I think it would do most developers well to remember that every videogame is someone's first videogame. NHL 08 is the most egregious example I've seen of this problem in a long while. It's a wonderful hockey simulator that, through its total unwillingness to instruct me on how to play, proved far more frustrating than I'm sure the developers had hoped.
Game Description: With new features EA-Sports NHL 08 is your virtual world into hockey—almost as real as the game itself. But you're no longer a spectator. You're inside. Whether you're managing or playing, you're choices reap benefits and consequences. Who'll be the winners or losers in NHL 08? It's up to you. With virtually real images, action, and visuals and new gameplay features, move up to the top with NHL 08! Take on the hardest job in sports and seize control of your goaltender with a new 3rd person camera. Stack the pads, butterfly and make glove saves with your entire team depending on you From player likeness, to the signature jersey tucks and sock preferences—each athlete is rendered with a meticulous attention to detail to create a truly authentic on-ice experience.
It comes down to balance and harmony of the formula elements, and the Need for Speed Underground series has been the Zen master. The sequel, Need for Speed: Underground 2, continues the success of its predecessor and gets so many things right that after awhile I lost count and basked in gaming nirvana.
Game Description: Enter the world of urban street racing and high performance tuner cars with the latest title in the hit Need for Speed series, Need for Speed: Underground 2. Take on today's most popular tuner cars from Mitsubishi Motors, Subaru, Toyota and many more, building the ultimate street machine by earning cash to pay for custom body kits and a host of licensed car performance mods. But just creating a custom street racing machine will not get you to the top; it takes a certain amount of attitude and razor sharp driving skills to compete in the tough world of urban racing.
The quality of the gameplay was frequently overridden by those niggling little annoyances that all too often dictate how we remember a game in the long run.
Racing games, more so than any other genre, have the power to physiologically transform me. My hands sweat. My heart rate doubles. My body temperature rises. I can actually feel adrenaline bubbling like soda water in my veins. Indeed, a well-crafted racing game can make me feel, even as I sit idly in front of my TV set, wholly alive.
Game Description: Racing gamers and adrenaline junkies are invited to get behind the wheel and experience unprecedented speed and action. Burnout 3: Takedown takes the action racing series even further than previous installments, now featuring a unique 'crash and burn' racing concept and a one-of-a-kind special effects engine that delivers spectacular visuals. The intensity heats up as players race, and often crash, their way through oncoming traffic in an attempt to claim the top spot.
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