Madden NFL 25 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (360, PS3)

[simsdog]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (360, PS3)

^ its the same thing every year thou, they fix one thing, ie the running game and foot planting which kills the defense which they ignore, next year they will fix the defense and the running game will suffer for it. Maybe one year they will hit a balance but there desperately needs to be an end of exclusive licenses because competition from another game would only improve the urgency and overall madden product. It is a complete WASTE of time to play defense this year on all-madden; you have no control over what happens, your players get pancaked into a black hole.

[ghettogeeksta]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (360, PS3)

The more I play this game the more I dislike it. Mainly because of momentum and weight don't matter. To many instances where the backs are trucking over linebackers and defensive linemen without even getting a full head of steam, like as soon as the qb hands the ball off to the running back he trucks over a d-linemen goes flying in the air, they need to get rid of that animation! Plus the hit stick is super unrealistic because it does not take momentum, angle, or leverage into count, it sucks/warps ball carriers into it. Also the tackling is horrid, I think IE has gotten worst during gameplay I loved the first version of it mad gang tackling, now the defenders don't even wrap up, it's like they start to wrap up then just break off mid way through the tackle it just don't look right, not smooth at all.
Not sold on this game, Ill do like I did with Ncaa football 14, get the season pass for early access then rent it on release day to see if any of this is tuned.

[Armor and Sword]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (360, PS3)

I finally got to play a couple games from the demo and I’m really happy with it. If you hated Madden last year I doubt you will change your mind with this game. It’s an evolutionary step in the right direction. Since I enjoyed M13 I’m sure I will enjoy M25. Time will tell if the retail is exposed for bugs or problems but I had a lot of fun in two games.

PRESENTATION

I liked the new intros with the logos stamping on to each other. I’ve read people call the game lifeless and boring but I disagree. I thought the crowd sounded decent and I like the commentary. I thought Simms and Nantz were a fantastic addition last year and they will be good again next year. My biggest problem from last year was some comments were incorrect and there wasn’t enough specific commentary for certain type of plays like screen plays and the read option. Those aren’t just basic pass and run plays – they deserve extra attention to detail. After TDs the commentary would sometimes go silent and that could use a boost. The sideline reporter seemed good. I chose not to send Ray Rice in after an injury as he was high risk and she said that the team has held him out but he could return. Of course there is no commentary during the half time show but at least we get real replays. The replays themselves are a lot better but I wish they would show more angles and some of those need to be press box zoomed out angles more. I did see stat overlays during the game which are good.

Overall I like the presentation but some things are goofy. There are a lot of Gatorade cut scenes but no water comes out of the bottle in to the players’ mouths. While I like the starting lineups being shown in full, the 3-4 teams should not have a 4 man line announced. Only a 3 man line should be shown.

The camera pre-snap is much too far away. I didn’t really understand these complaints until I saw it myself. During gameplay it’s fine but there is no reason to show that much field pre-snap. I can not only see all the WRs but I can also see the sidelines and the fan in the first row picking his nose. Simply too far.

The frame rate was a little choppy at times (PS3) but overall I think the game looks great other than the disappearing players I saw at the end of one game.


GAMEPLAY

EA has made Madden easier over the years and this year is no exception. All-Madden plays a very balanced and good game for me. The two big slider adjustments necessary are to drop QB accuracy and pass block (15 to 20 imo) but other than that it was good. The running game and read option seemed about right. I saw nothing goofy. The coverage was a bit loose at times but it also tightened up and made plays as well. I really enjoyed the two games I played which I lost 20-14 (I was Seahawks) and 20-16 (I was Ravens). Both times I had the ball on the final drive and threw an INT to end it (my fault on both). This is with acc clock turned off.

Player momentum felt good. I play on Slow speed so the game is smoother and had no issues. The DL play is better. There is more movement on blocks. I was Chris Canty on one play and strung out a run and made the tackle. It felt great not being stationary all the time or seeing the loser always end up on the ground. Guys keep battling. Even when stonewalled I felt I could still move or eventually get loose without the traditional obvious winner/loser outcome of the past. I did struggle rushing the passer but I think it will be more balanced between the r-stick moves and the basic turbo move (just turbo, engage and sack).

I think the one area that always bears scrutiny in an EA football game is the passing game. I thought it was pretty good. I saw a few deep balls hit by the cpu (Aaron Rodgers toasted me a couple times) and I hit a couple. I’m not a great passer so I can’t expose the cpu coverage like some. Every year I hear people complain about the lack of sacks or pressure for the user. I think some of this may be fair but people also need to realize that the great pass rushers get one sack per game and an additional 2-3 hurries in 30-40 rush attempts. Average players might sniff the QB 1-2 times a game (combined sacks and hurries). If teams average 3 sacks a game that is considered good. Also, we are not in the pocket like a real QB so we can’t sense pressure to help us know when to release the ball. One of the biggest problems in an EA football game this gen has been the cpu QB AI. They make too many bad decisions and throw too many INTs. This is REALLY bad if you get significant pressure. People need to accept the fact that both the user and cpu QB get more time to throw than the real NFL but it’s necessary for the video game experience. I can’t come close to hitting a real 95 mph fastball but I certainly can in a video game because it’s easier and not super realistic. Same goes for time in the pocket. A realistic amount would frustrate the vast majority of gamers. I do think the pass rush is too weak at default but I think slider adjustments alleviate this as I still got sacks every game.

The other long standing problem with passing in an EA football game is that balls rarely hit the ground in the passing game. It always hits someone whether it’s completed, dropped or picked off which is disappointing and I saw that in the demo. The QBs in the demo are excellent so it’s hard to know how bad this really is but I think QB accuracy has to be dropped a lot to fix this. I need to play around with this more.

I did return one kick for a TD with Jacoby Jones and broke a couple other nice ones too.

OVERALL

The videos prior to the demo bored me. This demo made me happy. I really enjoyed the two games I played and am definitely looking forward to the release.

Great write up Rudy. And I despised M13 but love the demo. This is what I thought M13 was supposed to be.

[jpdavis82]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (360, PS3)

For anyone who wants to see some retail build footage, I made a thread titled MUT introduction and Gameplay, it's a Youtube video by QJB. He's a EA Game Changer.

[DJ]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (360, PS3)

Alright. The M25 demo is finally here. Before I even give my impressions of the demo understand where my opinions are coming from. I have been a Madden player since the games inception. I have seen and played it all when it comes to football and baseball games and you can throw in a good portion of basketball, hockey and boxing. Heck even tennis and soccer. I am a console sports gamer to the bone.

Madden has never been a true simulation of the game of football. Ever. What it has been even at it's very best is a insanely fun game to play against your buddies locally ( in the early 90's we had countless sleepless nights of playing madden 93 tournaments), it replaced tecmo bowl for us as it had a real play book, window passing, and of course John Madden on the cover. It was a revolutionary title. It evolved to the PS1 and by 1999 became again a ground breaking football game with franchise mode.

Fast forward to 2004 and Madden 2005 comes out....and it was and is considered the very best of this storied series to date. It also had a great game up against it and back then there we many different NFL titles to choose from. But I always played Madden more than any other series.

Why?

Because Madden has and continues to be a game that you can pick up and play and enjoy and have fun with. It can be as complex as you want to make it with all the defensive line shifts, individual assignments, line protection shifts, WR shading, secondary shifts, audibles, hot routes....or you can just pick your play and have at it.

That hybrid approach to this game is why you have millions of people buying this title each and every year. We at OS are a unique group. We demand more. We want sim. We live for sim. But at the same time........sim in a mass market target audience does not sell and EA is not after a niche buyer. So what can they do right in our eyes?

Well sometimes they really get it right (Madden 99, M05, M10/12) and sometimes they really get it wrong (Madden 96, M08, M11).

What I have done is learned how to make the game more sim by customizing sliders, having a few simple house rules and just play Madden and have fun. The formula works.......when the game works.

So lets talk about the one thing that has never worked this gen....and again does not and therefore something I have learned to live with.

Penalties. Yeah it is a major wart......but it is,what it is. Something is not working that can't seem to be fixed this gen. Oh I get penalties. But they are the same ones we all know. Holding, false start, clipping, roughing the passer. We do not get enough PI or any others.

So now that's out of the way lets get to the demo.

Madden.......it's so nice to have you back....and I mean wow...your really back...finally......this gen.

I played 3 games once as Baltimore, Green Bay and San Fran. On slow, All-Pro. The things I was keying on we're OL/DL interactions, the running game, the IE 2.0, replays, stat swipes, presentation in general, player weight and momentum, the modifier controls, hit stick, AI, player models, sidelines....just taking in the game.

I am very pleased. Actually I am so pumped to get this game. I found all 3 games to be tremendous. I had a blast.

Pros

1. The running game is amazing. Momentum, planting, the modifier system, the blocking, the IE 2.0, it all works like butter. Running with Ray Rice was a totally different experience than running with Bernard Pierce. Lacy and Franklin felt like thunder and lightning. Hands down this is the best the running game has ever played. Ice skating running playing on slow is a thing of the past. It feels like a real running game. I was able to bounce a run with Ray Rice for 72 yards and here is how it went. I called a simple off tackle run from the I formation. I hit the hole and got through and was able to use the modifier to juke the OLB out of his cleats I then hit my speed burst and went down the sideline for 72 yards and got ankle tackled at the 3 yard line. I jumped out of my easy chair and was hooting it up. It felt and looked......real.

2. Passing game - fantastic. I have command of my QB. I can lead my WR's. I made some insane grabs....I do not user catch. So I saw so w amazing animations...and playing on slow brings out the IE and catch animations...heck all the animations in all their glory.

3. Defense felt good. I was able to get some pressure...not too much and not too little. OL blocking and pass rush were the only sliders I tinkered with tonight. I play with a no switch rule and my DBs and LBs did a very nice job in coverage when I called the right defenses. I was able to make pre snap adjustments. Seemed like I had time to make at least 2 sometimes 3 if needed. Love the option keys that were added.

4. Graphically this game is truly gorgeous. Better than M12. The colors are rich and the game just shines.

5. IE 2.0- wow....this is a huge area of improvement. The hits crunch, the game feels awesome when you blow up a WR running across the middle. I absolutely jacked up Boldin. On one slant....it was sick. The tackles feel smooth. The ability to lower your pads as a RB and knock back a CB on his ***.....wow. Or when you get,hit...lose your balance then stagger....the game looks and feels amazing IMO. M13 was a hot mess.....M25 we have physics!!!!!

6. Replays. Ok...I am really loving some of these close ups....just pure eye candy!!! Stadium Fly overs look great, I do miss the pre snap walk-ups of M12...and really wanted those back. But post game replays are vastly Improved from the garbage that was M13.

7. Play by Play and Color is vastly improved from M12 and I like the sideline reporter as it is a very nice touch. Are there things I would like? Of course. The PA announcer should have all the names not calling numbers. And that goes for Simms and Nantz as well.


Cons

Same legacy issues of penalties.
Not a true TV broadcast presentation yet

So I am really happy. As long as the connected franchise is working properly for offline players like myself, custom rosters will be shared and of of course classic rosters are going to be amazing. This is shaping up to be the very best Madden this gen.......and dare I even say....ever.


I already have plans on developing an All-Pro slider set with house rules in place to give a truly sim like experience. Those who know me and the way I approach my sports games will like them.

I will no doubt look at the legacy camera and zoomed camera. I will also experiment with the broadcast camera as well.

I can't stress enough how good the run modifier controls feel and respond. I also can't say enough of how refined the game looks. It is a graphical tour de force. And I'm an tell you on the zoom camera it will be very nice.

Slow speed is the way to go....with custom sliders, classic rosters, full editing control as well as owner mode and fantasy draft...this,is shaping up to be the best Madden package we have ever had.

Fun factor - 9

Controls - 9.5

Graphics - 10

Sound - 9

Overall 9.5 demo score

Madden is truly back people.

Well, this and RudyJuly2's posts are very encouraging. A&S, I know you disliked M13 as much as I did, so I'm really looking forward to downloading the demo tonight after work and checking it out over the weekend.

I'm enjoying NCAA 14, so if Madden 25 is on the level, it'll be real nice to have a playable NCAA and Madden within the same year.

[jpdavis82]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (360, PS3)

Well, this and RudyJuly2's posts are very encouraging. A&S, I know you disliked M13 as much as I did, so I'm really looking forward to downloading the demo tonight after work and checking it out over the weekend.

I'm enjoying NCAA 14, so if Madden 25 is on the level, it'll be real nice to have a playable NCAA and Madden within the same year.

Madden 25 is better than NCAA 14 because the defense is better( Have not had one game where a team scored over 20 pts yet, 20-17,14-7, 16-10 in OT, 17-14) and the running game is even better on Madden, so you should enjoy it. I play sim style and don't try to exploit the game, if you do that, then you should have an awesome experience playing Madden 25.

[simsdog]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (360, PS3)

^ this write up loses all credibility when it says the defense feels good. Are you kidding me?

[schmit_95]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (360, PS3)

Madden 25 is better than NCAA 14 because the defense is better( Have not had one game where a team scored over 20 pts yet, 20-17,14-7, 16-10 in OT, 17-14) and the running game is even better on Madden, so you should enjoy it. I play sim style and don't try to exploit the game, if you do that, then you should have an awesome experience playing Madden 25.

Do you always play 5 minute quarters?

I feel like Im a politician running for office how much Im flip flopping on this game. Yesterday I was encouraged, and last night I played and disliked it again. JP, do you feel that the passing controls are off this year? I flick donw on the right stick to throw the ball low, and the reciever usually has to jump for it? Have you noticed the lack of control? I know last year was a little overkill with the trajectories, but I dont feel anything this year.
And the presentation is really bothering me, I never thought in ZILLION years I would say this, but I think Im longing for Cummings team to come back. They had the presentation definitly headed in the right direction.

[TitanUP2]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (360, PS3)

That Route Based Passing seems pretty cool. I never had a chance to mess with it since I did not start playing Madden till '01.

I finally had time to play a couple of games yesterday after just messing with the skills trainer since the demo came out.

After playing those two games (lost one,won one on all-madden) I got the impression that at least for me Madden 25 is going to be pretty damn fun once the sliders get dialed in.

The game feels really smooth and fast. Almost too smooth at times. What I mean by that is players at times don't feel like they have hardly any weight to them. For example you'll be running down the side lines you cut hard back to the middle to avoid a defender who has an angle on you and then cut right back to the outside you out run him without ever loosing a micro second of speed in the cutting. Having said that I did see times that players have some weight to them especially on the defensive side of the ball. I might be off my rocker on that one but it was something I picked up on.

I really liked the blocking improvements. It makes running the ball really fun especially when you use the modifier button to get the runner do what you want them to do. It does make defense a chore at least on all-madden. On one play with Flacco against me he held the ball 11 seconds with no pressure before he finally threw the ball for a long gain! Also "skittles" absolutely torched me on the ground for over 200 yds rushing.

Passing is still pretty easy. Curls are hard not to complete. It did seem to me the total passing control stick is a little more sensitive compared to last year.

I noticed the AI's play calling was a little better. Seattle was up two td's on me going into the 4th and pounded me on the ground the whole qtr chewing up clock to finish me off. I did use gameflow one game and the plays that were called were pretty close to what I would have called.

Just when you think presentation is getting better in Madden I go play MLB the Show and get reminded that Madden still has a little ways to go. The whole presentation just seems like its slapped together with no flow at all to it like NBA2k or The Show has. Presentation can make a game feel so much more alive when it is done right.

I was planning on buying it day one before the demo. And from playing the demo that has not changed my opinion one bit. It's actually got me a little bit more excited for Aug. 27th to get here.

[jpdavis82]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (360, PS3)

^ this write up loses all credibility when it says the defense feels good. Are you kidding me?

I haven't had the CPU score more than 20 pts so far in 7 games, the last game I played it was 16-10 in OT.

[simsdog]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (360, PS3)

I haven't had the CPU score more than 20 pts so far in 7 games, the last game I played it was 16-10 in OT.

you playing all-madden? if so did u adjust sliders ? im enjoying parts of this game but playing as the ravens in every defensive alignment i could think of the niners are just running the ball all over me, not exactly scoring a ton of points but i cant stop anyone or prevent long drives against me.

[jpdavis82]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (360, PS3)

you playing all-madden? if so did u adjust sliders ? im enjoying parts of this game but playing as the ravens in every defensive alignment i could think of the niners are just running the ball all over me, not exactly scoring a ton of points but i cant stop anyone or prevent long drives against me.

I play on all-pro.

I had one cool thing happen in my game today, James Jones got injured and instead of talking about the injury right away, they waited 4-5 minutes later and then went to Danielle Bellini for an update and it showed the trainers walking with him to the locker room. Then she said "I spoke with a Packers official about the injury to James Jones and the team has decided to sit him out for the rest of the game, they told me they're more concerned about his health long term than having him out there for the rest of this one game."

From a presentation standpoint, those are the kinds of things I want to hear in my franchise as well as what's happening around the league. Hopefully as we go into next gen things like that will be happening all the time. The more player and team specific presentation becomes, the more immersive it will be.

[DonkeyJote]

I played one game, and loved it. I skipped 11 and 12, and ncaa 13 and 14. So I'm itching for a football game, and the demo was just plain fun. The animations are awesome, it's gorgeous, and the feel is incredible.

Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 4

[rudyjuly2]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (360, PS3)

it is literally impossible to stop the run on all-madden, the ball is snapped and everyone of my defenders is pancaked for colin kapernick to run 90 yds. I'm giving up around 200 yrds a game. The defense is broken

I have had success on All-Madden although I wasn't clear early about my changes. I went to All-Madden and then changed the sliders so mine were the same as the cpu. I pretty much put everything at 50 and just dropped both QB accuracies to 15, both pass block to 20 and INTs to 35. That is very balanced for me.

Because of the way EA's dev team handles sliders some may not consider this true All-Madden. The difficulty gets modified sometimes if you move things around too much but at least I was seeing a normal running game with both sides that way. All-Madden default may be worse and have less defense for the user.

[PVarck31]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions (360, PS3)

Its not that great, but its not that bad. That's pretty much all I can say.