Yea Madden needs to decide once and for all. Whats the future? Is it a pure simulation of football. Or is it going to be a pick-up-and-play fun factor football game. I think this dev team is struggling with higher ups to convert Madden to a pure sim. I honestly do. I just don't think they have free reign like they should.
Right now it still has one foot in each bucket. The gimmicks and back of the box features every year for casuals. Huge hits on every damn play with hit stick. Then its ol/dl interactions and true step for the sim guys.
I almost think the higher ups demand a gimmick each year to sell the game, when in reality if EA put out a true simulation that fundamentally changed the way we ALL play the game, it would sell itself. Hell it has the NFL stamp of approval. And in this country that is good as gold.
Us hardcore footballers wont be happy until EA takes it's other foot out of the casual bucket.