Monday, August 10, 2009
However, I am very impressed at the (so far) critical acclaim Madden NFL 10 is getting. Not only that, but OSers who own the game are overwhelmingly giving the game positive marks so far. There are dissenters in the bunch, but I honestly think that only the most die-hard and bitter 2K football fans will find reason to hate Madden NFL 10.
For the rest of us, Madden NFL 10 looks to be (finally) the series' arrival on next-gen. It certainly took long enough, and I'm sure many will attest to that simple fact, but the bar has been raised even within Tiburon itself. NCAA Football honestly looks bush league at this point compared to Madden, as Madden is now easily more than a year ahead of NCAA.
As with all titles, it is still too early to tell if Madden is truly a game of the year type of game at this point, but the early returns are similar to our past winners. That has to have the folks down in Orlando smiling from ear to ear.
Monday, May 4, 2009
So take this short blog post as a plea to the Madden guys at EA, and take it as being written from a concerned fan of NFL football video games. Please do not over-do the fumble pile. I'm worried that every single fumble will become a button mashing festival. Worse, I'm worried that some fumbles which could realistically be picked up and ran for a touchdown will become a button mashing festival.
Basically, I'm worried the feature will be thrown in our faces in an obnoxious "hey look at me" way. So please, do not overdo the fumble pile. It's a cool feature, but if it starts taking away control from the player in certain situations, expect Madden fans across the country to be scorning the feature.
What do you think OSers? Are you worried about the fumble pile being overdone or am I alone in my concern?
Monday, March 30, 2009
The hype is growing so big right now that the developers at EA Tiburon are going to have to deliver the absolute best Madden game in a long time. Anything less will be seen as a massive disappointment by everyone involved.
EA has basically gotten their wish, people are believing again. If they don't deliver, this would be the equivilant of seeing a box at Christmas that looks about the same size as the toy you wanted but it turns out to be new boxers packed inside.
Translation: It's either going to be a banner year for EA, or the Madden franchise might be dead and buried to many long-time fans.
What do you think? Will EA be able to deliver? What if they do? What if they don't? Sound off on these questions and give me your thoughts!
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Read More - Reaction to the Latest Madden NFL 10 Blog
Friday, March 6, 2009
Posted on March 6, 2009 at 10:25 AM.
This is an article I wrote for MM:EA Sports signed an exclusivity deal with the NFL some years ago which put an end to all competition on the NFL video games front. Thanks to a case being taken by the US Supreme Court, that deal and many others like it could be in jeopardy.
Read More - Madden's NFL Exclusivity in Jeopardy?
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
I don't know about you guys, but the new improvements to WR/DB interaction could completely change the way Madden is played forever.
For those not in the know, Ian Cummings posted a new blog talking about the specific aspects of the new WR/DB mechanics for Madden NFL 10.
Read More - New WR/DB Improvements are Huge
Friday, February 20, 2009
http://www.operationsports.com/mm/showthread.php?t=196354
Monday, February 9, 2009
- The running game is static too. Why? I would say it has to do with the offensive line not blocking, the weird collision detection and the lack of animations of the little interactions between players. Right now, if you run into one of your own players you either run in place or bounce to the side. Instead, with a full head of steam going forward, hitting one of your own players should result in your back stumbling and falling down. Want to really make the speed burst a real risk reward? There you go.
- Speaking of the turbo or speed burst...it still has a place, if used right. Some folks have a strong belief that speed bursting should be eliminated from sports games, IMO this shouldn't be the case. However, EA needs to make the speed burst something that has a real effect on fatigue and ability to manuever. There is a difference between running hard and running at your peak. I think the speed burst should be something gamers can use if you get in the open field, otherwise it should be something you shouldn't really rely on. So basically, speed burst should make your digital athlete really tired and easier to trip up. A small but novel adjustment.
- Gamers will get mad, but the big run doesn't happen as often as it has in Madden. I'd say the best way to really improve the running game is to make every run interesting by improving the line play as well as the animations. The real problem with the Madden run game is a routine 3-4 yard run is just flipping boring. It's no fun at all. Where EA has to truly achieve greatness is to make the short runs exciting and the big runs less common but a whole lot more fulfilling.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
- Receiver/DB Interactions suck: Between no penalties being called (except what seems like random circumstances sometimes) to players just bumping into each other, I've had enough of this aspect of the game. Madden feels like a game because players aren't interacting on the field. Anytime a player touches another player, there should be an animation of some sort showing it happened, lest we forgot about the laws of physics. Furthermore, when the ball is in the air, there needs to be more action on the field..especially on passes high in the air. The game just feels static with this.
- QB Ratings Need to Mean More: If a QB has an Accuracy rating of 70 and another one of 90, it doesn't show up all that well. The guy with an accuracy of 70 needs to miss throws, plain and simple. He should -- at times -- overthrow, underthrow, etc. throws. As you go up the scale, these types of things become rarer and rarer, but the QB play needs to be more easily discerned from good to great and especially from bad to great.
- Speed kills in Madden...route running and awareness don't. I'm going to have more on awareness in another blog. However, possession receivers don't get open as well as just plain fast guys. Route running needs to be compensated more in the game.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
- For some reason, we can't turn this thing. Want to know why an NFL game is so unique from play to play and why Madden is so boring to so many people? You can map out what the offensive linemen and defensive linemen are going to do. Madden is currently played in striaght lines, either the lane is open or you get sucked into a block. To make Madden really feel different, you have to take out the linear fashion of the game.
- I wanted to block him, but the Madden engine told me not to. The plays need to be redesigned as well. All of them. They do alright, but in reality there is a lot more pulling, cutting, etc. going on in one NFL game than you will see the entire time you play Madden (and I'm talking all 121 games you'd play.)
- Really, just release the guy who thought this was good. Madden's offensive line play is currently not close to what a real football game plays like. Think about it this way, would you play a baseball game if the pitchers could only pitch fastballs and changeups? That's how handicapped the play in the trenches is in Madden.
Monday, February 2, 2009
- Generally Speaking, the Little Things are Missing - Madden has sucked at the little animations and the little things over the past few years. This has got to change and soon. The new feature announced yesterday is a good start, but it's going to have to be done correctly and fully.
- Cut Scenes...where art thou? I just want to remind the Madden guys that a large percentage of what we see on Sundays in the NFL is not happening in the few seconds between a snap and tackle. Generally speaking...EA has absolutely sucked at these.
- Atmosphere...Playoff Atmosphere...Just atmosphere. On Sundays, you can close your eyes and listen and you'll hear the crowd roar on big plays, they'll get loud when the opposing team is on defense, and each fan base has a few chants they perform religiously. There are also audio traditions, and all kinds of other neat quirks that aren't in Madden.
Friday, January 30, 2009
Posted on January 30, 2009 at 10:25 AM.
It has been a love/hate/love kind of week for me in regards to our #1 man from Tiburon Ian Cummings. After yesterday's announcement about Madden NFL 10 info coming during halftime of the Super Bowl alongside a seasonal mission statement, I can honestly feel pumped about the future of the series. Here are some reasons why I am slowly getting excited:- When have we ever had this kind of access this early? If you answer anything other than never you are kidding yourself.
- When have the Madden guys been so up front, frank and almost boastful about their goals for the game BEFORE we've heard anything about it? Again never.
- Adding the Head Coach guys should mean a franchise that at least works more realistically than last season.
- When have we heard Madden sucked last year and will be a ton better by developers? Ok...well that was last year too.
So what should you make out of this? Simple, hold them to that bar. Because if we do our part and they do theirs, this is going to be a fantastic year of Madden NFL Football. If they don't hold up their end, then the field day will commence across various forum communities online. They know the stakes are now higher, so let's see if they deliver like Broadway Joe did back in Super Bowl III.
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