New challenge rules implemented.. I'm impressed.

[Grondar]

Heya everyone.

I have been playing quick games all day on default rules, difficulty, etc. All I did was boost quarter length by a minute or two.

Anyway, I am currently playing the Chargers, as the Browns, and they are running all over me with LT. It's clear he is the focal point of their offense, and I can't stop him, so they keep pounding away.

Anyway, twice in my red zone I forced 2 key fumbles that would have been potential turning points, given the score is just 0-7 Chargers after 3 quarters.

Both times, the Chargers challenged the fumble, selecting the option that they wanted to review possession, and whether the receiver had the ball before it was stripped.

And finally, we get to the subject of this post.

The commentators said during the 2nd review that if they Chargers are correct in their 2nd challenge (they also correctly challenged a fumble earlier in the game), then they would then be awarded a third challenge.

I thought that was pretty nice on a few levels. First off, they got the challenge rules implemented correctly. Secondly, the commentators drew (drew?) attention to this and talked about it while the replay was showing. And thirdly, the challenge system is superb; I love how you can challenge specific parts of a play, and not just throw out a "general" challenge that lets to CPU guess at what you are going for.

Also, I am really liking how the game is "always online" and connected to XBox Live. I've messaged a few people while playing offline, and it's just really nice to be connected all the time.

There is a whole bunch I like about this game, and I am enjoying it immensely. Learning the moves and controls will take time, but I am starting to get the gist of it. I broke a 67 yard TD run with Westbrook in an earier game. I like how you have to play real football to do well, and can't just roll out and outrun the entire defense. I tried that with Garcia on 4th and 4 and got owned.

Injury cutscenes are nice, and the half-time and post-game wrap-ups amaze me. The commentary is also good, but so is the rest of the game.. I am not reading posts here, so I apologize if this has already been brought up. Also, apologies for straying and turning this into an impressions post, but I was really impressed by the challenge rules and how well they were implemented. It just shows that they did their homework and are also football fans and not just game programmers. There are lots of little nuicances in the game that let the player know that this game was made by fans of the game, because it's just so solid.

Lastly, the cutscenes, player celebrations, sideline stuff, it all adds so much. I saw an Eagles celebration earlier where after scoring on a interception run-back the one player made a basketball hoop with his arms, while the one that scored dunked the ball down.

It's crazy really, because this game was $20 and it is easily worth the full price of other XBox games. It seemed too good to be true in the previews and videos, but so far I am completely impressed. I am still worried about bugs, glitches, and things going wrong (because there is always something, isn't there?), so I am not really viewing this forum much.. But I wanted to share this and my enjoyment with the game.

There is something else that really impressed me and I just can't think of it.. Well, something else came to mind, and that is how easy it is to assign a VIP stye to a team when you start up a quick game.

The game is just so solid, and it's beautiful to look at. I called my dad into the room to show him, and he had seen Maddens of that past (inc. last year), and he always said they look the same, and that there is still a ways to go. But after I called him in for ESPN and he watched a few plays, he said it really looked good and he was thoroughly impressed. This is coming from a guy that considers consoles to be evil and a complete waste of time, so I thought it was pretty neat to see some kind of props coming from him. Before he left he said he wished I was as into reading as I was playing sports games, but I still thought it was a neat moment.

Ok, I'll settle down now, but this game is really very good. It just does so much right, and I'm really enjoying it a lot. It's fun, but it's also difficult in a good way.

Take care.

EDIT: Oh yea, the other thing that I really love in this game is how you can assign double coverage so easily. Late in my current game (Chargers up 7), I know they are going to pound it with LT (they pounded it with him when we were tied at 0, heh), so I can easily assign 2 CBS or other players to cover him to cut down on his big gains. Really nice, and the whole pre-snap defense management layout is really slick.

EDIT AGAIN: 2:53 left in the game, down 0-7, I throw a ball to Quincy Morgan who takes it 79 yards to the big house! Haha, I love it.

[Gargamel]

Thanks for the comments!

I'm really looking forward to picking up this game.

I'll still wait awhile before I buy it, just because I don't have football fever in me yet (I've never been able to play sports games out of season).

But I'm really looking forward to another new and improved version of ESPN football!

[McLite]

Very well written post...and I agree all the way !

[Bacardi151]

Use the sticky Please.