[CM Hooe]

Quote: Originally Posted by SageInfinite

When was Madden ever authentic? Madden has always been that hybrid game imo. Some things might've functioned better, but I think this is as authentic as Madden has ever been on the field. Now off the field is a different story. How much more authentic the game should be by now is also a totally different story. I don't think Madden has ever been the "authentic" game out, unless it was the only viable option.

Since its inception.

Madden has always strived for authenticity to the source material as much as the hardware allowed. John Madden famously wouldn't license his name to the game unless and until the developers got 22 players on the field at the same time (most football games in the early 1990s could not achieve this).

As time passed and the game became more popular, they've had to strike a balance between authenticity and accessibility. That is what ruffles a lot of feathers here, and if your angle is that you want Madden to be a pure sim then you are correct in labeling it a "hybrid". It's not purely a simulation, and it probably won't ever be purely a simulation, but almost every major changed added to the game on the field recently was built with authenticity in mind.

We do agree that franchise mode is flat-out missing a lot of important gameplay mechanics which would increase the authenticity of that mode. That said, I'm mostly focusing on on-field football gameplay in this topic.