10-01-2003, 11:11 AM
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#26
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Rookie
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Re: My thoughts on the ESPN - Madden debate of 2004.
Just thought I would add my $.02 to the debate. Here is an email I sent to Chris Buffa at Gamerfeed in reference to his Madden challenge:
I just got finished reading your take on Madden and must say I can agree and disagree with some of your points. I have been playing Madden since inception and will confess to being a Maddenite. With that being said, each year I look forward to the slew of incoming football games to compete with the Madden brand. For as long as I have been playing, a new game has to really capture the feel of football to force a change.
Graphics- Edge to ESPN.
You may disagree with the edge rating but I feel it holds serious water. ESPN looks beautiful. The player models are great. The stadiums have a feeling of depth and size. The colors are bright. The animations are sick. I can't take anything away from VC on this. Madden on the other hand looks great as well. Some say the players are smaller, but it is not by much. Artists have different visions and this is the main difference in the graphics. If you look at Madden's animations, they are SO fluid. They look as if they are actually running. ESPN players look as if they are running in place. Madden's animations look better (to me) because they are more fluid. If VC could make the animations more fluid, they would hold the undisputed animations belt. Let's take a look at the uniforms. ESPN's uniforms seem very bright. Too bright at times. Madden's color palette for the uniforms look spot on. The colors are richer in Madden and in my opinion look better. Also, the progressively dirty uniforms VC tried to incorporate in their game sucks!!! If you look at the uniforms as they get dirty, the stains are all in the same spots on every player. As much work as they put into the graphics, you would think they would be able to get this right. Madden's uniforms look great as they get progressively dirty and it is not the same pattern on every player. This is another area I would love to see them correct. It may seem nitpicky, but these are the things I look for and expect in these games. The technology is available and I would hate to settle for anything less. To the eye, VC does look better, but the little things make this closer than most people will agree.
Gameplay- edge Madden
Once again you may not agree. I rented ESPN this year and thoroughly enjoyed the game. This is the first year I can say that about a VC football game. Once again the little things stuck out to me. I played on all- pro with default settings and the backs are just too good!!! How many tackles will a back break in one game? Come on and be honest. These backs break too many tackles. It is unheard of. Playing on the defensive line still has its holes. I was never able to get a consistent rush on the QB. You say you can sit in the pocket all day in Madden and I could not disagree with you more. I feel as if I am a real QB taking 3-4 seconds to get the ball out of my hands to an open (hopefully) receiver. Teh pocket forms great and you have to step up and make accurate reads and big throws. This is the best Madden has ever been in this aspect. When I run the rock, I can actually see holes open and teammates blocking. I don't even feel the need to utilize the Playmaker option for blocking once I have the ball. Backs break tackles at credible rates in this game. Drops are on par with big hits or bad hands by a receiver. The one area that still needs an upgrade is the tackling. I would like to see better usage of gang tackling and fumbles because of gang tackling. The DB AI is great in Madden. They actually have better awareness and seem to know when to swat and when to intercept passes. These are just some of the reasons why I still play Madden.
I am not going to get into online play or too many extras. The only other feature worth mentioning is the franchise mode (not including owner mode). Madden is clearly superior when it comes to franchise play.
One last thing I will point out is that I am accustomed to the controller configuration of Madden after all of these years. yes, there is a level of comfort that is established after playing a game so long. People also allege that if you play Madden then you do not know football. This is so far from the truth. How do you explain all of the NFL players who love playing this game? I played HS and college football (DIII) and I have a pretty good understanding of football. People are going to play the game that is fun, comfortable and worth their money. Why convince yourself to play another game when you are enjoying the game you have?
Overall, both games are great and I feel ESPN has closed to a photo finish when speaking of the best game. Until VC is able to correct the little things I look for, I will continue to play Madden. Who knows, maybe Madden will increase the size and depth of their stadiums and player models. If that happens, how much longer will you be playing ESPN football?
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