Madden NFL 17 Impressions

[DeuceDouglas]

Re: Madden NFL 17 Impressions

Played a fantastic game last night against the Seahawks and probably my favorite game of Madden that I've played in a really long time. I ended up winning 23-20 but it had a little bit of everything. I intercepted a pass in the end zone to prevent a score just before half and later blocked a FG to keep the score at 16-13. Scored late on a big TD pass to take the lead and then got an interception off a deflection to seal the game. It was awesome and there were a ton of great plays and I had a lot of fun from beginning to end.

My only issues really are still the tackle battle and then the QB's getting hit as they throw. It's becoming very aggravating to try and throw passes and watching my QB (or their's for that matter) go through the full arm motion before he is even touched just to watch the ball fall out of his hand and either go straight into the ground or flutter two yards out of his hand because a defender was about to hit him. Either make it a sack or take a lot of the zip off the pass and penalize accuracy and have it be a somewhat normal throw.

[bdeezy89]

Re: Madden NFL 17 Impressions

Players not being able to turn before they go out of bounds after a pass in the flats has to be the most annoying thing ever in the game. I've had numerous TDs and big gains turned to nothing because the player doesn't want to turn or decides to sideline catch the ball 5 feet away from the sideline and fall on the ground. The PA screen play is basically unplayable because of this

[l8knight1]

Re: Madden NFL 17 Impressions

I played Cowboys vs Skins, and Cousins still stayed in pocket and had poor awareness when I expected him to take off on a scramble. This is after the latest patch. Last year, I made sure to account for scrambling QB's, and even not typical scramblers on third down, as you would get burned if you didn't. Not the case so far this year for me.

[sir psycho]

Re: Madden NFL 17 Impressions

Just got the game yesterday, so here are some of my initial, unorganized thoughts on the game....


-Overall, it's very fun. I've played 3 games in a Chargers CFM with Armor & Swords sliders and all 3 have been close and competitive. Currently 1-2, beating the Jags and losing to the Colts in OT and the Chiefs. The Jags game was actually really interesting as they couldn't do anything offensively, but still ending up with 38(I think) points. They had 2 kick off returns for a TD and a pick 6.

-On QB play, the first two games featured CPU Alex Smith and Blake Bortles completing in the 50s for completion %. Luck in the 3rd game was robo QB for most of it. I've seen very few actual inaccurate passes, all incompletions are either way over the heads and out of bounds, INTs, drops or knockdowns. I've only seen 1 user pass that was actually off the mark. I am not seeing much scrambling going on...I think Bortles took off and ran one. Luck and Smith rolled out a couple times but never crossed the line, except...

-...A very cool thing I saw in the game against the Colts, Luck had scrambled around and chucked it deep while appearing to be in front of the line of scrimmage and he actual got called for it. Not sure I've ever seen an illegal forward pass in Madden before, but that was awesome.

-Small annoying thing, but I've had at least 4 times where a player on my team has been called for a facemask and when I watch the replay, both arms are around the ball carriers' waist. It seems like the facemask penalties are just random.

-While the commentary is improved, I am still hearing way too many repeated lines. All 3 games with the Chargers, I've heard the same story about Rivers in grade school. Multiple times in each game I've heard them talk about how Rivers' height is such a huge advantage for him, and then they went on to say it about Bortles in the same game. So, hearing that scripted segment 3 times in 1 game was a bit annoying. Still better than anything we've had in the past, though.

-The running game is tough(although that could be influenced the Chargers poor o-line and sub-par RBs), but as others have said, it is very rewarding. It feels really good to wait for the hole to open(if it does) and pick up yardage.

-I was waiting so long for the ticker to return and I absolutely LOVE it. Is was so great in week 1 to watch the Priority updates showing a shootout between the Raiders and Saints as I battled the Chiefs in a divisional game. The ticker is so huge for immersion.

-One of the most painful things in this game is watching a long run/reception/return/whatever on slow speed. The players just look like they are running in slow motion. That being said, slow is still my preferred game speed because it looks way too twitchy on faster settings.

-I like the new kicking system...I don't know what else to say about it, but I like it.

-My 3 biggest complaints about the gameplay are the line play, QB AI, and the general QB-WR-ball tethering. I'll probably notice other things the more I play.

I haven't really gotten too deep in CFM or anything really...just played a few games and those are some of my first thoughts. Bottom line, after not buying Madden for a few years, and then returning M16 fairly quickly, this definitely seems like a game I will stick with for a while.

[PredatorKingdom]

Re: Madden NFL 17 Impressions

It plays and feels just like 16 but way better than 16 especially if you play CFM.

Games are a lot closer or challenging on the defensive side. You must actually build a team defensively that can play or you will get lit up with the right sliders.

Madden is still very far from being a perfect game but I like it this year especially the commentary.

[oldman]

Re: Madden NFL 17 Impressions

I've played since release. Madden just isn't that much fun. I have been trying to give it a chance but the reality is there just isn't that much to keep me playing for a long period of time. What I see when I play the game and what I see when I watch and NFL game don't resemble each other all that much. Some other things:

The menus feel clunky and slow.

There is no immersion in CFM. It just barely scratches the surface. There is nothing that draws you in. I don't know if it is because the stories have been moved or what but nothing makes you feel like you need to keep coming back.

I've tried but when comparing Madden, the Show and NBA2k this game falls behind the other two in how they emulate what you see in real life. I am not sure what the answer is but it just doesn't do it for me.

[redsfan4life]

Re: Madden NFL 17 Impressions

Not sure when this was 'fixed', but I drafted a rookie with Disciplined penalty trait. Before everyone was undisciplined coming in. Guess they changed this in a patch or tuner recently.

[noplace]

Re: Madden NFL 17 Impressions

I like the game and can see where EA made great improvements in scheme and immersion but there’s still major legacy issues that put this game behind way the curve. The lack of organic player movement and animations hurts this product. In no other game have I’ve seen such bad player movement, running animations look bad, tackling doesn’t reflect the correct techniques, physics or collision awareness at times. Looks like a bunch of World War Z zombies running around out there. Still waaay too much sliding and warping going on for a game in 16’. I don’t even think I seen as much in last year’s version. I think CPU AI has taken a step back as well on offense and defense, QB’s not scrambling like last year needs to be fixed and the lack of situational awareness on defense is bad at times. Still missing short yardage blocking in the right situation such as goal line play etc.

All in All it’s a good game and I know that no game is perfect but it’s a little frustrating the issues that have plagued the franchise for years haven’t been addressed. Simple things like real player running animations, back pedal animations and transitions, QB drops, pre-snap animations (offensively and defensively), real tackling, as well as individual stances would go miles to improving this game.

[335TDC]

Re: Madden NFL 17 Impressions

I like the game and can see where EA made great improvements in scheme and immersion but there’s still major legacy issues that put this game behind way the curve. The lack of organic player movement and animations hurts this product. In no other game have I’ve seen such bad player movement, running animations look bad, tackling doesn’t reflect the correct techniques, physics or collision awareness at times. Looks like a bunch of World War Z zombies running around out there. Still waaay too much sliding and warping going on for a game in 16’. I don’t even think I seen as much in last year’s version. I think CPU AI has taken a step back as well on offense and defense, QB’s not scrambling like last year needs to be fixed and the lack of situational awareness on defense is bad at times. Still missing short yardage blocking in the right situation such as goal line play etc.

All in All it’s a good game and I know that no game is perfect but it’s a little frustrating the issues that have plagued the franchise for years haven’t been addressed. Simple things like real player running animations, back pedal animations and transitions, QB drops, pre-snap animations (offensively and defensively), real tackling, as well as individual stances would go miles to improving this game.

Yeah, the movement weirdness is apparent, but what's really starting to annoy me are RB tackling animations. Horribly wonky and unrealistic, where the RB gets touched and falls to his butt or falls to his knees. No falling forward unless it's a power back. Then there's the one where the back/receiver gets pulled back despite of all momentum going the other way. Yuck...

[Americas Team]

Re: Madden NFL 17 Impressions

Madden has come a long way since 15 but line play is lacking big time. I was hoping line play in 17 could see the same kind of jump and improvement from 15-16 that WR/DB interactions had. If line play could get that kind of improvement then the game could go from being just good to amazing!

Im looking at this Broncos Panthers game now and boy Madden's line play (pass blocking/rushing) looks nothing like the real thing. In real life the pocket collapses quickly, its chaotic, and defensive linemen rarely get a free rush at the Qb unless they go unblocked but rarely does a defensive linemen throw a offensive linemen to the ground and get a free rush at the Qb. Offensive linemen are much more athletic in real life, they give maximum effort to stick with the defensive linemen's rush, they don't stay bent over in basic blocking stance while the rusher they were blocking mulls their quarterback. Like someone said earlier, in Madden 18 this needs to be the #1 priority.

[bfett81]

Re: Madden NFL 17 Impressions

It feels more like real football than ever.

I just played against the CPU and was winning 14-10 at halftime, but only because Rivers threw a dumb INT in the end zone. I actually punted on my first possession and the CPU went up 7-0 to start the game.

The second half I dominated and won 49-17, but only because of a couple of big plays and turnovers.

Just like a real NFL game with teams making adjustments at halftime.

[godway]

Re: Madden NFL 17 Impressions

It's solid. Not the HUGE upgrade over '16 that people were making it seem like, in my opinion. The biggest improvements are to Franchise mode, with being able to play games faster with sim options and such. The actual gameplay really doesn't feel much different. I still don't feel like I'm playing a chess match against someone, because the AI still does all of the same cheese garbage that they do every year. I have my Y and Slot receivers both running on Streaks, I throw to the slot who has his man easily beat, yet the Y's man tuns around and just morphs in front of my slot receiver to pick the pass, as if something like this EVER happens in a real game. You're running full speed keeping up with your man on a streak but you have time to stop perfectly, turn around, and glide forward gracefully to pick a pass that you were 10 yards down the field from when it left the QBs hand. That type of stuff is so frustrating and awful and just makes me shut the game off, not because it's difficult but because it's stupid and looks stupid, and that type of garbage shouldn't still be happening.

There's just no strategy in this game. The AI knows exactly what plays you're running and how to stop them. You can't go into a game with the idea of running it and throwing off play-action, because PA still doesn't work in this game. There's just nothing organic or intangible about this game, when there should be as it's what Football is all about.

Red Zone play is SO bad, and I'm playing on All-Pro. It's impossible to get anyone open on pass plays, and running gets stuffed immediately at the line, as they've never been able to properly simulate Goaline situations in this game. I swear like 8 out of 10 pass plays I attempt in the Red Zone end up swatted or INT'd so amazingly effortlessly.

Game plays much better on Pro settings, but it's too easy. Maybe once I start experimenting with slider sets I'll enjoy it more, but I don't know, Madden's gameplay is just so...Madden. It never changes significantly and it's kind of depressing.

[Manning2Harrison]

Re: Madden NFL 17 Impressions

I don't think player edits should be listed with transactions. That's just clutter.

[Hova57]

Re: Madden NFL 17 Impressions

Could be just me but when I play action and let cpu do the drop in can't scramble using R2 or throw the ball

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[celtics6]

Re: Madden NFL 17 Impressions

The difference to me between this madden and past years is i felt like Madden wasn't quite up to par. I feel like this years is. It just doesn't do anything that mind blowing. I think since 15 the formula has been pretty clear. The game had a good base and they just built on it where stuff is in this game like balancing and special teams and enough different stuff, that really should have been years ago. Yay I can block field goals now. It's fairly well implemented and realistic too. I can change my punts too and do cool stuff like breaking tackles with the press of a button. Amazingly awesome and I can't believe it.

This is what a major developer should release every time imo and then build on this. Instead what we get each gen is a dumbed down port from last gen that removes features then they add to it until it gets good around the 3rd or 4th iteration. Marketing yes but this is what EA does. It gets slightly better each year seemingly but every gen is the same where the last couple maddens of each gen are usually solid games with no real complaints minus this that they never go beyond that. Yeah the game improves each year, but the series never seemingly takes that extra leap.

I've been playing this game since the first one. It's always this way...

Madden 17, Nice crisp graphics and gameplay. Nice features and bells and whistles. Good modes and presentation. I'm mainly a gameplay and presentation guy and don't play alot of the extra modes just pick up games and franchise sometimes but nice to have. Some legacy issues but most things have been ironed out except a couple glaring ones. I figure 18 will get it all done but then its back to square one and dealing with the same crap for another 5 years until EA never does anything to change that.

I'm not going to buy 18 for that and a few bug fixes and so Madden can add a halftime show I skip through anyways. I got 15 because that was a pretty good jump from the initial madden release and this one on ps4. I also upgraded my madden when i got a ps4 which was at release just to have the clear graphics. So I had 25 and 15 and this one. That's more than enough EA for what amounts to what I get in 17. I really should just wait but this is what EA does otherwise I'm playing last gen madden for 5 years until they get good.

Front page sports used to have a really good legacy mode but Madden is just madden. It's a good game and does a lot of things well particularly this year I feel like it's what it should be. I just wish they'd go that extra mile sometimes. Maybe in 18 although I feel like by the time that comes out it will be the same ho hum affair.

8.5 out of 10 although previous iterations didn't deserve that. 15 and 25 as far as longevity really aren't that great. 25 was probably a 6.5 and 15 was a 7.5. Good solid game but had some issues with it. Instead reviewers give this game an 8 every year when 25 was such a crap shoot as far as speeded up play on steroids. It took them this long to just get their gameplay right where it feels like a sim. This is what Madden should be though. Fun gameplay with sim elements and good all around game at it's core. It satisfies a lot of different players but could be better. It's basically the same game I've been playing but just has mostly everything up to par this year.