The only way I can still play and enjoy franchise is by using my imagination and pretending that the ratings matter in this game. Sometimes I wish I had never come to these forums because then I would be blissfully enjoying the game, never knowing that there are so many flaws in it.
I always knew that weight meant nothing in these games, but that strength and blocking ratings are also meaningless is really truly heartbreaking. I mean, if these ratings are meaningless, what is the point of it all?
The really scary thing is that EA may never fix this because that might mean that they would have to acknowledge the fact that the blocking ratings mean nothing. As it now stands only a small portion of Madden consumers know about this issue. If EA announced that they fixed it, they would also be announcing that they'd been lying to us all along. And yes, I do consider it a form of lying when there are aspects of the game presented as very important (in franchise we have to shell out big money for highly rated O-linemen even though there is no difference between them and scrub O-linemen) when they are in fact meaningless.
Until recently I have been relatively happy with Madden. I focused my energy mostly on what needs to be added to the game to make it better. The more I learn, however, the more I am beginning to understand that this game is much worse than it appears. To anyone who knows and understands football, that is. If all you want is an arcade style game that allows to you play some fun games, Madden is perfect. If you want a game that truly replicates the game of football, this isn't the game for you. Unfortunately there are no other options if you happen to be an NFL fan. *SIGH*