Next Gen Football...where's the "fun"?

[dat swag]

At this stage we shouldn't even see cut scenes anymore...All of the pre and post play animations should be contextual and within the NATURAL framework of the game...Not a detached cut scene...Cut scenes IMO are not what next gen should be about nor should they have a place in next gen...Just allow the game to flow and implement different and varying camera angles that capture the drama and other specifics of a NFL game.

[RGiles36]

Quote: Originally Posted by dat swag

At this stage we shouldn't even see cut scenes anymore...All of the pre and post play animations should be contextual and within the NATURAL framework of the game...Not a detached cut scene...Cut scenes IMO are not what next gen should be about nor should they have a place in next gen...Just allow the game to flow and implement different and varying camera angles that capture the drama and other specifics of a NFL game.

Yeah, but not everyone wants to see cutscenes. To me, it doesn't matter if it's a cutscene or natural framework of the game as long as I get the same effect.

[doute]

Quote: Originally Posted by dat swag

At this stage we shouldn't even see cut scenes anymore...All of the pre and post play animations should be contextual and within the NATURAL framework of the game...Not a detached cut scene...Cut scenes IMO are not what next gen should be about nor should they have a place in next gen...Just allow the game to flow and implement different and varying camera angles that capture the drama and other specifics of a NFL game.

amen.

glenn- can yo usupply some youtube videos of the mlb the show cut scenes? i have xbox, so playing the show won't be happening

[TheWatcher]

Quote: Originally Posted by rgiles36

Doesn't Madden have enough of this?

Sure does and it makes the game unrealistic. If anything, we need less.

[thudias]

I Agree with rgiles 36

[Glenn33]

Quote: Originally Posted by dat swag

At this stage we shouldn't even see cut scenes anymore...All of the pre and post play animations should be contextual and within the NATURAL framework of the game...Not a detached cut scene...Cut scenes IMO are not what next gen should be about nor should they have a place in next gen...Just allow the game to flow and implement different and varying camera angles that capture the drama and other specifics of a NFL game.

I agree. I'll take whatever I can get that breaks away from play ends - choose new play - players line up again. I say cutscenes because that's what I'm used too...I just want to see more "stuff" away from the action that draws me in to the emotion of the game.

[TheWatcher]

I said something once like what DatSwag said. But then at the same time, I realize that there are certain things that can't be quickly pulled off live-action that a cutscene can pull off ready-on-cue.

But the whole problem that brought us to this point, is that the Madden Team had the right idea with the cutscenes they just didn't pour enough creativity into them to give them variety and spontaneity like they needed.

The other thing is that, I think EA put far too much value on appeasing a few impatient people who can't just click 'A' to skip them, lol. And to do what they THOUGHT was remedying the situation, they just removed them... which remedied nothing, it just made the already thin presentation even worse.

What they should have done was work on giving users the ability to turn cutscenes on or off, and perhaps have a frequency setting. It's really a no-brainer. Secondly, as stated, they needed to be creative and add more scenes. Those two things are what the answer was and it would've worked perfectly. Cutting them out was a perplexingly bad idea.

Same thing with the frame rate. Aside from videophile junkies like you find on message boards, no one gives a crap about 30 frames or 60 frames and most people don't even perceive it like we would here. They made the decision to move to 60 and the graphics certainly fell in a lot of very noticeable ways, 08 was the better example as that game looked awful. But my point to that is, you don't make an upgrade to something (Frames) that's going to be inconsequential to the majority when you know it's going to negatively affect an important part that the majority (not OS'ers) cares about (graphics). It was one of those moves where you just wish you were in the room at the time and you could just stare at them in disbelief until they rethink it...

... Their decision-making just hasn't had good balance. There's just been a lot of cutting-off-their-nose-to-spite-their face decisions.

[dat swag]

Quote: Originally Posted by Glenn33

I agree. I'll take whatever I can get that breaks away from play ends - choose new play - players line up again. I say cutscenes because that's what I'm used too...I just want to see more "stuff" away from the action that draws me in to the emotion of the game.

I've always envisioned an end to the play that gave me the post play activity between players and different players shuttling on to the field with a camera panning over to either sideline where the coaches are...But I think this all should be organic and contextual.

I mean if I call a play that requires a certain package of personnel to be on the field...Those specific players should shuttle on and off the field...Thats the level of simulation I want to see in the presentation. If EA could do this while incorporating some slick broadcast style camera with real time in game stat overlays and different statistical graphics (ala 2k5). I think those are the sorts of things that will capture our attention and make this game less of a borefest.

The next or first piece of the puzzle though is the in game animations which IMO seem far too repetitive and predictable...After playing maybe 8-10 games I truly feel like I've seen every animation. I never feel like I'm seeing anything NEW or something that I've rarely seen...Its just repetitive and the same.

Another area that adds to the boredom is the playbooks...Teams need specific identities via their playbooks and what sorts and types of particular plays are available to them both offensively and defensively. The game needs to respect the fact that certain teams just don't have the same defensive schemes as every other NFL team...Take the Steelers for Example...Def. Coordinator Dick LeBeau is known for creating and masterminding exotic Blitz packages...Its that sort of difference and diversity we need to see on the Defensive and offensive side of the ball.

I also think many other great ideas have been requested by OSer's such as signature styles for skill players (QB's, RB's, WR's)...THis signature style should include animatiuons and art to almost perfectly depict the size and structure of each player...For example I want to see the difference between a RB like Sproles when compared to Willie Parker...Or lets take Randy Moss and Larry Fitzgerald or Steve Smith...I want to see a visual difference as well as the animation difference in what these WR's can do. This also has to spill over defensively where we can see a true relationship between DB's and the WR they are covering...All too often I see Db's do magical things in Madden that are fine but its the things that are missing in animation that makes them seem corny.

There is a lot to be done to win many a Madden consumer back. I've seen every version of next gen and waited patiently with optimism each and every year...I can now honestly say that if I don't see the changes in a transparent clear form this year I won't be wasting my money on a game that I know will bore the hell outta me in less than a month. Thats not a threat..Thats just my unfortunate reality as I continue to hope and pray the game finally shows the promise I always hoped for.

I'm a Madden guy..Hell..even call me a Madden fanboy almost...But I always have played other games and given them their props. When I played 2k5..I loved it but what 2k5 did for me is confirm that we would soon be seeing Madden and EA raising the bar to eclipse 2k5...Unfortunately and this is only my personal opinion...since 2k5 Videogame football, has gone backwards and been very stagnant...Its a sad state of affairs