Thursday, January 8, 2009
03:30 PM - January 8, 2009. Posted by MMChrisS. Written by Chris Sanner
For those of you requesting it, here is the full list of winners from this year's awards, which were handed out over the last week.
Best Non-Sports Game
Readers: Grand Theft Auto IV
Online Experience of the Year
OS: EASHL in NHL 09
Readers: Online Dynasty in NCAA Football 09
Best Company/Community Interaction
OS: EA Tiburon
Readers: EA Tiburon
Best Roster Updates
OS: NBA Live 09
Readers: MLB '08: The Show
Most Innovative Game
OS: NHL 09
Readers: NCAA Football 09
Handheld Game of the Year
OS: MLB '08: The Show
Readers: MLB '08: The Show
Text-Simulation of the Year
OS: Out of the Park Baseball 9
Readers: Out of the Park Baseball 9
Baseball Game of the Year
OS: MLB '08: The Show
Readers: MLB '08: The Show
Hockey Game of the Year
OS: NHL 09
Readers: NHL 09
Basketball Game of the Year
OS: NBA 2K9
Readers: NBA 2K9
Best of the Rest Game of the Year
OS: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09
Readers: Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09
Soccer Game of the Year
OS: FIFA 09
Readers: FIFA 09
Football Game of the Year
OS: Madden NFL 09
Readers: NCAA Football 09
Sports Game of the Year
OS: NHL 09
Readers: MLB '08: The Show
11:20 AM - January 8, 2009. Posted by MMChrisS. Written by Chris Sanner
The Operation Sports Game of the Year is an honor that only one game can lay claim to each year. We are not sure if plaques are hanging on walls for winning this award, but we do know winning it means you have been crowned the best sports game of that particular year.With that said, this year's winner is game that mixed excellent offline gameplay with new and exciting online gameplay options, as well as a new single player gameplay mode. The winner of this award comes as no surprise to us, as many on staff have raved about this game's features for a few months now. So without further adieu, the 2008 Operation Sports Game of the Year is none other than NHL 09.
Read More - OS Awards: Sports Game of the Year
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
04:10 PM - January 7, 2009. Posted by MMChrisS. Written by Chris Sanner
The Soccer Game of the Year category drives home the point that some companies just do a better job with next-gen games than others do at this point. FIFA 09 has captured the attention of soccer fans and non-fans alike, and easily walked away with the voting in both the staff and readers' choice portions of the voting. FIFA had a lot going for it -- and a lot not going for it, depending on whom you ask. Among the things FIFA had going for it was custom tactics, incredible atmosphere and overall solid gameplay. When it was all wrapped up into the final package, FIFA became a game that could be a contender for the Operation Sports Game of the Year Award, which will be handed out on Thursday.
Read More - OS Awards: Soccer Game of the Year
03:27 PM - January 7, 2009. Posted by MMChrisS. Written by Chris Sanner
Usually, a game's chief competition, when it comes to awards and sales, comes from another studio in a different state. For football games, everything of any significance runs through Tiburon Studios in Florida. This year was a heated year for EA Sports' football brands, as the opinions were about as diverse as the people who were giving them in regards to Madden NFL 09 and NCAA Football 09.The winner of the Operation Sports Football Game of the Year was a much improved title -- again depending on whom you ask. Many fans of this long-running game series are excited about the prospects for the future. In its 20th season on store shelves, Madden NFL 09 found itself worthy enough of being called our football game of the year. Is there an even bigger prize in its future?
Read More - OS Awards: Football Game of the Year
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
04:35 PM - January 6, 2009. Posted by MMChrisS. Written by Chris Sanner
Although 2008 will be remembered as the year that daily roster updates and five-on-five online play were brought to digital hardwood fans, NBA 2K9's quality gameplay should not be forgotten. While many gamers have attested how much better the NBA Live series has gotten, it is still very clear that Live has a ways to go before it can get near the top of the mountain -- at least that is what the majority thinks at OS.Our staff voted for NBA 2K9 as the basketball game of the year, and for good reason. While NBA Live did do some things well, NBA 2K9 did just about everything better. For that reason, NBA 2K9 continues 2K Sports' reign atop the basketball gaming category in 2008.
Read More - OS Awards: Basketball Game of the Year
03:23 PM - January 6, 2009. Posted by MMChrisS. Written by Chris Sanner
The best of the rest category is kind of a catch-all for all of the minor sports that did not have enough games to warrant their own category -- or sports that just are not as mainstream as some others. With that being said, the winner of this category is no stranger to mainstream sports.Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 is a very capable golf series that continues to improve each and every year. Ever since the disappearance of most of its competition -- sans Hot Shots Golf -- the Tiger series has been plodding ahead, churning out solid games each year. With Hank Haney at your side, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 introduced just enough new stuff to keep the game feeling fresh for one more year. That is why the game won this category in '08.
Read More - OS Awards: Best of the Rest Game of the Year
Monday, January 5, 2009
05:07 PM - January 5, 2009. Posted by MMChrisS. Written by Chris Sanner
Going with the so-obvious-it-has-to-be-MLB 08: The Show logic, the 2008 Operation Sports Baseball Game of the Year is indeed MLB 08: The Show. In fact, outside of a few stray votes for Out of the Park Baseball 9, MLB 08: The Show was the overwhelming choice among the staff here at Operation Sports. MLB 08: The Show could be the best baseball game to come around since MVP Baseball 2005. For those a little rusty at math, that means MLB 08: The Show is the best baseball game in nearly four years. That is the type of game that could be a challenger for the Game of the Year Award that will be given out in the near future.
Read More - OS Awards: Baseball Game of the Year
02:36 PM - January 5, 2009. Posted by MMChrisS. Written by Chris Sanner
If MLB 08: The Show was the obvious choice for baseball game of the year, then NHL 09 happens to be the unmistakable winner for hockey game of the year. This was the only category our staff completely agreed upon. NHL 09 received every vote from the staff, making it the unanimous best hockey game.There is something to be said about EA's NHL series and its rise to prominence in its genre in just three short years. It was not but three years ago when the EA NHL series was playing second fiddle to the NHL 2K series, and now it is unquestionably the king of the mountain -- at least according to our staff -- when it comes to hockey games.
Read More - OS Awards: Hockey Game of the Year
Friday, January 2, 2009
05:52 PM - January 2, 2009. Posted by MMChrisS. Written by Chris Sanner
The handheld realm of sports gaming witnessed a better than average year for 2008, with several quality titles finding their way onto store shelves. Unfortunately, only one title achieved truly great status among OS staffers and readers alike, as MLB 08: The Show was overwhelmingly voted the best handheld title of the year. With potential competition from Tecmo Bowl and Hot Shots Golf, The Show's dominance of the handheld sports genre might be in jeopardy in the coming years.Read More - OS Awards: Handheld Sports Game of the Year
02:06 PM - January 2, 2009. Posted by MMChrisS. Written by Chris Sanner
Text simulations have been a staple of sports gaming since this writer can remember. This year was a very successful year for text simulations overall, as several quality titles were released. Some new faces were seen atop the pack this year, but it was an old veteran that took home the award for the best text simulation of 2008. The Out of the Park Baseball franchise is one of those rare series that always seems to be better each and every year. This year was no exception for the series, as Out of the Park Baseball 9 was one of the finest versions yet. With a revamped in-game system as well as several notable improvements, including a new scouting system, Out of the Park Baseball 9 delivered a quality experience for all gamers.
Read More - OS Awards: Text-Simulation of the Year
Thursday, January 1, 2009
04:30 PM - January 1, 2009. Posted by MMChrisS. Written by Chris Sanner
If for nothing else, 2008 will be remembered as the year roster updates changed forever in sports-gaming. Thanks to Live 365, daily roster updates are possible, and for many, expected now. It almost seems as if we took a step forward generation-wise, going from user roster updates in the OS Forums to downloading updates each time we fire up our consoles to play an NBA game. As for which NBA game won the award, you could say it had it in its DNA to be a winner in some category this year. Since we do not have a most improved category this year, best roster updates will have to suffice for a game that has gone from laughably bad to respectively solid in just a couple of years. If more revolutionary features are introduced in the years to come, the NBA competition might get rather interesting.
Read More - OS Awards: Best Roster Updates
03:26 PM - January 1, 2009. Posted by MMChrisS. Written by Chris Sanner
The Most Innovative Game Award should typically go to the game that went above and beyond the call of duty, and did something new in the genre of sports gaming as a whole. There have been various huge innovations in sports gaming over the past decade, from full fledged dynasty/franchise modes to online gaming. Nowadays, it seems most games are simply evolving and not revolutionizing -- or, are they?This year brought about huge innovations in online play; the main innovators being Online Dynasty and EASHL. 2008 also brought about a new way to do roster updates with the introduction of Live 365. The game that won the award for most innovative game, revolutionized how we play online games -- so much so that we voted it the best online experience of 2008 already. Thanks to its EASHL feature, NHL 09 is 2008's most innovative game.
Read More - OS Awards: Most Innovative Game
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
04:51 PM - December 31, 2008. Posted by MMChrisS. Written by Chris Sanner
Online sports gamers from across the land can rejoice that sports-game developers are finally noticing their kind when it comes to game development. This year brought a flurry of new online options for gamers, from the EASHL in NHL 09, to Online Dynasty in NCAA Football 09, to playing five-on-five games in NBA 2K9. Game development studios have begun to really hit the online feature-sets rather hard. The best effort this year, according to our staff at OS, involves a feature that took sports games one step closer to one day being fully online. As one OS staffer puts it, the feature was able to, "draw you into the game and make it interesting." For many, the feature forever changed how they will play sports games.
Read More - OS Awards: Online Experience of the Year
04:40 PM - December 31, 2008. Posted by MMChrisS. Written by Chris Sanner
The company that interacted with the community the best can be best described as the company that simply involved users the most with the development of its games and kept gamers in the know. This year, four companies were up for the award. Two EA divisions, EA Tiburon and EA Canada, as well as SCEA and 2K Sports.The developers who can take credit for this award showed some true fire on the OS boards. The developers handled OSers' criticisms and did not run from the situation. Not only did these folks not run the other direction as the pessimism mounted on OS at various times, but they also actually made some people in the community start to root for them again.
Read More - OS Awards: Best Company/Community Interaction
Monday, December 8, 2008
03:46 PM - December 8, 2008. Posted by MMChrisS. Written by Chris Sanner
It's now time to vote for the best sports games of 2008! Be sure to cast your ballots for the following categories, polls close in exactly 15 days!Sports Game of the Year
Football Game of the Year
Basketball Game of the Year
Baseball Game of the Year
Hockey Game of the Year
Soccer Game of the Year
Racing Game of the Year
Text-Simulation of the Year
Handheld Game of the Year
Best Misc. Sport Game
Best Online Experience
Most Innovative Game
Best Roster Updates
Best Company/Community Interaction
Non Sports Game of the Year
Remember, voting results are private! We will be releasing the winners the final week of 2008, be sure to check back then!
Working...