Author Bio
Christian McLeodHome Town: Bloomfield Hills, MI
Sports: Baseball, Hockey, College Football, Basketball
Games: NHL 94, MVP Baseball 05, Punch Out, Excitebike
Teams: Detroit Tigers, Red Wings, and Pistons, Michigan State Spartans
OS Username: Bumble14
Tags: Xbox Live: Bumble14
Thursday, July 14, 2011
01:43 PM - July 14, 2011. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Christian McLeod
Christian McLeod finishes off his NCAA Football 12 coverage with a review of the game. Hit the link below to read his final thoughts and get his score for the title.
Read More - NCAA Football 12 Review
Monday, July 11, 2011
10:01 AM - July 11, 2011. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Christian McLeod
July is always a polarizing month here at Operation Sports because it marks the beginning of football gaming season. The release of EA's NCAA Football always means our forums will be abuzz with frenzied football fanatics breaking down the most minute details of the game. As such, it is almost impossible for the game to satisfy everyone, splitting our readers and staff alike down the middle depending on one's yearly expectations.
However, the most important lesson I’ve learned in my three years as a staff writer here at Operation Sports is that it is our standard policy to review a game based on what's in the game rather than what isn't in it. This is not to say we turn a blind eye to things that we believe have become industry standards in sports games, I just want to give everyone a heads up that I will not be reviewing and scoring NCAA Football 12 based on the fact that it has not implemented a tackling engine that is entirely physics-based, nor will I compare its core mechanics and features to games from the past. This review is about NCAA Football 12; the only game it can fairly be compared to in our eyes is the NCAA Football series. If you are able to accept this OS review philosophy of judging a game based on its own merits, then enjoy the ride. If you would rather focus on what you believe should be included in NCAA 12, or just disagree with our approach, then our reviews might not be for you -- and that's perfectly acceptable
With all that being said, let's get to the good stuff.
Read More - NCAA Football 12 Reviewer Impressions: Gameplay and Presentation
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
10:36 AM - June 28, 2011. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Christian McLeod
Christian McLeod's obsession with college football takes center stage here as he reminisces about what he believes are EA's five best NCAA football games ever.
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Click the link below to see if your power rankings match up with Christian's. If they don't, then clearly Christian's opinion is wrong.
Read More - Top Five EA NCAA Football Games of All Time
Thursday, June 23, 2011
12:01 PM - June 23, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Christian McLeod
Sport
–noun
1. an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc.
Not considering fighting games in the "sports" genre is a absolute farce in this gamer's opinion.
In addition to the definition of the word -- an athletic activity requiring skill of physical prowess and often of a competitive nature -- for proof one has to look no further than a Hollywood blockbuster released in 1988. You see, if you actually break down every fighting video game that has been released since the beginning of time, you notice one prevailing theme. Fighters from around the globe (or alternate dimension) compete in a tournament in hopes of becoming grand champion while defeating evil or taking over the universe in the process. Sound familiar? Heck yeah it does, ever seen the Jean-Claude Van Damme classic Bloodsport?
Read More - Why Fighting Games Should be Considered Sports Games
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
04:50 PM - June 22, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Caley Roark
Baseball is one of the few sports with direct competition within our genre, and as with year's past (2010's version here) we have decided to do another grudge match to compare both of the top games for our national pastime. Our baseball reviewers for the past two years, Christian McLeod and Caley Roark, are joined by OS Staff Writer Dustin Toms to chime in on what they thought of each aspect of both games and which game is better overall. Check out their thoughts and let us know yours!!
Read More - MLB Grudge Match: The Show vs. MLB 2K
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
11:18 AM - June 21, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Caley Roark
Sports games progress like every other genre, and idea copying becomes a huge part of the development process. However, some ideas seem to get looked over by some development teams. Given the current state of the industry, what is the most important feature that has not yet made its way into most sports games?
Chris Sanner: The one thing all sports games need that none actually do involves dynamic player personalities.
Robert Kollars: There are a lot of features that should be absolutely standard in all sports games, but a complete editor tops the list for me.
Caley Roark: For me, the missing thing that frustrates me most is TV-style presentation, at least for major sports games.
Read More - OS Roundtable: What Feature Should be in Every Sports Game?
Friday, June 17, 2011
03:09 AM - June 17, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Chase Becotte
Which Sports Game 'won' the show for you?
Christian McLeod: Madden 12 ran away with my sports game of the show honors based mainly on how big of a leap it is from last year's game. The art style and presentation of the game makes you feel like you are immersed in an NFL broadcast, and the gameplay just feels spot on. I said in my preview that this is going to be a huge year for Madden, and it's nice to finally see the series on the right track.
TD St. Matthew-Daniel: Hands down FIFA 12. In the short time I got to spend with the game, it's clear this game can be this year's NBA 2K11. Any time you can vastly improve control in a sport where ball control is optimal, then there's real potential for greatness at the foundation of the game. EA Sports Football Club also sounds like a feature that could increase the longevity of this year's game much more.
Chase Becotte: I want to say MLB Bobblehead Pros to be edgy, but I will go with WWE '12 instead. I just kept sneaking back to this game at E3 to make more peasants tap out with Alberto Del Rio. Coming off a strong effort with WWE All-Stars and the fact that I was so unimpressed with Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 certainly clouds my judgment a bit, but this game still is making all the right moves this year. From the gameplay to the visuals to the steps taken to make the game look more like a TV broadcast, WWE '12 is finally accepting that it is a sports game and a wrestling game -- not a fighting game.
Read More - OS E3 Coverage Wrap Up Roundtable
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
01:09 PM - June 15, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Christian McLeod
The Bigs 2 is one of my favorite baseball games of this console generation. Blending the easy pick-up-and-play controls of RBI Baseball with the over-the-top power-ups of NBA Jam, I've spent hundreds of hours with the game over the past two years. As dedicated fans of the series wait patiently for the announcement of The Bigs 3, there is some good news on the horizon in the form of Nicktoons MLB Baseball.
Yes, you read that correctly, 2K Sports has seamlessly blended The Bigs engine into a game that features both MLB and Nicktoons superstars. Sounds silly for adults, right? Well, I'm here to testify that the game is pretty darn entertaining.
Read More - OS at E3: Nicktoons MLB Preview
Thursday, June 9, 2011
01:15 PM - June 9, 2011. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Christian McLeod
I am going to be honest, when I received an email from Majesco a couple weeks before E3 telling me about wanting to show off a Hulk Hogan Kinect game, I rolled my eyes. Not only does the idea of such a game sound utterly ridiculous, but I simply could not even imagine why in the world anyone would set out on such a venture. Well, I got a chance to take a look at the game, and I can't seem to wipe the smile off my face -- Majesco has created a game that is a pre-pubescent boy's dream come true.
Read More - OS at E3: Hulk Hogan's Main Event Preview (Kinect)
03:33 AM - June 9, 2011. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Christian McLeod
I was able to see an eight minute video of UFC 3 while covering the show yesterday. Unfortunately, outside of some quick announcements and gameplay video, there was not a whole lot of meat to the presentation's proverbial bones. While most of what was shown in the video was already known, mainly the addition of Pride, I can speak on a few aspects that have yet to be discussed in much depth.
Read More - OS at E3: UFC Undisputed 3 Preview
03:06 AM - June 9, 2011. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Christian McLeod
One of the biggest issues that has plagued the current crop of MMA games is the complexity of their control schemes. 505 Game's Supremacy MMA looks to eliminate this issue, offering a simplistic controlling arcade take on the sport. Don't let the simplistic control scheme fool you though, Supremacy is a hard-hitting Tekken meets MMA game that will no doubt please a certain fan base of the sport.
Read More - OS at E3: Supremacy MMA Preview
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
04:56 AM - June 8, 2011. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Christian McLeod
During the three years I have been on staff here at OS, I have been one of the more vocal critics of the Madden franchise. It's not that I have anything against the series, I just have never been able to understand how a company's flagship yearly title (in the US), one that carries the weight of an NFL exclusive license, could lag so far behind its genre-specific competition since the jump to the current generation of consoles. Believe me when I say that my expectations for Madden 12 coming into E3 today were pretty low -- Madden 11 felt more like a stopgap in the series than a true upgrade from Madden 10, and I was at the point of simply accepting that Madden would never achieve the completeness seen in games such as NBA 2K11 and the MLB: The Show series.
I'll be honest, I think I may have been wrong in a very big way. Based on what I played today, Madden is back, and it's well on its way to being mentioned with the elite sports games of this generation.
(Please Note: These impressions are based solely upon exhibition gameplay. Franchise mode and Superstar mode were not available for play or discussion at this time.)
Read More - OS at E3: Madden NFL 12 Preview
04:20 AM - June 8, 2011. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Christian McLeod
Armed with a notebook full of questions and the collective weight of the OS football community on my shoulders, I entered the Los Angeles Convention Center this morning on a mission. After some solid playtime and a couple Q&A sessions later, I am now confident that 2011 has the potential to be one of the best football gaming years we've seen in recent memory.
However, before I begin I need to get one thing out of the way. I was told by an EA rep that the reason NCAA Football 12 was shown behind closed doors was to better showcase Madden, removing any possible distraction to this year's NFL offering which was front and center of EA's main display. The only other game playable on the show floor was the new Need for Speed game. FIFA 12, NHL 12, and SSX all joined NCAA 12 in being shown privately.
Read More - OS at E3: NCAA Football 12 Preview
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
03:54 PM - May 3, 2011. Posted by RaychelSnr. Written by Christian McLeod
Outside of the traditional fall sports gaming release window, March is by far one of the busiest months when it comes to new sports titles being released. And with the release of the 3DS and the every-other-year releases of Top Spin and Fight Night, March 2011 was a an even more packed month than usual.
Bucking the old weather adage, sports gaming in March came in like a Lion and went out like a half man, half Lion, super soldier. Eight weeks after the sports gaming onslaught began, it's time to take a look back at the winners and losers of March, and hand out some awards in the process.
Read More - Games of March: The Report Card
Bucking the old weather adage, sports gaming in March came in like a Lion and went out like a half man, half Lion, super soldier. Eight weeks after the sports gaming onslaught began, it's time to take a look back at the winners and losers of March, and hand out some awards in the process.
Read More - Games of March: The Report Card
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