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During my week in Orlando visiting EA Tiburon studio, I had the opportunity to get extensive play time on Madden NFL 12. I believe we each got around 30 or so hours of play time amongst the different modes and features, Derek Adams and I focused on the “Play Now” mode as well as offline “Franchise” mode. Now that Josh Looman has released the offline franchise improvements, I would like to take a little closer look at some of the new gameplay improvements as well as some of the offline franchise additions. In the following few passages I will go into further detail on the upgrades that have put Madden NFL 12 at the top of my list for “must have, day 1 purchases” for 2011.
The gameplay additions that the folks at EA Tiburon have implemented for us fanatics this year are a much needed “shot in the arm” that, as of the builds I played, have brought realism and fun together in a seamless yet explosive gameplay experience. In my mind, the most important additions to gameplay (and most notable) are: Eliminating Suction, New Consecutive Hit Tackling, and the much improved Defensive Zone Coverage.
1) The most talked about feature amongst the Madden NFL 12 community has been the elimination of suction blocking and tackling. Gone are the days where your Linebacker shoots through the line of scrimmage with a clear path at the running back only to slide sideways into an Offensive Lineman who is out of position to initiate the block. In Madden NFL 12, if this same scenario presents itself… Mr. Half Back is on is back seeing birdies. Suction has been removed across the board so it is also a double edged sword. If you are the ball carrier on offense, no longer can a defender just run up to you with a poor angle and make the easy tackle.
This year blocking and tackling are only initiated by contact. So as the defender is running at you (if they are in position to make a play) they have to actually make contact to initiate the tackle animation. Also the dev team has added a tackle button (formerly the dive button) to help force the player to actually make the sure tackle instead of blindly trying to get near the ball carrier. I personally have felt the effects of the removal of suction from the game on several occasions. If you do not take the correct angle or misjudge the ball carrier… you will “whiff” on the tackle and most likely give up a big gain.
2) Consecutive Hit Tackling has provided us Community Event members with many “oh’s and ah’s” during our time at EA Tiburon. I have heard many gamers describe the tackling in previous games as “a giant hug-fest”. Well get ready folks because this year Tiburon has shown us all how to bring the noise. Ball carriers with a high truck and strength rating will fight off a weak arm tackle, start to lose their balance and put a hand on the ground to steady themselves while two other defenders will come up to finish off the job in “crushing” fashion. I have witnessed several instances of a ball carrier getting stood up after a 5 yard gain and struggle to try and break free, only to have another defender (or two) come up and lay some leather. It is truly a gratifying experience to see a ball carrier fight to not get tackled only have that defender come up and hit him hard enough that the momentum knocked the offensive player backwards. All I can say is cover the ball because folks that’s how fumbles are caused.
3) In my own humble opinion, I have saved the best for last: Improved Zone Coverage! To be perfectly honest, the word “improved” really doesn’t do that statement justice. A more fitting term is phenomenal when describing zone coverage. If you lived and died by the drag, crossing, or flat routes in past iterations of the Madden NFL franchise… well… it is time for you to grow a strategy and game plan my friends! Linebackers shrink the middle of the field in a “Cover 2” zone allowing for little or no yardage after the catch. Defenders now hand off receivers to each other as they pass from zone to zone. Confusing the coverage by flooding the zone and using route combinations are now essential to consistently completing passes this year. I have noticed that by flooding a zone, you will get one receiver open but only for a second. If you don’t read it correctly the window to complete the pass will close faster than ever before. Timing and creativeness are crucial!
Earlier this week, Josh Looman revealed some of the new additions to offline franchise and the community has been alive with anticipation ever since. Many of the additions that were added to Madden NFL 12 should keep gamers going until the next edition drops in August of 2012. Deeper than ever before for the current generation consoles is an accurate description, as many of the features that people have been begging for over the last 6 years have been implemented with stunning fashion. I spent nearly 12 hours toying with franchise mode (including simulating through 5 seasons) and I believe the new features that will have the most impact on my franchise experience are: Hot and cold streaks, the pre-season, and the Trading of Future Draft Picks.
1) I have always been a huge fan of anything that provides realism to any game. That is exactly what hot and cold streaks will do for Madden NFL 12. Hot and cold streaks are something we see every season in the NFL. How a player reacts to adversity on the field is a direct link to winning and losing. One player having a cold streak can affect the entire dynamic of an offense or defense. The same goes for a hot streak, players rise to a challenge or fall into the depths of despair. Do you force the ball to a struggling teammate to help him overcome his slump? Or do you hope he comes out of his funk with time? What do you do in the mean time? Do you change your entire game plan to cover for the player or just bench him? This is most obvious in the game of football with quarterbacks, but just think how your offense will change if our game breaking wide receiver suddenly starts dropping wide open passes on a consistent basis! The same goes for your star cornerback that gets beat deep a few times in man coverage. Streaking players can change every aspect of the game, your game plan, and your opponents game plan.
2) The Pre-Season! By expanding the rosters to 75 players, the development team has essentially made it so that no two offline franchises will ever be alike. You start your pre-season with 75 players on your roster. Most of these players you will know, while others you will have absolutely no clue who they are. In NFL circles they are known as camp fodder, or players brought in specifically to have enough warm bodies to run full offense vs defense practices without risking key players to injury. In Madden NFL 12 however, these players can provide valuable depth on your roster to replace older veteran players, insurance for an injury prone player, and also fill spots you were unable to fill in the offseason. Each week of the pre-season you unlock attributes for these players (last of which is their actual overall rating and potential), and are forced to cut down your roster. You are then faced with some decisions: do I keep the veteran player on the roster whom I have full view of his ratings? Or do I keep the young player that I can only see a few of his attributes but could be a diamond in the rough?
I will give you an actual example of the franchise I started with my Browns. I played my 1st pre-season game and had to cut 3 players (I’m pretty sure it was 3). I trimmed the fat so to speak by releasing a few high paid backups and started looking through my roster and noticed a CB with around 94 speed rating. I figured, well we can what this kid has, if nothing else I can have him help in the dime package or on special teams. At this point his overall was hidden and all I could see was a question mark. After my 2nd preseason game it said his rating was 99 overall with a question mark! As I looked over his attributes I saw that the only ratings present were for his athletic abilities (speed, agility, acceleration) and a few non-position factoring stats like pass block. I thought wow just based on his speed alone, he may be worth keeping. After week 3 he was rated in the high 80’s with a question mark and several more attributes unlocked. Needless to say, at this point I was dead set against cutting him. After week 4 I had to cut down my roster to the final 55 and had unlocked all of his attributes and he was rated 68 overall with B potential… not bad for a guy who just got a rookie free agent camp invite! In all honesty, he was the exception to all the players invited to camp over 5 seasons as most players were in the low 60’s and high 50’s with mainly D or F potential (some C’s here and there).
This feature alone will make it well worth playing multiple seasons as you watch players like this guy blossom.
3) One of the most requested features over the last few years has been being able to trade future draft picks. When Josh Looman announced this addition I could almost hear the cries of joy from the Madden community. I can already see the masses risking the future for that one player that they think will put them in the Super Bowl. Are you the Atlanta Falcons of this past NFL draft? Do you only need one piece of the puzzle? Well then put together a trade of Herschel Walker or Ricky Williams proportions! But remember, trading future picks can be high risk as well as high reward. It can strip your team of youth and depth while causing a catastrophe in the future.
As you can see I am very excited about Madden NFL 12. I really believe that EA Tiburon cares about what the fans want to see. I’m sure there are some very exciting announcements coming up in the next few months. The above listed points are just a few that I really enjoyed while playing the game and will keep me interested for the entire year. If you have any favorites that really have you pumped, feel free to share them in the comments section below.
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