I was reading the posts....saw yours and had to quote it and write my thoughts (then go back and read some more posts) because I share your exact sentiment.
M13 was given a 8.5
M12 was given a 7.5
I know I am not on the same page OS some of the staff writers (who do a tremendous job and great write ups that I value and enjoy and of course this is all subjective) on this demo.
M12 I actually got plenty of enjoyment out of and lot's of game time with. It was the first Madden I have played this deep into multuple seasons with since Madden 05 and 07 last gen.
I won't berate M13 again as everyone knows my feelings on that game as it has been well documented.
M25's demo has me excited for a Madden game again. In fact I have not been this pumped since Madden 10's release (my first next gen Madden). I am having an absolute blast playing this demo. I feel based on the demo....it is by far my favorite Madden this gen gameplay wise.
Now......I am reserving judgement on the entire package because the bottom line is....I don't play this game to play exibition football. I play this game for franchise mode offline and this year.....online (taking the plunge and superbly excited about it).
So when the retail copy arrives on my doorstep Tuesday....you can bet your bottoms I will be digging deep into Connected Franchise gameplay, formation subs, sliders, auto-sub sliders, AI, Owner Mode....and online franchise play.
I have such a good vibe this years game is going to shine in so many area's.
If your a Madden fan....this package looks to be the best this gen.
Legacy issues are well documented.....I am really just wanting a playable game with the new passing system, IE2.0, Owner mode, Madden Share (huge).
So many positives potentially next week.
I disagree with the tone of the roundtable save for one staff writer who had fun with the game. I am way past this game being a true football simulation. And I emphathize with the guys who want a real true sim (I am one of those guys too believe me) but i know what Madden football has always been about....hybrid arcade/sim game, fun factor at a high level. As a offline solo game....you must live with certain short comings and make the best of it. Those who will try out my house rules and sliders are in for a treat this year IMO. It's all about how you approach this game.
And yes....it does stink you have to limit yourself in certain aspects playing the AI. But this is how it has been since Maddens inception. Even the great Madden 2005....I can truck the CPU if I want to. I had to install house rules to get a virtual franchise with sim like results.
Again...when you have games like The Show, NBA 2K, and the NHL series it's hard to believe Madden has not caught up to those wonderful offline experiences where house rules are not even really talked about on the court, diamond or ice (off the field yeah...of course if you don't want to exploit the AI's GM abilties).
But Madden is the only game in town.....so I choose to enjoy it to the fullest I possibly can. I could not do that with last years game nor Madden 11.
So M25 has me giddy again. I hope I am not let down....because I will be the first to give it an honest review if it does indeed blow it.
I was enthusiastic about M13 pre-release, I embraced the CCM stuff....but the game totally blew it on and off the field.
M25......to be continued next week.