Madden & ESPN gamers are showing their true colors......

[lexuskaykay]

From reading all the reviews, impressions, details so far I've come to notice that the Madden camp & ESPN camp are made up of very different gamers. Now don't get offended Madden faithful but it seems that the majority of it's players don't have a true love for the GAME of football. I've read countless reviews from the Ziff Davis publishing group EGM, OPM, etc. & have noticed that they feel like Madden's gameplay is how the NFL game is played on the field. They are the only publishing mags that have personally attacked the FPF mode in ESPN. What's even more bothering to me is why they claim it is a FLOP mode. They state that it is disorienting, you can't see the whole field, & you don't know who's behind or around you on the field.

Excuse me is this not FOOTBALL!! I begin to wonder if any of these guys have ever played the game in reality. Of course you can't see the whole field, of course you don't know who's gonna blindside you, that's how it is on the actual field. Why they can't seem to understand this mode is really exposing them as the WATERBOYS they are/were. It's kinda sad that we have so many people playing a football videogame but have no real earthly idea how the actual game is played.

I've read alot of posts about the gameplay of the ESPN series being too simulation for some gamers. Well why do people keep associating Madden as the definitive simulation of NFL football if it's not a true representation of the sport? It just seems that alot of writers/publications are contradicting themselves during these reviews. How can one game be called the greatest football game ever made when in the next write up it states that another is the best simulation of football on the field? Will someone please make up their mind which one represents the best NFL experience without trying to give respect to the older franchise!

I personally feel that hardcore football lovers are the people who play ESPN while the casual not so involved gamers
are the Madden faithful. Not to say that everyone who likes football games should just play ESPN but those who have thorough knowledge of the actual GAME OF FOOTBALL really understand & appreciate what this game brings to the table.
It's kinda like Madden being inducted in the hall of fame this past week. Not only is it an achievement to be around long enough to accomplish that for a career but it's also a signal that your time is over. Madden had & still is having a great run but retirement is nearing closer than many expect.

[sportsgeist]

The reviewers usually do a better job at hiding which series they like but this season it's different. You have to wonder about a reviewer who would say "First Person Football is disorienting", "you can't see the whole field", & "you don't know who's behind or around you on the field". When in fact that's why VC put in the "Bullet time" feature and the meters to tell you in how much danger your player is
and where they're coming from. Straight Madden Waterboys or Jock Strap manager.

[Mook_Dawg]

Those guys have the WORST reviews across the board. The Demo disks are great, but I am letting my subscription run out. I get better impressions from y'all online.

[Graphik]

Sorry but I gotta disagree with some of your points. I've argued and debated time and time again that ppl who play Madden are'nt just casual gamers. I'm sick of reading ESPN is for hardcore gamers with real football knowledge.

Has it ever occured to you that some ppl just dont like ESPN because of its gameplay. Simulation or not they just dont like it. Just because it sopposedly plays the most realistic simulation of football ever does'nt mean "those who have thorough knowledge of the actual GAME OF FOOTBALL" should run out and buy the game and be forced to appreciate it.

Then you contradict yourself by saying "Not to say that everyone who likes football games should just play ESPN" when your entire post talks about how "majority of (MADDEN) players don't have a true love for the GAME of football". Which simply is'nt true.

Its a football video game, if hardcore, diehard, NFL, NCAA football fanatics dont like the game for one reason or another and choose to play Madden does'nt make them "have no real earthly idea how the actual game is played."

Rediculous

[coogrfan]

This post is just more of the elitist, "we're so much smarter because we don't play the same game as the masses" crap that we've been hearing from certain 2k fans for a while now. If you need that sort of thing to feel good about yourself, fine.

[CheckMate]

On another note, why is it that people who favor ESPN like to categorize ESPN fans as hardcore, Madden fans as casual, yet they never seem to acknowledge the people who buy Madden and ESPN/2K.

I don't see why so many ESPN fans have a problem with people not liking that series of games. People like different sports teams, people like different food, and different music. Why must everyone like the same videogames?

[**DONOTDELETE**]

Quote:

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CheckMate said:
On another note, why is it that people who favor ESPN like to categorize ESPN fans as hardcore, Madden fans as casual, yet they never seem to acknowledge the people who buy Madden and ESPN/2K.

I don't see why so many ESPN fans have a problem with people not liking that series of games. People like different sports teams, people like different food, and different music. Why must everyone like the same videogames?

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You're absolutely right. But not speaking for anybody else but only myself, a person who buys only one football game each year and bought Madden last year after a few years of 2k;
The reason I just want people to see another viewpoint. For YEARS I told one of my friends how much fun 2k is and that we should give it a try, but they wouldn't even do that. It's like food actually, when you try to get a finicky eater to try something new, but all they want is hamburgers. NOW he's all excited about ESPN because he gave 2k3 a try and loves it. Shoot, he loves it more than I do I think.

People don't HAVE TO do anything. But call me altruistic, but I just wanna share my joy. If a person doesn't like it after giving it an honest try... An HONEST try, spending some time with it to get used to the differences, and still doesn't like it-- fine. I still may not agree, but that's their choice.

But far too often with people who play Madden, and with anything else in life, people get into their little comfort zone and REFUSE to see anything else. That's what kinda bothers me. Then, just the other day, I went to check on another game and the store guy gave me a list of upcoming release dates. It had all kinds of games on it for various systems. Was ESPN on the list for any of the systems? NOPE. Even the much maligned GAMEDAY was on the list but not ESPN. How pathetic. Why was it missing?

[birdog]

i agree,
i am a die hard madden guy, and i have also come to love the game of 2k3, i just bought it a couple days ago.

both games offer so many different things... it seems that 2k3 is so fast paced, constantly keeping you on your toes...it's totally made me change the way i play the game..

madden is great to IMO, franchise, ownermode, the whole shabang.. so there are those of us who will buy and will play both games till our hands bleed