The Abomination That is Madden Nation

[PaulZweber]

^ If you had been around the series long enough, and played earlier reditions of Madden, you would know that the game was not originally made for cheesers.

Most of the "cheesers" I have met didn't play Madden on SNES or PS, just newer games. I know when I was young I didn't look to find ways I could cheat my friends and the game. Maybe that is a problem with online in general, people don't put a face and personality to the person they are cheating out of time and money.

[DirtyJerz32]

This is the reason why EA & Madden will never try to improve the gameplay to appear more of a sim game. The people in Madden Nation are the reason why the sell so many copies each year. They are the reason why we are not getting any DLC. Why should EA & Madden put time into making 09 more of a sim game when so many people are buying the game only to be better cheesers.

That's why I can't wait until 2K & VC makes a football game again. Good luck to us all.

[Flamehead]

Re: The Abomination That is Madden Nation

"Madden Nation celebrates everything that is wrong with competitive Madden play. To reduce the game to a half-assed offensive pyrotechnic show is simply revolting. Not only is it a reminder of the many online contests where I faced such deplorable antics, but it is also the face of EA Sports’ quest to appeal to the lowest common denominator: the feared "casual" gamer market. Casual football fans/gamers want to see a lot of points, and lots of big plays. They don’t share our appreciation for a well-laid gameplan and intelligent playcalling. They would rather see a 70-yard bomb than a perfectly set up play-action pass, capping off a run-driven 70-yard drive. Madden Nation is a perfect fit for the casual gamer, tied up neatly in a banter-filled realty show package. It is poignant for the masses, rubbish for those who know better."

Well said. This is the best paragraph of the whole thing.

[auburntigersfan]

Re: The Abomination That is Madden Nation

I understand why it upsets you, but it is just a television show, nothing to get all worked up about. Everyone here knows all you have to do if find a good group of guys to play with and you can avoid those problems all together.

[yamabushi]

A good article, but its nothing that hasnt been said 100x before.
Broken gameplay leads to broken game play.

[kehlis]

Re: The Abomination That is Madden Nation

i dont think this show would bother people if we didn't feel like the overall game was geared to people that play that way.

[asu666]

truth, and this "operations sports" article which is just a glorified forum post on the front page is no exception.

The Abomination That is "Anti-Cheese" Heads

truth of the matter is its a video game. there are no real players in the game who do not want to get injured, think for themselves and know whats going on when they are on the field. video games are run on a system and its just code where random occurrences happen for whatever reason.

their is no heart in video games and what makes it worse is despite much "anti-cheese" criticisms the game takes out real nfl realism to cater to "anti-cheeseheads". do they care, no all their worried about is what does not benefit them.

in order to be good at this video game you can't act like a coach, a coach has humans to rely on who have logic, no you have to beat the system. crying and whining because you can't use your video game coaching skills like you would in real life to beat someone who is actually playing a video game gets you nowhere. either stop playing to be competitive and look for your type of game by your type of opponent or learn to adjust to the game.

vickhalloffame? The name says it all.

I've got some ideas, let's put Vick on the cover of Madden 2010 to help EA appeal to the core want-a-be street thug crowd. We could throw gold fronts in there as download content. Maybe hire some of the guys from Blitz to help "improve" the gameplay.

If 2K football was still around this wouldn't even be an issue because people would have a viable alternative to turn to on an annual basis. The NFL and EA made a decision to go exclusive and they are letting down simulation fans with stripped down products and questionable (read cheesey) gameplay.

[Tweeg]

Right on brother

[DJ]

Will, you need to get a PSP so you can play some MLB 08 The Show or some Madden while you are traveling.

You are spot-on about this show. I've seen it a few times and cringe at the "highlights." The guys run the same play over and over on offense. The last time I saw the show, one of the players dropped all 11 guys back into coverage...what a joke.

The show definitely highlights more negatives than positives with Madden, and if these are the guys you run into online, then I'm glad I don't play online.

[SoxFan01605]

Re: The Abomination That is Madden Nation

vickhalloffame? The name says it all.

I've got some ideas, let's put Vick on the cover of Madden 2010 to help EA appeal to the core want-a-be street thug crowd. We could throw gold fronts in there as download content. Maybe hire some of the guys from Blitz to help "improve" the gameplay.

If 2K football was still around this wouldn't even be an issue because people would have a viable alternative to turn to on an annual basis. The NFL and EA made a decision to go exclusive and they are letting down simulation fans with stripped down products and questionable (read cheesey) gameplay.

lol...well the first paragraph was pretty uncalled for. I actually know people who are Falcons fans who were once Vick fans and they aren't "want-a-be street thugs" but I won't spend too much more time on that silliness.

Actually, I think Vickhalloffame has a very valid point. We all know what Madden is and has been for some time now. Why get mad at people who play it for that, enjoy it for that, and make money for that? You or I, assuming we had the "Madden skills" to pull it off, have no less opportunity to win than they do. Anyone kind find and execute these exploits if they really want to. IMO, anyone who goes into a Madden tourny expecting a football competition is either brain dead or has been living under a rock for a few years. Again, we all know what Madden is. I find it as rediculous as anyone and refuse to continue a game with anyone who plays like that, but I guess it just doesn't offend me on a personal level. I think it was Kehlis who said something to the effect of this wouldn't generate so much anger if the game was less disappointing. He's probably right.

As for your second paragraph, I agree. I think another part of the anger is 2K fans lost their game to what many feel is an inferior product. That alone generates anger, but coupled with the fact that Madden hasn't even lived up to it's own "last gen" standards makes it a tough pill to swallow. Competition would equal a strong 2K product and a better Madden. This is not the case though, so we have to hope Ian puts his new position to good use and delivers on his rather lofty goals. We'll see.

[realtalktruth]

Re: The Abomination That is Madden Nation

vickhalloffame? The name says it all.

I've got some ideas, let's put Vick on the cover of Madden 2010 to help EA appeal to the core want-a-be street thug crowd. We could throw gold fronts in there as download content. Maybe hire some of the guys from Blitz to help "improve" the gameplay.

wow, you sure showed me. didn't counter any of my points or bring in any intelligent points, as a matter of fact you didn't bring anything at all to the discussion to tell you the truth, but you did make fun of my username so its all cool.

the fact of the matter is the article is a waste of time(just a regular forum post) and wrong on so many levels. madden nation gets the best players to play against each other. are there any "anti-cheese" heads who are the best? no, so they are not on the show.

maybe if you people stopped complaining about a video game t.v. show and your opponents tactics you could step your game up so you could get on madden nation and show them how a true "sim" gamer plays football. no? your just going to complain about the game on a video game forum? well whatever works.

[casbruce]

Anyone know how they actually determine who the so-called "best madden players" are for this show? Do they look at online stats?

[RedskinsGM2B]

Despite ANY other comment in this thread, this article is surgically accurate! I agree that EA HAS indeed been pouring more & more of it's focus and resources into this exact type of community that is nothing less than a country club attempt at "thuggery" and "gangsta" "playas"...OVER A VIDEO GAME!!! But, it's OUR video! And it has been RAPED of it's innocence and purity. It is now poisoned with glitz & glamour just like some cheap shiny "bling" to attract the masses that will dive in and study, research & disect the game to reveal it's every weakness and hole. WHY? You know why. So, they can go out and jump online and call all "2" plays of their strategy and exploit every game glitch that they found or that they read about. Why oh why...WHY don't they commit such diligence toward scholastics?? Honestly, how many NFL games have you seen that the QB drops back 30 flippin' yards?! This is the style that is common and accepted amongst these youngsters. Suffice it to say, they'll never become football coaches...that win.
Here! Here! I applaud this article. Nice to see some old dogs still fighting the good fight.

[realtalktruth]

Re: The Abomination That is Madden Nation

Despite ANY other comment in this thread, this article is surgically accurate! I agree that EA HAS indeed been pouring more & more of it's focus and resources into this exact type of community that is nothing less than a country club attempt at "thuggery" and "gangsta" "playas"...OVER A VIDEO GAME!!! But, it's OUR video! And it has been RAPED of it's innocence and purity. It is now poisoned with glitz & glamour just like some cheap shiny "bling" to attract the masses that will dive in and study, research & disect the game to reveal it's every weakness and hole. WHY? You know why. So, they can go out and jump online and call all "2" plays of their strategy and exploit every game glitch that they found or that they read about. Why oh why...WHY don't they commit such diligence toward scholastics?? Honestly, how many NFL games have you seen that the QB drops back 30 flippin' yards?! This is the style that is common and accepted amongst these youngsters. Suffice it to say, they'll never become football coaches...that win.
Here! Here! I applaud this article. Nice to see some old dogs still fighting the good fight.

yeah... ea loves cheesers, the #1 goal in its development cycle is adding glitches into madden and other things that others can abuse to win games. icons disappearing after running back 15 yards, not putting in the wildcat formation after "anti-sim" heads were crying about it, nerfing user catching, no fatigue for defenders to help against no huddle offense, genius we can abuse that all day. ea is all "hood" they represent, put on for the cheesers. its not like they want the most realistic football game ever, Ian said no such thing.

[RedskinsGM2B]

There, there now puppy. We certainly wouldn't suggest that EA has intentional goals to provide or include these...toxins, if you will. However, we DO indeed imply that it is the very lack or absence of goals in product quality or NFL representation that allows them to happen, exist, and be discovered. Surely, we needn't the saturated use of sarcasim. It's quite clear; the sides that exist. I think the majority is siding with, "if it's not REALISTIC, don't make it possible or don't allow it online in "RANKED" games. Engineer a dragnet. This argument has been rampant for years so, it's not like the bell is going off for the first time and poor EA hasn't had the opportunity to adjust. These "best" Madden gamers would NOT be as elite as the show may suggest if they were forced to leave the "cheese" at the door. They would quickly become lost in a crowd of mediocre players. Wouldn't that be shameful? To take away their advantages?