A diehard 2K gamer's FAIR take on Madden 07

[xrams]

Quote: Originally Posted by daflyboys

The effort is appreciated, but really, do we need yet another Madden/NFL2k5 comparison at this stage of the game?

Dafly..... I for one love it... it just reaffirms my thoughts back when EA did this deal to destroy sports gaming... and it needs to talked about again and again... until something is changed....

PS... again... great post/take tpat...!!!!

[rudyjuly2]

One quick comment about your critique tpaterniti, if you don't like the pass rush or the vision cone, why don't you just up the pass blocking slider and turn off the vision cone? Heavens knows how many slider tweaks it takes to fix some things in 2K5.

I will say that I think Madden has done the passing game well in the past and you have to read defenses a bit better imo. I know people disagree on that. I do agree with your assessment on the ball trajectory. I think 2K did a better job with the vertical spacing in the game and being able to drop it over LB's heads (although I think 2K4 was even better). I also think Madden did better job of horizontally spacing the passing game. Its been awhile since I've played either game since I just play NCAA now but that's how I remembered it as well.

One of my biggest beefs with Madden and what's rarely discussed is playing defense. Everyone focuses on how the offense plays, running vs. passing, breaking down everything there but rarely do people give a good impression of playing defense. 2K5 didn't have enough player control on defense at times due to a lack of momentum with the players but the player interaction in the front 7 made playing defense in the 2K games great. You could play as a DL, LB or safety and it was still fun. Madden's player interaction and suction blocking was so bad (in the past - haven't actually played '07) that playing in the front 7 was usually an exercise in frustration which left me playing only as a safety which got boring. Half the game I would be bored playing defense and when you add the terrible presentation in the game I would just lose interest.

I find NCAA to be better than Madden in the front 7 even if not as good as 2K. The presentation in NCAA is far better than Madden (even if not as good as 2K) and I've found the quick gameplay and dynasty mode addicting. Its filled the void I had for video game football after the exclusive deal killed NFL gaming for me.

[baa7]

Quote: Originally Posted by daflyboys

The effort is appreciated, but really, do we need yet another Madden/NFL2k5 comparison at this stage of the game?

There's nothing else to talk about around here except rumors of an upcoming 2K game, and rumors about rumors about a game.

[e0820]

Quote: Originally Posted by baa7

To experience how ther poorer half lives...

HAHA good one, so Madden fans are the poor souls and 2k fans are the forgotten souls.

[baa7]

Quote: Originally Posted by e0820

HAHA good one, so Madden fans are the poor souls and 2k fans are the forgotten souls.

I think of 2K fans more as wishing, hoping and praying souls, trapped in a cruel and mocking sort of video game purgatory. Madden fans on the other hand mindlessly empty their wallets every August, thus the 'poor souls' comment and description.

[rudyjuly2]

Quote: Originally Posted by baa7

Madden fans on the other hand mindlessly empty their wallets every August, thus the 'poor souls' comment and description.

2k fans do realize that there are millions of Madden fans that are actually happy with the game right?

[Mos1ted]

I don't have a bias towards any company. I used to buy both 2K and Madden every year. In my opinion, 2K always had the superior product as far as graphics and presentation. Madden always had the upper hand in the strategic elements of the game. It all comes down to personal choice. I am a reformed Madden basher. I stopped mindlessly bashing the game and really looked into what it's product focus is. It's about gameplay bottomline. The other stuff (presentation, etc) is an afterthought. Think about it - what gets staler first? Gameplay or presentation? Why I admire 2K's focus for giving gamers that tv like presentation, how many of us skip those things after a while?

[spankdatazz22]

Quote: Originally Posted by Mos1ted

The other stuff (presentation, etc) is an afterthought. Think about it - what gets staler first? Gameplay or presentation? Why I admire 2K's focus for giving gamers that tv like presentation, how many of us skip those things after a while?

Curious - are you saying Madden next gen's gameplay makes up for the areas it's lacking in? While I generally agree w/your view that Madden has added certain strategic elements to it's game that should be standard in football games (line protection schemes like various slide protection options for example), I think the game is severely lacking in addressing basic football principles because the player interaction is so bad. The very basis of gameplay is in how the players interact, and Madden does/has done a horrible job at it. DBs/WRs simply run in place w/each other, with no gang tackling the game still doesn't require you to take team defensive concepts into account - really, there are just so many areas the game is lacking in it's not even funny.

2K5 (a game that came out 2+yrs ago it needs to be noted) wasn't all about pretty graphics and presentation. Being able to choose various bump and run options on receivers, plays based on realistic timing drops, much more flexible audible system - there's a ton I could get into but there really isn't a need. Madden next gen doesn't even have important features the current gen game has - two iterations in that's pretty much unforgiveable. With everything Madden lacks, it makes it's smaller issues seem larger. You're right, presentation in the game seems an afterthought - and it's interesting you seem cool at giving them a pass on that. I laugh everytime I see the piss-poor job they did with the sidelines. The player interaction issue should've long been addressed. Players look like zombies/zombie walk between plays. It's pretty much universally accepted that the next gen game totally lacks emotion; it's boring to even look at (imo).

If you like the game that's cool. I think if Tiburon had done a knockout job on any one aspect of the game, it would make the areas it's lacking in more palatable. But the one area I think they did an exceptional job on - the stadiums - gets dragged down by overhyped crowds jumping constantly whether the offense or defense makes a play. Next gen Madden's greatest success is that EA/Tiburon has gotten people to rethink what to expect from a next gen football game. They've basically gotten people to lower their expectations to a level I wouldn't have thought possible. 2K5 was far from perfect, and needed a lot of the polish that Madden has. But it was at least on the right track, and perhaps more importantly had a better grasp of basic football concepts that Madden with it's focus on speed lacked.