With the issues in NCAA. Do you still think that EA is moving in the right direction?

[PVarck31]

I personally do. The gameplay, even with the issues has taken a leap forward imo. If all of the issues get patched this will be a great game. I am also hearing none of the issues in NCAA are present in Madden.

I wanted to add that even though this is in the Ncaa forum, I want you to take all of EA sports games into consideration. Such as Live, FIFA, and NHL.

[scamden311]

Its hard for me to say yes considering that we are now in year 3 of the next gen and we are still waiting for the game to catch up to last gen as far as playabilty.

So no i don't.

[simgameonly]

Let me wait until after Madden, still on the fence.

[Cebby]

From what frame of reference?

From 2003/2004/06, they have taken a serious down turn. The game is better than 07 or 08, but still a far cry from a great game.

[GoVols1985]

I think the company as a whole is moving in the right direction, but the sports division still seems stuck in a rut, so I say no.

[umd]

yeah - right direction compared to what? NCAA is nowhere near where it should be since last gen. We're still waiting on feature sets and gameplay that we had on PS2 and xbox and this in now going on year 4. The same can be said about Madden.

Head Coach (if it lives up the the hype?) is the only "revolutionary" football game EA has produced in years.

EA basketball is a joke. It's been on a downward cycle dating back to PS2 and Xbox. Live is a shadow of what it was/could have been with the better hardware. The March Madness series is no better off. It reeks of dumbed down gameplay and gimmicks.

I'm not much of a hockey or soccer guy, but my buddies are (sim gamers) and they've given rave reviews to the progress in NHL and Fifa. So I'd say yes (?) in those categories based on what they've said.

Overall, I think EA is not moving in the right direction for the OS gamer. Listening to the sound bites and interviews with Peter Moore makes me cringe. This "broadening" of the gameplay to make it accessible to the masses looks more and more like a dumbing down of sports gaming.

Sure, family play for the Wii makes sense (wii is marketed as a family console) but for other gaming consoles this is a disturbing pronouncement.

Look at what they've done to NCAA - I'm still undecided about 09 (give me a month and I'll write a review) but it is not a game for the more sim-oriented players.

This wide-open gameplay (while pretty fun so far) is a dumbing down of the gameplay (especially on defense) and I think signals part of the trend towards this marketing and development plan.

A lot of people have crowed about how NCAA -09 (certain community leaders) would be the best ever in the series and I can say with certainty even after three days, it is most definitely not the best this series has seen.

I really don't hold much hope for Madden, since the development has been shared so much with NCAA - as we've read on this message board. I have a tough time believing much different than NCAA. They (NCAA and Madden) suffered from the same types of issues last year - why should this year be any different?

If I had to guess Madden is going to suffer the same type of hype related overreaction that NCAA did around here - for better or worse.

So, overall...nope EA is not moving in the right direction for me. If anything, the franchises I play and care about have stagnated or regressed.

[Herky]

I say a yes with some anger. Next gen has been around for far too long for EA to release their best next gen game. Note next gen. NCAA 2009 isn't bad, but it should be better by now. There are still far too many silly bugs and glitches at the moment, but when the bar is set so low, going up in the only acceptable choice. To sum it up. EA has been awful with next gen games in the past.

This game is on the cusp of being outstanding, but in areas where EA made strides, they took steps back in others. This doesn't ruin the game, but it is frustrating as hell.

I don't hate EA. I've been a supporter of them for years on the football side but that doesn't mean I can't ask for improved gameplay each year.

At the moment 2004 is still the best and that shouldn't be the case in 2008.

[malek05]

Quote: Originally Posted by umd

yeah - right direction compared to what? NCAA is nowhere near where it should be since last gen. We're still waiting on feature sets and gameplay that we had on PS2 and xbox and this in now going on year 4. The same can be said about Madden. Head Coach (if it lives up the the hype?) is the only "revolutionary" football game EA has produced in years. EA basketball is a joke. It's been on a downward cycle dating back to PS2 and Xbox. Live is a shadow of what it was/could have been with the better hardware. The March Madness series is no better off. It reeks of dumbed down gameplay and gimmicks. I'm not much of a hockey or soccer guy, but my buddies are (sim gamers) and they've given rave reviews to the progress in NHL and Fifa. So I'd say yes (?) in those categories based on what they've said. Overall, I think EA is not moving in the right direction for the OS gamer. Listening to the sound bites and interviews with Peter Moore makes me cringe. This "broadening" of the gameplay to make it accessible to the masses looks more and more like a dumbing down of sports gaming. Sure, family play for the Wii makes sense (wii is marketed as a family console) but for other gaming consoles this is a disturbing pronouncement. Look at what they've done to NCAA - I'm still undecided about 09 (give me a month and I'll write a review) but it is not a game for the more sim-orientated players. This wide-open gameplay (while pretty fun so far) is a dumbing down of the gameplay (especially on defense) and I think signals part of the trend towards this marketing and development plan. A lot of people have crowed about how NCAA -09 (certain community leaders) would be the best ever in the series and I can say with certainty even after three days, it is most definitely not the best this series has seen. I really don't hold much hope for Madden, since the development has been shared so much with NCAA - as we've read on this message board. I have a tough time believing much different than NCAA. They (NCAA and Madden) suffered from the same types of issues last year - why should this year be any different? If I had to guess Madden is going to suffer the same type of hype related overreaction that NCAA did around here - for better or worse. So, overall...nope EA is not moving in the right direction for me. If anything, the franchises I play and care about have stagnated or regressed.

This guy pretty much took the words out of my head...

When users on a sports forums have to find issues for you...you can't be going forward...

When you have to release a patch to correct just the most basic issues (pass rush, qb completion percentage, special teams) you can't be moving forward.

And when your sliders...the thing that is suppose to fix the things that don't work...don't work...you can't be moving forward...

After much angst, I have finally found a slider set that at least makes the game play similiar to 08 (pass rush, cpu can run somewhat effectively, only the best qb's complete close to 70%), but i can't believe I have to try to make a game play like last year's game to have some fun...

Now, if I can just get pat white to go forward on his optino...instead of backwards...