Madden NFL 25 Impressions Thread

[urlacher51]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Impressions Thread

I also have the retail 360 version and i downloaded the patch.
Only got two games in, All Pro with 6 min qters, 35 thres, and slow speed.
my first game me bears vs lions, stafford just picked me apart and they were up 23 -3 by early 3rd qter and i quit that game i had 3 picks and i was forcing the ball when i should of known better and paid for it, next game
me arizona vs panthers , close game i won 21-16, this game i could not get my run game going i was held to 54 yards rushing all game with about 17
carries , i did hold the panthers to 48 yards rushing with about 15 carries.I did see some nice over and under throws by Cam and Palmer. When i was using the bears i was using Henry Melton who has a 90 somthing Power Move and i wasnt getting good pressure using him at first then i started using the modifier with the right stick and i was getting thru the line and putting pressure on stafford also i used peppers this way too . it seems that u have to use the modifier with your pass rushers to get good pressure.

[ny33]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Impressions Thread

So, scrambling in a rainy game, my QB into my blocking receiver with no defenders in the vicinity. My player lost momentum and fumbled, thankfully out of bounds. This was a nice touch and a credit to the game engine, as in past games this wouldn't happen.

Some negatives: the accelerated playclock is not active in SuperSim, and defenders can catch up to 97+ speed returners- I had a linebacker catch up to Marquise Goodwin.

[Gotmadskillzson]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Impressions Thread

2 Bugs I Came Across

1. Sometimes on defense you just lose all control of your defensive player. It has been several times on defense when the CPU is running with the ball, either on a running play or a passing play after the catch and the defender you are controlling won't even move over towards the ball carrier at all. I am jamming the stick over, the defender doesn't move over towards the ball carrier at all, instead he moves 2 yards to the side of the ball carrier and stays over there allowing the ball carrier to get a lot of yards.

2. When you intercept the ball near another defender on a deep throw, you lose all control of the defender, the defender just stands still, even on a USER INT and your own teammates tackle you to the ground. This seems to always happen on a deep throw when the safety and DB is close together.

Additional Thing I Noticed

The star player on offense for what ever team you are playing against no matter if it is the QB, WR, TE or RB, no matter their size or play type, break a hell of a lot of tackles on 3rd and long. On 3rd and long it seems like they turn into demi gods and defenders just bounce off of them.

[urlacher51]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Impressions Thread

Additional Thing I Noticed

The star player on offense for what ever team you are playing against no matter if it is the QB, WR, TE or RB, no matter their size or play type, break a hell of a lot of tackles on 3rd and long. On 3rd and long it seems like they turn into demi gods and defenders just bounce off of them.

I think players with the clutch rating might be the problem, just like in All PRO Football 2k8 guys that had that ability would go crazy on third and fourth downs.

[IrOnKoBe]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Impressions Thread

Very disappointed theirs no madden intro this year too hype me up

[Hooe]

Madden NFL 25 Impressions Thread

Cross posting from what I wrote elsewhere.

Been playing the Season Ticket release a bunch Friday evening and Saturday. Noting first that I thoroughly enjoyed Madden 13, here is what I think so far -

I really like the way Madden 25 feels (normal speed, X360), but out of the box the gameplay is significantly tilted to the offense. Just like NCAA, the run blocking plays out nicely but is a bit juiced. The highly-touted new LT-modified ball carrier moves are great and really help make elite players stand out, and I actually don't think they hurt the game balance too much. Most notable to me - even on All Madden, with default slider settings QBs don't seem to ever just throw ordinary incompletions. At one point I had ten straight completions with Mark Sanchez in a game, and I do a fair amount of downfield passing.

That said, the QB Pass Accuracy slider is pretty powerful; I set it at 0 just for giggles and suddenly couldn't hit the ocean from a rowboat. The last game I played yesterday evening, I had the setting at 5 for both User and CPU and it felt like I still had plenty of control even though more passes were missing (using Matt Schaub), and CPU Blaine Gabbert had plenty of off target passes when he actually threw the ball, JAX's play calling was very run-heavy.

One other thing that I like is that I feel like I actually get reasonable feedback from the game when playing as a pass rusher. Playing as guys like DeMarcus Ware, Jason Hatcher, and Chris Long, I could see more clearly than any previous Madden game the effects my control inputs with both sticks had on my battle with a blocker. It is still hard to get to the QB, but to me it actually feels like a battle worth fighting now.

One final gameplay note, I haven't touched the read option in the Season Ticket build at all. In the demo, it didn't appear to be as unreasonably successful as it is in NCAA, but I confess that my sample size here is far too limited to form any sort of opinion on this.

Things I can't adjust that really bug me - seeing on-field players in sideline cutscenes, the dumb and too long coach fist-pumping cutscenes after touchdowns, and background players not appearing during touchdown celebration cutscenes. The cutscenes in general are hit and miss, and it feels like a lack of attention to detail in the presentation department, visually at least. The crowd audio sounds better than I can ever remember it being in any Madden game. I like that appropriate licensed music is in the stadium PA (though it is quite repetitive), and I really like the stadium specific sounds such as Go Pack Go! or the air raid horn which apparently plays at Cowboys Stadium after touchdowns.

As to commentary, it is obvious that EA's commentary stitching tech has improved significantly, but there isn't enough audio so it can get a bit repetitive. Also, when Nantz and Simms start up a canned bit about the team's previous season, they completely ignore the game unless a touchdown or turnover occurs, in which case the bit is interrupted and is not revisited. There are some bits with multiple clips, though, such as a conversation about the Cardinals hiring Bruce Arians which was visited a few times over the course of a long drive, so there's some good happening, just not enough of it.

Haven't played Connected Franchise much at all yet, waiting for a roster update. I suspect I will be playing a ton of it, however. While poking around, I did see that, as a commissioner of an online CFM, there is an option to clear cap penalties on a per-team basis, which could prove useful if a league member goes rogue or stupid.

Basically, so far my opinion is that Madden 25 is a polished version of Madden 13 but it isn't going to play out realistically without slider help. If you liked M13 and are willing to play a few games to change the game balance to your liking, you'll like Madden 25. I thoroughly enjoyed 13 so obviously I like this one too.

[NDAlum]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Impressions Thread

I long for a slider set where there is defense.

All-Madden 49ers vs Cards

1st play for me: 77-yd Kap run on read option
3rd & 18 for ARZ: 60-yd seam down the middle of the field on Cover 4

I want to be able to make it nearly impossible to score with sliders.

[JMD]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Impressions Thread

Ok, I've been playing the Early release version on the 360 since Friday. Funny I didn't renew my season ticket but I still had 3 days left on Friday so I was able to download the game.

All in all it's Madden football. With Madden 25 I'm still in the Slider adjustment phase. I usually spend two weeks tuning the game myself. So far I like the game and the more I tweak the better it gets, but it does take time and several games against many different teams to get there. Once I get it playing decent in play now, I move on to the career mode, then I start my franchise or whatever they call it now.
So at this point, yes I like the game over all, and as I did with Madden 13, I will get this game to play as realistically as possible.

That said there is one area that sliders can't fix:
What really bothers me about the game is the fact that EA just can't get the calls on the field right, and once again the play challenge system is useless. My current game I'm playing now: Me -Chiefs, CPU -Bears at solider field. It's been a hard fought game for me. Alex Smith went out for the game in the first series and I threw two pick 6's in a row with Daniel to go down 14-0.

I tied the game up at 14 only to fall behind again, just could not stop the Bears offense.

Now back to my complaint about EA's programming. I pull within 10 points in the 3rd 31-21, then on the Bears next possession Cutler throws a long pass to Marshall in the end zone, he catches the ball , drags one foot and the other foot comes down clearly with the front half of the foot out of bounds. I was not given the option to challenge however the booth did a review. So I'm thinking good this one's coming back. But no the play is reviewed, all replays show the foot out of bounds yet "the call on the field stands" Touchdown. You have no idea how much this angers me. I know, it's just a video game, but come on, this is a very important area of the game and they just can't get it right.

Second example same game. There are 42 seconds left I'm down 31-47 and obviously I have no chance. The Bears kickoff to me. McCluster clearly fumbles the ball during the return, a Bear player dives for the ball but does not land on it until he's a good yard out of bounds. Once again the incorrect call is made , instead of it being a fumble out of bounds, Chiefs ball, the CPU gives a fumble recovery to the Bears. Yeah the game was over at this point, but still why can't EA get this right?

Example 3 Last night playing Chiefs -me , Pats -CPU. My linebacker hits Brady , his arm was moving forward, it was called a fumble. I watched the replay , again it was clear that Tom Terrific's arm was moving forward yet it's a fumble and the Chiefs ball. Am I asking for too much here? Should I not be expecting after 25 years of making football games for this to be done correctly?

Frustrating. Even when the bad calls are in my favor it pisses me off. I want the game to get it right. Maybe Next Gen?

[celtics6]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Impressions Thread

This game is terrible. The first few games were an adjustment and i was enjoying it but after a few games you realize this is the same madden all over again. I call it madden mode where it feels like you are playing the most mindless predictable game ever, EAsports has gotten enough money from me.

[Gorilla Glass]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Impressions Thread

One thing that is annoying no matter what is how receivers with low route running (TJ Graham; 67 route running) is just abusing my DBs (DeAngelo Hall, Josh Wilson) on slants, outs and digs. I get that he is fast, and that should be where he creates miss matches, but literally undressing DBs on routes that require technique is a joke.

Once again it seems like despite having 200 ratings, only one really matters...

You definitely need to shade and disguise coverage. That's the only way I'm able to hold anyone.

[psychraider32]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Impressions Thread

Ok, I've been playing the Early release version on the 360 since Friday. Funny I didn't renew my season ticket but I still had 3 days left on Friday so I was able to download the game.

All in all it's Madden football. With Madden 25 I'm still in the Slider adjustment phase. I usually spend two weeks tuning the game myself. So far I like the game and the more I tweak the better it gets, but it does take time and several games against many different teams to get there. Once I get it playing decent in play now, I move on to the career mode, then I start my franchise or whatever they call it now.
So at this point, yes I like the game over all, and as I did with Madden 13, I will get this game to play as realistically as possible.

That said there is one area that sliders can't fix:
What really bothers me about the game is the fact that EA just can't get the calls on the field right, and once again the play challenge system is useless. My current game I'm playing now: Me -Chiefs, CPU -Bears at solider field. It's been a hard fought game for me. Alex Smith went out for the game in the first series and I threw two pick 6's in a row with Daniel to go down 14-0.

I tied the game up at 14 only to fall behind again, just could not stop the Bears offense.

Now back to my complaint about EA's programming. I pull within 10 points in the 3rd 31-21, then on the Bears next possession Cutler throws a long pass to Marshall in the end zone, he catches the ball , drags one foot and the other foot comes down clearly with the front half of the foot out of bounds. I was not given the option to challenge however the booth did a review. So I'm thinking good this one's coming back. But no the play is reviewed, all replays show the foot out of bounds yet "the call on the field stands" Touchdown. You have no idea how much this angers me. I know, it's just a video game, but come on, this is a very important area of the game and they just can't get it right.

Second example same game. There are 42 seconds left I'm down 31-47 and obviously I have no chance. The Bears kickoff to me. McCluster clearly fumbles the ball during the return, a Bear player dives for the ball but does not land on it until he's a good yard out of bounds. Once again the incorrect call is made , instead of it being a fumble out of bounds, Chiefs ball, the CPU gives a fumble recovery to the Bears. Yeah the game was over at this point, but still why can't EA get this right?

Example 3 Last night playing Chiefs -me , Pats -CPU. My linebacker hits Brady , his arm was moving forward, it was called a fumble. I watched the replay , again it was clear that Tom Terrific's arm was moving forward yet it's a fumble and the Chiefs ball. Am I asking for too much here? Should I not be expecting after 25 years of making football games for this to be done correctly?

Frustrating. Even when the bad calls are in my favor it pisses me off. I want the game to get it right. Maybe Next Gen?

That automatic renewal is sneaky. Check your account.

[hotsauceme]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Impressions Thread

I love the game the way it is. I'll explain why...

Last year on average nfl teams scored about 23 points a game. That's about what I'm getting. I'm not seeing ridiculous scores at all. Average rushing yards were about 115 and passing was about 231 in the nfl last year. Again, about what I'm seeing. This is with 7 min quarters all madden default sliders. You have to remember that what the offense earns is the same as the defense gives up.

I'm ok with the defense. The game would be no fun if my defense was locking down the field all the time. I think the balance is perfect. If my d is on the field that means my offense isn't. That means I'm not putting up video game numbers with my offense.

I think this balance translates well to CFM. I have balanced stats with nothing that's crazy looking (40 sacks with my DE or 7000 passing yards like I had in m13). I'm seeing guys on defense actually getting tackles and being able to progress like they should. I think that's how it's supposed to be.

IMO if you want a realistic game, this is closer to that goal than any other madden. Sure, there are some kinks. What game doesn't? Allow the game to be fun. Don't seek out and abuse money plays. Use game flow. Play a realistic game of football. Utilize your play book if your calling plays, not just your favorite 5 or 6 plays. Stop hitting your te on streaks every play then complaining the game is broken. If you don't want that result then don't run that play. Stop hot routing your outside guys to curl routes and abusing it. I feel that If you play the game the way it's meant to be played you will find it very enjoyable. The game will only play the way you play it

[bkrich83]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Impressions Thread

This game is terrible. The first few games were an adjustment and i was enjoying it but after a few games you realize this is the same madden all over again. I call it madden mode where it feels like you are playing the most mindless predictable game ever, EAsports has gotten enough money from me.

I thought you weren't going to buy it?

[DGuinta1]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Impressions Thread

CPU could call a TO with no TO' remaining? WTH!

[BreakingBad2013]

Re: Madden NFL 25 Impressions Thread

In my opinion this is the easiest madden I've ever played.

I play on All-Madden w/ no slider adjustment outside of threshold(which shouldn't be in the game because it contridicts speed and acceleration ratings.

Anyways, here are my averages. (Game flow)

Week 6 // 5-0
40 points/game
200 yards passing
350 yards rushing (Vick 12th in rushing and LeSean 1st in rushing)

I have the #1 rated D, I believe I've allowed 400-500 yards rushing, under 1,000 yards passing, and 25 ppg.

Every game the 1st drive for CPU is smart, and the rest of the game, they go dumb. RBs I've played have been pretty much useless, they may break a 50 yarder because of user error; but they get away from it quickly. I'd say they run 10x/game.

The defenses against read option, or really any running play, gets knocked back and its almost always an instant 3 or 4 yards. And it's the opposite for the CPU run game, they do weird moves in the backfield or stretch it out wide too often.

I don't really have a problem with the DL pass rush, Connor Barwin is leading the league in sacks.


Review:
Running is too easy for user to run on offense and stop on defense.
CPU doesn't balance attack, and seem to go "dumb" after their first drive.
Using Game flow I demolish the CPU, and about 1/50th of the play book is used.


Non-Gameplay:
Trading Central is broken. (Green =High Interest - Yellow =Medium interest - Red = No interest---- When I put Maclin up on the offer screen, and scroll through the teams to see who wants him, it's red and occasional orange/yellow. When I go to see if they have anyone(pick) that I like, and select or, he becomes red. And vice versa, if I pick a red team that I know needs a WR, it turns yellow after the trade partner is identified. Also, when I go down some teams will be yellow, when I go up they change.

It's is far too easy to acquire 1st round picks. Just testing things out I offered the Rams a 1st (32) and two late 2nds for both 1st round picks(top 5 and top 20) and it was accepted.

I love the entire owner mode aspect.

Something that I think madden truly needs is a legit tutorial. With DL moves, pass rush moves, and so forth. Also with the RB and assortment of moves he can do.

Sadly I'm kind of getting bored with the AI in this game. Normally all-madden is ridiculously tough and sliders can balance out to Make a 17-13 game, where I've scored 40 points almost every game. It's sad to see the regression.