EA/Madden must decide...

[baumy300]

Great post. I agree that they need to go one way or another. This half and half garbage just doesn't cut it.

Games can be fun if they are sim-styled. Arcade style gets old fast. Take NFL blitz for example. It was something new, fast, and fun, but only for a little while. There was no depth to that.

Sim gaming should take top priority in sports games. Make a game all out arcade style like the bigs or blitz if you want arcade, and then make a game sim style like 2k (sorry for the comparison) if you want a realistic approach.

If EA made an arcade game, and then a sim game they could keep both groups happy.

[tomriddle]

in my opinion, the "sim" part of Madden died when they went next-gen.. as you all know the first madden they went next-gen they "Scrapped" the engine and built it from scratch

that's the day the madden we all love died and got traded for the tourney-version, better graphics and yearly hype machine

the ironic thing is madden grew to such prominence BECAUSE of all the simmers and the franchisers and leagues that came around..

i'd wager to say most of the fanbase of madden are still us

oh well, no stopping this machine now, it's too big

[Radioactiveman]

Or they can expand their slider set to the 2K level and let the user decide if the want a sim or arcade experience. Madden sliders have never changed and the amount of options they give us is embarrassing low compared to the old 2K series. Then we would be spending time talking about slider sets/tweaks rather than complaining about the game play. All the answers to our and EA's problems are out there and for the most part been implemented in other games like 2K. We, the consumer, just have to rely on EA to step and deliver us these options and year after year they refuse to do it. To this day I don't understand it. Could you imagine if we had a slider set that included things like:

1) player interaction (that tweaked suction blocking and or line play)
2) game speed (make it as slow or as fast as you like)
3) All the 2k sliders
4) corner reaction time to passed balls


Sliders can make up for a lot of bad game play programming decisions (that EA is notorious for). And that's the only way "everyone" will be happy with their games, and that is if they give the user the ability to play the game the way they want.

[countryboy]

Quote: Originally Posted by Radioactiveman

Or they can expand their slider set to the 2K level and let the user decide if the want a sim or arcade experience. Madden sliders have never changed and the amount of options they give us is embarrassing low compared to the old 2K series. Then we would be spending time talking about slider sets/tweaks rather than complaining about the game play. All the answers to our and EA's problems are out there and for the most part been implemented in other games like 2K. We, the consumer, just have to rely on EA to step and deliver us these options and year after year they refuse to do it. To this day I don't understand it. Could you imagine if we had a slider set that included things like: 1) player interaction (that tweaked suction blocking and or line play) 2) game speed (make it as slow or as fast as you like) 3) All the 2k sliders 4) corner reaction time to passed balls Sliders can make up for a lot of bad game play programming decisions (that EA is notorious for). And that's the only way "everyone" will be happy with their games, and that is if they give the user the ability to play the game the way they want.

Madden '09 does have new sliders. Some are:

Pass defense:

pass rush slider
interception slider
reaction time slider

Rush defense:

reaction time slider
shed block slider
tackling slider

pass offense

Accuarcy
pass blocking
WR catching

rush offense

break tackles
run blocking
fumbles

so obviously everything I listed isn't new sliders, but there are a few.

I can't think of what the offensive sliders are off the top of my head.

[gjb01]

Quote: Originally Posted by Cusefan

"EA NEEDS TO DELIVER THE GOODS, OR STOP HOGGING THE NFL. It is tiresome at this point." lol @ stop hogging the NFL, that sums it up right there. You guys must think that EA works for the government, and they owe you something. I will tell you guys something, EA is not the same thing as UNICEF, They don't owe you S***. You as a Consumer speak with your wallet, don't like it, don't buy it. I for one can see past the negatives of Madden and play it for what it is. This EA Vs 2K Crap is old and tired, Go back and play 2K5 if you don't like this years madden. Some of you guys sound like those people who complained about Starwars and how it wasn't up to par.

EA made a strategical decision to buy the license because they knew they were getting serious competition from 2K. That doesn't mean fans of sim football can't voice their complaints. And what's wrong with fans of star wars voicing complaints over the crappy prequels that Lucas produced? What are we in a forum for if not to discuss opinons and let voices be heard?

[Vikes1]

Quote: Originally Posted by ODogg

As some here have stated, either come to terms with what Madden is, realize it will never be a hugely in-depth technical simulation, and either accept it or quit playing videogame football. Expecting EA to change what works for the majority of folks to what you want is unrealistic, you need to be the one to adapt to the game or move on.

This is advice I took to heart.

I would like Madden to be an in-depth pure simulation of NFL football. But this isn't what the vast majority of gamers are looking for...and EA will always try to satisfy the majority. You can't hardly blame them for that.

I'm accepting Madden for what it is...but yeah...hoping things improve as we go along. We at long last have at least some kind of a voice now. Thats a huge improvement right there in my opinion. I think EA has to walk a fine line in order not to alienate either crowd, sim/arcade. But I do believe Madden does lean closer to sim.

[Steven123]

Quote: Originally Posted by urlacher51

Ur right, I have been a madden fan since Madden 93,and just like the rest of the sheeple i buy madden every year, and have been very disappointed with next gen madden. I get the game early on a friday and by monday im done with it. Cant blame EA and their marketing team, cant blame the guys for the different sites who get to play this game early and come back and tell us how this years version is better then last year.Every year i would tell myself and say, this is the year for a good madden game. So im done with Madden and Ncaa. EA will not get my money for those two games anymore.And unlike NBA live, the madden fan base to just to big,for EA to really care about making changes in the game for us sim players.. Just my two cents, peace.

Yep, it's the same for me. Every year I find myself going out and getting Madden early, every year reading previews and reviews saying this is truly next-gen, every year I convince myself that this is the year.. And yet every year, I find 2k5 patiently waiting there, waiting for me to come back to her.. I love her, I want to make love to her..

[kcxiv]

Quote: Originally Posted by brendanrfoley

Do be fair, I don't think EA needs to decide at all. Madden '09 plays well and is a solid gameplay base to build off of. I just think the straight, super-sim crowd needs to come to grips that Madden will never be as deep and technical as they wish it to be. I used to hold out hope for an all-out sim for years. Only when I realized that wouldn't happen did I take Madden for what it is: a hybrid that can be fun to play. And, as much as I loved NFL 2K5 (and I did), the game isn't as good as people remember. DB play was questionable at best and downright brain dead at worst.

Your right, NFL2K5 had alot of flaws, but you could just see the potential it really had. They made the best all round football game ever and priced it at 20 bucks. What more could you really ask for back in 2004. Imagine if they would have made the 4 games in between how good the game would have actually been? Imo , it would have been like NBA2K and NBA Live. The gap with them 2 games are HUGE.


For football EA just doesnt have to do anything really. A few useless features and they are going to get big time sales. Its good to see that sales are down. Its good for EVERYONE becuase their superiours are going to get pissed off becuase the game is not up to par. We all know we are stuck 4 more years at least of only 1 NFL game. Hopefully they step it up. They went from a bleh game to an OK game. IN all honesty they should be at a kick *** game. Everyone here knows it.

People can convince themselves of anything they want. For a while i was too, but the more you play it, the more you see the big time flaws in the game. You had one cat on another thread talk about how his pass blocking was good, so he posts videos and its only a 3 man rush. Well duh. lol Thats a perfect example of trying to convince yourself that there isnt major problems.