Madden NFL 12 Demo Available Now, Post Impressions Here (360, PS3)

[Playmakers]

Quote: Originally Posted by Inapprope

Haven't played Madden since the winter after 10 came out and was only able to squeeze in a half before work. The game feels significantly different, for the better. Also, I seem to remember 5% of the controls. I love the tackling as that was my biggest gripe with 10. I made a nice seam pass for what seemed like the first time ever. I'm excited to get home and put more time in on it so I can get back in the groove before the full game comes out.

You do realize it took me like 5 seconds to switch the game speed to slow and drop the player speed threshold....i really don't see how anyone can complain about the speed unless they simply just refuse to tweak the slider in the DEMO.

But anyways i played about 2 games tweaked the sliders + Game speed and i must say this game has great potential in the gameplay aspects on the field.

Watching Rogers take off and run a few times just got me really excited about creating Randall Cunningham and Steve Young this year on my roster file.......

I can already tell this game is better than NCAA 12 IMO out of the box....the DB's aren't brain dead and sliders have a much bigger IMPACT in gameplay as opposed to the Sliders in NCAA 12

Speed guys can dominate but not anywhere near like it was in Madden 11...this year the defense really does pursue much better and big plays can be held in check.

I can see with tweaked sliders already this game can offer some really good defensive battles which wasn't always the case last year. I'm not a fan of the Packers or Bears so that will be the only reason i'm not going to play a lot more of the demo LOL!

The animations are sick once you slow down the game....the presentation was ok maybe there's much more in the final version....but overall i'm more excited with tweaking gameplay and using the new player roles on old school classic players this year.

[Dewiel]

Quote: Originally Posted by bpac55

Am I supposed to not have any commentary?

Yea, there's no commentary because of the demo size limitations. We wanted to get the new presentation aspects in there for you guys to see.

[DGuinta1]

The blimp cam started at a different spot the second game. Something minimal that I noticed.

[belucheez]

Just got a sexy sack. I was AJ Hawk blitzing the middle and the Center goes for a fast cut block but I jump over him and as Jay Culter turns around after a play-action.

I like the look of it. The graphics, the pre-play boxes. I even like the strat pad. Game plays good. I will definitely try to buy it early this year.

[Bootzilla]

A few more observations

You can switch to old way of calling audibles, you don't have to use strat pad method.

Hopefully QB running is toned down in retail version.

Still need better blocking on punt returns. Especially the cpu. I have no fear of punting to Hester at all. I can actually get some okay returns (8-12 yards) but that's it.

You can certainly tell the difference between average and above average players, i.e. Greg Jennings is good (fights for the ball, hangs on in traffic), Jordy Nelson pretty much blows.

As long as there are no major bugs, freezes, etc this looks like it will be a very good year. Seems most issues of mine can be fixed with some minor slider tweaks.

[DGuinta1]

Is the football finally the right size?

[Lisa_Bonami]

In agreement with what alot of others have said, I also want to add a few things that stood out for me during my first game;

Madden gameplay has always lacked a bit of that dynamic immersion in comparison to 2K football but each year, I have found that they have been working toward adding a more player responsive control to the game that relied more on attributes and angle of attack rather than just close matching motion captured animations that get triggered upon contact.

This year, the gameplay appears to even take further strides to remove that level of " triggered close matched suction animation" when players interact. Is it completely gone, no....its still out there, but it seems less apparent from the quick game I played.


Tackling animations seemed more realistic and appropriate for certain situations.

The CPU seemed to play a more dynamic game of football and mix it up more appropriately for certain situations.

The cpu QBs seem to have a more realistic sense of pressure in the pocket and move around and take off when under pressure more organically.


Overall, I had a nice feel with the gameplay and this year moving the ball back and forth had a good realistic and ebb and flow to it. I never felt robo cheated. The pace felt natural.


On a more constructive criticism side, The passing game, imo, is still the achilles heel of this franchise right up there with a lack of true physics based gameplay. My problem with this series is that they have never really taken steps forward in this area from their earlier Pre Gen console days. In fact, they might have slightly regressed in some areas.

I remember the days of games like NCAA 2004 when you would scan a wide open field and be able to put a wide degree of touch/loft on a pass with a much greater variety of pass speeds as well to a certain area of the field. The excitement of leading a reciever on a slant that has broken free from a defender down the sideline or to the post was very immersive. "did I put too much loft on it?, did I lead him too much?...is he gonna track it down??...."oh, I threw it too far over his head!!"


In this demo (as well as most of the recent Maddens) the passing game has become so ....pedestrian , enclosed and automated or magnetic to a certain degree. The feeling of control and freedom and skill is no longer really a factor. You press a button and it basically gives you just 2 degrees of touch, bullet, or extreme lob. No variability in between. The Lead Touch or "maximum passing" (as 2K used to call it) is limited to an enclosed zone of to the left,right, high, low of the immediate reciever's vicinity rather than the old days in which you needed to put the right amount of touch to even complete the pass and 'get it' to him.

Also the deep passing streaks still lack that authenticity.,,,,,Most of time, these plays result in the reciever stopping, turning around and doing a jump ball with the CB and the Safety coming from across the field to engage in a suction jump ball mish mash

Where's the overthrows, where's the reciever stumbling and diving with outstreched arms to try and haul it in?...where's the random wobble duck throw downfield? In 2K5, (which was what...7 versions ago?) Recievers would realistically run the deep routes and it looked real the way they would either catch it...dive for it, bobble it and pull it in...and the defenders would apply realistic coverage animations on them too with real location contact points that would determine who came down with the ball and how....rather than some of these 'close match' scripted animations that still dont give the player the true sense of immersion on these deep passing routes


I really wish EA would focus on their passing engine and relook at what worked back in NCAA 2004 and what 2K5 did so well and try to apply some of those successful techniques that made the game very fun, organic and immersive.

Otherwise, the demo feels pretty good....I have to play a few more games and see if anything changes

[DGuinta1]

A lot of fun playin as da Bears.