I know this was meant as more of a feedback tool for the developers to chime in, but I just wanted to add a few thoughts. I'm totally with your opinion about realism. The most satisfying games to me are the one that work hard to approach "sim." That doesn't mean not fun. Fifa is well on it's way from being up and down the pitch 10-0 wide open sprintfests to what seems to be a more considered passing and build-up approach. (like PES already was
) Being considered a GOTY canidate. NHL08 was a 7-time Sports Game of the Year winner. And will be even more realistic this year. Even the baseball games are making it harder to jack HR's and make it harder to have .750 with 68 HR stats. Why does it seem that the Tiburon team is so resistant to a more 3 yards and a cloud of dust, I'm only gonna complete 63% of my passes and actually end up having to punt about 5 times a game approach?
I believe that Ian and Phil are receptive to a more "sim" style, but only so much. It's about success. Madden-boys like Madden. And buy it religiously. So it's hard to fix what really can't be considered broken. But I agree that when seeing how MVP revolutionized/revived Baseball gaming, how Fifa's change is heralded and NHL is considered the pinnacle of hockey gaming, (no small feat as NHK2k was considered the best by far) that Tiburon won't take the leap of faith. All of these games have both financial and critical praise. The truth is that Madden's style of football is played out, last-gen. I can see how it has been tweaked to be the best Madden ever, but it stilll plays the same as 2000. The new camera is sweet, but the controls are still the same. How players move look the same, just better animations.
There isn't really anything that screams "new!" "next-gen!", heck Microsoft has been through 3 Operating Systems since Madden went PS1. And each fundimentally changed computing. Tiburon has to bring the game to a new level. And getting more realistic is key. New physics, movement and AI. And it should be done by a team that knows how to program a football game, but isn't just lloking to modify the classic "Madden" experience. But to redefine it. Techie geeks and gamers are suckers for early-adoption of the newest shiniest gadget, console or game. Sure you have those who view Madden as a old familiar pair of slippers, but they survived the Genesis to PS1 transition. They'll survive this. Why? Because they need the NFL fix. Be it sprites,2d 3d, Photo-realistic or holographic, they want that Giants, Eagles or Cowboys helmet with their favorite player in all his glory. He just has to be able to be controllable and give that vicarious rush. And now we're getting to the point where that rush can be closer to real than ever.
Before this is considered complint, it's anything but. It's encouragement to take a risk. I actually believe you guys can make a football game as good as anything 2k ever put out. Now as good a
football game as Fifa or PES, we'll see.........Go sim, and fun. Call David Rutter or David Littman, they've got a great balance right now. Then you'll never hear the "roster update" cracks again. (or at least for 5 or so years.....)