Madden misses the mark again, constructive criticism attached

[spymoose]

What's funny is, you only mentioned the gameplay which, sadly, is the better aspect of Madden this year.

Franchise mode is complete joke with a ton of bugs and a lack of features. Honestly, it's completely boring, and I can see why the focused on gameplay because that's all you really do in Franchise mode - there's almost nothing to do between games, so you just keep playing them. Then the off-season hits and bugs are rampant!

1. Draft logic. Why hasn't this been fixed? It shouldn't be that hard really. TEAM A has a starting QB with an overall above 80: check. TEAM A's QB is under X age(ie. 35): check. TEAM A's QB did not have a terrible season beforehand: check. These conditions being met means DO NOT DRAFT A QB IN THE FIRST ROUND! And the biggest one, TEAM A has drafted a QB in the first round in the last three seasons who is still on the team, DO NOT DRAFT A QB IN THE FIRST ROUND! In the real NFL we see a lot of OL and DL guys in the first round with only the best handful of QBs being taken and the top couple of RBs. Madden would have you believe that winning the Super Bowl comes down to having 4 Heisman trophy winners sitting on your bench.

2. Free Agency logic. This is just as bad, if not worse. Why are the Patriots releasing Seymour before his contract is up?! Why does he go unsigned during the off-season? Why does ANY player rated above 80 and under the age of 30 go unsigned? Even under 35 if his previous season wasn't abysmal, yet there are 27 year old guys in the 90s not getting signed. Why do teams not draft/sign based on team weaknesses and needs? TEAM A has cap space and enough players at other positions: check. TEAM A's starting DEs are 71 and 81 overall: check. TEAM A sees an 89 overall DE in Free Agency, willing to sign for an acceptable contract. SIGN THAT PLAYER.

3. Limited roster sizes. Where is the practice squad? Why is it that every year I actually have to leave players off my team's roster? Look at the Patriots this year. If I want to get LaMont Jordan, John Lynch, Matt Guttz, some of the newly signed CBs, etc. on the team I actually need to begin cutting players that very well may play this season. I cut Matt Cassel knowing his days are numbered, I also cut Tank Williams who is on the IR this season, etc. and I still don't have enough room. Practice squad (where players under a certain rating and under a certain age can also progress) is a MUST, and if done right it would add some much-needed depth to Franchise mode..

4. IR not freeing up a roster spot. This has been missing for a long time and we NEED it! Tank Williams is hurt in real life, yet I can't sign John Lynch because there's no space on the roster. Awesome. My start OT gets hurt for the season and I look in FA and magically find a 96 OT that the 31 CPU teams magically forgot to sign ... oops, IR doesn't free a spot so I can't even sign him. Awesome.

5. Progression and regression, a MUST FIX. Progression needs to NOT be based on some artitrary system where players will progress at a pre-determined rate (ie. McFadden in 09). Progression needs to be based on performance, age, coaching (user influenced), etc. I should be able to take a garbage team like Miami and go through 5 years of bad seasons while I build a championship team through the draft - this is IMPOSSIBLE in Madden because many of the 'studs' I draft simply won't progress. As well, draft picks should NEVER come into the league rated in the 90s. We don't want the old progression of having a million 99s after a few seasons, but having artitrary, random, or non-existant progression is just as bad. Regression is the same - if you play Madden until Brady's last year of play, I bet he plays just as well as today and puts up the same numbers. Why? Regression needs to be in the game! It needs to be based on age and performance and overall. Example: QB A's overall is in the 70s, he is now over 30 years old and had an average or sup-bar year: regress! QB B is in the 90s, he is now over 35 and had an average or sub-par year: regress! QB C is in the 90s, he is over 35 and had a stellar year: minor regress. Players need to regress as they age no matter what, slowed only by performance/overall. Bad players regress faster/sooner than top players.

There are other issues like presentation (why does the Super Bowl presentation match a pre-season game) and a complete lack of off-field features, but the ones I listed above simply kill Franchise for me. I shouldn't be forced to control all 32 teams (which doesn't fix every problem) - this just proves the mode is broken and eliminates some of the excitment of Franchise mode. I want to go into the off-season and notice that TEAM A had a key retirement and lost two stars to FA and watch to see how they fill those gaps. I don't want to see that team go into the draft and take a QB it doesn't need and sit by doing nothing while FAs they could use go unsigned.

All the great gameplay in the world wouldn't make Franchise better, they need to fix both.

Edit: Doesn't the game freezing also limit you from playing beyond the 3rd or 4th season in Franchise? lol.

[brendanrfoley]

There's some good stuff in here...

The lack of in-game saves is a big one, for me.

[dkp23]

The funny thing is in the Q&A with the developers I've read before the game came out, they said that the weather would play a huge factor. People would slip and it would be hard to control, but this is not the case. I've played in rain, snow and normal weather and the speed and accuracy are all the same.

Of all the things that need to be fixed in this game, EA developers will eventually fix it, with the sacrifice of something else. How is there not squib and the option of running left or right like you said?

Another thing the EA does is that they add something new, but do not fully develop i.e online leagues. The new "online league" is not an online league, its a tournament setting which was in the game previously but on a smaller scale and different structure with essentially the same concept. Who are they kidding, I bought the game so I guess they won already...

[Tengo Juego]

Nice reads fellas. Its great to read criticism with such great structure and thought put into it. And its all so true, I can only hope our wishes come true.

[droopizzle34]

its weird how current gen had every feature u wanted except graphics.

-it had better player edit,where u could change shoe and tape color
-had custom playbooks,and custom hot routes,where u could add play formations to make ur own playbook and choose ur hot routes
-setting prices and making money in franchise,and created a free agent
-defensive assignments and individual defender hot touting
-formation shifts
-team newspaper article
-super bowl celebrations,team end zones

man i can go all day.Madden disappoints me so much on NG,but boy does it look good on a flat screen in HD.

[escono15]

thanks dude!

u just helped me make up my mind about buying this game.

better luck to all of us next year!

[ThaPeeplz]

Well, of course its been stated many times before, but here goes. My opinion, the one thing that would drastically change the game up is(drumroll please)...........PRESENTATION! Madden and NCAA do nothing to pull you into the games.

Its the small things that bring you into the game. For example, lasts years version had the player entrances before the game and also close ups of the coaches on the sideline, not enough, but it was a start. So, 09 comes out, and I'm expecting the same thing along with some added extras along those same lines. I start up my first game with Cleveland and get a nice outside view of the stadium with traffic moving along. Radio announcer is taken out, and play by play is added. Ok, cool additions, but why did they take out the entrances and coach close ups?

See where I'm going with this. Since for some reason, the developers wont go all out and bring it with t.v style presentation in one game, atleast let it accumulate, ya know. So, this year we should have had: play by play, outside stadium views, player entrances, and coach close ups, its adding up. Instead they take OUT two presentation aspects and add two.

Next version could have had dynamic active sideline players, then we would have had: play by play, outside views, player entrances, coach closeups, and active sidelines. EA, please, stop removing aspects and just build on the old ones with new ones. Get that presentation rolling.

[mexmarkjen]

All of these comments are constructive and in my opinion - accurate. Like the guy said earlier, the "old" Madden on PS2 and Xbox had it all; the next gen just looks good.

One more critique along the lines of CPU AI. I'm playing last night, and the CPU is facing third and 7. They are in the Shotgun, with two backs; one HB, one FB. They hand the ball to the FB on a draw. I have no issue with the play call of a draw, but to the FB? Again, that would never happen!

Keep the thread positive; maybe EA will get it right on next gen one of these days.

Think of it this way for Madden on next gen - ELLEN BARKIN - great body, but an ugly face. It's not the complete package.