[Bleak5170]

I hear a lot of people calling this the best Madden ever, but in all honesty, is that really saying a lot? I love the series but I can't think of a year where there weren't some fairly significant problems. EA worked a lot on the overall presentation and it still sucks! The graphics look nice but everything else is pretty amateurish. Half-time highlights with no commentary whatsoever?

And what is up with players running out of bounds???? Anyone who has been playing Madden for a long time knows this is not a new problem. The real kicker is that this was fixed with a patch in a previous version of the game. EA actually fixed it yet now it's back for some reason. Does anyone at Tiburon even pay attention to what they're doing? The graphics engine could use an update as well. Despite the fact things do look prettier now, on replays you can actually see that the ball isn't even attached to the QBs hand when he goes to pass the ball. And there is tons of clipping with players going through one another and even disappearing into the ground.

One thing which has plagued the series almost since it started is the fact the computer is fantastic at passing but horrible at rushing the ball. CPU quarterbacks frequently have ratings over 130 for a single game, yet running backs struggle to average 3 yards per carry. Luckily this can be alleviated somewhat with sliders.

It's not all bad. The new rushing and passing mechanics are solid and I really like the new slower game play speed. Defensive players are still way too adept at picking off the ball though.

All in all this is a decent game but I can't help but be a little angry with EA for working too much on little details and not enough on A.I. issues (defenders taking horrible angles for instance). Despite the improved game play on the offensive side of the ball, with all the little nagging issues with the game, I can't give it more than a 7/10. A lot of that score is based on the fact that I'm still seeing the same problems I saw 7-8 years ago.