Madden NFL 15 Gameplay Video - Seahawks vs. 49ers (SimFBallCritic)

[jpdavis82]

Re: Madden NFL 15 Gameplay Video - Seahawks vs. 49ers (SimFBallCritic)

When you have to preface it with saying you have to play the game to experience the difference I cracked up laughing. The canned animations is killing the game, when a tackle animation starts surrounding defenders just stop playing when they should attempt to help out on the tackle, the user controlling the game can just stop playing too once a tackle animation starts they play is over. The on field presentation is nice though.

I'm really not sure why people are surprised that he's saying you have to play the game to notice the difference. It was just last year where people were saying Madden 25 next gen looked exactly like current gen and then after the game came out people were like oh ok I see the difference now, it's an improvement, a step in the right direction. 15 is another jump in that same way, 16 will probably be a bigger jump(more dev cycle time) and IMO the game where things will come together for most people to truly understand the shift that's happening. Rex said last year that he compares it to turning around an aircraft carrier, it was also said that 25 was the first year of the "3 year plan". 15 is the second, if 16 isn't that game we've been wanting all along, then we should probably write this team off. Until then, people are just jumping to conclusions based on the past.

As far as why we are only seeing Seattle and SF, it's because those were the only two teams that EA was finished working on with player models, faces, equipment, etc...as of E3.

I do believe the Seahawks have the "new" Nike shoes that we saw a pic of back in Madden 13 blog.

[jpdavis82]

Re: Madden NFL 15 Gameplay Video - Seahawks vs. 49ers (SimFBallCritic)

The very first thing that comes to mind for me is the player movement. It's so fast! Everything happens way to fast and twitchy. It's absolutely KILLING this game. The other issue I see that pops out is the lack of gang tackling. You will never see more than one defender "wrap up". Also, why are the players always hunched over? You see Zach Miller in the flat, the ball is thrown and when he catches it, he's hunched over and standing still like a zombie. Another problem I see is that I still don't see the pocket being pushed. None of the cpu players on the 49ers moved the pocket. This is why pocket passing in Madden still feels like a crap shoot. There is no sense of the pocket collapsing. It's still binary. Either you will have all day, or your lineman will get instantly beat and you get clobbered. This is a legacy issue for 10 years and despite the line play being rewritten with all of their fancy buzzwords, it's still a problem.

Some of the solo tackles look a lot better, but I've seen every animation 100 times already. Some even repeat in the small amount of footage shown. It's still scripted, as you hit a guy and magically he spins and falls forwards for 4 yards even though it doesn't fit the context of the hit.

Not having interaction between defenders and receivers is a killer. Everyone talks about WR/DB interaction, but it's more than that. Anyone in coverage should be interacting with anyone out on a route. When receivers run through zones, I want to see them being passed off or carried. Give a guy a shove, hand check, something. Make it look like they are alive. Penalties may end up resulting from these types of things.

Positives:

I liked the double team block on the Seahawks DT where he went down to one knee and got back up.

Most of the time, the line play looks pretty good.

Wrap up tackle was nice.

Graphics are incredible.

This game is a MASSIVE improvement over what we had on the 360. What we are seeing right now, sans graphics, is what we should have gotten in 2006. (Arguing that it should have been even earlier is a fair case as well). Basically, this all depends on how you are willing to look at things. From a gameplay only standpoint. If you are someone who is willing to basically say that the last 10 years were a complete waste and should be thrown in the trash, then the game will look better to you because you are viewing this as version 2 of Madden instead of version 26. If you are someone who is not willing to give them a mulligan for 10 years of disastrous football, then you probably think this is all very average. The issue I have is that if you take away the great graphics, nothing here works better, and in many cases, even as well as 10 year old games on far lesser hardware. There is more to a sports game than graphics. AI, interaction and movement and of course off the field all are big pieces.

Overall, the potential for an excellent playing football game does exist here. There is still a large list of things to go before that happens, and it is not going to be done by the time 16 or even 17 comes out. Adding a small number of fundamentals to the game each year takes too long. We will be mid way through this gen before we have a game that at least contains the basic elements of gameplay that we once had. That being said, if they follow through on their word and fix their difficulties with implementation and programming, they could really have something to finally be proud of.

Great post and I agree completely, in many ways it does feel like what we should have gotten in 2006. My theory on the animations based on what Rex and Cam have said, and what Sim has said, is that they are currently building a new animation system and implementing the other things they can before they have it ready. It's hard to see much improvement if you focus on the old animations, outside of that, there's a lot of things that start to pop up that indicate a positive shift in direction. I do believe that 16 & 17 will bring it more than people are expecting, but it comes down to implementation and execution in the end.

[Kramer5150]

Re: Madden NFL 15 Gameplay Video - Seahawks vs. 49ers (SimFBallCritic)

it was also said that 25 was the first year of the "3 year plan".

Really? do you have a link supporting this?...oh wait,I do and you're wrong.

Multiple sources are reporting that Cam Weber, EA's General Manager of Football, is touting a new 3-year plan for Madden, starting with Madden NFL 12.

http://www.operationsports.com/forum...year-plan.html

Speaking at the press event being held by the company, Tiburon football GM Cam Weber touched on the vision going forward for the Madden NFL franchise. Of note is that there is a new “three year plan” underway with features already mapped out through Madden 14. The size of the development team is expected to be doubled as well. That news might be an attempt at reassuring consumers that the company is invested in advancing the franchise despite the turmoil and uncertainty now being experienced due to big changes within the current development team.

http://www.pastapadre.com/2011/04/13/ea-sports-football-gm-talks-of-three-year-plan-for-madden

Also note when Pasta's article was dated.....April 13th,2011

[jpdavis82]

Re: Madden NFL 15 Gameplay Video - Seahawks vs. 49ers (SimFBallCritic)

Regarding franchise, they haven't released much info so everything people are assuming, is speculation, other than the practice stuff and that the defensive camera will be available for franchise mode as a player.

[poopie]

Excuses Excuses...I'm sure the final build will be a little better...but overall Madden just isn't the game for me...I'm too old to be waiting on all these cycles lol...other games have improved ..Madden dragging through the mud...After u play it 2 or 3 times..you've seen every animation...Sorry but that just won't do...because no matter how sim they trying to make it...its still a video game and I want to be entertained too

[jpdavis82]

Re: Madden NFL 15 Gameplay Video - Seahawks vs. 49ers (SimFBallCritic)

Really? do you have a link supporting this?...oh wait,I do and you're wrong.



http://www.operationsports.com/forum...year-plan.html

http://www.pastapadre.com/2011/04/13/ea-sports-football-gm-talks-of-three-year-plan-for-madden

Also note when Pasta's article was dated.....April 13th,2011

25 was the first year with Cam & Rex working together and the first year that they were able to implement things that were part of the plan. Rex said it himself, 15 is year two. Rex wasnt even there until 25.

[Kramer5150]

Re: Madden NFL 15 Gameplay Video - Seahawks vs. 49ers (SimFBallCritic)

25 was the first year with Cam & Rex working together and the first year that they were able to implement things that were part of the plan. Rex said it himself, 15 is year two. Rex wasnt even there until 25.

Spin it however you need to,the FACT remains that this "3 year plan" was started with Madden 12...

Doesn't matter who was "there" or wasn't,again...the FACT remains that this all started with Madden 12.

[bxphenom7]

This is actually looking pretty good. Presentation much improved overall. EA really needs to improve animation fluidity though. Also, slow the movement down. I don't understand why all EA Sports games suffer from robotic movement and fast-paced play. For example, when Wilson calls the audible, he looks like he's twitching. The game's definitely improved, I THINK, from looking at this. Also, everyone on the field should have that TrueStep feature. True step placement should be standard now in any sports game.

[victorkingchamp]

I honesty like what I'm seeing. I'm past the point of nitpicking every detail of Madden. The gameplay looks fun, the graphics are great, and the broadcast presentation looks really nice. The things that kept me from buying the game last year have been addressed and I will likely buy madden this year.

[bxphenom7]

25 was the first year with Cam & Rex working together and the first year that they were able to implement things that were part of the plan. Rex said it himself, 15 is year two. Rex wasnt even there until 25.

In that case, just going to wait for what Madden 16 looks like

[Richardcg]

Re: Madden NFL 15 Gameplay Video - Seahawks vs. 49ers (SimFBallCritic)

Game look good. but why do the stat banners disappear so fast. hope its just an early build thing. cause not once have I seen a stat banner pop up and disappear so fast in a real broadcast.

[Moegames]

Re: Madden NFL 15 Gameplay Video - Seahawks vs. 49ers (SimFBallCritic)

The very first thing that comes to mind for me is the player movement. It's so fast! Everything happens way to fast and twitchy. It's absolutely KILLING this game. .

And your basing this assumption from a super highly compressed Youtube video running at 30fps? Of course its going to be fast and twitchy...

back on topic: I personally thought the gameplay looked pretty good...and definately better AI than last Madden on the new consoles. I really love the visuals and atmosphere now..they are finally hitting on the presentation stuff nicely. Visuals are also a HUGE HUGE improvement over M25, im honestly super impressed with visuals.

Overall i really like what i am seeing and it looks to be a fun playing game but like the guy said...you never can fully grasp the feel of the game until you actually play it and while some people may think thats BS..its true, you really gotta play the game to get the feel honestly because i found this to be true with so many games but yeah, the game has a lot of improvements and the AI logic is much better imho along with plenty of other improvements that is probably going to make it a buy for me.

[MajorSupreme]

Re: Madden NFL 15 Gameplay Video - Seahawks vs. 49ers (SimFBallCritic)

25 was the first year with Cam & Rex working together and the first year that they were able to implement things that were part of the plan. Rex said it himself, 15 is year two. Rex wasnt even there until 25.

Hahaha see? The "wait till next year, there's 'plan' " returns each and every year. I love it haha.

[carnalnirvana]

Re: Madden NFL 15 Gameplay Video - Seahawks vs. 49ers (SimFBallCritic)

youtube compression isn't making players(d linemen) turn on a dime thats the twitchy people are talking about. the movement is what it is...


this notion that the game must be played to to justify it being new is EXACTLY what is wrong with madden..

the same eye sores are still there but if you play it the new controls or audibles will be new... but nothing else

i should be able to see 4 cpu plays especially on offense and know that this is a new game...

if this game was really a new game

1. the cpu qb would step up in a pocket and deliver passes instead of standing like a statue until sacked, they need to just move around. STILL HAVEN'T SEEN THAT.

2. A pocket would form and DL can be disruptive while still engaged.. NOPE not yet

3.DB would touch WR down the field and not only on the LOS, yes its illegal but its time illegal stuff start triggering so we can see penalties

4. Cpu playcalling, so far its mixed but looks promising i still saw the 4 verts when someone played seattle(cpu) . but this vid was positive...

so yeah a madden junkie like me can see if the game really improved (offline)from 2 mins of footage....

[thesubmittedone]

Re: Madden NFL 15 Gameplay Video - Seahawks vs. 49ers (SimFBallCritic)

The fact that this game is an improvement over previous iterations doesn't negate the fact that it's a massive disappointment. There is absolutely nothing next gen about it in my mind. Nothing. Same engine, same canned animations, perhaps the most poorly implemented physics engine in all of gaming, and the whole "ignite" crap they were touting at the beginning of next gen seems to be gone. Where are all the "development assets" from "all the teams at EA" that are improving this game that this ignite engine was supposed to make happen?

I don't believe for one second that this exact gameplay isn't possible on PS3/360. I don't believe their "tons more AI calculations/second" crap. It's all bs. Tons more for them, maybe... but only because they were way below average in the previous gen and not because these new systems gave them improved performance. The player models are certainly improved and are, perhaps, the only thing "next gen" about this game. That's it.

This is an update unlike previous Madden's since 2006. Some of those updates improved the game immensely, of course, but they were still just updates on the same broken engine. All it is. Anyone else claiming otherwise is delusional at best. I hate myself for believing jpdavis last year when he said this would be the one where we finally say Madden has arrived. No, it hasn't. It's a decent game at best and compares horribly to other sports games in its class.

So disappointed. It's so frustrating. I'll still buy the game because I love the Redskins and want so desperately to play as them. It stinks that I'm part of the problem and I know it.