Madden NFL 12 Review (360/PS3)

[JohnDoe8865]

Re: Madden NFL 12 Review (360/PS3)

I will say that those comparing M12 with Madden 04 and Madden 08 have me scared to death. Madden 04 was a joke with the 70-67 final score, "playmaker controls", Qb cheese running garbage and Madden 08 on next-gen... was quite simply an abortion in a box. I've never hated a game, to this day, with the passion I hate Madden 08. I've bought every Madden since 2001 w/ Eddie George on the cover and I never hated two Madden iterations the way I still hate M04 and M08.

I will eventually try M12 and form my own opinion. But right now, it doesn't "feel" like a 1st day buy. It feels more like a "wait a month and see, maybe catch a sale" game for me.

[mirrored32]

"I've found that after a few dozen games, the intros have actually become perfectly skippable because they don't offer anything new or exciting after seeing them a few times." do the stats for the QB stuff doesn't that change? if you win another Super Bowl, does that mean it updates that saying "winner of 3 superbowls" instead of 2 for instance?

[EPtheKING]

i got season ticket (save your trash talk for your parents) and couldn't play online because it kept kicking me off the EA servers....great.....i just got it and can't play ranked games because it keeps kicking me off the EA servers.....wow......I personally have never ever EVER had a problem with madden but this one is very shady.....why can't I find all the plays and formations in the Pittsburgh playbook???? some of them aren't in there when I try to create my custom playbook.....is it me?!?!?!.....the same thing happens when I try to create my defensive playbook......I'm completely at a loss for words right now....

i still have not been able to play online......

[spankdatazz22]

Re: Madden NFL 12 Review (360/PS3)

joke of the day , 2K sports is one of the worst companies ever that people have had high hopes on time & time again but always failed. Examples? MLB games, NHL games .. the only decent enough game 2K has produced is the NBA game, that's about it

Can't speak to 2K's NHL game. Top Spin is very good. MLB2K has introduced real-time presentation, right-stick pitching, blowout stat presentation (off the top of my head) - all of which influenced The Show in some manner. While the game isn't as polished as The Show, it has helped push videogame baseball forward and is a legitimate option for those that don't like The Show. In fact you can look at most sports games this gen as having brought some significant innovation to the table to help push their respective genres forward (Live with Synergy, for example).

Kinda hard to say the same thing about Madden or NCAA this generation; I can't think of any gameplay innovations Tiburon's brought to the table this generation off the top of my head. The closest thing to innovation was Pro-Tak, which can't be counted because it didn't work as it needed to and was completely abandoned a year or two later. So while the game has been heading in the right direction for years now, it's going to take them bringing true innovation to the table to get the title(s) over the hump imo. Innovation is an area they've been behind most other sports games this generation.

[mirrored32]

I would say Madden is a good playable game though feels a bit unfinished. sounds like most years. new features that rock and will be cool though could use some clean up. perhaps a patch can fix somethings? either way it is a buy for me!

[bkrich83]

Re: Madden NFL 12 Review (360/PS3)

I would say Madden is a good playable game though feels a bit unfinished. sounds like most years. new features that rock and will be cool though could use some clean up. perhaps a patch can fix somethings? either way it is a buy for me!

Agreed. The move towards an HC 09 style franchise is encouraging to me as well.

Game is fun, beautiful to look at, and has a much improved franchise mode.

Still niggling issues, and questionable design decisions detract from the experience. The frustrating part is that some of the issues have lierally plagued the game for a decade, and some of the design decisions literally make no sense.

I've never really liked Madden, and have always preferred NCAA to it, but actually this is the year I may play Madden primarily.

Even with the annoyances, it's been an enjoyable experience, and that's all that all that matters to me at this point.

I am not big on numerical scores and I think it's higher than a 7.5, but that being said giving it a 7.5 depending on what you are looking for isn't outside the realm of reality either.

[droopizzle34]

good review. every problem touched on is the reason I'm not buying this game.

[DustinT]

Its perplexing to me how this game got a 7.5 as opposed to last years 9. All that Madden 11 added from Madden 10 was Gameflow, strategy pad and a broken difficulty system (all of which were negatively received). I suppose the ambition that Madden 12 undertook didn't deliver on all accounts but it still laid out a foundation for future games. I didn't agree with the score Madden 11 got last year and while I don't believe this is the same reviewer from last year, there needs to be some consistency with the scores on the same site.

We switched our review format this past year, so it's damn near impossible to compare our old reviews with the new ones.

It's a full ten-point scale now. A 7.5 is not a 75 percent, it's classified as a good game. An 8.5 is a great game and a 9.5 is an excellent game.

[FreAk47]

Re: Madden NFL 12 Review (360/PS3)

This review nailed it for sure.

I see any improvements made at this point as band-aids for essentially unsolveable problems with the game. Did they make the suction blocking look less noticeable? Yes, is it gone though...NO. So, to say it isn't improved would be incorrect cause it is...slighty. But, to say it doesn't bring up bad memories of the same old same old we have become accustomed to...not so much.

[scoonie05]

Re: Madden NFL 12 Review (360/PS3)

Can somebody name one sports game that has been with released without any bug's or issue's?? I know madden has plenty of issue's but some guys are nit picking at everything. There will NEVER be a perfect football game.

[weeeeeeez]

Re: Madden NFL 12 Review (360/PS3)

I usually hate Madden but I'm loving this version of it. With all the upgrades to the Franchise mode it has definitely won me...so far.

[coolcras7]

Re: Madden NFL 12 Review (360/PS3)

Can somebody name one sports game that has been with released without any bug's or issue's?? I know madden has plenty of issue's but some guys are nit picking at everything. There will NEVER be a perfect football game.

It is not about bugs it's they fact that Madden still does not reflex what you see when you watch a real game of football, to get similar results they cut corners, Linebackers jump higher, CB make impossible interceptions how many times have you sacked a QB in a game how many punt returns have you received adequate blocking , these are flaws that have been in the game for years and they still have not addressed them, the game is still fun but OP Sports set a higher standard for rating sports games if they dont try to truly replicate the sport they are models after.

[nyg92fan]

Re: Madden NFL 12 Review (360/PS3)

In many ways, Madden NFL Football is the most anticipated, discussed and debated game in our genre each and every year.

The lead up to Madden NFL 12 has brought a new wave of optimism for the series, as many issues fans have had with the series were promised to be fixed, tuned or tweaked. In many ways, the Madden team has accomplished their goals of moving the series forward. Unfortunately, those expecting a return to greatness for the series are going to be disappointed.

Read More - Madden NFL 12 Review (360/PS3)

Good review.. Very helpful.. I will definitely rent first and see how it plays. if its not very good, i will skip buying this game once again.. 60 bucks is alot in this economy especially if the game isn't worth it...

[bkrich83]

Re: Madden NFL 12 Review (360/PS3)

It is not about bugs it's they fact that Madden still does not reflex what you see when you watch a real game of football, to get similar results they cut corners, Linebackers jump higher, CB make impossible interceptions how many times have you sacked a QB in a game how many punt returns have you received adequate blocking , these are flaws that have been in the game for years and they still have not addressed them, the game is still fun but OP Sports set a higher standard for rating sports games if they dont try to truly replicate the sport they are models after.

Punt Returns certainly can be frustrating. They simply don't set up like a PR should be set up. Not sure why this hasn't been hit on. Kick Off Returns can be wonky as well. Seems like the return game never seems to get any attention.

I'll be honest I have been playing this game off and on since Friday. The Super LB's and crazy INT's I really haven't seen. Nor have I noticed the psychic DB's. I haven't seen a ton of INT's to begin with and most of them have either been balls thrown in to coverage or passes where the QB simply misses his target.

I have seen defenders in zone be a little quicker than I'd like in undercutting deep crossing routes and making the plays. Only once or twice, but that i have seen. That being said, when it has happened they have been very highly rated players.

One positive as opposed to NCAA, in Zone coverage defenders do a much better job of maintaining leverage in coverage. One problem I noticed in NCAA is that especially in 2 deep zone coverage safeties were slow to recognize vertical routes on the perimeter, then took bad angles leading to too many wide open WR's on certain route combo's.

This I have yet to see in Madden. I've hit on deep plays vs. 2 Deep Zone coverage, but it's been when I had the right play called vs. the right defense..Ratings obviously played a part as well. . Although even when that happens, there's enough variance in QB accuracy where I have missed open receiver deep because the QB simply over threw him or threw it too far to the outside, etc, which to me is encouraging.

The encouraging thing about improved zone leverage and the overall way players are deployed in zone is that the days of drag and short crossing routes being able to be used over and over again do move down the field are over. Even if you do complete the pass on a drag route, if they are in the right defense the receiver is usually stopped for a negligible gain.

[Dazraz]

I can't remember the last time a game was released that has had such a diverse response from critics & gamers alike. I'm awaiting delivery of the game so I guess I will have to see for myself.
In regards to the crowd noise being lifeless, please tell me it's not as bad as on NCAA 12.