[splff3000]

Ok, I wasn't doing anything so I decided that I would break down everything that I noticed in the vid:

NOTE: I have no idea what difficulty this is on so I'm just noting things and not commenting on them TOO MUCH.

- Right from the beginning, I noticed the new yard marker on the field showing down and distance. I definitely liked that.

- Even with the bad quality, I can tell that the graphics are much improved.

- I read somewhere that defensive players weren't going to just stand around before snap, but from what I saw in the vids that's exactly what they did.

At :22

- the left slot receiver got all kinds of separation from the defender covering him. I can't see a number on him to tell whether it's a LB or CB, but since this was the same way on M25 with out routes from the slot, I'm thinking it doesn't matter.

- I liked what the LG did on this play. Instead of just standing there with no one to block, he seems to be shadowing the defender across the field in case he started to blitz. He eventually did help out with a block once the Qb had slid out of the pocket, but I liked that part of the play.

- There is no player awareness between the right slot receiver and the man covering him. He runs whats looks to be a zig(zag?) route and when he makes his 2nd cut, he runs right into the defender ala old madden. The receiver doesn't try to avoid him or vice versa. They just run into each other like robots.

- The RCB makes a nice play on the ball. It's KINDA unrealistic but nice nonetheless.

At :29

- Nice pass protection on this play.

- Only minor gripe with this play is the tackle animation that we've seen in Madden for years. It's a MINOR gripe tho.

- I wonder what the circle around the defender is for before snap. Maybe to show how well you "jumped the snap"?

At :38

- 4 knockdown blocks on this play and they all were on the play side. Olineman blocks on CB's and safeties, shouldn't be almost instant knockdown block. That happened waaaay too often in M25. Hopefully this is just because of the settings they're playing on.

At :50

- Playcall screen shows concept of play and personnel now. Nice touch. There where a lot of times in the past when I picked a play thinking it was 3WR/1TE/1RB then it's actually 2WR/2TE/1RB or something like that. Good to have that cleared up.

- Defensive playcall screen also shows how many times a play's been called and how effective it's been. That's great for people like me that don't like to get too stagnant with my defensive plays.

At :54

- Once again, I like the statistics showing how effective a formation is.

- What is GoTo%? It would be reasonable to assume it's how often you've called plays from that formation, but it's not absolutely clear. It could be something else.

At 1:17

- No movement on the offensive right side of the defensive. Well, not like on the other run and pass plays. If the Qb doesn't run into his own guy, that will most likely be a TD or at least a very big gain. It could be the settings or QB option could be overpowered again. My money is on the latter.

- The replay of RG3 getting up is exactly what's happening on the field, not some cut scene. Nice!

At 1:32

- Shows "yards gained" on the previous play and what the community averages when calling that play.

- Shows offensive and defensive plays called on the previous play. Hopefully that's just because they are playing next to each other or because of the settings. I don't want my opponent to know what I'm calling in an online CFM game. I do a lot to disguise my defense for this very reason. It would be a pretty crappy thing for EA just to tell them what I just did.

- The suggestions now give a reason for them. Nice touch.

- Underneath the "suggestions", you now have the option to toggle game tempo. Hopefully it works like NCAA used to where it just toggles how much times runs off the clock after you pick your play. This is long overdue.

At 1:48

- The MLB is not reacting in any kind of way to the underneath routes that are being ran right underneath him. This could be because of settings, ratings, or just Madden lol. In this case, I'd say it's Madden. For years, underneath drag routes in the middle of the field have been money against zone coverage because the defenders drop back too far and don't react to the underneath stuff. I could be wrong on this play tho. It definitely could be one of the other 2. I'd just put my money on Madden tho.

- Pass blocking is good once again on this play. The double team blocks on the right stymied their guys, while the LT and DE went at quite nicely. Didn't really like that the DE had to eventually engage the LT, but they hand some nice hand fighting for a min. The LG just destroyed the DT.

- The OLB doesn't react in any kind of way when the ball is in the air obviously going to the only defender near his zone. Once again, this could be settings, ratings, or Madden. In this case, and with the MLB, I'd be willing to bet it's settings.

At 2:02

- You see a properly executed "jump the snap". I like the feedback. A lot of times when I was using this in NCAA, I didn't really know if I did it right or not so I never knew if I should keep using the same technique or adjust. The feedback is a welcomed addition.

At 2:46

- There is a new lil blue circle of info here. It looks like it's showing the fatigue level of your skilled players on the field, but it also shows some kind of blocking audibles (Pass blocking, straight, run blocking) and they all seemed to be tied to the right analog stick for somehow.

- Once again, outs and corners from WR close formations are money against man coverage. As I said before, it could be settings but I doubt it since it was the same way for M25.

- What kinds of tackle attempt was that by #21 on that play? He kind stuck his hand out then changed his mind and let the receiver run passed him.

- They have a display showing what button to press for no huddle or spiking the ball. A nice addition for newbs or people that are just having a brain fart.



Overall I think it looks like Madden with some graphic and presentation improvements. I didn't really see a whole lot of new stuff on the field, but who knows what build this is from. Also the settings, probably or on pro or even rookie so that affects things as well. I'll be getting it because I'm a football junkie and I'm weak, but I didn't see a lot of difference from Madden 25, gameplay wise, in these vids.