Is Madden dying?

[GAV]

Quote: Originally Posted by LiquorLogic

Madden isn't dead. It's asleep; it's tired. The Madden franchise is spent. ; the Madden franchise is drained. EA spent over a billion dollars trying to corner the market of licensed football games. The resources are limited for game development, so those resources have to be allocated to titles with viable competitors. As we're all aware of, Madden has no competitors.

The reason it isn't doing as well as it should is because the game just doesn't blow our minds anymore. The only way it will blow our minds is if the game finds ways to add new levels of depth and realism to the franchise.

Right now, a big complaint is that some players can stop the run using quarters. The reason they can do that is because regardless of size, defenders either get blocked or don't get blocked - making speed the most important attribute. In the real NFL, if an O-lineman can get to a DB in space - if he can complete the block, he won't just engage with him and dance. He'll knock him down and look for the next victim. Likewise, WRs don't make good FBs because they get smacked aside easily by linebackers. This aspect of football is nonexistant in Madden right now. If it were a part of it, no one would match-up against bigger running with a quarters defense. It just wouldn't be a good tactic.

Likewise, tackling is a huge part of NFL football - but it holds just a very small place in Madden. If they fix it by adding realism, rather than removing features that can be exploited, there will be fewer exlpoits and more options for players to be creative with.


Pro-Tak added no extra depth or realism to the franchise. Locomotion is simply more spots to implement more canned animations. Neither feature moved the brand forward or blew our minds as gamers.

Its time to add features that make the game feel deeper and more intuitive - and its past time where the game starts making changes that aren't just applicable - but applicable and realistic.

[Eski33]

If Madden had a great presentation package, most people would enjoy it more. I read how 2K is the best game ever. It is only remembered as such because of presentation and all the extras the game had, it certainly wasn't for gameplay as it hosted a number of flaws.

Madden is getting more attention than ever because it is the lone NFL licensed product. I personally thought Madden 10 was awesome however this year EA did what it does best -- Remove options and presentation items.

What EA needs to do with its exclusivity is:

1) Develop some sort of presentation package that includes highlights and scores from around the league. The Extra Point was bare bones but a great starting block...Too bad it was removed.

2) All uniforms ever worn by NFL clubs AND done accurately

3) Classic stadiums

4) Get with the guys who did NCAA to work on run blocking animations...

5) Fix the player models...

6) Fix lighting...No dynamic lighting? No dynamic weather?

Madden 11 is in no means a terrible game. I think the leap that NCAA 11 took put Madden under the spotlight as to the number of things missing. NCAA's online dynasty is a huge reason the game has a big following along with the ability to follow your OD online by going through a website.

I personally feel that this year's game did very little to improve over last year and people are getting tired of paying $60 for roster updates, especially in this economy. I hope the Madden team does what it can to bring the franchise back....

[EdgeCrusher]

If you're truly going for the "blow our minds" type of impact, the entire engine needs to be overhauled..Maybe not so much overhauled as in, torn down, rebuilt from scratch. The blocking schemes and tackling you want to see in the game will not happen with the engine this gen runs on.

What EA needs to do, but they won't because of contract and cash-cow status that this game is, is pull an NBA Elite.Don't release a new Madden next year, instead focus on rebuilding the core engine, and give Madden 13 a 2 year dev. cycle. Next year just give out a roster update, call it a day.And spend 18-24 months giving gamers the Madden that we all want.

[Dog]

I just tried to play a game of Madden just now against the CPU for the first time in a while, and I couldn't even finish it. The game is just so "blah" to me now. I have more fun making videos with it than actually playing it. I'm sorry but I'm not spending $60 to make videos next year, I'm gonna have to play it first before I buy it

[LiquorLogic]

Quote: Originally Posted by GAV

[b][b]The reason it isn't doing as well as it should is because the game just doesn't blow our minds anymore. The only way it will blow our minds is if the game finds ways to add new levels of depth and realism to the franchise.

The reason why Madden doesn't blow our minds any more ,by adding new levels of depth and realism, is because all the money is spent on the huge licensing fee and marketing. Gaming development, across multi-platforms, is expensive. It usually costs between 18-28 million to develop a video game. You also have to take marketing into account; EA spent 10 million dollars promoting Madden 09.

http://techie-buzz.com/gaming/cost-d...ideo-game.html

It takes money to develop a quality football game.

[GAV]

Quote: Originally Posted by jnes12eaglesfan

I just tried to play a game of Madden just now against the CPU for the first time in a while, and I couldn't even finish it. The game is just so "blah" to me now. I have more fun making videos with it than actually playing it. I'm sorry but I'm not spending $60 to make videos next year, I'm gonna have to play it first before I buy it

They actually cut into 11's development time to get both teams working on 12 for a short time because they are afraid that the impending lockout will kill the brand.

Madden 12 will be the best game they could give us. The problem is the "practical fix" mindset of the guys in charge. They need to fix things realistically as well as practically.

[MattIntellect]

Using GamePlan for Franchise and Online games keep me playing, along with the improved locomotion. I haven't played a "next-gen" or "current-gen" Madden this long (almost November) in about five years.

[GAV]

I've conditioned myself to never question anyone's gameplan. It's probably the one thing that has helped me most in competitive games. The game is what it is and if I'm playing it, I'm not playing some pretend game of what I think it should be - but playing the game how it is designed. I'm not the best player, but I have a shot to beat him if we play. This mindset is the reason why.

I broke a finger that requires surgery a short time ago and it has given me a chance to step away from the game and see it clearly for a while. I've not only found what I think is most wrong with the game, I've come up with an applicable fix that would make the game deeper and more realistic. Pretty awesome if you ask me.

My hope is that they actually add this stuff in. I'm not looking for anything beyond Madden 12 being great so I can pick it up at midnight and play it all year long.