Madden NFL 25 News Post

OS Roundtable: Looking Back at Football Edition

10:16 AM - November 8, 2013 by RaychelSnr

When it comes down to it, talking about football in the previous generation involves talking a lot about Madden and NCAA Football and then a little bit about other companies' attempts to have meaningful unlicensed football entries into the marketplace.

Is football gaming in a better spot to end this generation than it was at the beginning? What was Madden's biggest problem this past generation? We discuss all of this after the jump...

Read More - OS Roundtable: Looking Back at Football Edition

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Member Comments

# 1 Blitzburgh @ 11/08/13 11:02 AM

Nice read! I only wish the NFL would get blasted by these type of comments 24/7 and then maybe they will realize how this exclusivity is not what the consumer wants.

# 2 boomhauertjs @ 11/08/13 11:04 AM

If 2k would've just made AP2k8 fully customizable and saved money on licensing of legends, it probably would have turned a profit.

# 3 FreAk47 @ 11/08/13 11:17 AM

The one thing I feel has never been represented by Madden, is truly organic animations and physics. Anything should be able to happen on any given play, and no two plays should be identical. With Madden you repeatedly see the same tackle animations, same blocking animations, and there is never a sense that any given play can surprise you with something amazing. Just really a lack of any "Wow" factor, everything is the same old same old Madden.

# 4 wordtobigbird @ 11/08/13 12:18 PM

Madden can only win when compared to older Maddens. Madden compared to other football and other sports games will lose in almost every category. Hopefully this can change soon.

# 5 malky @ 11/08/13 12:32 PM

DT says it all:

DT: Presentation. All football presentation was sorely lacking this entire generation. I'm a huge advocate of keeping NFL 2K5 in the past, but when a game from the original Xbox still has the best presentation from any NFL game ever, something is wrong. This goes for commentary as well.

Its like he is reading my mind and millions of others, PLEASE 2K FOOTBALL come back!!!... that is all

# 6 wordtobigbird @ 11/08/13 12:33 PM

Quote:


	MC: There are many, but if I have to chose one I will say that it's the aspect of individual team identities. For example, when you play Madden NFL 25 against the Chiefs, you should expect, and have to gameplan for, a large dose of Jamaal Charles and Alex Smith trying to carve you up in the short passing game. When playing the Saints, it's all about Drew Brees and his weapons over the middle and out of the backfield. What I'm getting at, I guess, is a higher form of artificial intelligence combined with real life statistics and play-calling tendencies. Signature styles, if you will.

This. If they improve the play calling AI on Next Gen it will do a lot to making the game more fun and will be easier than other huge changes to the engine or whatever else. Hopefully this is high up on the priority list.

# 7 wordtobigbird @ 11/08/13 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by slick589


	AI is one thing but the animations need to be there also. The stuff you see in madden isn't the stuff you see irl in relation to movement, interaction, and animations.

Without a doubt. Personally, I'd want them to start from scratch with an entire new engine but that's not realistic. Speaking realistically, they could get the CPU to actually call the correct plays for the style of offense with the same animations and it would be a huge improvement to the game.

Especially because they have multiple teams that work on different things. I'm really looking forward to seeing what the player sense and AI improvements do for next gen.

# 8 wordtobigbird @ 11/08/13 01:25 PM

Preface, I have never played 2k8.

Less than a minute and half in and I am wow'd by 2 post play things in a row.

- At 1:15. After the whistle blows two guys get into it. One is pushing the other and they start pointing into each others faces.

- At 1:22 on the next play, the defender makes a tackle for loss. He lays out like hes dead for some reason lol but after that his teammate walks up to him and gives him some celebratory chest punches.

Makes me kind of sad that I didn't play it and that Madden doesnt have it.. :/

# 9 wordtobigbird @ 11/08/13 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by royounggoku


	Look at the downfield blocking at 2:20 man it's crazy.

The animations really highlight the feel that the players are giving effort and struggling to get to through that block.

I guess the game is too old to buy digitally on Xbox but I just got the demo.

# 10 roadman @ 11/08/13 02:07 PM

The developers at Madden have seen 2k

Heck, Ian used to keep the game running in the office.

I'm sure Madden is trying to get there.

# 11 asu666 @ 11/08/13 02:35 PM

2K8 would have owned the generation if it had a franchise mode. I played through a season, but starting over with all the stats reset killed the possibility of me continuing to keep it in the regular rotation of games I play. Now, I mostly play a game here-and-there when I realize how disappointed I am with Madden each August. I want to believe that Madden on Ps4 can change that, but the picture is mixed at best a week before launch.

# 12 SkillzKillz719 @ 11/08/13 06:57 PM

These articles always make me so sad. Why doesn't NCAA College Football 2k16 exist yet..

2k always has dominated the football genre. They will continue to do this if they had the resources.

# 13 24 @ 11/08/13 07:57 PM

I hate to make the discussion all about 2K Vs Madden. But we must face the facts. When a Game as old as NFL 2k5 which was now produced 2 console generations ago still outperforms certain aspects of a new game that is a problem.

Madden takes their market position for granted. SECA continues to put out stunning games with MLB The Show, despite the fact that they now have zero competition from anyone. They are always building upon old features. rarely anything is ever removed, there is no "3 Year Plan", and it seems they genuinely care about our input.

Madden on the other hand? Not so much. When Ian was heading up the project Madden seemed to really be turning it around. Now with th exception of Ultimate Team Madden has regressed. Franchise mode has been wiped off the face of the planet and replaced with "Connected Careers" and gameplay always seems to be an issue.

I'm not trying to bash, I am just so dissatisfied and disappointed with EA. Madden used to be great. They truly innovated back in the day and they no longer do that now.

# 14 Hassan Darkside @ 11/08/13 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by royounggoku


	WARNING: I'm posting a video of All-Pro 2k8 PLEASE nobody catch feelings. Mute the video if you like because he's pretty much praising 2k throughout but please I encourage even the most hardcore of Madden fans if you enjoy football PLEASE fully look at this video objectively and give your thoughts. I'm not saying there aren't quirky things happening, players to do make weird jerky cuts at times but it is by far overpowered by the beautiful gameplay. THIS is the kind of thing that needs to be seen and I don't know if it can happen without something drastic like an overhaul to the engine.

One thing I just noticed is at 1:50 you actually see John Elway side arm a throw to fit the ball through a small window to Jerry Rice on a crossing route.

# 15 rootofalleli @ 11/08/13 09:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wordtobigbird


	Preface, I have never played 2k8. Less than a minute and half in and I am wow'd by 2 post play things in a row. - At 1:15. After the whistle blows two guys get into it. One is pushing the other and they start pointing into each others faces. - At 1:22 on the next play, the defender makes a tackle for loss. He lays out like hes dead for some reason lol but after that his teammate walks up to him and gives him some celebratory chest punches. Makes me kind of sad that I didn't play it and that Madden doesnt have it.. :/

I too have never played 2k8. Wow.

The post-play, the sidelines, the movement... so much better. Gang tackles looked decent, pursuit angles were solid, and the ball physics on that early tipped pass for an INT made me tear up a little.

I don't want to go off on another tirade. This is just... wtf.

# 16 d11king @ 11/08/13 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by royounggoku


	WARNING: I'm posting a video of All-Pro 2k8 PLEASE nobody catch feelings. Mute the video if you like because he's pretty much praising 2k throughout but please I encourage even the most hardcore of Madden fans if you enjoy football PLEASE fully look at this video objectively and give your thoughts.

Bruh this video just made me lose interest in my online league.

# 17 jyoung @ 11/08/13 09:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ruff Ryder


	One thing I just noticed is at 1:50 you actually see John Elway side arm a throw to fit the ball through a small window to Jerry Rice on a crossing route.

Elway was one of the quarterbacks in APF 2K8 who had his own custom throw animations and his own custom play action animations.

I believe there are around 20 different "animation packages" for quarterbacks in the game.

Additionally, the throw animations for every quarterback would change depending on how much pressure was around him. It's a lot like the "dynamic shot animations" feature that NBA 2K14 is trying on PS4.

# 18 wordtobigbird @ 11/08/13 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jyoung


	Elway was one of the quarterbacks in APF 2K8 who had his own custom throw animations and his own custom play action animations. I believe there are around 20 different "animation packages" for quarterbacks in the game. Additionally, the throw animations for every quarterback would change depending on how much pressure was around him. It's a lot like the "dynamic shot animations" feature that NBA 2K14 is trying on PS4.

Wow. Impressive.

I wish EA would just pull an Apple/Android and steal lol. Good features are just good features.

# 19 RandomPerson @ 11/08/13 11:25 PM

APF 2K8 was the best football game of this gen and it's not even close.

# 20 RogueHominid @ 11/09/13 07:06 AM

Man, what a sad commentary. I think the lesson is that Tiburon isn't capable of making an elite game, period. This was definitely a generation of disappointment for football gamers. Madden went nowhere, NCAA doesn't exist anymore, and APF gave us one tantalizing installment but no more.

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