Way to go and just when I was going to rent it once I got my PS3 in a few weeks.

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Crispin Boyer

Wait, is that Dr. Steve Brule strikin' in that top screen shot -- for your health?

Dan "Shoe" Hsu

Do you think some of it is due to the reviewers not playing enough of these games to see all the bugs? Naturally, it's impossible for any individual reviewer to get in as much man hours into a game as the game's community as a whole. But still, I wonder how many reviewers are ready to score a sports title after 2 or 3 matches....

Nathan Phillips

It does lead to grade inflation in Madden I think. But Sports games are almost always guaranteed an 8 on a 10 point scale or a B on an letter grade scale as long as they stay close to the previous games formula & game play. Plus it is impossible to find all of the bugs as a review, but a reviewer should be able to find all the major bugs and let the reader know. I bought Madden & NCAA one year and on the XBOX it wouldn't let you import your draft classes due to a bug & I was irate.

Andrew Miller

[quote]EA's flagship sports title, Madden NFL, hits North America first, though, so there's no way for critics to really factor in bugs to their scores -- not without proof[/quote] Nonsense. If publications, such as 1UP, weren't so damn hellbent on posting reviews day of release, reviewers might actually be able to invest the [i]proper[/i] amount of time into each title in order to properly review it. It's both a disservice to us, the gamers, as well as the FIFA's developer that you've held different sports games to varying standards, simply because you didn't have enough time to [b]verify facts[/b] (isn't that your job?). Why should FIFA be penalized when other games weren't? Or more importantly, why isn't it important to 1up to hold other games to the same standard as FIFA? This is boggling my mind. [quote]"...but I usually have no hard evidence these issues occur in the retail version,[b] so I have to assume that they don't occur[/b] -- or, at least, I can't really let it affect my score in any major way."[/quote] What?! No--there is no "assuming." If you have no idea whether the issues exist or not in the retail version--the version consumers will be playing--you have no right to review the game. It's disingenuous to the readers to present an opinion based on promises by the developer, which as you've already conceded, are often not based in actuality. Frankly, this whole article has confused and disturbed me...you readily admit facts that seem to discredit both you, and 1up's ability to accuratly review games. I have no idea what the motive behind posting this was, but I'm glad you have, as it's exposed some more of the shady tactics that occur in 'gaming journalism.'

Justin Calvert

October 25, 2009

At GameSpot we're often criticized for being "late" with our reviews because we wait for retail copies of games. I think your post illustrates perfectly why we stick to our guns on this issue.