Did EA/Tiburon stumble into another generation?

[royounggoku]

I think EA needs to post this speech on their walls somewhere.

http://instagram.com/p/gq-0M2uPTr/

[Mendota]

EA definitely decided to publish last gen sports games for the Next Gen launch. I don't, however, think they are going to regret that. I don't think there is an install base that will legitimize the number of sales a sports game can generate before the end of the current seasons.

I don't see this Madden as the Next Gen Madden, I see it as a placeholder that lets you play Madden on your new console. I would have liked to have seen a similar port of NHL 14.

Depending on how this gen progresses, I see EA making a bigger investment in the future. This was just a really bad time to dump a ton of time and money into a game that will sees sales drop off dramatically in a month and half.

2K may not recover their investment for the Next Gen 2K14, although they do have competition to consider. NBA Live wont touch it this year, and the goodwill they have created with this year's game will help keep gamers loyal in the event that NBA Live 15 actually raises its game enough to compete.

But without competition, I don't see EA selling a ton of Next Gen Madden 25 regardless of how great it might have looked. It would have been a bad investment. Save the $$$ and put it into next year.

I say this as someone that has not played a Madden game extensively for years. I love NCAA, but Madden has always felt cold and soulless. I don't think "more better" graphics would actually make it a better game.

[TheRealHST]

They definitely stumbled and no I will not give them a pass.

These next gen systems are very powerful, and clearly Madden didnt fully utilize it in my opinion . Maybe they rushed it as well.

This game is just an ugly girl with a shiny new hairdo and new dress, but same ugly girl. I expected so much more from NextGen Madden, Maybe they should have waited until next year?

They already had the current gen releases for cushion so why not wait?

These site is filled with very knowledgeable contributors and posters (OP included) . If any of you buy this game, I can't fault you for that. Sports games are all of our passions, so I understand. I can't do it. This just isnt good enough for me. Its a port.

[SageInfinite]

I mean for EA/Tiburon to say they were SO much more ready for this generation, it seems like they've been doing just as much, if not more ducking and dodging as they did for Madden 06. I do believe they game will be better next year(I mean really can they really regress!?!), but the lack of attention detail is just something I don't think will change.

I mean true step didn't even clean up the running. Sure when it's slowed down and super zoomed in it looks better, but in real time gameplay, there's as much sliding/warping and goofiness as there is on current gen.

They could've even cleaned up and replaced the animations and presentation to give the game a fresh look, but they didn't.

[Dogslax41]

The thing for me is that I expected to be disappointed. I kind of hoped they had something they hadn't released yet but didn't bank on it. I knew if they hit everything they touted in marketing I would still be disappointed because I felt they should have done more.

Problem is after watching the feed today I can't even see the impact of the things they were touting in marketing. Living worlds all but disappears. Sidelines look less static but only slightly less. Online/dline looks slightly improved but didn't appear to have any impact on gameplay. That's my biggest issue is that not only did they seem to under promise they under delivered on those promises. It doesn't appear that they were even capable of hitting the low bar they set, either that or the things they prioritized and improvements they made really don't have the impact to the overall game that they thought they would.

That concerns me for this year and the future of madden.

[USF11]

Does anyone remember the jump there was from ps1 to ps2?

That madden was such a jump and sold the system.

It created the madden boom.

Gimme a next gen game with NFL players, real tackling blocking running physics, as well as weather ball physics. Done thats it everyone would go nuts.

NBA 2k series is great causes its realistic. Madden doesnt know what it wants to be.

[billsmafia13]

Stumbled doesn't do this crap effort justice. How can you port the same exact game?

And I could care less about the bs features they mention. Has a madden ever came out that didn't suggest better line play and player awareness?

They say the same thing every year and every year the game is the same.

[Crimsontide27]

Quote: Originally Posted by N51_rob

Honestly I feel that the GCer program has failed EA on so many levels. They went out of their way to make all the GCers were "friendly" with EA, they are not getting forceful criticism anymore. The GCers that they do have only interact with their sites and people they "like" means that many good ideas are never being brought to EA. I know that the newest community manager was a former admin/co-owner of TOS and spent about three weeks here before OS got shunned again. They are hearing what they want to hear. When one of the largest sports gaming communities is largely ignored how is the program working? No one trust the EA Game Changers because its the same circle. "Oh man this, this and this are gonna be awesome" "Mark my words Hiroshima, Nagasaki!!!" Game Releases to the Mass Public "Its not our fault it was working when we where there" "They must've changed the code after we left." Can someone please tell me one idea from the Game Changer idea site that has been fully implemented yet. Yes EA is stumbling into this gen because they didn't need to produce a launch day title, but they knew they could cash in on one if they did so they ported over current gen warts and all, "fixed Oline interactions" and added "True step". Lipstick on a pig if you ask me.

Certainly you will understand If I leave some names and exact dates out of this, but hopefully this gives you some insight.

The gamechanger program has never, not even at the conception phase, been about making a better product. The entire game changer program was initially pitched as a program that could have far reaching positive effects on social media.

For quite awhile, EA had employed some previous QA testers, IE...pretty much minimum wage job to fans, to create forum accounts across the internet and basically run crowd control on all the negativity. This is what lead to the Gamechanger program.

What better way to run damage control than to allow select high visible posters from main stream sites access to their favorite game during the development process. Bring people in to meet the team, get tours of the studios, free products, early access, couple of times had the opportunity to meet some professional athletes, free hotel and airfare to Orlando etc. In return, you build loyalty and are given a rare opportunity to live out your passion.

I would disagree with you that the Gamechanger program has "failed" against Tiburon, and quite honestly has done everything they wanted. There are a few passionate gamechangers that want to bring ideas to the table and they don't last long. If you criticize or critique a game, it very well could be your last time down there.

There is a poster on this forum that has submitted multiple apps to be a gamechanger and copys / pastes his posts in direct IMs to other developers to demonstrate just how much he can do for them. This is the culture it has created. While he will defend Madden tooth and nail, he is only doing it because he wants the perks associated as a gamechanger, not because he really wants to be part of a better product.

At the end of the day, Gamechangers are not about bringing a better product, they are only there to be a cheap marketing tool , to deflect any criticism, and to hype the product up prior to release. Don't take my word for it, look at previous history.

Prior to every release since Community days / Gamechangers, you cant get rid of them pre-release. They come down to Orlando, spend a few days with the team and play maybe a combined total of 4-5 games and hit social media when they return. It generates hype and hysteria. As soon as the game is released you find out that they were just excited to be part of an experience, and hyped up the game for the sole purpose of personal gain. Being able to have access to pre-release footage, videos, insights etc, and being able to monetize those tools via social media, has created an environment to where the gamechangers look out for themselves for the most part, not those that they are supposed to represent.

How many times have you seen Gamechangers post prior to release and then disappear from the map post release?

And to the question about what has come from their site? Not much. Everything that Tiburon could ever want to know can be found on any of the numerous sports game sites, but I can tell you one of the most notable changes that came from a thread from OS!

For years the company followed the thread of the When , where , and how did you get it thread. The initial thought process was to find out what companies were breaking street dates and fine them, however. One clever guy thought outside the box and asked if there was a way they could capitalize financially off of this trend, as there seemed to be a large demand for it, as they noticed people would even drive out of state to get the game a few days early.

Thus Season Pass was born!!