Greg (Utah)

Will video games ever get tennis serving correct?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:02 PM)

Hey everyone, good afternoon

Patrick Hruby

  (1:02 PM)

Good question -- I don't think they'll ever make serves particularly realistic

Patrick Hruby

  (1:03 PM)

Because in real life, serving is such a big advantage, and game designers strive to make games, well, fun ...

Patrick Hruby

  (1:03 PM)

... if everyone could pick a guy like Roddick and always hold serve and have the other player just watch while the ball flies by ... that's not very interactive.

Sean (NYC)

When can we expect a return of the week in review quiz?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:04 PM)

I'm working on that. Hopefully soon. It's complicated. But new management may make it possible.

Patrick Hruby

  (1:04 PM)

Also, if you work at Kaplan and want to sponsor it, that would help!

Kent (MS)

What video game character would make the most sense for Canseco to play in a live action movie?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:06 PM)

Ha ha ha. Great question. The thing about live action video game based movies -- and I cringe just writing that -- is that there is almost never any correlation between the real actor and the digital character. I mean, Bob Hoskins as Mario? Raul Julia as M. Bison (worst last role ever)?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:06 PM)

The only really good one was Jolie as Lara Croft, for obvious reasons.

Patrick Hruby

  (1:06 PM)

Still, for Canseco, I'd say he'd be perfect as either one of the Bad Dudes.

Patrick Hruby

  (1:07 PM)

Ninjas have kidnapped the president. Are you a bad enough dude to rescue the president?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:07 PM)

Put Michael Bay in charge and that's a $200 million movie fo' sho'.

Paul (Connecticut)

Do you still think that Tecmo Bo is the best video game character of all time?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:08 PM)

Yep. He's simply the most memorable and God-like.

Jeff Wenatchee, WA

Patrick, i read thru your "things video games just can't get right" and i think you covered just about all of it. Wondering what your current top video games are for each sport?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:10 PM)

Hmmmm ... Hoops: NBA 2k9 Football: All-Pro 2k8 Tennis: Virtua Tennis 2 on Dreamcast, though Topspin 3 is pretty good Baseball: STILL World Series Baseball 98 on Sega Saturn Boxing: I have to try the new Punch Out Golf: Wii Sports Golf Hockey: NHL 94 will never be topped Overall: probably Wii Sports, the only video game that can get you, um, lucky.

Phil (LA)

Looking back, how laughable is the Mike Tyson's game now? In that game it was impossible to beat him. Now, a drunken bum on the street has knocked him out in the ring.

Patrick Hruby

  (1:12 PM)

Thing is, Tyson really was the Baddest Dude on the Planet way back then. It is sad what's become of him, singing Phil Collins and all, but that's sort of the boxer circle of life, isn't it?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:12 PM)

By the way, did anyone quietly dominate an entire decade like Phil Collins?

Leon (Maryland)

It's been a couple of summers now since you came out with your pick up game roster. Any chance we see an updated piece any time soon? There's got to be more characters you can include...or how about a piece where you try to pick sides of which guys you'd rather play with?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:13 PM)

Look for that this summer, I plan on it. I'd also like to do something on the most annoying people you find at the gym.

Paulie, new jersey

I read somewhere recently that the Wii is trying to adapt a 1:1 controller that basically mimics every little movement that you do. Do you think this kind of technology will help video games?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:15 PM)

I'm really curious to try it out -- I think everything depends on how they tune the controls. On one hand, it would make a sword fighting type game pretty fun, and could add lots of control to a tennis title (I don't like the limited control in Wii Sports tennis). On the other hand, if they make it too accurate, I'm going to be hitting balls out of the court and off the golf course. Which isn't all that fun.

Robert (Louisville)

Do you think with the Wii that we could start seeing more realistic movements in sports related video games?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:16 PM)

I'd love to see them add something for long snaps in Madden.

stephanie ((mobile))

I work with Kaplan. I will put in a good word for you. remember, the bird is the word.

Patrick Hruby

  (1:16 PM)

Please do, I need to pay my mortgage. And eat. That is also important.

Tommy (Moncton, New Brunswick)

So Madden NFL 10 is FINNALY going to make is so guys like Kevin Smith don't run the ball like Brandon Jacobs. Some players will have an overall, IN THE 40's! This way when we have a crappy QB, we actually realize he's a crappy QB. Is this an epic win for gamers everywhere?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:17 PM)

I'll believe it when I see it. I don't think they'll every make the crappy QB's truly crappy -- remember the vision cone? That was a noble if misguided attempt, and everyone hated it.

Matt (Grand Rapids)

What are your thoughts on the Wii? I think Wii Sports is great but other games are below average.

Patrick Hruby

  (1:18 PM)

Agree 100 percent. Too many games where the controls are a gimmick and simply replace a button press, as opposed to being the point of playing.

JCVD, Brussels

Street Fighter was a classic!

Patrick Hruby

  (1:19 PM)

Ha ha, is JCVD any good as a movie? I wanted to see it but missed out.

Jeff Wenatchee, WA

Have you ever played MLB 2k9? I'm 100 games into a season and it's a pain to play but i don't have any other MLB options for the 360

Patrick Hruby

  (1:20 PM)

I feel your pain. They can't seem to get that series right. I've heard stories that half of the programming team walked out in the middle of MLB 2k8's development. If so, it's going to take them years to turn it around.

Brian (Houston, TX)

What video game is just dying to be made into a movie?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:21 PM)

The Metal Gear Cutscene Solid series is already more movie than game, they should probably ditch the interactive parts and just get on with it.

Jeff Wenatchee WA

Wii bowling as a drinking game is always a solid plan b with the ladies.. LOL

Patrick Hruby

  (1:22 PM)

That is the beauty of Wii Sports. Women actually enjoy playing. (Officially, I can neither condone nor endorse the drinking part, though my sympathies should be obvious).

Shawn (Pton, IN)

So whats the over/under on you gettin a face tat...

Patrick Hruby

  (1:23 PM)

No chance!

Shawn (Pton, IN)

When will wii sports baseball have an option for you to juice up your mii... i mean my guy looks like a snowman.

Patrick Hruby

  (1:24 PM)

Ha, they should have it where you are required to jam the wii remote into your rear -- for the authentic MLB experience.

Marc, Charlotte

The Mortal Kombat characters were somewhat close to their video game counterparts.

Patrick Hruby

  (1:25 PM)

Shockingly, I missed those movies -- but I can see that, the characters in the game were just digitized photos of real people.

Shawn (Pton, IN)

Where do you see sports games in ten years? and am I going to be wearing a helmet with a mic in it while playing?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:26 PM)

I just hope Madden is finally better than NFL 2K5. Get it together!

Sean (NYC)

Do you think exclusive licenses are ruining sports gaming as much as I do? Look at what happened with hockey.. EA had competition and was forced to improve their game (08/09 blow the 2K version away instead of the other way around up till '07), versus something like Madden, where they don't have to change anything but rosters unless they really want to.

Patrick Hruby

  (1:27 PM)

Great point. I agree 100 percent. Madden has totally stagnated, the 2K MLB game is terrible (they should have "The Bigs" team make it instead), and EA's college games lack inspiration.

Josh (Knoxville, TN)

How do they determine pay for Page 2 writers? Seniority? Page views? Actual quality of work? I'm assuming it's not that last one.

Patrick Hruby

  (1:29 PM)

Secretive, divide-and-conquer contract negotiations that take place in a dark Star Chamber, followed by pulling a pay number out of a top hat.

Derrick (MD)

The runner up for the most invincible sports character ever, is every white player on NBA Live 95'--every white player, and I mean every, could drain 3s forever in that game.

Patrick Hruby

  (1:29 PM)

Ha ha, I think you're confusing "every white player" with "Matt Bullard."

Drew (Buffalo)

What compels people to put "LOL" on the end of their comment? It's the equivalent of laughing at your own bad joke.

Patrick Hruby

  (1:30 PM)

Good point. I'm still going to lobby ESPN for a chat laugh track, though.

Paul (DC)

Why is it the graphics of none sports games are more realistic looking at this point, ie a call of duty modern warfare compared to madden or nba2k9?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:33 PM)

I agree and disagree at the same time. I think sports game graphics -- at least in Madden and NBA 2K -- are actually more realistic than Call of Duty, the problem is the uncanny valley and our frame of reference. With the uncanny valley, basically, the more real looking a human in a game gets, the more we can tell they're not human. We reject them. So the super real KG in NBA looks less real than some random grunt in COD. Second, frame of reference: we all know what KG looks like, what his uniform looks like, what an NBA arena looks like. But most of us have not been to war. So COD's graphics look more real because we have less expectation of what they should look like. does that make sense?

Jon (Omaha)

Why do the athletes in sports games still look like bad clay renditions? They have mastered every detail of non-organic objects, but people still look horrible.

Patrick Hruby

  (1:34 PM)

Uncanny valley

Richard (California)

When do you think there will be a respectable MLB game on 360?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:34 PM)

When the 2K exclusive license expires, sadly.

bill (NJ)

MLB Power Pros for wii is an amazing game to play!

Patrick Hruby

  (1:35 PM)

Listen to this man.

John Madden (home)

You know Patrick, the Madden game is really easy. If you want to win you have to score more points than the other guys, because that's how you win games. BOOM!

Patrick Hruby

  (1:35 PM)

Well said. Wait ... THERE'S A MAN DOWN

Shawn (Pton, IN)

When are games going to actually let you create a player or team in the create a mode - usually its just "pick from the 5 logos which all suck..." i mean cmon, the warthogs, sharks...

Patrick Hruby

  (1:36 PM)

The new EA college football game looks pretty good in this regard. All Pro Football was also pretty solid with create a uniform/team.

Clay (CT)

My roommate and I are big NBA 2k9 fans. We've played a ton of games and have arrived at a unanimous conclusion. J.R. Smith is the best player in the game. Thoughts?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:37 PM)

He is definitely overpowered. A lot of good players in that game if you know how to run plays, though.

Joe (St. Louis)

Since you're big into video games, I'm assuming you have a nice TV. What do you have and what would you recommed for something under $1500?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:38 PM)

I would recommend a Panasonic plasma, not as good as a Pioneer, but really, really good in terms of cost/quality, and also excellent in terms of handling HD and SD sources equally well. The will doesn't look like complete crap on it.

Jon (Omaha)

The uncanny valley makes sense to a point. But, I know what a toe-drag and wrist shot look like and those are spot on in the new NHL games. Is it more of a human facial recognition thing?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:39 PM)

Yeah, I think it is. Animations are getting better in sports games, and sometimes I'm amazed at how lifelike they look ... and then I see the little Madden men running around all goofy and bobble-headded, and it ruins the illusion.

Scott (Morgantown)

Why hasn't there been a remake of NBA jam? Greatest game ever b/c it admitted that there were only two (or three) players per team that were worth using.

Patrick Hruby

  (1:40 PM)

I think they did remake it a few years back -- the issue is that it's completely designed to suck up quarters at an arcade, and loses something in the home translation.

Patrick Hruby

  (1:41 PM)

NBA street is sort of like it's spiritual heir.

Ed (Atlanta)

Best game you played last year?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:42 PM)

I only got Wiii Sports last year, so I'll have to go with that. Looking forward to the sequel.

Fred (Atlanta)

you sure know your videot games. So, be honest now....how much do you play?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:43 PM)

Not as much as I once did, which is probably a good thing!

william, syracuso

Question about ESPN writers. Do most of you just live in your own home and submit articles when due? Do the writers even ever meet each other or have an annual retreat etc?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:44 PM)

Yes to the first, and yes to the second, though budget cuts mean no summit this year.

Video Game Addict (my parents' basement)

What's your take on what could be done to improve sports video games for the better? More realistic movement, more life-like characters?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:45 PM)

I think the biggest improvement will come in the realm of game physics -- striking the right balance between your control input, what you see happening on the screen and what's actually possible in real life.

Josh (Knoxville, TN)

Wii sports sequel? What is that going to entail?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:46 PM)

It's callled Wii Sports resort, it uses the new motion controls and has updated golf, table tennis, sword fighting, dog frisbee toss (seriously) and some other events.

Matt (East Hartford via Albany)

As a Wii owner, I agree with you to a point on the over use of the motion controls. The first party games as a whole are much spot on. The third party games just use it for the sake of using it, and the game usually suffers for it.

Patrick Hruby

  (1:48 PM)

I think it's because of all the ported games. They just sub waggles for button presses. PES on Wii is actually a really smart way to port a sports title -- I don't know why EA doesn't try something totally different with Madden. I like the "Call your Shot" thing, but why not expand the use of the pointer for passing? Why can't I just point to the spot on the screen where I want to throw the ball?

Shawn (Pton, IN)

Are there any games you wish you could still play but dont have the system? Mines Toe Jam & Earl and Earthwork Jim

Patrick Hruby

  (1:49 PM)

Emulators are your friend. Not that I am condoning such activity. Which I think is technically illegal.

Cosmo (Anytown, USA)

Did Wii incorporate the "blowing into the cartridge to get the dust off" element into the re-release of the game?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:50 PM)

Ha ha, they should.

Steiny (NYC)

I still like Blades of Steel.

Patrick Hruby

  (1:51 PM)

A classic. The fights still hold up, too. And don't sleep on Double Dribble, a game ahead of its time with those hot spots.

Cosmo (Anytown, USA)

What was more fun that Nintendo Ice Hockey? You picked 4 guys - I always picked 3 skinny (fast) guys and one fatso (hard slap shot) - unbeatable!!

Patrick Hruby

  (1:51 PM)

I think this would be perfect for a Wii remake.

Patrick Hruby

  (1:52 PM)

In fact, I really think the next frontier in sports games isn't licensed stuff -- it's games where users can create and share teams, players, uniforms, leagues, stadiums, etc. Almost like spore or little big planet.

Kent (MS)

Agree with Canseco as Bad Dudes. He has to maintain squinty eyes at all times and is always equipped with nunchuks. Who is the other dude? I'd pay $100, no joke, if they make it Mark McGuire.

Patrick Hruby

  (1:53 PM)

That is GENIUS. And you're right about the chucks. Canseco and McGwire in Double Dragon or Streets of Rage would also work.

Patrick Hruby

  (1:54 PM)

Streets of Rage is such a good title for game, by the way.

Luke (Stateboro, Ga.)

Patrick, thank you for not using the term 'Wiimake" for an updated Nintendo game for the Wii.

Patrick Hruby

  (1:54 PM)

You're welcome. I will also not use the term Wiimote.

Shawn (Pton, IN)

So whats your opinion on the new tiger woods game having frisbee golf?? Im happy caz its another thing I suck at in real life that Im gonna be good at virtually...

Patrick Hruby

  (1:54 PM)

that's sort of the secret appeal of sports games, isn't it?

Jon (Omaha)

Why no NHL Open Ice sequels? Same issue as NBA Jam?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:56 PM)

Probably. It's also possible that the market for hockey games has cratered -- seems like there are far fewer than there used to be.

Patrick Hruby

  (1:56 PM)

Games cost a lot more to make now, too. Probably has something to do with it.

Clay (CT)

A lot of people complain that Madden has gone downhill. Admittedly, I barely played 2009, mainly because I thought the NCAA game was better. However, I think a lot of the criticism of Madden has to do with unrealistic expectations of gamers. What's realistically the biggest improvement that you want to see?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:57 PM)

They claim they're adding realistic line play this year, from pass pockets to run blocking. That's the foundation of football -- if they pull it off, the game will be much improved.

Marc (Chicago)

The last baseball video game that got it right was EA's MVP baseball. Any truth to rumors that EA is making another baseball game soon?

Patrick Hruby

  (1:58 PM)

Don't know -- though I figure the MVP team has probably scattered to the winds, so who knows if a new EA game would be any good? EA or 2K should just buy out the guys who make The Show.

Drew (Buffalo)

I thought madden '09 was awesome, other than the occasional game where your opponent just starts throwing the ball all over and no matter what you do you aren't going to stop them.

Patrick Hruby

  (2:00 PM)

My problem with Madden is that it plays too much like Madden and not enough like football -- so much stuff happens in the game that can't and doesn't happen in football, and if you try to think or play Madden like football, you'll get your butt kicked.

Patrick Hruby

  (2:00 PM)

I think the producers want to change this, but in some ways they are victims of their own success -- why tinker with a best-selling formula?

Patrick Hruby

  (2:01 PM)

Okay, everyone, my time is up. Thanks for all the questions. Via con dios.