Madden NFL 11 Demo Available Now, Please Post Impressions Here

[predsfan]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Demo Available Now, Please Post Impressions Here

I played one half before quiting and deleting the demo. I found it steps back from last year's game. I didnt buy Madden for about 3-4 years around 2003-2007 and I won't buy it again this year. I also don't like the dumbing down of the game.
Graphics do look nice, but I find NCAA more enjoyable and will stick with that.
I do like the old play calling (3 plays, press Square, X, or Triangle) more than the change that NCAA took.
The Strategy Pad also was a disappointment.

5/10

[Matt Diesel]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Demo Available Now, Please Post Impressions Here

Played the demo.

I do not know how else to explain it other than it feels very Fisher-Price. The style seems very elementary and deliberate.

The strat pad thing is for the birds. Maybe it will get better the more you use it. Why change something for the sake of just changing it if it works fine?

The gameplay is neither significantly better nor significantly worse than last year.

Maybe team play would be fun but other than that, its whatever.

[Raven Nation42]

Played demo last night and lost to Colts 17-14 in ot. Pro's Love the feel of the sticks when running the ball, very fluid . Wr animations improved esp near sidelines . Gameflow very nice but would also recommend gameplanning to remove many of the streak pass plays that prior post spoke of earlier. Cons Defense seemed to give up to many big pass plays. I play with lbs and de lineman alot and loved the animations on the push rush, just sick but while I did sack Peyton a couple of times, I still feel like there were other times when I should have gotten to him and he was able to get rid of the ball. The new fg /punt features will take some getting use to but I like it though. No comment on d-pad adjustments as I didn't use it but can see how this can be a concern if you aren't able to make subtle adj prior to the snap. Overall not a bad demo. Curious to see the final build on this in a couple of weeks. Side note ** I saw the use of gang tackling where the ball carrier gets knocked back/side as oppose to just falling down/forward in prev versions. Nice

[Skyboxer]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Demo Available Now, Please Post Impressions Here

I understand that being rude isn't right, but If someone have a gripe about EA and the development team, why can't a person voice those gripes? If a difference is backed up with facts, Like how the reason they can't expand that much on certain game modes is because their old code holds them back, or that they use the same commentating over and over instead of getting the team in the booth and recording fresh new stuff. Why cant I voice an opinion that might hurt their feelings. This is the business they chose and they know that they will get feedback whether good, bad or indifferent they will get feedback.

Most of the Madden core fans are smart and just feel shafted sometimes like I know Gameflow is just "ask madden" dressed up and I feel patronized by that. Why is this wrong? In my business I don't want people around me who only tell me good stuff. Sometimes I need to hear the blasts so I can progress and better myself as I know I don't know it all. Anyway Im just asking because I want to stay here cause I see there are real fans here but do I have to just praise EA even though they need to hear a little tough love.

No where does anything say they can't voice their opinion. NOWHERE.
However you have to do it without being an *** and being insulting. If they can't voice your opinion in an adult manner then that's their problem.

Also the bolded part.. 2 words...
Strategy Pad

just play'n

[Artman22]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Demo Available Now, Please Post Impressions Here

After playing the demo for a while. I must say that I didn't like the demo. The game feels too robotic. The game isn't smooth. I'm going to skip madden this year. I love the NFL, but this in a way feels worst the madden 10. The graphics are good, and gus sounds ok in the game, but the gameplay feels slugish..

[vch1212]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Demo Available Now, Please Post Impressions Here

No where does anything say they can't voice their opinion. NOWHERE.
However you have to do it without being an *** and being insulting. If they can't voice your opinion in an adult manner then that's their problem.

Also the bolded part.. 2 words...
Strategy Pad

just play'n

I know, that it just seems that people get banned for being angry. And you know sometimes it seems that EA gets protected a lot. They should get blasted I mean they are pretty darn cocky and full of themselves. I can say that because its their actions that show it, but I had a friend get banned here because he made a little joke about them. I mean wow can the devs not handle a little jab? I just think when your dealing in the public arena all bets are off. I am in public relations for political figures, mostly small time people but they get blasted heavy all the time and when they cry about it I tell em that's the game your in. If you can't handle it go and find a new career. You got to have thick skin. And most of all I tell em to actually listen to the people they are trying to help, that works sometimes.

[SA1NT401]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Demo Available Now, Please Post Impressions Here

SA1NT401 - I think EA has given me a new cause to rage against aside from the dreadlocks - this little bundle of misery they call the Strategy Pad!

LOL...Right there with ya Dogg! Right there with ya.....

[ryan36]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Demo Available Now, Please Post Impressions Here

I understand that being rude isn't right, but If someone have a gripe about EA and the development team, why can't a person voice those gripes? If a difference is backed up with facts, Like how the reason they can't expand that much on certain game modes is because their old code holds them back, or that they use the same commentating over and over instead of getting the team in the booth and recording fresh new stuff. Why cant I voice an opinion that might hurt their feelings. This is the business they chose and they know that they will get feedback whether good, bad or indifferent they will get feedback.

Most of the Madden core fans are smart and just feel shafted sometimes like I know Gameflow is just "ask madden" dressed up and I feel patronized by that. Why is this wrong? In my business I don't want people around me who only tell me good stuff. Sometimes I need to hear the blasts so I can progress and better myself as I know I don't know it all. Anyway Im just asking because I want to stay here cause I see there are real fans here but do I have to just praise EA even though they need to hear a little tough love.

If you say all this without profanity you'll be fine and calling people dumb ******** stupid or lazy, you'll be fine.

[alifeincomplete]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Demo Available Now, Please Post Impressions Here

Being a PS3 owner, I couldn't get the demo until last night and the size of it made the download take forever... so I just kept playing NCAA '11 instead... having literally just played a game in the demo as the Jets, I have assembled a short list of notes about it.

- Strategy pad. If this year's overall theme is about quickness and simplicity, why did they make something that was quick and simple into something that's unnecessarily convoluted? It's not a deal breaker for me once you get the hang of it, but I don't get the logic behind making such a big change.

- Kick meter. I like the change. It took me two kicks to get the hang of it; I shanked my opening kickoff out of bounds for an illegal procedure call, haha.

- The zoomed-out camera. This will bother the hell out of me, and I really hope it's changed for the retail product. After playing so much NCAA, my head started to hurt with the readjusted vantage point.

- Catching animations and Locomotion. Catching seems to have been refined a bit and I'm glad for that, but the use of Locomotion doesn't look like it was as well implemented as NCAA 11's version. It also makes running way too easy, which I'm sure can be balanced out with slider adjustments.

- Commentary. While I appreciate the new energy brought by Gus Johnson, he seems terribly out of place and his delivery is off. Again, something I hope that is just because it's was a work-in-progress demo. Collinsworth's lines were almost verbatim from Madden 10.

I really want to play the retail version, but I have to admit that I am terribly on the fence for this game. I fear my love of the NFL will force my hand at some point in August, but I don't see myself shelling out $60 on opening day, especially since money is a little tight right now. I can satiate my need for football with NCAA '11 which, right now, looks like the superior product anyway. I was never a Madden fan to begin with and I really felt defeated when EA gobbled up the rights and killed my beloved 2K5, but Madden 10 really sold me on their attempt to change their ways. This game.... eh, not so much. It's like NHL 10 is to NHL 09. There are changes, but the biggest one is probably just an updated roster. We'll see.

[NDalltheway]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Demo Available Now, Please Post Impressions Here

After playing the demo for a while. I must say that I didn't like the demo. The game feels too robotic. The game isn't smooth. I'm going to skip madden this year. I love the NFL, but this in a way feels worst the madden 10. The graphics are good, and gus sounds ok in the game, but the gameplay feels slugish..

have you tried a different game speed??

Personally, i buy madden every year no matter what and i previously thought i was gonna be buying the same game as madden 10. but after i played it, i was totally stunned. graphics are amazing and its realistic football. WRs can get separation on corners unlike the physic corners in NCAA 11 but theres a good pass rush which is like in real football. i am so excited for the full game

[Only1LT]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Demo Available Now, Please Post Impressions Here

I believe its:
Pad then up to select DB's the pad for the direction
Pad then up to select DB's then down on pad
Pad then Lpad then either up/down/L or R
Pad then up then select which wr and then pick the route....


From work and I can remember what to do. Pad is simple.
I agree it should have been an option but I'm 44 and can remember from work after playing for about 1 hour yesterday what the controls are.

The scarey part is if the simple D-Pad configuration/change is this problematic for a lot of people then we can pretty much kiss any real innovation to, for example, the passing system. If EA ever gets rid of the brain dead system that been this way and stale for the last umpteen years (Hit X for X...Hit Y for Y) the world will collapse into itself.

Lol. So true. I'm having flashbacks of of all the Vision Cone complaints.

In fairness, I don't really like the Strat Pad either, but it's not the end of the World.

I would like to see reform in the Passing Mechanic though, and I know that it will be met with a lot of angst if it ever happened.

[RGiles36]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Demo Available Now, Please Post Impressions Here

GameFLOW...

I know this point will get lost in this thread so I'll probably blog it later this week along with some other impressions.

Anyway, I like GF a lot. There's something I enjoy by not being interrupted by the playcall screen every couple of seconds. But as I said while @ CD, I despise the auto-coach cam functionality. IMO and only my opinion, it's intrusive, invasive, and makes me feel away from the action. I know that we all use coach cam when we get to the line anyway, but having it pop up automatically takes away from other presentational things they could do.

I thought the ideal solution would be to have a little play art graphic appear in the left-hand corner of the screen. Waa-lah! It leaves the screen clean and you know what the play is right off the bat. As it is now, the players approach the line with various routes underneath but you can't completely tell what the play is until they settle at the LOS. And then on defense, by default the coach cam only shows my assignment? Why not the entire play (single player mode) as it does on offense?

Again, I like GF, but I think it could've been implemented better. It would be so much cleaner if I could see a graphic of the play art (about the same size of the plays in the play call screen) as opposed to auto-coach cam.

[Skyboxer]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Demo Available Now, Please Post Impressions Here

I know, that it just seems that people get banned for being angry. And you know sometimes it seems that EA gets protected a lot. They should get blasted I mean they are pretty darn cocky and full of themselves. I can say that because its their actions that show it, but I had a friend get banned here because he made a little joke about them. I mean wow can the devs not handle a little jab? I just think when your dealing in the public arena all bets are off. I am in public relations for political figures, mostly small time people but they get blasted heavy all the time and when they cry about it I tell em that's the game your in. If you can't handle it go and find a new career. You got to have thick skin. And most of all I tell em to actually listen to the people they are trying to help, that works sometimes.

Then they better start filtering some of my recent posts. lol

Listen I give my feedback both good and bad yet I can do it in an adult manner. EA (Especially at OS) isn't getting protected but quite the contrary. We want everyone to give opinions to make the games better.
Would you like it if someone berated you and said you were lazy and an idiot etc.. for the work you did (especially on a VIDEO GAME)? Or would you rather have someone say "Hey the work you did isn't exactly what we expected. Here's some things I didn't like and would like to see if you could improve on"

Who are you going to be more inclined to listen to?

[vch1212]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Demo Available Now, Please Post Impressions Here

Then they better start filtering some of my recent posts. lol

Listen I give my feedback both good and bad yet I can do it in an adult manner. EA (Especially at OS) isn't getting protected but quite the contrary. We want everyone to give opinions to make the games better.
Would you like it if someone berated you and said you were lazy and an idiot etc.. for the work you did (especially on a VIDEO GAME)? Or would you rather have someone say "Hey the work you did isn't exactly what we expected. Here's some things I didn't like and would like to see if you could improve on"

Who are you going to be more inclined to listen to?

I totally agree however if the person that I keep giving constructive criticism to blatantly ignores my efforts for years and years it tends to gte a little frustrating. Also think of it this way, if I tell my people all the time do your job listen and account fr everybody's voice and you will find that you can do your job better, however if blatant disregard for the opinions of the people who matter (in this case the fans) is occurring then my actions will be much more stern and aggressive.

I just can't understand why they can't get Chris collinsworth and gus johnson in the same room and record fresh new stuff so it sounds like they are actually together. That kind of stuff insults me and it's been going on for years!

[murdap]

Re: Madden NFL 11 Demo Available Now, Please Post Impressions Here

In my opinion this is the best madden since madden 05. I reading and all these people are writing that ncaa is better than madden, ncaa is great and fun but from the demo of madden its exactly what people have been crying about for 4 years. The good players play to that caliber where the weaker players play to their caliber, the deep pass is back, the db's actually blow coverage. When it comes down to the oline blocking people seem think ncaa does this better but to be honest ncaa does this to well. Ive played UCLA vs Alabama and had 100 yrds rushing in the first quarter on heisman with no sliders change. With that being said madden does everything better except for pro-tak and player models.
#mytwocents