Honestly, Madden 09 the game that's sucked the enthusiasm out of me

[FootballDetails]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bodizzy

They have the only license to make a video game representation of the most popular professional sport in the United States, and they are failing at the single, most basic concept of that contract: they are not representing the NFL.

Well said.

There's a much greater responsibility to represent the NFL since EA has the license. Excuses are excuses. If the development system EA has in place isn't working, then EA needs to rethink the system.

[TheWatcher]

Quote: Originally Posted by countryboy

Look, I am one of the biggest "fans" of EA and Madden, I love the series, but as I said in another thread, the game is flat out boring. Atmosphere is nonexistent. Nothing pulls you into the game. And as you said Dave and MJ has pointed out, there are way too many quirks and bumps in the road that prevent this game from being enjoyable over time. In my opinion, this is the game we should've gotten in '07, not '09. I do think the game is making steps in the right direction, unfortunately given whats happened with '06-'08, the game needs to take strides, not steps. Somewhere, Ian/Phil/EA need to make up for 2 "lost" years.

Great post.

What I've bolded is also my opinion as well. I ask myself, what breakthrough's in Madden 09 COULDN'T have been done in 2006 when Madden '07 hit, if EA had they been on the right track with Madden?

They were just on a such a terrible track for 3 years that anything half-way decent is going to look like an advancement, but quite frankly we're still two years behind. Only better ways of using and properly implementing concepts that are closer to the game of football and TV broadcasting will change that. When you look at the core of things, that's the summary of what people are asking for. Presentation and more realistic football... instead they give us the opposite a lot of times, then they wonder why we get frustrated, lol.

Last generation, Football games gave us the thought of endless possibilities. This generation, all we've gotten is endless frustrations, failures, and half-bakery. I like Madden 09, but I should be obsessed with it, yet I can't be because the game is still too thin. I don't even care about franchise, I just want the single game experience of playing Madden to be well-presented, and the game to play resembling the real NFL.

[killer_ewok18]

The same thing has happened with MLB 2k8-- if one company owns exclusive rights to one system's sport game, it doesn't matter how good the game is since everyone has no choice but to buy it. Monopolies = bad for gaming.

Sports games were great back in the days when there were two or more companies competing to make the best game...

[Flamehead]

Quote: Originally Posted by dave374

Somehow, some way, EA managed to take my love of video football away.

Sums it up perfectly. But sadly, it isn't unexpected.

Just enough change is made every year to place marketing point bullet-lists on the back of the box, but no substantial change is made because there's no reason when the producers' emphasis is online, multi-player, tourney play. Something different might be bad for Madden Nation and they can't have that.

Remember one of this year's marketing points--"We take the game beyond TV presentation"? Translation: we can't or won't make it like a broadcast so we'll just give you what we can/will and spin it to say we're giving you something great and grand.

My intent is not to bash Madden, but simply to voice disappointment over the downward trajectory it's on since the debut of next-gen.

[FisherPrice]

But we keep buying it every year......

[TheWatcher]

Quote: Originally Posted by Flamehead

Remember one of this year's marketing points--"We take the game beyond TV presentation"? Translation: we can't or won't make it like a broadcast so we'll just give you what we can/will and spin it to say we're giving you something great and grand.

They really played themselves with that one. I almost wanna say it was intentional false advertising, but I have a feeling that they really did believe this when they said it.

My biggest problem with it was that they hadn't even reached the standard of broadcast, yet they were trying to go beyond it? C'mon. Nothing about the presentation goes beyond, so that was a big flop. They need to just meet the standard first... matter of fact, just meet the standard and be done with it. Don't reinvent the wheel.

[D16NJD16]

When you think about it, Madden is now argubly pretty much the worst game in the EA Sport games cataloge? Fifa, NHL, and then Live and NCAA to a lesser extent are superior games.

[GTheorenHobbes]

Quote: Originally Posted by TheWatcher

They really played themselves with that one. I almost wanna say it was intentional false advertising, but I have a feeling that they really did believe this when they said it. My biggest problem with it was that they hadn't even reached the standard of broadcast, yet they were trying to go beyond it? C'mon. Nothing about the presentation goes beyond, so that was a big flop. They need to just meet the standard first... matter of fact, just meet the standard and be done with it. Don't reinvent the wheel.

I remember someone from EA saying that the TV networks would end up wanting to copy their presentation. What a crock of horses**t that was.