Small favor...looking for 09 "bulletin board material"

[Ian_Cummings]

Hey guys,
With the team returning to work on Monday, I had an idea that I wanted to post up some "bulletin board" material at work - i.e. some posts that really would get the fires lit with the team. After I pick the best ones and post them up, I will take some pics and post them here as well. I want to do this so you can see for sure that you are having a direct impact on our team's day to day work.

So, my small favor to you all would be for you to post your favorite quotes (+ the original link) from the previous year in this thread. My only guidelines:

- Needs to be from this year, ideally referring to Madden NFL 09
- Have to be constructive with no blatant flaming (i.e. I won't be putting up a post that says something about "we're screwed until EA gives up the license"). I want to be clear...negativity is totally fine...just excessive hatred won't make the cut.
- Ideally the posts are based on entire areas of the game. I probably won't be putting up something along the lines of "EA still doesn't have custom camera angles"...I'm looking for more broad-scale stuff.
- Goes without saying...but only quote it here if you truly believe it's a valid criticism.
- It's totally ok to suggest one of your own posts!

Just as an example. Here's a recent one that I was quite happy with from TheWatcher:

http://www.operationsports.com/forum...post2039033471

...
<clip>the NCAA team spent a huge amount of time on something that a very small group of people are even using. While they were doing that, lots of other glaring problems that pretty much everyone will encounter were left open. We need to be pleading with Tiburon to stop doing stuff like this.

I think you have four types of situations when you budget your time creating a product:

1. You have the choice on whether or not to make an improvement in the quality of your product that everyone will be put into position to see every single game, not just the minority. What does that include?

-Gameplay
-Presentation
-Graphics

This is and should be chief goal number one. Right now, the first two at least could use the most attention. The first one is most important. If the gameplay isn't at least decent, you're not going to stick around for the other stuff.

2. You have the decision to make on whether or not to improve the quality of something that will improve the product, but only the minority will actually ever give serious attention to. This includes:

-Franchise Modes

-Miscellaneous options that only the most perceptive people would actually be concerned with having and/or options that are rarely used (I admit that I fall into this sector of the hardcore group)

3. You have the decision to make on whether or not to add a feature/function/option that will add some value to the product, but will ultimately be inconsequential to the 3 cores of gameplay, presentation and graphics.

-Take Madden Moments. I appreciate it being there, but how do we get that but not multiple and adjustable camera angles (affects graphics and presentation) like FIFA 09 has (an EA Sports title that is currently excelling)? How do we not get custom sountracks like NCAA 09 (affects presentation and atmosphere)?

-We got better looking snow and rain... but we have no temperature controls, no happy mediums in the extremes of the weather settings (graphics), and terribly exaggerated mud on the players.

-We have outside stadium shots and up to 50 unnecessary characters around the field (24 event staffers(!!!), an injury cart that's never used, plus a few repeated camera guy characters that either do nothing but stand there, or are constantly fixing their lense never shooting the game, lol) ... but we have no head coaching presence (presentation).

4. You have the decision to make on whether or not to introduce a feature/function that will either revolutionize the franchise and genre, or bust.

-We got Madden IQ... nice idea, but we didn't get CPU sliders. Huge blunder. Gamekiller for many hardcores, it even had casuals scratching their heads about the incredible (virtually unstoppable) accuracy of CPU QB's.
...

</clip>

Looking forward to what you all come up with!

[Boucher]

Re: Small favor...looking for 09 &quot;bulletin board material&quot;

How about


Online franchise would produce over a trillion dollars in sales

[green94]

Re: Small favor...looking for 09 &quot;bulletin board material&quot;

The presentation in Madden 09 was GARBAGE. If you guys wanted to capture the feeling of playing football in a cemetery, well you achieved it. Nothing like playing in the biggest virtual game of your life only to to have a bunch of robots on the sidelines acting as your teammates and a crowd that is completely silent, but hey, at least they were snapping pictures the entire game!!!

[Ian_Cummings]

Re: Small favor...looking for 09 &quot;bulletin board material&quot;

Another good one:

http://www.operationsports.com/forum...post2039043620

No there is no logic at all when it comes to off season tasks. The Colts will draft a qb with there 1st round pick if they lack one on there depth chart.

I'd suggest Ncaa09 100x over Madden09 just cause itplays a better game of football. They both have their own problems but in the end (IMO) Ncaa09 stands out more and keepsme coming back for more, while madden gets boring very fast.

My biggest problems with madden 09 are for 1 the CPU cannot run the ball PERIOD. Facing A Peterson / LT/ B Jacobs is all the same cause they all will not be able to rush for 100 yds on you.

Playing the Raiders/Rams feels the same as playing the Steelers/Ravens (meaning there is no difference) Teams all play the same. It gets boring seeing the same stuff everygame.

Robo qb - not as bad as once stated but every once in a while you will see a Rex Grossman go 28-31. And the qb% statistics are insanely high.

Presentationis terrible. I mean whyeven play the superbowl if its feels/ looks just like the reg season games. (I sim after reg season due to this terribleness).

Atleast in Ncaa09 you can take a low rated team and try and make them become good to great. In Madden you can turn the worst team into superbowl champs in 1-2 years.

GET NCAA09 and you can thank me later .......j/k

ps- I love the NFL way more than College Football but the game is that much better to me.

[Boucher]

Re: Small favor...looking for 09 &quot;bulletin board material&quot;

Another good one:

http://www.operationsports.com/forum...post2039043620

Really what it boils down to is that Online dynasty keeps people coming back. It adds a tonne of replay value

[splff3000]

Re: Small favor...looking for 09 &quot;bulletin board material&quot;

Really what it boils down to is that Online dynasty keeps people coming back. It adds a tonne of replay value

I second that. At least it was the case with me.

[Exonerated]

Re: Small favor...looking for 09 &quot;bulletin board material&quot;

Online dynasty is cool, but I wouldn't say that its a selling point for the majority of players.

In my opinion. What most people want to see, (casuals and hardcores included),

is whether it plays, looks, and sounds like what we see on tv.
All players can appreciate a game that is bound by the laws of physics, that stresses the fundamentals of football but also has appropriate moments for big plays and highlight reel materials. The frequency of big plays in the current Madden is fine, its just the way the are executed thats the problem. We all love seeing 80 yard touchdown passes and One Handed Pick Sixes. But not 80 yard td passes after running back and throwing a spinning bomb off the back foot without looking at the receiver. And no superhuman dbs, but instead sound coverage caused by good playcalling.

We want it to sound like what we see on tv. We want an intense play-by-play commentator that gets excited and enthusiastic. (A random like the ea radio guy won't cut it). A real commentator that genuinely wants to do a good job.) . hint hint no hammond. The crowd should be loud! So loud it breaks my speakers. During 3rd downs. Intercepts. Fumbles. And 20 yards before a player reaches the endzone. It all comes down to atmosphre.

And it should look like television. We all understand that Ea needs to advertise in its own game, and within due reason. But it has to be less intrusive. Add more advertising by real companies if you will. A better less intrusive ticker. (i'm not real big on pregame and halftime shows, but i guess other people are).


All in all.

Am I playing Madden, or am i watching NFL on the flatscreen here?

[cdon2k]

Re: Small favor...looking for 09 &quot;bulletin board material&quot;

Wow, where to begin?!? Hopefully I can get this done before Monday!! Adembroski, Country, Lbz, Madden PS2, Pared and others... we need you.

[Ian_Cummings]

Re: Small favor...looking for 09 &quot;bulletin board material&quot;

Guys - to clarify - I'm looking for posts that already exist. Ideally stuff that has been universally regarded as a really good and critical post.

Maybe think of this as a "Best posts of 2008" thread?

[dat swag]

Re: Small favor...looking for 09 &quot;bulletin board material&quot;

Here ya go...Hopefully this quote meets the criteria...This should get the troops fired up

To be COMPLETELY honest and open with you:

It's not a bad game, but the development team either does not understand what makes the game fresh and exciting 2 months down the line in this day and age....

OR

The influence of the CEO's and NFL License Managers is just too heavy handed in making this game what it is.

Even with its flaws, everything done by this company seems to be half-hearted:

Let's add some new commentators... even though one sounds terrible.

Let's add some new, controllable celebrations... even though they don't look like they belong in the game.

Let's add the new dynamic play to your level option... even though teams have no specific play-calling styles.

There isn't much left to say at this point for video game football from my end... I've moved on to the other sports where they have left football in the dust. 5 years ago I would have never thought this is where these games would be.

Here is a quote from another sports videogame forum re Madden 09

My biggest problem with Madden 09 and I skipped Madden 08 was that it was just flat out boring. The game felt lifeless and I forced myself to finish a 5 minute/qtr game which I still have not been able to do.

On the plus side the game got a graphical boost along with some new animations that gave that deja-vu feeling when EA showed off those next-gen trailers of Madden 06 for the 360.

I got the collectors edition because of Head Coach 09 and found myself enjoying that more. I, at this point see no reason to fork over earned cash to EA next year. I'll just stick to Madden 09 and will probably if not most likely buy Head Coach 2010.

The funny thing is I still play NFL2K5 and it enjoy the overall package more than any Madden game in recent memory and i'm not a hardcore NFL2K5 guy because that game had it's share of problems. But the game just sucked you in with the ESPN integration. It was really fun to play.

That's all i'm asking from Madden 2010. Just make the game fun to play rather than a lifeless NFL videogame.

Here is more:

When you are football junkie like alot of us its not an option to NOT buy Madden...Every year I convince myself that next year will be the year...and to be honest this years game is not THAT bad...Its the best version since the new consoles arrived...But for me the game is just boring...I only play online and not with cheesers...I have many people who keep it real on my buddylist...But for me the game just seems very predictable...FRom the boring Offensive and defensive playbooks to the juvenile kicking game to the horrid QB play...There is just alot of work that needs to be done on the core gameplay...Thats why I don't understand how people will only complain about fluffy stuff like presentation...How about fixing the gameplay 1st?

DB/WR interaction = Terrible to non exiastant...and what I mean is the Db's in Madden don't really react to the WR...They react at all times to the ball as if they have ESP or other times as if they are brain dead...EA needs to animate and include a relationship where DB's play the WR.

O Line Blocking is atrocious - From run blocking to pass blocking this area needs a full overhaul to include additional options for the user to read blitzes and assign OL to pick up blitzers if and when a blitz can be read. I know OL slide protection is in there but we need something that improved.

The QB Position - IMO all the improvements need to start right at the QB...While I loved the vision cone I understand that alot of people did not care for it...I would argue that if they eliminated the beam of light and used all the same concepts in the passing game most would have very little complain about. What I mean is to deliver an accurate throw a QB needs to read the D, set up in the pocket, plant his feet and look at the REC he is throwing to. All of those elements should increase the accuracy of the throw...Unfortunately there are many though that just want to hike and huck while running backwards, sideways and all sorts of directions. Until EA commits some time and intelligence to the QB position Madden really won't change much because it really doesn't matter what QB you have in there as they all can do just about the same thing.

PLaybooks = I've been through each and every playbook and they are all the same with the exception of a few formations and maybe a COUPLE of plays...Otherwise they are all the same with the same terminology. EA claims to have a guy that specifically works on playbooks. Back in the day you could explore the playbooks and find sets and plays that were unique...Not anymore...far more diversity is needed in the Offensive and Defensive playbooks to include unique terminology

There is alot more too but thats just the tip of the iceberg so while people complain about Presentation etc...I continue to ask those people...Do you really want EA to work on presentation when the gameplay is still so JUVENILE???

[Cusefan]

Re: Small favor...looking for 09 &quot;bulletin board material&quot;

Since the lack of a decent TV stlye Presentation still irks me I will post this from Moegames, a Perfect post as far as presentation goes.

I'll say it again, If Tiburon fix every bug, fix every cpu logic flaw in madden and madden 2010 will feel no different then what it has in past years if the "atmosphere & presentation" is not redone...or if some serious work is not applied to this area...for 2010. This area must be addressed otherwise its NOT gonna feel any different then it has in previous years. Sure gameplay bugs, flawed cpu logic is vital but so is Atmosphere and Presentation ...in order to make that game "fun & exciting" to play..and isnt that equally important? It sure is....

1. Ton's of "various" cut scene's after big plays..for both good and bad plays. More emotion from coaches from the sideline..not "just" the head coach but what about offensive and defensive coordinators, watch a real nfl game on tv..they show this. Also, from time to time show players on the bench talking with thier teammates, players on bench getting ankles tapped up, helmets fixed,etc..make madden feel like a real tv broadcast..this is what gamers LOVE. Why do you think so many loved NFL2k5 Even WITH its share of flaws and bugs? ...because it had alot of this what im talking about.

Its VERY IMPORTANT that you put enough of these cut scenes in there, you put too little of them and it'll ruin the entire experience. Something so many developers that attempt implementing cut scene's into their sports game fail at.. they do NOT put enough variation. Its the same with animations, You must put a ton of different animations in a game to make it feel authentic..the same exact thing goes for in-game cut scenes..

2. Pre-game show - Another huge aspect at presentation/atmosphere is the pre-game shows that we all LOVE to watch on tv before the big game starts. Tell me this, do you all get pretty hyped watching the pre-game show? I sure do and just about all my friends do as well. On sunday, i always have my buddies over and they are ALWAYS over before the pre-game show so we can sit there and we can get insight on the big game before the game starts...why cant this be put into Madden for the gamer to get insight on the big game before we play? Have the game lay down some commentary on the two teams about to play, the weak spots, what each team needs to accomplish, what key players need to have big games, what each team's coaches need to implement,etc..stuff like that will really give off a real sense of Madden feeling more like a NFL tv broadcast then just a simple videogame...we WANT this stuff in a NFL videogame, trust me. And its not about just giving madden that authentic feel..at the same time it can give some insight into us gamers in maybe what we need to do to win.. give us some tips,etc..you know, it all can work for the feel and also insight in what we need to do to win...it all works out

3. Half Time show, why not a "REAL" half time show in with again, more commentary on what has happened in the 1st half of the game? Have some "voice" commentary of the big plays, bad plays, key injuries, injury updates, what needs to be changed/adjusted for the team behind to win the game or what needs to be done in order for the team in the lead to hold the lead,etc.. but USE the play by play guys commentary voice..not text..remember your target in a Videogame is to make it like the "real deal"... so why not go after it? Simply put... these are the things required in order to make a NFL videogame feel like the "real deal"..which is a real NFL tv broadcast.

4. Camera's... they play a big roll in atmosphere and presentation... in-between plays why not roll the camera around into the stands showing some fan's getting hyped, holding signs,showing emotion,etc..yeah madden attempted this before but failed at it because there wasnt enough variation of it ...again, far too little of it will repeat way too much.. variation is KEY and plenty of it is KEY.

Another thing is more dynamic camera's during gameplay.. when you toss a bomb.. have the camera sorta keep pace with the ball ..so its not so hard to defend the long pass..keep the camera chasing the ball some what..not too close but definitely not too far away neither..its way too far away during the long ball in Madden 09, too hard to defend imho

Or when a ball carrier is running the ball, maybe use more dynamic camera's when he gets tackled..sorta have the camera pan around right when the player hits the ground, while we watch the player get up, brush himself off..have the camera sorta pan around the player a bit closer.. thats what i mean by use more dynamic camera's and angles. Oh i ALMOST forgot.. give us a custom camera for the gameplay...please, this should be autmoatic for all sports game..gamers want "choice" and "options"..without it we feel boxed in or forced..we dont like that "forced" feeling

5. Something that totally baffles me with every madden to date and should be against the law for any NFL football game developer is letting the playoffs feel EXACTLY the same as a preseason game in Madden, how could they let this slide by year after year? Thats just down right wrong!! The NFL Playoffs and the Superbowl is the "heart & soul" of the NFL..no way should a playoff game in Madden feel "EXACTLY" the same as a preseason game in Madden..no way in hell!! Thats a disgrace to the NFL League imho.. this MUST be worked on for 2010..there's no excuse for it. Oh and the Superbowl REALLY needs more attention to the atmosphere... put in ALOT of time and effort for the superbowl and maybe even try and put some various superbowl scenarios as well so they are not the same each year for us that love to play Madden's dynasty mode.. you know, give us a bit of unique reward for making the superbowl two straight years in a row...

6. Player Emotion, example.. when my RB runs a TD, why do all the other players jog back to the huddle while the RB that just ran the TD is jumping up and down in excitement by his lonesome? ...come on, people once cried for gang tackles..remember? Well now we are crying "gang celebrations"...give us this and give us PLENTY OF VARIATIONS of this stuff and make it all "flow" well..what i mean by "flow" is that animation branches... like sometimes when i run for a TD..my RB Just sorta stands still like a statue...feels very unrealistic.

Another issue is after a play when all the players are jogging back to the huddle..they sorta have this stiff board look to them soon as they reach the huddle..and they all pivot around to the center of the huddle.. man you guys just dont know how bad this looks..or do ya? This NEEDS to be fixed..again,..it comes back down to that "flow" of the game that madden screws up so much in 09 and honestly..every madden in the past.

7. Sound and the Crowd - First off that non-stop/continuous roaring of the crowd MUST GO! Guys..madden has had that exact sound crowd sound since the first PS2 madden...this is UNCALLED FOR! Have you guys even thought about recording real crowd sounds for each stadium? Its a thought...but you dont even gotta do that..just get new crowd sounds put into Madden 2010... that right there if you were to change that would give madden a new feel to it..just that alone would do it... and maybe address some of the QB voice sounds..mix that up so different QB's hike sequence has different voice tones,etc...

8. More life needs to be addressed to the sidelines, its one of those things that we gamers like to see, We dont just want to see one coach, we want to see tons of team staff on the sidelines talking to players, working on players, kickers kicking the ball in the mini nets before an obvious field goal scenario, during cold games players warming up on warmup bicycles, players on the sidelines getting their leg stretched out, taped up,etc.. make the sidenlines very active... stuff like this is what we LOVE to see, Tiburon

If you guys want madden to feel completely new for 2010 (WE SURE DO!)..these are things... "cosmetic" things that MUST be addressed and i will say this..it would REALLY give Madden an entire new feel by just redoing this stuff for 2010. I have high hopes for Madden 2010 just because i sense a new enthusiasm with Ian,Phill and gang...i just feel these guys are on a mission to redeem Madden for 2010 and make it that game we all waiting for so long..i have VERY HIGH expectations..i really do. I been a forum member in here thats been on top of this by stressing over and over NEW CHANGE with the atmosphere and presentation for madden 2010..i feel its TOP PRIORITY to make madden feel new and improved for 2010..yes gameplay needs tweaking, the AI bugs,etc all need fixing ..i totally understand that but one thing thats just as important and seriously is the backbone of what makes a FUN and EXCITING sports videogame ....is how realistic the "Atmosphere & Presentation" is implemented into that sports videogame. The last game that approached this to a good degree was NFL2k5 and even that game didnt hit on all cylinders with it but it did do good job with it regardless.

I hope madden 2010 delivers on this aspect ..i really do because if it dont, even with the changes and fixes to the gameplay engine, AI logic,etc.. .Madden 2010 will feel exactly the same as it has for years if the atmosphere and presentation is not given a facelift, bottom line!

http://www.operationsports.com/forum...en-2010-a.html

[Jono078]

Re: Small favor...looking for 09 &quot;bulletin board material&quot;

I suggest this;

http://au.youtube.com/user/apexisfree

Save some of his videos in a playlist and have them running all day on some big monitor.

Sure to motivate IMO, while pointing out the things wrong.

[dat swag]

Re: Small favor...looking for 09 &quot;bulletin board material&quot;

From the thread: Honestly, Madden 09 the game that's sucked the enthusiasm out of me

I hear the word "boring" popping up an awful lot. I agree to a large extent, and then I worry that the devs might take that and overdo things, thinking it makes the game more exciting.

Another thing... we all know that making a video game isn't an easy thing to do. With that in mind, I wonder what the devs think when we complain and make specific points to what is lacking in the presentation of the game when so much it doesn't appear to be anything to overly complex, or out of the scope of what they're already doing.

Take a look at my ideas in the Wishlist thread. I'm talking about changes to camera angles, simple cosmetic touches, and a more realistic way of approaching overlays all of which would actually make a big difference to the way the game is presented. But in all truthfulness, my ideas are nothing more than things that either we've seen on TV all of our lives, or things (I'm sorry I gotta say it) 2K did for years. 4 seasons pass and we don't have selectable camera angles, something that's almost impossible to fathom a football game wouldn't have... oh, but we got REWIND!

We don't have progressive weather or even progressive lighting. We don't have realistic injury sequences... why? Because they believe the casual crowd--the majority buying Madden--doesn't care. I understand that they have to do what they think appeals to their largest buying audience, but there is another part to this. There is the part where the question has to be raised: do the people making this game REALLY love their jobs? Are they just putting a game together every year only because they're contracted to do it? There is also another question: are the people making this game hardcore players or are they just casual players? A lot of things said by devs (I've read A LOT of their posts) would suggest that they are just casual players of Madden. That's not good.

I truely believe that a lot of pro football players , even in this day and age, play not just for money but also for pride and love of the game. You see guys who are already rich beyond their wildest dreams, risking their careers to play a few more games that year, or to play in just one game and risk their health. You see players who aren't paid much, who's career is about to end after the last game, and their team is WAY out of playoff contention, yet they still go out and give it their all. That means, they do everything they can, the big things and the little things, because they take deep pride in what they do and they also happen to love it.

To me, Madden has for a long time felt like a game with no soul. No passion, no fire. It makes me feel like the little things get cast aside because the people making the game just don't have a deep labor of love mentality. Take a look at some of the important extras you got from other developers over the years. You know they didn't have to add some of those things, but they did and it was great. And I'm talking sports games... just go back and take a look at some of the extra features in other sports games that you probably couldn't imagine playing without. Then come back and look at all of the missing ones in Madden that you have no choice but to accept or stop playing the series.

Like I said before, this gen doesn't have much longer to go. Now I'm worried about next generation. What will be different next generation? They'll be starting all over again, so what will be different? Whose to say that we all won't be right back here in 2010/2011 talking about the same issues all over again about Madden on XBOX 720 and PS4? I'll consider Madden 2010 as a rehearsal of things to come, and I'm hoping it's a strong rehearsal. I really do believe that Ian and Phil have some good things brewing, but if things continue to go upward will the momentum carry over to the next gen? If Madden 2010 isn't an over-the-fence homerun I'll be convinced that we'll still be left with much to be desired next generation.

[Exonerated]

Re: Small favor...looking for 09 &quot;bulletin board material&quot;

^^^

Thats a great post. I was gonna quote that same post too. Maybe we should just keep quoting The Watcher. Lol.

He's spot on. Madden is boring. I had my friends over yesterday. They just found it boring. We just sat there is silence picking our plays, then running them. Etc. Not excitement.

BUt. When we stuck in FIFA 09. everyone was shouting. yelling. spilling drinks. IT was EXCITING AND FUN.

Madden 09: Boring

[dat swag]

Re: Small favor...looking for 09 &quot;bulletin board material&quot;

Here is another by an from the "Madden sucks the Life Outta me" Thread. Its short but it packs some punch and gets right to the point of what alot of us feel

I think a lot of us have always known that Madden caters to the tourny/online crowd, even though they deny it.

I think that's one reason why NCAA plays a better game of football...pretty much always has.

Here is another:

I guess I'll chime in too....

I was so hopeful that Madden '09', was going to be THE release that I'd be enjoying a long term franchise with....I'm not even off the ground yet. The waiting for patches, and now DLC [if we get it] has held me back. I just want the game as correct as possible before I start. And I now realize I really need the old style sliders to adjust things to my liking.[and I've got a bad feeling were SOL with the DLC.] So my wait may have been in vain.

Many have complained about the lack of presentation and atmosphere[the game is boring] while I don't disagree, but my disappointment is a bit different. My disappointment lies with the lack of attention to the basic details of the sport. There are just too many things you must try to look past, to make the game enjoyable. Every game has it's flaws...but Madden '09' is riddled with them. So many if fact, from it's gameplay to it's off season logic, it really should be just plain unacceptable at this point in time.

The fact the several gamers are defecting back to the older gen Madden games, speaks volumes about the state of the newer gen games in many peoples minds. IMO...by year four of this generation, the older gen games should have been relegated down to a nice fuzzy little memory....not where gamers are going to get a more fun and correct football gaming experience.

I'm cautiously optimistic about Madden's future. Personally, I believe it's going to be a process to get Madden where most of us want it. I think it's kind of ill advisable to say...or believe it may happen in merely one year. But for the time being, I'm just hoping for some good news about this years game...and getting the DLC in the very near future would help a lot. I sure hope the news on the DLC isn't the last disappointment pertaining to Madden '09'.

and more:

Well said! I think the real problem now lies in the fact that they've put "band-aids" on gaping wounds....the gameplay was OFF on the first in this generation, and they've upped this or removed that to compensate until the game is just fundamentally broken now. We have things in the game now that appear to mean NOTHING...no fatigue, sliders for penalties that even when cranked ALL the way up, we still only see about three types of penalties called.

And the ratings mean ZILCH! NOTHING.....the only rating that translates on the field is speed...and even that is wonked up because you see linemen running down 90+ speed rated backs.

IMHO, this game is screwed unless they just blow up about 90% of it and start over, since it seems just too complicated for them to repair what is broken. It has had many of the same problems for 2-3 years now.

Also, I think part of the problem lies in the staff at EA. It is one thing to be a football FAN and another being a person that really UNDERSTANDS football. It appears EA is more focused on the "highlight reel" type gameplay and manipulates the on field action in whatever way it needs to to try to replicate that. Just watch the replays....watch what the players do on almost every play, and you'll see some totally oddball crap. Watch the linemen...watch the DB as they "follow" the recievers...watch the no-look, across the field, through the head, QB throws...it just goes on and on.

There are so many fundamental elements of football missing in this game now, it is almost laughable....but hard to laugh if you're a fanatic and it's the only game in town!

Many may not see the relevance of this comment...But I do:

Speed is the most utter bs in Madden.

The best player on the colts defense is the 70 overall nickelback with 95 speed.

Speed is deadly in the right situation. NOT EVERY SITUATION.

Its ridiculous when a 70 ovr 95 Speed WR is better than a 95 ovr 90 speed receiver.

More:

I always try to remind myself that Madden is a $60 video game...not a $600 video simulator. With that said, Madden will always I believe have a certain amount of arcade value to it. Which isn't a 100% bad thing in my opinion. As long as that arcade value doesn't dominate the game. Like most people I'm willing to deal with a few quirks, even flaws, as long as their kept to what at least seems like a minimum. However, so far with these newer gen Madden games the flaws seem too many in number...and repeated.

I honestly believe the development team does care about the game, and how it's received. I care about my labor, and I never hear/read feedback on how I've done from the customer. I'm quite sure the people at EA/TIB are no different than any of us. No one wants to hear their work is crap.

But something...somewhere is wrong, for all of the flaws and glitches to be getting through to the gaming public. Hopefully with new leadership now working on Madden, they'll be able to pinpoint where the problems are...and correct them to the best of their ability. For many of us the game of football, and Madden is more than just a game...it's a hobby and a passion. I don't think Madden '09' is a horrible game...but I do believe even the Madden title deserves to be better in the future. For us, and the games reputation.