We all know how lucrative the sports video game sector is. You needn’t ask more than two gamers to see if they have played the latest FIFA, or Madden if you are from the other side of the pond. Year on year we line the pockets of EA Sports, who have nearly reached near dominion in the sector. But, as long as the games they churn out keep on exceeding expectations, we have no problem in doing so.
However, just because EA makes good games does not mean that we are completely satisfied with this chunk of the game sector. There are three games that would make a welcome addition to the sport gaming landscape in 2015: horse racing, darts and boxing.
Darts
Darts is going through a renaissance right now. The World Championships, which start in December and finish on New Year’s Day, have become a Christmas tradition in many houses. Last year, the final between “Mighty” Michael van Gerwen (MVG) and Peter “Snakebite” Wright drew nearly one million eyes. Darts is on the periphery of the mainstream, and due to that it should be rewarded with a game.
We have been treated to darts games before, the most recent; PDC World Championship Darts Pro Tour, was released in 2010 to little fanfare. Now you can reason that it did not sell well so why should it be any different now. Here’s why: darts was a completely different animal in 2010, there was no MVG to challenge Phil Taylor’s hegemony; right now there has never been a more popular or exciting time for darts.
With popularity levels surging darts deserves a game befitting of its new found status. But what would really make a darts game great is the advancing technology. You would no longer have to use a stoic controller if your are playing on a One, instead you could just take full advantage of the Kinect capabilities.
Horse Racing
There is no reason why a horse racing couldn’t work. In essence it is basically an animalised version of Forza, albeit slightly slower and more challenging.
Like Forza, it works for numerous reasons: one; you can have an extremely deep story mode, starting from being a novice jockey to competing at one of the major racing festivals. Additionally it would be perfect for multiplayer action, whether that be online or with a couple of friends either to have a quick race or compete with each other over a racing season. Thirdly, you could incorporate the whole ownership side of horse racing into it and this is something that is hugely popular with American fans who like their Franchise Mode.
Boxing
EA opted to focus on getting their UFC game of the ground, following their acquiring of the rights after the liquidation of THQ, rather than their hugely successful and popular Fight Night series. As much as we like UFC it isn’t quite boxing. Yeah grappling is good and all that, but the feeling of connecting with a blockbuster of an uppercut is a lot more satisfying.
Right now the next-gen market is devoid of a boxing game; that is a travesty. With EA’s Ignite Engine Fight Night would be unreal. Advances in the computer’s intelligence would be most noticeable in a game like Fight Night. For example, it is the 10th round and you are comfortably ahead on points, thanks to the advancement in AI the computer will know it cannot win on points and can only win via knockout, henceforth he would chuck the kitchen sink at you. Sounds awesome doesn’t it?
Of the three we will definitely be seeing a boxing game next year, it is too much of a money spinner to leave on the back burner. If darts continues to grow then someone may take a punt on it. But horse racing is most unlikely to rear its head next season; but, if Winning Post (a Japan release only) continues to see growth then Tecmo Koei may be tempted to roll it out globally.
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