Potentially Concerning Madden 26 News (SOFTDRINK Rumor)

[michaelhawj]

Is there anyone else who others a more critical view of the series? We gotta be real here. Those two are obviously biased against the series, but we need someone else who is more fair and balanced.

We can't really say Madden has been a good game for years. Simple things like the CPU not running the ball persisted last year.

I hear everyone saying oh, of course this guy is critical about the game, that's his agenda, but Madden hasn't been good.

this guy is one who respect EA for College Football 25 and Madden series on his channel. he dislike Ryan Moody very much

here is link on his channel against Ryan Moody : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VXMTnjsInHU&t=241s

[SmashMan]

Is there anyone else who others a more critical view of the series? We gotta be real here. Those two are obviously biased against the series, but we need someone else who is more fair and balanced.

We can't really say Madden has been a good game for years. Simple things like the CPU not running the ball persisted last year.

I hear everyone saying oh, of course this guy is critical about the game, that's his agenda, but Madden hasn't been good.

Honest answer, there probably isn’t a market for objective talk about the game. It’s gotta be “BEST MADDEN EVER?!?!” or “MADDEN SUCKS“ to get the clicks.

Moody’s too far gone, but SoftDrink could maybe moderate a little (discussing pros/cons of things as they are instead of comparing everything to 2K and old Maddens) and see if his audience goes along with it. I don’t know that you could start a channel like that now and be successful with it though.

[jbd345]

Honest answer, there probably isn’t a market for objective talk about the game. It’s gotta be “BEST MADDEN EVER?!?!” or “MADDEN SUCKS“ to get the clicks.

Moody’s too far gone, but SoftDrink could maybe moderate a little (discussing pros/cons of things as they are instead of comparing everything to 2K and old Maddens) and see if his audience goes along with it. I don’t know that you could start a channel like that now and be successful with it though.

even softdrinks video on pga 2k25 there were negative undertones at points even though the game has been praised among golf fans. The sad reality is negative videos get clicks, and that’s what they’ll do. I don’t see soft drink becoming a moderate. I haven’t checked his videos out for awhile, but last I knew SimFBCritic is pretty neutral, as in will point out bad and good.

[Armor and Sword]

I don't pay attention to any of these guys....never have, never will. I am too old school for this new generation click bait BS.

I play the game and make my own observations and conclusions. This is all rage bait. And people take it hook line and sinker literally every year.

[jpdavis82]

Everyone just has to play the game and make their own opinion of it. I've never understood why people get so caught up in what guys like SDTV & RM think about the game. With that being said, I do think that what SDTV said in his video about EA losing the exclusive license being good for the consumer is true. If they lose their exclusivity, the suits will feel more pressure, which will allow the devs more freedom and resources to make the best game possible, which is good for everyone.

[WiiMaster]

Even if the license were to disappear tomorrow, it would be years before anyone else could come close to competing.

[SmashMan]

Everyone just has to play the game and make their own opinion of it. I've never understood why people get so caught up in what guys like SDTV & RM think about the game.

Probably for similar reasons guys get hyped off Rayweather videos, just the opposite side of it. If people want positive, they'll seek it out. If they want negative, they'll seek it out.

[TarHeelPhenom]

Anyone who has any type of interest in the game in my opinion should simply play the 10-hour trial. It'll cost you nothing to do so. There are several people here who can describe the EA Play workaround. And anyone who has Game Pass will have access to it anyway. 10 hours to check everything you want out and then make a decision on whether to spend your money.

[MiracleMet718]

I don't pay attention to any of these guys....never have, never will. I am too old school for this new generation click bait BS.

I play the game and make my own observations and conclusions. This is all rage bait. And people take it hook line and sinker literally every year.

Exactly this. All these guys are doing is making rage bait videos to get those that fall for it riled up. They aren’t experts at the games and their “sources” are BS. Best to pay for the 10 hours and try it out yourself because that’s the only way you’ll know if YOU like the game.

[UltraHD]

Let's be honest - regardless of how you feel about EA/Madden, competition is a GREAT thing. If you have two or more companies making an NFL Football game or anything for that matter, the final product will undoubtedly be better. When there is no competition, people get away with releasing a sub-par product. We have seen this many times, not just with Madden. Competition between companies meaning they push each other further to 'out-do' each other and actually push the boundaries. Without competition, the world would be a pretty miserable place. Exclusive game licenses should be banned across the board. Set a set price for the license, and whoever pays it can make an NFL licensed sim football game. I am sick of EA having exclusive licenses to sports and the product being nowhere near what it should be. The more competition, the more choice the better. It really is that simple.

[studbucket]

Let's be honest - regardless of how you feel about EA/Madden, competition is a GREAT thing. If you have two or more companies making an NFL Football game or anything for that matter, the final product will undoubtedly be better. When there is no competition, people get away with releasing a sub-par product. We have seen this many times, not just with Madden. Competition between companies meaning they push each other further to 'out-do' each other and actually push the boundaries. Without competition, the world would be a pretty miserable place. Exclusive game licenses should be banned across the board. Set a set price for the license, and whoever pays it can make an NFL licensed sim football game. I am sick of EA having exclusive licenses to sports and the product being nowhere near what it should be. The more competition, the more choice the better. It really is that simple.

Yeah - and if you watch SoftDrink's videos: this is his #1 point. The lack of competition the last 15-20 years has created a worse sports gaming experience, not better. He's right that the current NBA 2Ks are relatively worse than those from 10 years ago. The depth of features found in Madden 15-20 years ago greatly exceeds what's there today.

Competition pushes people to be better and if we had it, we'd have better football games. That's the key point in all this.

[Kramer5150]

Exactly this. All these guys are doing is making rage bait videos to get those that fall for it riled up. They aren’t experts at the games and their “sources” are BS. Best to pay for the 10 hours and try it out yourself because that’s the only way you’ll know if YOU like the game.

If I'm not mistaken, last year he did mention something from his "BS source" that turned out to be correct, so I wouldn't be so quick to dismiss what's being said just because it doesn't line up with your feelings or thoughts.

I'm certainly not going to go through and search for it, but the information is definitely there.

[UFCMPunk]

When people complain about the playbooks influencing the sim stats, do they want playbooks to not matter with simmed games? Or, do they want them to have less influence?

I've always thought the playbooks should 100% have a role in simmed games to make sure teams are running the plays they are supposed to run at the ratios they are supposed to run them, but this seems to be one of the most complained about areas of the game and I've never seen anyone clarify what exactly they want changed. I only see the complaints, never any offered solutions.

As the other person said, it's more so the playbooks influencing the stats and wins more than anything. I know in previous Maddens, people would figure out which playbooks are best to get the most accurate stats. I know the Titans playbook always leaned pass heavy in the stats department, so I'd give their playbook to an AI team who should have better passing stats, and also player ratings don't matter. One year, I signed the lowest free agent QB I could, started him for the Titans and somehow his passing stats were amazing despite the very low OVR. We want playbooks to matter, but also ratings. If I have a 60 OVR QB starting, he shouldn't be putting up numbers close to a Burrow or Mahomes.

[UFCMPunk]

i ignore two people who bash against Madden games and said same thing without play it : Ryan Mood is worst one.. Softdrink TV is alright..

Moody is 100% straight up hate, like he doesn't even play the game. If he hates it so much, why give it so much attention and devote a whole channel to hating a video game you heavily dislike? I have nothing against him but give it a chance, Softdrink is more chill opposed to Moody who just needs therapy at this point. Plus I do enjoy Softdrink's other videos on other sports video games so he has more to offer from a channel standpoint.

[adembroski]

Agreed this guy & Ryan Moody would never be happy no matter who was making a football game they would still never be happy.

Sent from my SM-S928U using Operation Sports mobile app

Moody's worse though. Softdrink is disillusioned. Moody says **** he knows is inaccurate just to play to the irrationally angry at EA crowd.