Spyfy's Madden 05 Impressions!

[Spyfy]

First of all put on your thinking cap cause with all the options available to both the offense and defense this is gonna be a very tactical game. You have at your disposal the ability to do alot of things on both sides of the ball. I don't wanna spend alot of time going over things already covered so I'll just touch on that stuff.

Presentation-Looks somewhat like last year with cut scenes etc, which I'm sure you guys have seen in the videos. The palm-pilot is a nice addition but is only there for looks. Everything is still menu driven like in the past.

Menus-Think NCAA. The menu layout is identical to NCAA's layout online and offline. This is a good thing cause the menus are to use and very clean looking.

Graphics-I'm playing the PS2 version and I'm very impressed with the graphics. Being a PC gamer first and foremost I'm amazed at the quality EA has managed to squeeze out of the hardware. Game runs smooth as silk and the helmets shine, uniforms get dirty, etc. Very well done.

Animations-The tackle animations are improved but somewhat cheesy. The cut scenes of guys running back to the huddle makes the players look like they are horses galloping instead or running. They kind of bounce. Minor annoyance that I'm sure you all have already noticed in videos.

Sound-John and the gang sound pretty much like last year. The game sounds are OK. I'm playing on a very nice home theater setup and it doesn't sound as good as NCAA on XBOX but that's in 5.1 and Madden is not so that's most likely the culprit there.

Gameplay-Ok, here's where this game shines. Online and offline. Offline this is the first game I've enjoyed playing in a long time. Playing default All-Pro with 7 minute quarters games have been very realistic and dare I say simulation like. Short passing game and high completion percentages are the norms. Going deep is a crapshot at best as DB's really play the deep ball well. Running is very good but tough at times. The game speed is super fast however and if you spot a hole you can hit it and take it to the house. Player control is very good especially on defense. I feel like I can manually control guys and keep them in the game and make plays better than before. I wish autostrafe was available like NCAA but I can live without it. Play close attention to this. Presnap on offense you can hit R1 and do a formation change/shift. The play itself won't change but the formation alignment changes. Maybe your TE will move out to the slot and your FB will move to TE or something like that. Think the old Joe Gibbs Redskins who came out in one formation then always shifted to something else. Very cool addition. One thing I've noticed playing online against Dee is that if you have a super good/fast DE like Kearse or Strahan the line audible that sends the players all to the outside is deadly. Kears sacked me 5 times in one game and put pressure on me on every play. This was against the Patriots and their RT is like 84 overall. Look out for this. There are so many things you can do with each player pre-snap on defense individually that it can be overwhelming. Another awesome thing they have added to online gameplay is some changes to fair play rules. If you have a 4th down early in the game in your own territory the CPU won't let you attemp to go for it unlike NCAA. All plays except punt are grayed out. Heck, I had 4th and 2 from my opponennts 35 yard line and they wouldn't let me even attempt to go for it. This is a very nice addition and adds some realism to the game. No more guys going for it online on every 4th down attempt. Defense is now rewarded for the stop. The new kicking view is sweet as well on big kicks. I'm sure you've seen these in videos as well, but it's a nice experience in an actual game.

I've also noticed that when you pause the game online it shows at the top of the screen who you're playing. This is good because I'd play someone I didn't know online in NCAA and he'd be a cheeser and I'd have no way of knowing who it was till after the game by looking at my previous game history. Now I can write the name down and not worry about playing him again.

Those who have complained about the WR drops in NCAA, don't worry, it aint a problem in Madden this year by any means. If a guys open, you'll make the catch most of the time. RB's catch passes as well in flats, lol. The passing game can be deadly. You'll have to mix your defenses up alot or guys can sit back and pick you apart. The dline doesn't get as much pressure as before unless you have a fast DE and do the outside rush audible to the Dline so you might have to blitz more to get some pressure.

QB running. Much improved. I played online against Vick and McNabb and my defense was much more aware of the threat of the QB taking off. They never got a big run against me and I wasn't spying them much. You can select a DE then tap the right analog stick to the right and your DE will cover the flats. Do this to both DE's on long pass plays and you have 9 or 10 guys in coverage depending on whether you're in Dime or Quarters. The DE's when in the flats totally shut the QB down from running outside. Again, this is one little thing EA added that really adds to the game.

I'm at work and that's all that I have fresh on my mind right now. Ask any questions you wish here and I'll attempt to answer them. The Mods at this and other sites have done a great job already covering the game, so I'm sure what I've added here isn't groundbreaking, but are just my takes on the game with notations of thigs I hadn't noticed talked about much highlighted. I'll add to this thread as I think of things.

Spyfy
EA Community Leader

[GHill]

Sweet. Been hearing tons of nice gameplay impressions. Thanks.

[wilend]

Thanks for the great impressions Spyfy. Very excited about the gameplay this year.

[Vince]

Maddens wins again for me this year..Oh well,can't wait till tuesday.

[koolbubbaice]

I thought 2k5 would own Madden this yr.. Silly me.. Forgive me EA!! When sega raises the price of their 2k5 series back to 50.00 I doub't many Madden fans will buy it.. I think the tactic might have back fired.. Some gamers I know only tried 2k5 cause of the price & now don't want nothing to do with any Sega sports title.. I will still buy Sega BB & college Hoops though..

[Stormlor]

Good impressions dood. Thanks. I want to play mine but I can't until FedEx calls me for Saturday Delvery

[Venom_2K]

I got a question. Is Michelle Tofaya (misspelled her last name I know) the sideline reporter? I know that she'll be the sideline reporter on MNF this year but didn't know if she made it in the game.

[Spyfy]

Quote: Originally Posted by Venom_2K

I got a question. Is Michelle Tofaya (misspelled her last name I know) the sideline reporter? I know that she'll be the sideline reporter on MNF this year but didn't know if she made it in the game.

That's a good question. I haven't seen her but I skip the cutscenes alot.

BTW: What part of KY you in? I'm in Bowling Green.