Staff Roundtable: Madden NFL 12 Demo Impressions

[spankdatazz22]

Re: Staff Roundtable: Madden NFL 12 Demo Impressions

It's a given that unhappy people are going to be the most vocal about their feelings. Some of it is about Madden 12 specifically, and some of it is about their legacy anger toward the franchise.

Personally I think the demo is good. But compared to what? While I think the demo is good, I also think the game easily has the worst animations of any major sports game. We're going another year where there hasn't been a single significant gameplay contribution from Madden football; perhaps DPP will but I didn't notice anything too great in the demo. It all seems more about building on top of what most people acknowledge is a flawed base, fixing past issues. The system of player movement and interaction is improved in places (tackling), poor in others (OL/DL interaction). A lot of the appeal comes from the license; not sure we'd have people saying the engine's very enjoyable if the game were lacking the license.

Two points that stuck out to me in the roundtable are that Madden doesn't appear to have an identity and that it's probably time to blow it up and start from scratch. It may not be practical to do a MVP-like redo in this age, but I think most people would love to see it happen.

[mf756193]

Re: Staff Roundtable: Madden NFL 12 Demo Impressions

I think the Madden 12 demo is great so I really don't know where all the hate is coming from, but to each their own. I'm a huge NCAA Football player and always enjoy that game more, but the Madden 12 demo puts NCAA 12 to shame.

[PVarck31]

Re: Staff Roundtable: Madden NFL 12 Demo Impressions

I'm fascinated by the comments about the E3 build being a marked improvement over the demo build. I really hope we get that version in the retail copy. Especially because I really like the demo.

[jyoung]

Re: Staff Roundtable: Madden NFL 12 Demo Impressions

I think the retail version of Madden 12 will be a lot better than the demo ala NCAA 12. At least, I hope that's what happens. I'm already bored and disappointed with the Madden demo.

Back to enjoying NCAA 12.

[bichettehappens]

I was extremely pleased with the demo. Most of my minor complaints are likely fixable via sliders (WRs catching everything, linebackers with big hits) and really my biggest complaint isn't too much of a bother because I'm used to it and that's the quick CPU QB snaps. Oh also, the quick QB movement in the pocket I imagine would get annoying if I played much online but since most of my time is spent in offline franchise I don't expect that to matter much

Outside of that I was extremely impressed with the new collision system, blocking (and conversely, block shedding), zone defense, receiver movement when the ball is in the air, CPU playcalling and decision-making (ex: stepping up in the pocket and scrambling), presentation, heck I even liked the layout and presentation during halftime better than what they had last year.

And I'm not seeing the issues people are having with play action. Most of my PA passes were successful, much improved from 11 IMO.

[kehlis]

Re: Staff Roundtable: Madden NFL 12 Demo Impressions

I guess the previous warning wasn't understood.

This has nothing to do with any other game. This is about Madden, it is not a comparison thread.

[RememberMe12]

Re: Staff Roundtable: Madden NFL 12 Demo Impressions

I guess the previous warning wasn't understood.

This has nothing to do with any other game. This is about Madden, it is not a comparison thread.

My bad dude. Wont happen again.

[JaySmooov]

You'd think these guys would bother to go explore the settings. If they did, they could've easily noticed that you could turn down the game speed.

Yes, the game felt slower last year, because the default game speed was SLOW! Guess what it is in the demo? NORMAL. You'd know this if you would've bothered to do the due diligence and look at the menus/settings. It's like complaining that a YouTube video's default setting isn't clear enough at 360p without even checking to see if you can change it to HD.

You's also think these guys would pay attention to info posted on their own site. Most of us already knew this was a pre-E3 build, as it was stated that the demo was submitted in May and had to get cleared or whatever.

You CAN spotlight receivers. The problem is the fact that the QB snaps the ball immediately, which gives you no time to do so sometimes.

From what I've heard, mostly everything like the QBs taking off WAY too fast will be fixed.

But you guys dropped the ball on this impression.

[RememberMe12]

Re: Staff Roundtable: Madden NFL 12 Demo Impressions

You'd think these guys would bother to go explore the settings. If they did, they could've easily noticed that you could turn down the game speed.

Yes, the game felt slower last year, because the default game speed was SLOW! Guess what it is in the demo? NORMAL. You'd know this if you would've bothered to do the due diligence and look at the menus/settings. It's like complaining that a YouTube video's default setting isn't clear enough at 360p without even checking to see if you can change it to HD.

You's also think these guys would pay attention to info posted on their own site. Most of us already knew this was a pre-E3 build, as it was stated that the demo was submitted in May and had to get cleared or whatever.

You CAN spotlight receivers. The problem is the fact that the QB snaps the ball immediately, which gives you no time to do so sometimes.

From what I've heard, mostly everything like the QBs taking off WAY too fast will be fixed.

But you guys dropped the ball on this impression.

I have no problem spotlighting receivers. Usually I will go look at the DPP of the Bears and see who is doing good and I will spotlight them.

[bichettehappens]

Got a link to where you heard the QB quicksnap would be fixed?

[UMhester04]

You must not have played the demo enough, so ill gone and post this lil replay vid of whats been happening to me and its very frustrating to see this happen alot.

Also why is it everytime in every madden that as soon as I hit the button for my intended WR, the AI (all 11 of them) have this spidey sense and know who, where and when the ball is being thrown? I never get that element of surprise or the defender actually being unaware of the play thats going on up until this demo when I AM PLAYING DEFENSE?

But here is the SUPER DB clip...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-69B_qFyy_8

How is this Super DB??? He gets beat off the line, gathers himself and trails the WR, and the QB places a ball in the worst spot possible to let the DB that is trailing the WR to pick the ball off. He even turns his head to look at the QB!!! If this ball was placed correctly it is a completion...

Dont get me wrong there are definitely psychic db's sometimes but this is definitely NOT a example of Super DB's. People are a little quick on the trigger these days to say things are wrong in the game.

[guaps]

Re: Staff Roundtable: Madden NFL 12 Demo Impressions

I think it's funny that 68% of people voted on the poll that the demo was either good or great, and yet almost all of the comments I've read about it from others give off the smell of average at best and mostly bad.

Though I voted average in the poll, I have to say that the Madden 12 demo is the probably the best Madden demo I've tried in a few years. However, that does not mean that I think it's a good game nor that I will buy it. Madden is, and have been for years, too arcade for my taste.

I don't care for authentic camera angles, entrances, coin tosses etc., when you don't have authentic gameplay.

[tril]

ill still pick up MAdden even if its average, just to get my football game fix. Hopefully Ill be able to get a few seasons in, unlike last years version.
and who ever said 2k5 is trash, really?.......might be getting dated but definetly not trash.

on another nore, itt's really hard to determine if EA is really putting in the required effort to make a compelling, immerssive football game. Graphics and souped up intros only go so far. What about commentary and all the other little stuff.

There seems to be a disconnect between the way the game's Ai logic is coded and the improved graphics.
Its like EA gives us one or the other yera after year.
one yera its about the graphics look good but the gameplay sucks, or iyts they made one or two improvements in gameplay, but the graphices will be from the previous years version,
Im starting to suspect thats how they budget their projects.

[BlackJackRabbit]

Re: Staff Roundtable: Madden NFL 12 Demo Impressions

I think the retail version of Madden 12 will be a lot better than the demo ala NCAA 12. At least, I hope that's what happens. I'm already bored and disappointed with the Madden demo.

Back to enjoying NCAA 12.

I know there will always be differing opinions, but for the life of me I can't understand what people see in in the NCAA ( the retail version) that's better than the Madden 12 demo. To me, all of the problems in NCAA 12 are either not presents in Madden or severely toned down.

The super linebackers and DBs with eyes in the back of their heads are much worse in NCAA 12 than the M12 demo in my opinion. You pretty much need a throwing lane to complete a pass to a receiver who is running any route other than a streak. For posts, deep digs, and deep outs, you need a lane (in NCAA 12) or the pass is getting broken up or picked off.

EA is still behind, but the demo is much better (in my opinion) than Madden 11, and NCAA 12.

[sleepyeagle]

Re: Staff Roundtable: Madden NFL 12 Demo Impressions

Call me crazy, but it feels like so many people give in to peer pressure when it comes to Madden. More-so negative peer pressure.

It's not everyone, but many of the negative posts I read from those who plan to "shun" the game area all just "Madden is always buggy, I hate EA football, psychic defense, horrible gameplay". These are all just general complaints about Madden that people fall back on when they wanna be "haters".

I know for a fact that many of the people posting these things are just using them as excuses for poor gameplay. I also understand that these issues do exist, but not nearly to the extent that every person who has played for a month and can't read coverage has to start believing that it's the glitchy game's fault.

I've been playing Madden for years, I've seen super QB's, REAL psychic defenses, and bugs that literally caused the gameplay to be broken. This year's Madden demo has it's minor problems, and everyone should expect that. But take a second to look at the improvements, and hope they aren't nullified in a day-one patch when EA decides to "fix" the things you are complaining about.

I'm excited about the game. I completely skipped M11 but from what I've seen of the demo, M12 will be the reason I return to Madden.