Seriously, whats all the fuss about?

[Instant C1a55ic]

Like many of you, i have been suckered into buying madden since 07', with EA saying each year that this one will be better than the last. With 07' alot could be said, but lets be honest and say almost nothing about it can be reflected in a positive way. Yeah, it was better than 06' and hell so was Tecmo Superbowl.

08' was a complete disaster for those including myself that are Franchise junkies. Plus, to top it off they never really fixed the almighty glitch that froze up every console and franchise across the world. Yet they left it up to us to find a work around just to get things to work right. The visuals were almost the same, it played the same...oh wait...gang tackles right...yeah the same 3-4 animations EVERYTIME.

Now comes 09'. EA is back at it again this year with the tooting of there own horns on what they have accomplished this year. Or should i say the lack there of? Oh boy, they took away the radio guy...they improved the visuals, tweaked the tackling A LITTLE that still has probably the same animations wither it be solo or gang, with probably a few new ones that will look good for the first 20 times you see it. Did i read something about trio tackling? I about rolled over laughing at the news that FINALLY after 3 years of next gen, they reveal the "clear visor".

Now, dont get me wrong, i dont exactly hate madden all together or REALLY hate EA, its just this year there REALLY sugar coating there problems by revealing "NEW" visuals this year, that they cant seam to stop pounding out pictures each and every week. Call me a bluff, but i think there new market direction is simply to sell madden largely based on its "outstanding" visuals. Hundreds including myself have said that football isnt and shouldnt be all about visuals and should be more about what is going on, ON the field. I predict this years edition will have another game killing issue, not to mention new problems.

So the point of all of this, is like the thread name...what is all the fuss about? What will make this madden any better?, hell even the guy in the interviews on IGN says nothing new has really been updated in terms of franchise, but to "Wait till next year". I want the thoughts from the hardcore franchise players that live and breath that mode like i do. What other than the visuals is worth going out and standing in front of a game store till midnight just to go home and find out something doesnt play right?

[adembroski]

Well, considering you're one of the few who has brought up these points without being a prick about it, I'll give this post the benefit of the doubt.

First off, the control scheme is something that's never been done before. Branching at any time is a huge step forward and could end up being one of the biggest innovations in football gaming history when it's all said and done. Left stick stutters are a huge step toward realism.

The tackling system can now branch out of one man into two man tackles. Contrary to popular belief, true 3-man gang tackling has never been done, so it's not like they're missing the boat on that. Yes, I own 2k5 and 2k8, and there are no 3-man gang tackles... there are 2-man tackles in which one guy slips off right before two others hit him. Better than nothing? Sure, but lets not pretend that 2k8 has something huge on Madden 09 in this respect.

The playbooks look outstanding. The color commentary is outstanding. The graphics aren't just improved, they're heavily improved, from the player models to the lighting. The playcall screen options are a nice touch. Online leagues aren't what we're looking for, but they're a start.

All this aside, it's not really about Madden NFL 09, it's about football gaming in general and the future. What we've seen out of EA in the past and what we're seeing out of them now. It's a dialogue that has us finally looking forward instead of back.

You kinda had to have been here when Ian first showed up. Ian issued a challenge that he could match any video someone produced from 2k5 in terms of tackling. LBzrule took him up on the offer... and Ian hit it head on. He produced something that didn't quite do it...

Now, here's the kicker. Ian could have shown us Madden's best and we probably would have conceded. Instead, he showed us the worst as well, and even conceded Madden's tackling wasn't quite there yet. Then he went a step further, and got some guys working on the problems and correcting them. This is a massive departure from what EA has done the past 19 iterations.

The gameplay videos have shown a noticeable improvement over 08. Our community guys who've played the game report it feels better than 08. Not by a little bit... but a significant difference.

I think the biggest thing *I* have noticed is the confidence of the team. They've put their asses on the line getting out there and going one on one with the community. They put their jobs in jeapordy in the firm belief that if they started communicating, the suits would see the positive difference... and it worked. Ultimately what this proved was that they had enough confidence in their product this year to take that sort of risk. That has told me more than all the videos in the world could.

This will be the first NextGen Madden I have purchased. The others have been played at friend's houses and rented, but I couldn't play them long term. This year, I've put down my 90 bucks for the collector's edition. I am confident this is the one that turns the corner, and 2010 will be legendary.

[maddenps2]

It's nice to see the improvements that EA has done with Madden 09. For the first time I look at the videos and it doesn't dissapoint like years past. Yet, it's nothing near what I thought next-gen football/madden would be at this point.

It is also very good to see EA developers come to the boards and converse with us. I wish it would have been earlier so I would not have to hear "next year" once again.

However, the lack some vital features whose addition should be common sense such as multiple camera angles, defensive assignments, and many others that were mentioned such as presentation/espn integration boggles the mind.

I remember after a year or 2 of EA owning the Espn license and people said that next year we would see the use of it and better presentation.

I understand there is a huge learning curve when it comes to making a game for a next-gen system, but to me, that excuse has run it's course. Especially for simple features like camera angles.

I know Ian and others are working their asses off to make madden great, but imo, there are flaws, somewhere in the development process of Madden that allows the common sense additions to become lost.

[cdon2k]

Agree with all of what Adem says, but I think we may have to wait until next gen to get to legendary status. I think all we can hope for this gen is to get back to last gen quality and surpass it a bit.

What I am really hoping for is that they learn from their mistakes from this gen. Some things that could be took from these misteps are:

1. Completely new engine for next gen (720, ps4)

2. Get the gameplay right from year 1, then add features if they can't carry over all of them. (we're on year 4 and they're still working out the gameplay)

4. True physics engine to make things easier for animations.

5. Interaction with fanbase to keep people informed, happy, and to get feedback....


my 2cents....

[DLaren]

Quote: Originally Posted by alexbraun

I want the thoughts from the hardcore franchise players that live and breath that mode like i do. What other than the visuals is worth going out and standing in front of a game store till midnight just to go home and find out something doesnt play right?

Well, going under the assumption that franchise mode actually works this year, we can look forward to more sensible sim-stats, newly tuned draft/FA logic, improved in-season scouting, and if the playbooks are accurate each team will play as their real-life counterparts.

Franchise mode still has a very long way to go, but *if everything works as advertised*, we will atleast be able to enjoy the mode in it's most basic form.

[Instant C1a55ic]

Quote: Originally Posted by DLaren

Well, going under the assumption that franchise mode actually works this year, we can look forward to more sensible sim-stats, newly tuned draft/FA logic, improved in-season scouting, and if the playbooks are accurate each team will play as their real-life counterparts. Franchise mode still has a very long way to go, but *if everything works as advertised*, we will atleast be able to enjoy the mode in it's most basic form.

Excellent point about the draft logic, i completly forgot about that. Personally i am sick and tired of teams that draft players they dont need at a position like QB or HB.

As far as stats go, i still find Nfl2k5 which i am currently playing still have a slight edge over realistic stats. I remember playing madden last year and having Jay Cutler throw for over 35+ TD's and no more than 10 INT's, plus over 4000 yards. It may be true for maybe 1 year, but 10 in a row? i compared that to one of Puja's 2k5 rosters from last season and cutler threw 28 tds, 13 ints, and 3467 yards...to me thats more realistic.

[texbuk84]

Quote: Originally Posted by alexbraun

Excellent point about the draft logic, i completly forgot about that. Personally i am sick and tired of teams that draft players they dont need at a position like QB or HB. As far as stats go, i still find Nfl2k5 which i am currently playing still have a slight edge over realistic stats. I remember playing madden last year and having Jay Cutler throw for over 35+ TD's and no more than 10 INT's, plus over 4000 yards. It may be true for maybe 1 year, but 10 in a row? i compared that to one of Puja's 2k5 rosters from last season and cutler threw 28 tds, 13 ints, and 3467 yards...to me thats more realistic.

how do you download those rosters to the xbox 360, ive been trying to get them but don't know how to get them. help

[Instant C1a55ic]

Quote: Originally Posted by jwil5050

how do you download those rosters to the xbox 360, ive been trying to get them but don't know how to get them. help

i dont wanna sound rude, but there is a entirely different forum for this. Go over to the ESPN forum for 2k5 and do a search. thats how i did it.