NEWS - Wednesday, May 23, 2007
EA’s Football Franchises to Enhance Realism
NCAA Football 08, due for release July 17, will feature real-time weather conditions, ensuring for example that windy conditions in Tucson would be reflected in a virtual game set at the University of Arizona, reports the LA Times. EA also sent employees to 119 school stadiums to capture images of lighting conditions in order to faithfully recreate them in-game. Kendall Boyd, product manager for NCAA Football 08, said that the power of next generation consoles is allowing companies to create increasingly authentic simulations. "It’s definitely blurring the lines of reality," Boyd said. "With the 360 and the PS3, there’s so much more memory, so much capacity, it enables us to do these things." Madden NFL 08, slated for release August 14, will incorporate real-world sports scores and radio clips from ESPN in addition to video highlights from the NFL. Raphael Poplock, general manager of ESPN interactive, said the company was committed to expanding these features in the future. "The initial feedback from the gaming community was, ’Wow, this is great. Within my gaming experience, I can stay connected to the real world,’" she said. "That was a glimpse of what we were going to do."Source: http://www.next-gen.biz
