Madden NFL 12 Reviewer Impressions: Gameplay

[coach422001]

Which version of Front Page Sports football u talking about?

I think it was 97. My guys played better (or worse) for a number of plays but Mike Alstott didn't suddenly run like Walter Peyton for a few games. It also had it's problems (the return game, lousy angles by defenders taken to the ball carrier) but it was alot of fun at the time (speaking a bit to 31's comments).

The other concern I'm thinking about based on Cassel going 21 of 22 when hot is that it seems no matter what he has around hiim, the hot player will be a stud. Receiver ability should come into play here. So even if hot, the QB shouldn't be near perfect if he has a poor set of receivers around him.
What happens if you have a hot QB with a cold WR? Does the ball just hang in front of the receiver due to the conflict, like a cat dropped from a height with a piece of buttered toast butter side up strapped to his back?

[squadron supreme]

I gather that from reading this and other articles on Madden 12 is that it really isn't worth $60 unless you really need that NFL fix. I used to be that way until this year because clearly NHL 12, Fifa 12, and NBA 2k12 are going to be better than their predecessors and better than Madden. Thats not to even mention non sports titles in Uncharted 3 and Batman Arkham City. If I get Madden it will be after a price drop or using my store credit to reduce the price greatly. I just can't justify paying full price for a game that has been out this long on this generation of consolesbut still has the same glaring problems.

[Radja]

i think we are seeing typical madden improvements so far from what you have written. again this will boil down to how much the consumer thinks it is worth to pay for.

granted some things are hard to simulate. like when you wrote, the DB's sometimes completely ignore the WR in the zone. that happens sometimes with real games when coverages are blown, so ... it boils down to how often that occurs in the game.

for a lot of us it will be whether they improved the offline franchise aspects.

personally, i can stick to a sports game for a couple years if i like my franchise presently. so unless its a massive improvement, i am sticking with my present madden franchise.

[northface28]

Re: Madden NFL 12 Reviewer Impressions: Gameplay

Good review and informative. So far there are too many questionable things going on once you get past all the fluff. Sure its an improvement over M11, but whats that really say? M11 was a mess. Jury is still out, but, for now, im not seeing enough improvement to justify a full price purchase. Ill just continue the waiting game.

[scottyp180]

i wonder how much the first patch will change the game and peoples impression of this game. It seems most sports titles have a day one update so maybe there will be some new impressions next week. Either way I plan on buying this game. I havent purchased madden in 5 years and after playing the demo I finally see enough improvements (again over a 5 year span) to warrant a $60 purchase,

[maddcatt]

It's a game, it's football and I'm easily buying it ...All games have faults and I realize there will never be a game that is going to emulate a real football game perfectly ...I also realize, Nobody is ever going to buy a sports game that's more geared towards towards the defensive side of the ball

[bucky60]

Re: Madden NFL 12 Reviewer Impressions: Gameplay

At the end of the day Madden is a video game, not a recreation of actually playing the game. If you want the experiences the writer has nitpicked about, the only way you will ever get it is by actually playing the game of football, not a video counterpart.

Nothing wrong with having low expectations. I'm happy for you that you can and will enjoy your gaming experience. Some of us do have higher expectations and do want to see the game improved. Nothing wrong with that either.

[PAPERNUT]

Re: Madden NFL 12 Reviewer Impressions: Gameplay

i wonder how much the first patch will change the game and peoples impression of this game. It seems most sports titles have a day one update so maybe there will be some new impressions next week.

I was wondering the same. Is there any known patch that is due to hit this game on the 30th for launch for the retail disks?

[Playmakers]

Re: Madden NFL 12 Reviewer Impressions: Gameplay

I hope you do enjoy the game. Within 10 minutes, I regretted buying Madden 11 last year and no amount of patches and slider-tweaking ever made that game enjoyable. I don't want to go through that feeling again this year, so I'd rather wait.

I feel better about Madden 12 than NCAA 12

But having said that i'm not going to open it for about a week LOL!

I waiting for impressions and stuff from guys i trust on here....I can't get my full $60 bucks for NCAA 12 so I'm not opening Madden 12 right away.

With my luck i'll open it and EA will have a laundry list of things they are doing with a patch....

[Celtic34]

Re: Madden NFL 12 Reviewer Impressions: Gameplay

I haven't bought the game and have just messed around with the demo, but I think EA did a pretty good job in the gameplay department striking that balance between arcade and sim. What I noticed is that this game plays differently this year compared to years past where there definately is a sim element to it. I'm finding I have to work for things a bit more. Maybe it's because of the improved zone coverages or a smoke screen and as I play it more i will find the flaws but it seems to be a bit more challenging this year. Whether it's realistic or not is another story. Star players do seem to play more realistically though and differentiate themselves a bit. Players seem to be more active in their zones. All in all along with the presentation and graphical improvements, this is the best madden i've played to date. It just doesn't have that wow factor though and doesn't do anything that really deviates from that formula overly. I still see a lot of unrealistic stuff like defenders magically turning and intercepting the ball only to have it bounce off their head the next when they are in perfect position. WR/DB interaction is iffy, but at least I see defenders getting burnt on bump and run this year and I have to think about if I want to call it or not.

a Madden game that actually does make an attempt to be a sim is a rarity so this is one of the better Madden games I've played. I think EA did make an attempt here to make gameplay improvements and there are quite a few.

[steelernation28]

So disheartening EA, your effort has been and I believe will continue to be uninspired and half-@ssed. Shame on you.

[Vikes1]

Re: Madden NFL 12 Reviewer Impressions: Gameplay

Still, I'm glad to see the cookie-cutter reviews disappearing and the journalists doing their duty of holding EA to the flames and calling them out, so to speak, for minimal year-to-year improvements.

I agree DJ...it is good to see more balanced reviews now, than years past.

[ASUsideline]

Re: Madden NFL 12 Reviewer Impressions: Gameplay

I have to say that after reading a lot of the reviews and watching the game play footage videos, I'm really not that impressed with version of madden. I buy NCAA and Madden every year. I think EA and a lot of the people who play madden at E3 every year have been selling the same old stuff for the past three years. I think this years version of madden might be alright for the first week, then after that It will get boring real fast. I just can't see spending $60 for this game now.

[C the Lyte]

After reading all of the reviews (and my past experiences), I have come to this conclusion...Madden is an Arcade game that wants to be a simulation. And in doing this, creates such a weird mix. It's like it's the only game that does this. Most other games are fully sim/realistic, or fully arcade-ish. Madden some how combines both @ the same time and @ the same level. Still undecided on my purchase, but I dusted off my PS2, bought Madden 09, and strangely feel appeased...

It seems to be an arcsim. I think if ppl know what they are getting then they will have no problem.

I gotta say though, 2 thumbs up for the review. I can't thank you enough.

[TombSong]

Re: Madden NFL 12 Reviewer Impressions: Gameplay

Details and reasons why he felt the way he felt. THAT'S a review. We can love it or hate it but the only thing that can be argued are facts and everything else is debatable. He spoke in specifics and gave examples. When you bring evidence you shut up all the would be critics of the review and most importantly you are giving the readers something to look at and think about when they play the game and decide if they want to buy the game or not.

For the guys who say, its just a game, we should not expect x,y,z. That would be true if the things we ask for are not possible or have never been done before. However. A lot of what we want HAS been done already in older games. This is what makes the Madden situation so sad. I will be the first to say, overall Madden is not garbage. It can be a fun game to play. However in light of what has been and what is now and what is coming, Madden cannot be allowed to go the way its been going the last 6 years. Someone at Tiburon HAS to step up the games game play and "football" features on the field. It is dated and needs some serious work.

IMO it looks like they have the last 2 years been trying to skate by on improving the presentation hoping all eyes will be on that while doing little to address the legacy issues and current game play problems and lack of innovative features that matter while playing the game.