Which do you think is better? Madden 11 or Madden 12?

[kpkpkp]

I'm curious what the community thinks about this question.

After the patches and feedback about both games. Plus spending many hours playing both myself, I feel as though Madden 12 has taken a step BACK from Madden 11.

Let me explaing the main issues that makes me feel this way;



-The UDFA/cut days issue. This addition to madden this year I feel was a good idea that was poorly implemented and not tested enough. CPU teams see UDFA's as being rated "99?" while their real rating is in the 40's-50's with F potential. The CPU will then decide to keep these UDFA's while cutting guys with A potential and higher OVR because the CPU "thinks" the UDFA is better. This issue has mired Off-Line franchise mode for me, forcing many gamers to controll all 32 teams to get CPU teams to somewhat make realistic cuts.

Whats worse is EA has stated the cut days and UDFA's are "working as intended." Which means they will not patch it and do not see it as an issue. This means we are stuck with a broken system. I'm shocked that after so much negative feedback EA does not see this as an issue.

-Disproportionate player builds, and shoulder pads. Have you ever looked at some of these generated players from draft classes or imported classes or UDFA's on the field? Their should pads are commically massive at times, some have a chest builds that literally makes it looks like they have breast implants. Other times DT's in generated classes weigh under 200lbs!

I just dont understand how something as simple as shoulder pads or height and weight ratio's could be flubbed up. Especially when everything was fine last year.

-What happened to finesse moves?? I dont need to get into this one much, since its so widely talked about. But controlling characters at the line of scrimmage is booooring. Finesse moves are useless. Go ahead, play a game and try and use finesse moves, see if you can EVER shed a block and get to the QB. Go ahead try it.

-Audio/Commentary-Now that the patch has come, most of us were dissapointed to find the audio popping, number calling instead of names, and QB and RB intro's have not been fixed. At least last year players were referred to by their names... I dont understand how something that was technically unchanged could suddenly get bugged because it was fine last year.

-WEATHER- I know the "rain days" were addressed in a patch. And pre-determined weather was an issue in M11. But let me just say this... LET US MANUALLY EDIT WEATHER IN FRANCHISE MODE. We can edit salary cap, team locations, player ratings, force trades and ther un-worldly things... why not let us have control of weather? It's MY FRANCHISE you big fat jerks...


So what do you guys think? Was M11 better? And why?

[roadman]

Re: Which do you think is better? Madden 11 or Madden 12?

Madden 12 and it isn't even close.

Why?

Better on the field gameplay for me. The zones are played tighter, the run blocking goes into the second tier, DPP, hot and cold streaks. I like the addition of custom playbooks this year too.

I hated the game play much more on 11 because you could outscore the AI verily easily.

Yeah, the UFDA are disappointing, even with a workaround, but we didn't have UFDA's last year so, hard to compare that.

Plus, I think it's a bit early for this too. Who knows if tuners and a patch or two more will help game play. The last patch for Madden last year was a surprise that was delivered a few weeks before xmas. I quit playing last year after the last patch dropped. I don't see that happening this year.

[kpkpkp]

Re: Which do you think is better? Madden 11 or Madden 12?

Madden 12 and it isn't even close.

Why?

Better on the field gameplay for me. The zones are played tighter, the run blocking goes into the second tier, DPP, hot and cold streaks. I like the addition of custom playbooks this year too.

I hated the game play much more on 11 because you could outscore the AI verily easily.

Yeah, the UFDA are disappointing, even with a workaround, but we didn't have UFDA's last year so, hard to compare that.

Plus, I think it's a bit early for this too. Who knows if tuners and a patch or two more will help game play. The last patch for Madden last year was a surprise that was delivered a few weeks before xmas. I quit playing last year after the last patch dropped. I don't see that happening this year.

Im glad you replied Roadman. I value your opinion here highly.

I agree with what you said about gameplay. However as an avid supporter of custom sliders, I feel as though gameplay itself can be manipulated enough through sliders to create a genuine challenge in Madden 11. I dont feel that this year as much though, mostly because of the finesse move... Or lack thereof... No amount of slider adjusting has been able to remedy the poor/unexciting line play for me this year.

The addition of hot and cold streaks is awesome though, that is a good point. And it greatly affects gameplay when you have to give extra attention to a hot player. So lets agree to disagree on the game play front.

As for the UDFA issue.

I think you can compare M11 and M12 on this issue. Mostly because the lack of a UDFA system in M11 means M11 implemented it better.

Think about it... if you had an option in M12 to turn off UDFA generating and cut days... would you turn it off? I know I sure would.

So in my mind no UDFA/cuts days in M11 is better than what we have in M12. Thus M11 had it better. Cuz it didnt have it have it at all :P

[roadman]

Re: Which do you think is better? Madden 11 or Madden 12?

Im glad you replied Roadman. I value your opinion here highly.

I agree with what you said about gameplay. However as an avid supporter of custom sliders, I feel as though gameplay itself can be manipulated enough through sliders to create a genuine challenge in Madden 11. I dont feel that this year as much though, mostly because of the finesse move... Or lack thereof... No amount of slider adjusting has been able to remedy the poor/unexciting line play for me this year.

The addition of hot and cold streaks is awesome though, that is a good point. And it greatly affects gameplay when you have to give extra attention to a hot player. So lets agree to disagree on the game play front.

As for the UDFA issue.

I think you can compare M11 and M12 on this issue. Mostly because the lack of a UDFA system in M11 means M11 implemented it better.

Think about it... if you had an option in M12 to turn off UDFA generating and cut days... would you turn it off? I know I sure would.

So in my mind no UDFA/cuts days in M11 is better than what we have in M12. Thus M11 had it better. Cuz it didnt have it have it at all :P

I don't disagree, but there is a workaround too by controlling all 32 teams. I'm not in favor of jerryrigging everything to work, but I'll do what I have to.

I just know for me, it's all about playing between the tackles. And I'm loving the game play aspect so much better than 11 even with sliders.

Commentary, big disappointment, but I know they will be working on that next year.

I've respected your opinion throughout the years too kp, just disagree on Madden 11 being a better playing game than 12.

[gamecockfan40]

Re: Which do you think is better? Madden 11 or Madden 12?

Madden 12 is just a better game...It's not the real football game that can and should have already been made up to this date...That's why i would love to see another company be able to make a NFL game. Just to see what them & EA can really push out on the 360 n PS3...Who ever Makes the 1st NFL game that makes you feel like you are setting there on Sunday game-day..far as per-game shows, Half time show/team break down..And yes game play has to be good also...Who ever offers gamers that feeling 1st...Will win the Football war....Cause we all want that feeling..Last time we came close to that feeling was 2K5...from per-game shows, to picking what you wanted your player to work on for that week, from watching films to weight lifting...that part was cool..................

[Slim4824]

I have to go with madden 12. With 11 it didn't matter what slider set was used it was easy to put up 400 yards passing a game. This year the defense is back. Kinda reminds me of Madden 05.

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[Oznogrd]

Re: Which do you think is better? Madden 11 or Madden 12?

I'm actually going to say Madden 12 is simply a lateral move from Madden 11 (having owned both and played them extensively). There's alot of good ideas in '12 that if properly executed would've propelled it ahead, but right now the faults are just too much for me.

Gameplay-wise simply on the field, while different, i agree with what's been said: Defense is back. I was putting up MVP numbers with Jimmy Clausen in 11 with almost no issue. Had some insane 10-1 td to pick ratio etc. This year with cam i'm actually having to think about the routes and the coverages to not throw 6-7 picks per game. '12 probably wins this because defense isnt something i just want to sim through anymore. However super LBs are driving me crazy.

My biggest beef with 11 was Franchise progression. I had several MVP caliber seasons with Clausen (6k+ yards 60 TDs etc) and could never get him above an 89 rating. This year in 4 seasons i have Cam up to a 94 and thats having missed 11 games in my third year with a broken collarbone. This seems to have been addressed even though i dont like how quickly running backs are declining, it does make franchise a little more real that I can't depend on steve smith at age 40 anymore.

But the so called "presentation" improvements are just terrible this year. There needs to be more than one programmed spiehl for each team. To talk about Steve smith being so good when he's injured is silly. I also had them talk about Beason every game while he was on IR. I'm not saying we need every player addressed, but 3-4 would be a start. Look at a team like the Packers. You could talk about Rodgers, Jennings, Finley, or Starks justifiably. On defense you could discuss Raji, Woodson, Matthews, and Collins. Talking about the impacts of injuries would be nice too when someone is on IR but I know that won't happen. The announcing HAS to be tweaked some more. Gus still calls a CB on the panthers Julio Jones, and im pretty sure referred to the team as "the falcons" earlier. Last year, the commentary eventually got repetitive, but it felt real and genuine. THis year, it feels like video game commentary. Its late, its badly recorded, and you can hear the edits where they insert the names of the players. To me, announcing is the biggest part of presentation and Madden 12 just doesnt do well there. I like entrances as much as the next guy..but i skip over them every game from about my 3rd game on. And no halftime stats report? It doesnt have to be long or be read out, but come on guys. You brag about presentation, give us presentation.

I could ramble on for hours like this so i'm going to stop here.

But basically, with presentation tweaks, i think madden 12 is the superior game but without it, i feel like its about even with 11.

[m1ke_nyc]

Re: Which do you think is better? Madden 11 or Madden 12?

Madden 12 by far, its not even close IMO.

[kjcheezhead]

Re: Which do you think is better? Madden 11 or Madden 12?

12 is better imo, but there isn't that much difference. At it's core, it's the same Madden game I have played for a decade. After a couple weeks, it felt old and tired out. I haven't played it in a over a week and the last time I popped it in the console, I turned it off before I got to halftime.

It's like watching a remastered version of Star Wars. The small touches they add doesn't make it a new movie. It's still the same one I've seen 500 times already.

[PanthersGM305]

Re: Which do you think is better? Madden 11 or Madden 12?

I am going with MD 11 , I used to play the franchise more often then MD12. Some of the reasons everyone's having UDFA , But my main issue is the Presentation. Awful I mean Greg Olsen is not a QB who passes the ball. When i throw a td with Cam to Greg , Cam just gets ignored. Last years did not have any issues but that after about 15 minutes everything was repetitive. In this years MD12 I just don't want to hear all the wrong commentary. Now i am starting to not like Gus or Kris I mean do they even know their rep is being hurt due to poor QA from the Developer in a game where their are the featured audio.. I bet 2k would have never lanched a game without properly reconzaing a NFLPA player whos signed for under contract. Its not in the game on the audio.... I do admit the game play is better , but how long did we go without the green dot or the pillons. So its sucks that MD13 is only going to improve on commentary. I wish they would have never take out the Newspaper or Tony radio show... during bye weeks or after the game or in preseason there was position battles do we have any on MD12. I mean EA just got me for the many copies i go get once Football season rolls around, Maybe next years i wont and actually fully wait to get the game after all the bugs get fixed or not get the game at all.

[FATTYBOOBATTY]

Re: Which do you think is better? Madden 11 or Madden 12?

We can edit salary cap, team locations, player ratings, force trades and ther un-worldly things...

Can we force trades? I Haven't found it and trading with the cpu never works. I even tried a trade where I gave up two 93+ rated players for a backup Rb and they denied it.

[Franchise408]

Re: Which do you think is better? Madden 11 or Madden 12?

Madden '12. And it's not even close.

I have many complaints about Madden '12, and many of them are the same things I've had problems with for years.

But Madden '11 was absolute garbage. Worst AI I have ever seen in a football game. Some of the worst mechanics I have ever seen. Madden '11 was absolute trash as far as I'm concerned.

Madden '12 is very frustrating, but it's not nearly the trainwreck that Madden '11 was.

[Armor and Sword]

Re: Which do you think is better? Madden 11 or Madden 12?

Madden 12 blows away 11.

Simply put it is more fun, deeper and finally the defense is tough. I am really having to work (All-Madden) hard to win and for the first time I feel like it is not cheap (again I always found All-Madden cheap).

Franchise is so much better now. Yeah the UFDA thing is annoying but not nearly the game breaker as many seem to think here. Everything else though is so much fun. I actually love playing pre-season games now to unlock ratings and do my own position battles. I really dig the new scouting, I love the free agent bidding and the real deal maker:

DPP and player roles. DPP has made this game fresh in franchise. I really love it. No one game is ever the same.


Now get the real NFL broadcast quality presentation going with either NFL Network or ESPN authentic broadcasts, a really great play by play/color engine and execution, a real halftime update, a weekly around the league show with stat's, real highlights, player of the week awards, trade rumors, cut rumors the works.

Immerse me EA.

[Franchise408]

Re: Which do you think is better? Madden 11 or Madden 12?

Madden 12 blows away 11.

Simply put it is more fun, deeper and finally the defense is tough. I am really having to work (All-Madden) hard to win and for the first time I feel like it is not cheap (again I always found All-Madden cheap).

Franchise is so much better now. Yeah the UFDA thing is annoying but not nearly the game breaker as many seem to think here. Everything else though is so much fun. I actually love playing pre-season games now to unlock ratings and do my own position battles. I really dig the new scouting, I love the free agent bidding and the real deal maker:

DPP and player roles. DPP has made this game fresh in franchise. I really love it. No one game is ever the same.


Now get the real NFL broadcast quality presentation going with either NFL Network or ESPN authentic broadcasts, a really great play by play/color engine and execution, a real halftime update, a weekly around the league show with stat's, real highlights, player of the week awards, trade rumors, cut rumors the works.

Immerse me EA.

The only thing I'd disagree with is that All-Madden isn't cheap. I find it to be incredibly cheap. I just played a franchise game, where I watched my defenders run away from ball carries, CPU QB's scrambling, lowering their shoulder, and trucking over guys like Patrick Willis, and loads of other types of "cheap" stuff.

But everything else I'd agree on. Despite the "cheap" stuff that happens, it's not to the extreme that it was in Madden '11. The franchise mode features are there and in place. Those can be tweaked later. I also agree that the UDFA deal is nothing more than "annoying". It's not game breaking. I agree with you that the cut days and personal position battles are interesting. I just kept a 37OVR, F potential UDFA kicker over David Akers because of salary cap reasons. I like watching my UDFA battle it out with low round draft picks to see who's gonna make the team and who's not. Most of the time, I just cut ties with the UDFA, but sometimes they do beat out my draft picks.

The only thing I'd give the edge to Madden '11 in regards to franchise mode is The Point After. I liked it. I know it was identical and untouched from Madden '10 to Madden '11, but I really liked that feature, and I don't understand why it was taken out. I really enjoyed finishing a game, and watching The Point After, keeping track of the league, seeing what's going on - especially in my division when I'm fighting for a division title, or a wild card spot.

DDP is very good in concept. I feel it's a little bit hit or miss in execution. Though I'd probably say more hit than miss.

I do agree they need to fix the commentary and presentation. I don't know what the hell happened this year. It's absolutely horrible. Maybe worst commentary I've ever heard in a game. But I've always felt presentation was the bonus to the game, not a make or break. It's not a huge deal, it's just a "wtf???" for me.

I still have issues with the AI and gameplay, issues that will probably never be corrected. But I'm glad that Madden '12 isn't the absolute trainwreck that Madden '11 was. I'd call it more of a fender bender at the red light, as opposed to a full blown, coming off the rails and obliterating a school bus full of children.

[MarvellousOne]

Re: Which do you think is better? Madden 11 or Madden 12?

I had to go with Madden 12 the gameplay on the field just feels miles better than madden 11, plus I welcome the new additions added into madden 12's franchise mode although they are still rough around the edges but still a decent start although the whole FA bidding process is to easy and completely unrealistic. Madden 11 was stale and boring, it was a minor upgrade to me from madden 10, franchise mode was the same mode in madden 10, madden 09, and madden 08 it really didn't change one bit. One thing I do give madden 11 over madden 12 is commentary, at least in madden 11 commentary wasn't nearly as poorly implemented as in madden 12, even though they both are poor in this department.