Are There Ever Defensive Battles in Madden (low scoring games)?

[PacMan3000]

I was just thinking about Madden and NFL 2K, and how they both have pro's and con's. And I remembered that one thing I admired about 2K is that it was constantly challenging. One game I could win 34-31. The very next game I could lose 10-7.

Or, in my 8th season--when you would think you have the game all figured out--I'd lose three games in a row mid-season.

I haven't played Madden for a prolonged amount of time since probably Madden 2002. But I remember playing back then, and it seemed like when you got a really good team after a while, you pretty much just dominated throughout franchise mode.

I also remember a ton of high scoring games in franchise mode. It seemed games would always end in 30-28 or 31-30, etc.

So I'm asking people who have played Madden for years...are there defensive games (when you play against the CPU)? And does the game continue to stay challenging throughout franchise mode?

Thanks.

[DallasRocks]

yeah on madden the scores can get high, but that what sliders are for.

[countryboy]

I've actually had defensive battles in Madden. I have had games that were 14-10, 21-17 and had a few that were shootouts.

I find Madden to be very balanced in the scoring department.

[vinny]

I've had low and high scoring games in both Madden and in the 2K series, though Madden games turn into a shootout a little more often.

[Cj112]

my best defensive battle was when my friend and I was playin won 10-9

[vinny]

Quote: Originally Posted by Cj112

my best defensive battle was when my friend and I was playin won 10-9

Nice, when me and my friends play we're lucky to see either of our scores under 50. Its hard to defend against human opponents.

[Nza]

I've had a 3-0 game on Madden PC 2006 before, and i've got the gamelog to prove it

More recently, I finished a season with the Bills and went 4-12. I averaged less than 15 points a game both offensively and defensively. One of the best D's in the league, and the worst Offense in the league. The lowest score that year was a 6-0 loss.

In season 2 I then hired Dick Jauron and hence the Rams playbook, drafted Calvin Johnson, lost Fletcher and Vincent, and now i'm a far more offensive team. In turn, my defense is suffering.

This is how Madden works. Your offense controls the game. If you struggle on offense, in more games than not so will your CPU opponent's. I've very rarely lost in a blow out just as i've very rarely done a blow out - Madden seems to keep scores relatively close most of the time at both ends of the spectrum.

In fact, this is how, I felt, 2K5 worked as well. Not 2K4 though, that was easily the best franchise experience i've had when it came to teams performing accurately to their ratings year in and year out. It's a shame they lost focus on the AI in 2K5.

The key is to control your franchise mode - impose restrictions to make roster management a challenge, and use good sliders, sometimes totally different ones from year to year so you don't fall into a groove. Madden can range from extremely arcady gameplay to actually statistically very accurate gameplay, it just takes a lot of time, tweaking and energy (not to mention FAR better on the PC with editors and utilities). This is why, when someone says Madden doesn't offer a realistic statistical experience, I don't take them seriously because they clearly didn't have the dedication to make it happen. It can be done, you can get defensive games where there should be and offensive where there should be, it just isn't something achieved easily.

[ODogg]

all my online games are usually defensive battles but part of that is the lame 4 min quarters. still madden does have more defense now than they did in the past