Madden NFL 11 News Post

Madden NFL 11 Review

01:01 PM - August 9, 2010 by RaychelSnr

The Madden name carries tremendous weight. It is a decorated franchise that has been equated with football simulation greatness at various points in its life cycle. At other times, some gamers have also been quick to point out its various flaws and have been very critical of the franchise as a whole.

The point is that gamers expect Madden to feature the tightest gameplay controls and an endless amount of on-field strategy. These are the types of expectations that Madden has to attempt to live up to on a yearly basis.

And so with the release of Madden 11 becoming a reality, the developers at EA Sports Tiburon are now going to be fed to the lions once again -- the Operation Sports fans surely being the harshest of critics in the forums of an impassioned sports gaming nation. The game has also been given to a gaggle of media members so they can review and examine every decision and every new feature.

But this year it would seem that the Madden 11 team has answered their critics with a resounding question of their own: Are you not entertained?

Madden returns this summer refined on every level (with some obviously being more refined than others). The gameplay is smoother, the graphics are more vibrant and the game has come to life with added vitality. This is the most entertaining Madden I have played since the Playstation 2 days.

Read More - Madden NFL 11 Review

Game: Madden NFL 11Reader Score: 6/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes for game: 96 - View All

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Member Comments

# 41 quietcool72 @ 08/09/10 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ryan36


	Also gentlemen , let me add that you can criticize and disagree with this review all you want, constructively...as I feel I have in the post above. NO "OS is bought off by EA, wow they're sucking up to Ian" type crap. You'll be warned/banned.

I'll see when I play the finished product. I hope it is as good as this site says it is, but as a franchise/online franchise guy, people such as me got put on the back burner for yet another year, in favor of about 2% of the Madden population asking for...co-op play.

As for the Ian thing, I don't know if that's the exact suggestion some have, but lets face it, EA has "un-invited" quite a few former community leaders from their "programs" who have shown "constructive criticism" of their products .. (under the guise of "x person was not 'growing the community'). So there has been a seemingly unspoken level of quid pro quo on the part of EA as it pertains to sites/individuals who might feel some of their games are lacking in a given release cycle.

So, people are left to wonder if you guys would have given Madden a 6.5 or a 7.0 (if it did indeed deserve that), would Mr. Cummings and company still do you guys the favor of posting on your boards, or is there a concern that might happen from a given reviewer? We really can't say.

I'd like to think that's not the case.

(However, last years' NCAA 10 OS review was one such headscratcher for many.)

# 42 spankdatazz22 @ 08/09/10 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfsolo


	I think this is one of the signs of the apocalypse, IGN being much harder then OS on a Madden game.

OS has been rolling over with their Madden reviews for years now, so this is really no surprise. I understand reviewing the game is somewhat difficult because it has nothing to legitimately compare it to, but on some level I would think a reviewer should be basing their review of what the game should be - not off it's improvements over Tiburon's admittedly disappointing early next gen attempts. When the reviewer states the [player interaction] is excellent, makes glowing comments on Pro-Tak, and the commentary - well, there's really nothing more to be said. They're just not holding the game to much of a standard, if one at all. I've seen tons of people make the argument Pro-Tak isn't even as good as what games were doing 3-5yrs ago, let alone now. Player interaction is improved in the game, but it's far from excellent as the reviewer would have people believe.

I thought there was a small chance that the OS review would be comprehensive enough to look at how the game plays on both sides of the ball at the very least. Instead it seemed like it took EA's talking points/improvements and tried to elaborate on them. Disappointing review, but at this point expected.

# 43 SoulAssassin @ 08/09/10 02:15 PM

disappointing that Franchise Mode and Superstar mode still appear to be a bore fest.

We are expected to play online or vs. a friend all the time eh?

# 44 ramenite @ 08/09/10 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jistic


	I'm sorry but this read like an EA press release straight off the sunshine and lollipop express. This line really cracked me up. ...boasts? BOASTS?! Sorry that's just really funny. On other sites I'd expect this. On OS I'd expect Franchise review to be one of if not THE most important aspects of a review. That was our focus here....wasn't it? This review was a little TOO well written. And although I have no problem with a score, since it's OPINION, this review reeks of any sort of objectivity and to me is an embarrassment for OS.

I'm right with you. It's why I generally read various opinions here about sports games than anywhere else. If I wanted to read fluff for a review, I'd go to IGN.

It's the OS review where I expect to see what franchise simulated stats are like. Is team FA signing/trade logic ok? What ACTUALLY got changed from last year? Did they fix the damn challenges so when the computer catches it out of bounds, it will challenge that and not the spot of the ball?

I dunno....maybe I'm like Murtaugh from Lethal Weapon and just too old for this ****. Noticed the past years, it's more people complaining about dirt on uniforms, facemasks, and stripes on socks, than franchise and AI issues. Maybe sports gamers now are just all fluff and no beef.

If that's the case, get off my lawn, I'm going to fire up some Football Pro.

# 45 PhillyJim76 @ 08/09/10 02:16 PM

It would be very nice if the game could live up to this review.

# 46 uiucjpo @ 08/09/10 02:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ramenite


	I'm right with you. It's why I generally read various opinions here about sports games than anywhere else. If I wanted to read fluff for a review, I'd go to IGN. It's the OS review where I expect to see what franchise simulated stats are like. Is team FA signing/trade logic ok? What ACTUALLY got changed from last year? Did they fix the damn challenges so when the computer catches it out of bounds, it will challenge that and not the spot of the ball? I dunno....maybe I'm like Murtaugh from Lethal Weapon and just too old for this ****. Noticed the past years, it's more people complaining about dirt on uniforms, facemasks, and stripes on socks, than franchise and AI issues. Maybe sports gamers now are just all fluff and no beef. If that's the case, get off my lawn, I'm going to fire up some Football Pro.

For my money, Gameshark.com has the most comprehensive reviews out there. As far as I know, they're the only ones that even mentioned the NCAA recruiting bug. The catch is that they take a couple weeks to get the review out.

# 47 Valdarez @ 08/09/10 02:22 PM

Haven't played the full game yet, but just from the demo it's easy to see this is not a 9.0 game. This review was obviously written from a fans perspective rather than that of an objective reviewer.

# 48 Klocker @ 08/09/10 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haljordan73


	All these franchise comments baffle me, do you people really miss setting hot dog and foam finger prices that badly?

Exactly... to me this REVIEW nails the most important part of PLAYING the game... the feel IN A GAME.

I trust this review and only hope it meets its expectations when I get the game in the morning

# 49 ryan36 @ 08/09/10 02:23 PM

Guys, I would bet my life that nobody said "give this game a good review for awesome publicity." OS isn't like that. IIRC, we've BANNED devs before (can't remember which title)

The review may be lacking, or not critical enough enough for some of us (me included frankly), but there isn't a grand conspiracy. The reviewer simply really liked the game...it's an entirely subjective matter.

# 50 ChicagoChris @ 08/09/10 02:24 PM

I put a lot of trust in the OS review and will most likely buy M11.

I agree that the review was a bit overly positive and those issues have been there for a long time.

Getting sacked on PA is nothing new for EA games. This happens every year.

Every year I ask "Where is the special teams play? Why cant I block a punt and/or FG?" These things are never in the game.

How come reviews never mention the complete lack of Pass interference penalties.?

I honestly believe that this game is 'tuned' out of the box for Joe Gamer and that is fine. Let's hope that sliders can make it more sim.

# 51 ramenite @ 08/09/10 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haljordan73


	All these franchise comments baffle me, do you people really miss setting hot dog and foam finger prices that badly?

Actually, I hated that part of the franchise. It was pointless.

But it's things like how the other 29 teams manage their salary caps, being able to do more with a contract than just $x for y years. Actually having the franchise mode follow what can happen in the NFL. Hell, even let me trade a draft pick from the draft in 2013 for a player. Then there's things like IR, which have NEVER worked in Madden game.

These are the kinds of things some of us don't like about the current franchise. in 2011 they may add in foam fingers again, not fix IR, and say franchise is revamped.

# 52 ryan36 @ 08/09/10 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jfsolo


	I think this is one of the signs of the apocalypse, IGN being much harder then OS on a Madden game.

I also want to add that different sites may all have different scales/criteria for reviews. Again, the score is tricky

# 53 JaSnake16 @ 08/09/10 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jistic


	I'm sorry but this read like an EA press release straight off the sunshine and lollipop express. This line really cracked me up. ...boasts? BOASTS?! Sorry that's just really funny. On other sites I'd expect this. On OS I'd expect Franchise review to be one of if not THE most important aspects of a review. That was our focus here....wasn't it? This review was a little TOO well written. And although I have no problem with a score, since it's OPINION, this review reeks of any sort of objectivity and to me is an embarrassment for OS.

# 54 Epiffani @ 08/09/10 02:33 PM

WOW, the Madden series has become a shoe-in to get a 9 or close to on here (Madden 11=9.0 Madden 10= 9.0 Madden 09=8.5). I know different people review certain sports on here, but there should be some consideration of how the other sports games were rated with their + & - and then evaluating how this game stacks up because according to O.S reviews, Madden 11 is a better game than MLB the Show, and in The Show review, it was deducted points because a lot of the gameplay elements and mechanics were tweaked or stayed the same despite some of those elements already being good/great in its current state. A good portion of Madden has stayed the same even by the reviewer's own admission, and that includes the problems that's been in the game for YEARS on in, but yet it isn't a big burden against the game, which would anchor down the score....

I can only imagine what the score will be when they actually start making big changes, and start really innovating

# 55 Cryolemon @ 08/09/10 02:36 PM

I haven't played the full game yet, but based on the demo I like Madden 11 better than Madden 10, but not much. There still seem to be similar issues as there are every year. I know in the demo Pro-Tak seemed a little better than 10, but not much. Locomotion definitely makes a difference though.

Franchise is a big part of Madden, and I think the review disregards that somewhat. The less said about Superstar mode the better I think lol, if they aren't going to update they should remove it in my opinion. If they can make something like 2k's "My Player" then it could be good.

I think it's a good review overall, but I disagree with the score.

# 56 Artman22 @ 08/09/10 02:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigsmallwood


	I am going to have to RESPECTFULLY disagree with this review. First and foremost it reads like a Preview....and a very defensive one at that. There is no breakdown of positives vs. negatives...This is most definitely one sided. Also I wasn't aware that Pro-Tak was based off of phsyics..... Madden 11 has been scored a 9 (exceptional) .....Yet the negatives listed Franchise and Superstar mode are the same as they have been for the entire next-gen lifecycle....not to mention there are plenty of other issues plaguing this game (I own an official copy)..... I'll see you all on Sunday, with my own personal assessment of Madden 11. (Maybe even earlier).

I agree. No offense, but to me this was a terrible review. It sounded very one sided and uncomplete. Not that I don't agree madden is an improvement over last years game, but for a hardcore site like OS I honestly expected something more indepth with both sides of the tail.

# 57 jfsolo @ 08/09/10 02:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haljordan73


	All these franchise comments baffle me, do you people really miss setting hot dog and foam finger prices that badly?

That was in owner mode, which isn't necessarily a key component of franchise mode, but thanks for "asking".

We want top notch drafting(CPU drafting smartly, stories and background data on incoming players), free agency(teams making good decisions based on need and schemes), salary cap management(teams cutting and or trading players in logical fashion to have cap flexibility) , also player ratings should fluctuate based on the scheme of the teams, New coaches and assistants need to be hired from college, or promoted from other teams bringing in new schemes and strategies.

I could go on and on, maybe you don't give a damn, but hopefully now you get it.

# 58 ryan36 @ 08/09/10 02:39 PM

Lets keep this about the review, guys. Thanks. There are plenty of threads for what you want in franchise mode, and how you define it

# 59 joec63 @ 08/09/10 02:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haljordan73


	Cool, I'm glad that's what YOU want, for me, it's fine. See, every year "you people" make the same mistake, you seem to think your opinion is the only one that matters or counts, and I'm here to tell ya, it's just not true. Before anyone mentions it, I realize my opinion is one dog's bark, and that's all I represent it as. I would never presume to tell a reviewer how to review a game, and I definitely would NEVER dare try and tell someone what their opinion should be, which is exactly what's happening here...

+1

The haters will be out in force the next few weeks to tamp down any perceived enjoyment out of the game. It's their opinion or the highway.

# 60 Rbk @ 08/09/10 02:43 PM

One other comment, and as I said before I love Madden, but how could it posibly be scored higher than MLB The Show 10 and NHL 10?

Those games represented those sports better than Madden does and they were both more complete games. I can't see it being scored equal to those 2 let alone higher.

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