Users Online Now: 1316  |  February 9, 2010

Author Bio
Ryan Spencer

Home Town: Kansas City, MO
Sports: Baseball, Basketball, Football
Games: NBA 2k8, College Hoops 2k8, MLB 08: The Show, NCAA 08
Teams: Kansas City Royals, Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bulls
Usernames: OS: rspencer86
Tags: PSN: MizzouTigerrr
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Happy Together: Hardcores and Casuals Living in Harmony
03:24 PM - September 4, 2008. Posted by MMChrisS. Written by Ryan Spencer
In this west coast lunch hour update, Ryan Spencer takes a look at how hardcore fans and casual fans can live in harmony. Spencer takes a look at how developers can bridge the gap between both and make both crowds happy in his article, Happy Together: Hardcores and Casuals Should be Able to Live in Harmony.

Quote:
"We live in a very polarized world. Black or white. Republican or Democrat. Rich or poor. We are a society of extremes where the terms “gray area” and “middle ground” are foreign concepts.

The same can be said of sports videogames as well. As developers and publishers look for more ways to make their games appealing to “casual” sports gaming fans, the stage is set for an epic battle between “arcade” and “sim” gamers. While the casual gamers make up the vast majority of the market, any attempt to make the game more simple and accessible for these players is met with fierce resistance by the hardcore crowd."
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Summer School: What Arcade Titles Could Learn from NBA Jam
02:29 PM - July 17, 2008. Posted by MMChrisS. Written by Ryan Spencer
Ryan Spencer checks in today and offers up a bit of a summer school lesson for arcade sports game developers on what exactly constitutes a great arcade sports title. He uses the holy grail of arcade sports titles, NBA Jam, as his guide. Check out Spencer's article, Summer School: What Arcade Titles Could Learn from NBA Jam.

Quote:
"Perhaps no one is more in need of summertime schooling than makers of arcade sports video games. Recently, arcade publishers have been flunking test after test. Midway’s NBA Ballers: Chosen One was an absolute bomb (which is much different than being “Da Bomb”) and EA Sports’ NFL Tour was equally as bad."
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Drafting is a Drag in NBA Games
01:26 PM - July 3, 2008. Posted by MMChrisS. Written by Ryan Spencer
Ryan Spencer checks in today with a look at what is going wrong with NBA games and their portrayal of the draft. Check out his article, Drafting is a Drag in NBA Games.

Quote:
"The importance of the NBA Draft is undeniable. So why do basketball video games treat the NBA Draft as an obstacle rather than a crucial event for the future of a franchise? Though ESPN has increased and improved coverage of the NBA lottery and draft throughout the years, NBA-licensed video games have insisted on keeping the draft a dull, tedious experience. This article is dedicated to presenting ideas on how to better represent the spectacle that is the NBA Draft."
Game: NBA Live 09Reader Score: 7/10 - Vote Now
Platform: Xbox 360 / PS2 / PS3 / PSPVotes: 35 - View All
Saturday, June 21, 2008
NBA Live 09 Preview
01:23 PM - June 21, 2008. Posted by MMChrisS. Written by Ryan Spencer
NBA Live 09 is still a few months away, but our very own Ryan Spencer has all the details on the upcoming edition in our first NBA Live 09 preview!

Quote:
"The NBA Live team has three main focal points for this year’s game: great gameplay, the NBA Live Academy, and a “super secret feature” that is yet to be unveiled."
Game: NBA Live 09Reader Score: 7/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3Votes: 35 - View All
Monday, June 9, 2008
Where's the Fun in Fielding?
03:10 PM - June 9, 2008. Posted by MMChrisS. Written by Ryan Spencer
This week, Ryan Spencer checks in with an article detailing various users' thoughts of how to improve fielding in baseball games. Check out his article, Where's the Fun in Fielding?

Quote:
"A little over a week ago, I saw a thread in the MLB The Show forum that caught my attention: “Ways to make fielding more fun?” The thread, created by OS member metallidevils, argued that fielding in all baseball games -- past and present -- was boring and tiresome."
Game: MLB '08: The ShowReader Score: 8.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS2 / PS3 / PSPVotes: 92 - View All
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Videogame Coaches Deserve Some Respect
03:38 PM - May 28, 2008. Posted by Steve_OS. Written by Ryan Spencer
Ryan Spencer checks in today with an article entitled Videogame Coaches Deserve Some Respect. Often forgotten in the sports videogame world the coach is a vital part of any real world sporting event, whether it be from a tactical or presentation perspective.

Quote:
"There are several things that developers need to do in order to better capture the importance and influence of coaches. First of all, coaches should resemble their real-life counterparts in appearance, skills and tendencies. In NBA 2k8, there is a stark contrast between the appearance of players—with photorealistic faces, tattoos, and body types—and coaches, who, aside from skin tone and hair color, don’t look realistic at all. In NCAA Football, coaches don’t have ratings other than “prestige” and “experience,” which only come into play while recruiting."
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Sounds Like a Plan, Ideas for Better Audio
05:27 PM - May 20, 2008. Posted by MMChrisS. Written by Ryan Spencer
In his Operation Sports writing debut, Ryan Spencer takes a look at an often overlooked aspect of sports video games, the audio. Check out his article here.

Quote:
"Attending a sporting event in person—or even watching one on television—is a spectacular aural experience. Sometimes, the crunch of a bone-crushing hit or the thundering roar of the crowd after a big play is more memorable than the play itself. In the world of sports videogames, advances in technologies have allowed incredible progress in terms of providing stunningly realistic visuals. Audio, for some reason, has seemingly been left behind. From shoddy announcing to lifeless crowd noise, sound in sports games almost seems like an afterthought."