Madden 2011 in a nutshell?

[AbsoluteFury]

I haven't bought a Madden game in 3 years for various reasons. I've got a bunch of NCAA 2011 draft classes saved; thought it might be fun to get a cheap used copy and play through a few seasons this summer.

Can I get some reviews on Madden 2011 in a nutshell? It's been out for quite some time so there should be good feedback. Was it a good game? What were the pros/cons?

Thanks

[RedZoneD25]

In a nutshell, I'd hold off a bit longer and get Madden 12. ESPECIALLY if you plan on playing in Franchise Mode. 11 was, IMO, Madden 10.5... Really set the groundwork for the series, but very barebones in depth in terms of features.

[JMUfootball]

I did exactly what you're thinking of: Madden '11 as a stopgap for Madden '12. Bought it real cheap, but I'm still disappointed. Everything about it screams unpolished...

-Commentary timing & flow is terrible (but Gus Johnson has potential)

-Presentation is incredibly lame. you'll get the same exact pregame cutscenes for each game. It's like EA played the game once and never considered this. For example, every home game I get the same exact group of fans, with one fan of the visiting team coming in and holding up a "____ fan parking only" sign. Funny the first time? No, not even. The 61st time? OMG STOP

-Franchise mode has no features other than the bare essentials. Be A Superstar mode is laughably bad. I made a WR and my first step was the Wonderlic. Pretty cool, I thought. Turns out that was the highlight of the mode. There were NO combine workouts (and the worst part is that they actually have them ingame!! Weight lift, 40 dash, etc...are all in game under a different mini-game mode. Why not put them in Be A Superstar???). Got insta-drafted by the Chargers and I start the season #1 on their depth chart ahead of Vincent Jackson. Like, is this what EA thinks people consider fun or immersive?

-Many glitches throughout. For example, if you create a custom playbook for Gameflow and then use it, the game will then default you to use that playbook for ANY other game mode and ANY other team, unless you manually switch it back to "Team Default". Just sloppy mistakes like these.


Overall, avoid Madden '11 and wait for '12. Madden as a series is so far behind where development should be for a game on this console gen so you even '12 won't be perfect...but from what we hear about '12, enough has been fixed (particularly in Franchise mode) to make it enjoyable.

[bichettehappens]

I've enjoyed Madden 11 and am still going with my franchise despite it's shortcomings, but there's no way I'd be able to pick up madden 11 for the first time today and enjoy playing it with all the stuff I've seen/heard about 12

Only able to continue since I already got immersed in my franchise

[WFColonel56]

M11 in a nutshell- not worth your time & money right now

[mojo6911]

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[Broncos86]

Quote: Originally Posted by WTFitsDaveyJ

In a nutshell, I'd hold off a bit longer and get Madden 12. ESPECIALLY if you plan on playing in Franchise Mode. 11 was, IMO, Madden 10.5... Really set the groundwork for the series, but very barebones in depth in terms of features.

This is the thread right here.

[cl34v4g3]

Quote: Originally Posted by JMUfootball

I did exactly what you're thinking of: Madden '11 as a stopgap for Madden '12. Bought it real cheap, but I'm still disappointed. Everything about it screams unpolished... -Commentary timing & flow is terrible (but Gus Johnson has potential) -Presentation is incredibly lame. you'll get the same exact pregame cutscenes for each game. It's like EA played the game once and never considered this. For example, every home game I get the same exact group of fans, with one fan of the visiting team coming in and holding up a "____ fan parking only" sign. Funny the first time? No, not even. The 61st time? OMG STOP -Franchise mode has no features other than the bare essentials. Be A Superstar mode is laughably bad. I made a WR and my first step was the Wonderlic. Pretty cool, I thought. Turns out that was the highlight of the mode. There were NO combine workouts (and the worst part is that they actually have them ingame!! Weight lift, 40 dash, etc...are all in game under a different mini-game mode. Why not put them in Be A Superstar???). Got insta-drafted by the Chargers and I start the season #1 on their depth chart ahead of Vincent Jackson. Like, is this what EA thinks people consider fun or immersive? -Many glitches throughout. For example, if you create a custom playbook for Gameflow and then use it, the game will then default you to use that playbook for ANY other game mode and ANY other team, unless you manually switch it back to "Team Default". Just sloppy mistakes like these. Overall, avoid Madden '11 and wait for '12. Madden as a series is so far behind where development should be for a game on this console gen so you even '12 won't be perfect...but from what we hear about '12, enough has been fixed (particularly in Franchise mode) to make it enjoyable.

Bingo.

Nutshell- Immersion is non-existant, presentation is repetitive, commentary is terrible, and modes are devoid of any depth at all.

Whats worse for you(OP) is that the reason you say you want it is actually probably the most broken aspect of the entire game. Importing draft classes is absolutely terrible. Its a total crapshoot. 99 Ovr players in NCAA will come in in the sixties while some 70s Ovr will come in in the 80s.