Madden NFL 12

[dbdynsty25]

For those that bought season pass, this is how to delete the 4.7 GB game: Go to My Xbox -> Select System Settings -> Memory -> Hard Drive -> Games -> Madden NFL 12 -> Delete Madden 12.

So far I am loving my customized sliders on my franchise, the AI on the LB's need to be toned down for sure.

Or you go to "my games", select it and delete it. Not nearly as tough as you said.

[sportdan30]

Dan,

Atmosphere is great. Crowd is very lively.

What? The crowd atmostphere is HORRIBLE.

What stadium were you in?

Played at KC and Washington. The crowds are significantly better than NCAA.

[Diablo25]

Just had a FML moment. I used some credit to get Madden and it arrived today. As I stated yesterday, I decided not to open it because I didn't think I would play it enough. Well, I just changed my mind and opened it. I figured, hey, I may as well stick with it...I got it for nothing - just preowned credit. Throw the disc in the 360 and...UNRECOGNIZABLE DISC! WTF! Tried it numerous times and nothing - bad disc. What an fn joke.

[dbdynsty25]

Just had a FML moment. I used some credit to get Madden and it arrived today. As I stated yesterday, I decided not to open it because I didn't think I would play it enough. Well, I just changed my mind and opened it. I figured, hey, I may as well stick with it...I got it for nothing - just preowned credit. Throw the disc in the 360 and...UNRECOGNIZABLE DISC! WTF! Tried it numerous times and nothing - bad disc. What an fn joke.

Philly fans...smh.

[Brando70]

After unsuccessfully trying to play a game with Zeppo, I played another exhibition, Chargers (me) at Chiefs. After playing with the Bears in the demo and my first game, I could really tell the difference with Rivers. He was just much more accurate. However, even he has trouble when I make him throw into double coverage, and I threw five picks in a 10-0 loss.

I got nabbed by leaping linebackers a couple of times, but the real problem is that it is still really hard to put any touch on the ball. I had a player a few yards behind the Chefs's LB and tried to float a pass over his head, but instead threw a very flat ball that was jumped at and snagged.

One thing that amazes me is how EA still can't get any semblance of a highlight show together. They insist on trying to make this game look like a TV style presentation yet have no clue how to actually do that.

I do like it, though. Can't wait for some better rosters so I can start a franchise. For now, the difference in the players makes it fun to try different teams and styles.

[Danimal]

Bad = Bears offensive line.

Really Bad = Entire Bears O-Line on a cold streak.

However somehow I manage to snag a win from the division leading Lions and close to within one game of them and the Packers. This was my first game with the retail disc and it's probably just coincidence but I heard different commentary before the game and it didn't seem as broken (still bad) during the game.

I also did something with my sliders I saw posted at OS and went the other direction with the speed differential instead of having it at 40 I went to 60. While guys still pulled away etc. The movement seemed much smoother to me.

[MizzouRah]

Played at KC and Washington. The crowds are significantly better than NCAA.

I played my first preseason game and it was MUCH louder in the dome... odd.

You can't really judge the game by a preseason game because once the first unit gets pulled, the game is totally different. I thought 12 minute quarters would be to few because I had a nice long drive with Bradford and Jackson to open up the game and then Manning did the same, passing all over me - after those two drives, the first quarter was over. There would be a lot more 3 and outs with the backups, however and I had a total of 131 plays, which seems reasonable to me.

The difference between players is HUGE. I had a nice 81 yard run TD with backup Norwood, but that was against the Colts 3rd string.

I won 34-24 and it was an exciting game. Bradford was accurate, but the backups were throwing passes all over the place and my backup WR's were dropping balls my starters didn't.

Presentation is excellent and the commentary - although odd at times - doesn't bother me much at all... heck, I even like it at times.

Cut days in franchise mode is really neat.. although the first week is only 3 players, I had to think a bit before selecting whom I wanted to cut. I love that you can't see all the ratings, weight, etc.. for rookie players on your team.

I like the default game speed, I know some prefer slow.. but default seems spot on to me.

Are their issues for the hardcore gamer? Sure.. but does it play a fun game of football, so far yes.. I'm already thinking about my next game against the Titans. Like NCAA 11, the things that make me say.. "ok then" take none of the enjoyment out of the game for me thus far. In fact, they have added some really nice immersion touches to the game.

[XXXIV]

I played a couple of games and Im liking it a lot. Throwing with Sam is fun and I love taking SJ through traffic for a nice gain. Need to play more to find the problems.

My only complaint so far is that I dont like the commentary. There was one rally creepy moment that when Collinsworth told a crappy joke and Johnson gave out this scary ass laugh that made me cringe.
Not a big deal however as I never like the commentary so like with other games I will learn to drown it out or play music over it.

Initially we pass the biggest test. The game is fun. Now to get a new router as mine died the other day.

[Rodster]

Weighing both pros and cons I decided to pick this up based on Lancer's comment that he found it more fun than M10 which I still have and played the other night. I'll just turn off the commentary and do my usual slider adjustments if I find the CPU isn't running the ball enough.

Is AP the base where everyone is playing and adjusting their sliders?

[HipE]

I've only played two games, but I think I'll be trying out Abner's sliders tonight. I played both games on all pro default, the first with 10 minute quarters, the second with 5 min quarters, both times using the Steelers (rated 90 overall). In the first game I beat the Ravens 39-6, and that included kicking two field goals from inside the 3 yard line. I could pass with ease (playing NCAA has given me a lot of practice), and Ben ended up with 300 yds and 3 TDs with no picks, while Mike Wallace was pretty much unstoppable in the game. I also had two pick six's late in the game, unlocking an achievement for getting two in the same game. I saw some pretty screwy clock management by the CPU when I was up 37-6 with 20 seconds left. I sacked Flacco back at the 1 yd line, and Baltimore immediately called a timeout, which allowed me to get a safety on the next play.

In my second game on all pro default, 5 min quarters, I won at New England 21-3. Brady also threw a pick six in this game, and ended up something like 13/20 for 97 yds and 1 int. The Pats could not run the ball at all (8 carries for 15 yards) and I would have shut them out if not for a Mendenhall fumble deep in my own territory.

I did really enjoy the game however. The graphics are great, so bright and colorful, possibly the best looking sports game I have played. I also really like the presentation, having individual stats pop up quickly after almost every play at the top of the screen is something I have wanted in EA football for a long time. I knew going into my games last night that all pro could potentially be easy based on the posts in this thread, but that is fine since it sounds like a few slider changes will quickly remedy that. I'm looking forward to getting a couple of games in tonight to compare Abner's sliders to default.

[Brando70]

One other cool thing from last night's game -- went for a 55-yard FG before the half. Came up short and the CPU returned the kick about 40 yards because they were in FG return.

Having not played Madden since M10, I'm finding the game to be a pleasant surprise so far. Still a lot of issues but initially it's a lot of fun.

[dbdynsty25]

I guarantee I've never played three games in a row of any football game against the computer. I did it last night...even though I've had the game for a few days with the Season Pass thing.

So, shockingly enough I played 2 of the 3 in the rain and in the last four games, we've been rocking the pink accessories. Is the breast cancer awareness thing month long or is it just one game? I forget in the "real world" but the pink stuff is getting annoying.

The first game w/ my Dolphins @ the Jets was a 10-3 slugfest loss in the rain (shocking) with a total of 225 yards combined (and one play was a 75 yard Holmes TD). The second and third were a little more high scoring. Lost 28-25 to the Broncos because of two turnovers in the red zone in the 4th and then finally won a game @ the Giants 25-20 in the rain again. One thing I'm noticing is that there are a lot of scoring weirdness. How often do you get two 25 point games in a row? It's tough to do...but with Gameflow on, I just do what they tell me to do. It's strange...lots of 2 point conversions at weird times.

Anyway...it was a blast playing all three of the games. The only real complaint I have is that it's a little tough to run between the tackles because linemen can get a huge hit on you and knock you on your ass if you just brush against them...even if they are engaged in a block. There are definitely not enough broken tackles. Yes, I'm using Reggie Bush a lot, but Daniel Thomas should be trucking fools and he gets taken down really easily too. That's my only real complaint right now.

Using Henne is pretty cool...you never know where the ball is going to go! I think I've thrown for about 1200 yards in 7 games w/ 10tds and 11int...so it's about right. LOL. I'm a lovely 3-4 on the season. Game is pretty tough on All-Pro default for me with the Dolphins I guess.

[Lancer]

Rod - yup, it's true, it's better than M10. I still have M10, but I dont think I'll be playing it much anymore.


I'm not as good as you guys on All Pro. All my games have been close or I've been blown out. I played as the Jets at the Saints last night and Brees took me to school. What is great about the game this year is the CPU Offense will throw the long ball and hurt you, especially high powered offenses like the Saints.

Brees went deep on me 3 times for huge scores, one being a 70 yard bomb. I ended up losing 38-20. One thing I saw really neat in one of the long pass td's was the trajectory of the ball. I've never seen this in an EA game and don't recall seeing it in NCAA either. When he threw the ball, my Safety was coming in the middle of the field where the WR was and was right in position to bat the ball. But the way the ball's trajectory was, it sailed over his shoulder and and perfectly right in front of the WR where he had to reach out w/ this arms and catch it and run the rest for the TD.

It was the coolest thing I've seen in videogame football in a long time.

[matthewk]

Is it too much to ask EA to update the rosters at least a little bit before making the discs? I guess this is another way of forcing us to use the online pass code, which lowers the resale value.

[XXXIV]

Is it too much to ask EA to update the rosters at least a little bit before making the discs? I guess this is another way of forcing us to use the online pass code, which lowers the resale value.

Looks that way. I agree they are annoyingly out of date but a good bit of that had to do with the lock out.

Played my first regular season game. A 31-24 win over the Eagles.

Had an 83 yd TD run with Jackson and completed two long bombs with Bradford.

Vick threw and ran pretty close to how he does and had 8 rushes for 58 yds including a 12 yd TD run on 3rd down. Most of that came in the first half as I found myself having to commit my human controlled player to spy him much of the second half.

[10spro]

I'll need to raise the FG department a bit. Missed a couple of 42+ yarders, the accuracy is there but not quite the distance.

[Leebo33]

I played as the Steelers hosting the Jets on 12 minute All-Pro default in my first game and it was a lot of fun. I lost 27-20 but everything was pretty realistic except no penalties and the Jets never used Tomlinson. I then played a few parts of random games, which were also a lot of fun. The difficulty was perfect for me but I'll admit I'm not that good and I only use the gameflow or whatever it is called (love the way I can use the menu to override the play easily because I'm even too lazy to go into the playbook at all now...especially on defense). I was happy I didn't have any defensive TDs. This is the first edition in 3 or 4 years that I didn't have an average of 1 or more a game on the first night.

The commentary is indeed some of the worst in recent memory but I was pleasantly surprised it wasn't the total disaster I expected. I am amazed that they don't say all the names of skill players, especially for players that have been around a year or two. The crowd noise was OK at times but overall pretty weak.

I appreciate the presentation enhancements, but even now it still lags behind most other games and some that were made 5-6 years ago.

Just a head's up to anyone that hasn't purchased yet...even though it wasn't in the ad this week, I got a $20 gamer coupon at Kmart which is good through the release window for both NHL and FIFA. I used the $20 coupon for Madden that I got for purchasing NCAA so it's pretty good being able to pickup these fall games for $40 on release day.

[Leebo33]

Is it too much to ask EA to update the rosters at least a little bit before making the discs? I guess this is another way of forcing us to use the online pass code, which lowers the resale value.

I used the 2 day free trial to download the latest rosters.

[Lancer]

Played a unranked online game and it was laggy at times.

I'm sure they'll have to shore that up.

See different things on the online menu this year so will check those out.

[Rodster]

Can you download rosters without XBL Gold? Not sure if that's changed.

[lexbur]

It's the coolest cover they've ever had.

[dbdynsty25]

It's the coolest cover they've ever had.

And you know what happens next...

[MizzouRah]

Ok where do I find out the injuries on my team?

EDIT: found it

[Danimal]

Best thing I can say so far is I am 6-5 as the Bears. I don't think I've lost 5 games of Madden to the cpu ever. It feels like I am playing the Bears. Sometimes Cutler is spot on and amazing, he dropped a ball in last night that I would of thought impossible and other times he is throwing all over the place. It's very easy to see when Jay is on a cold streak without having to go into the menus abd if he throws a few pics forget about it.

The Bears have won some games they shouldn't have and lost others I thought would be easy wins. The defense is amazing some games and gets chewed up at other times. Same way for the offensive line. All in all I like how the DPP is affecting the games as each feels different. That is what is going to keep me coming back but for a game that comes out every year this game is missing a whole lot of polish.

[Brando70]

Played another game over lunch and I'm really digging the on-field action so far. I've been dinking around with different teams, and what's awesome is how the teams really do play differently. There isn't this generic Madden personality to the AI, at least in the few games I've played.

I wanted to play with a real run-heavy team so I picked the Chiefs and hosted the Raiders (All-Pro default, Slow, 9 min). Lost 17-13 in a very entertaining fashion. Initially I was pushing the Raiders around pretty well, running with Jamal Charles and hitting Dwayne Bowe on passes. I was up 10-0 before the half when I completely screwed up and threw a pick six that got the Raiders back in the game. Had a couple other chances in the second half to pad the lead, but one drive stalled on a goal-line stand that led to a FG, and I missed another FG attempt in the fourth, so it was 13-7 with about 8 minutes left.

Here's what was cool: Jason Campbell was awful all game. 11-23 for 107 yards and 2 picks and spraying throws all over the place. Rather than freak out like Maddens of old because it was behind in the fourth, the AI stayed with its strength and kept running with McFadden. The strategy worked, and the CPU drove inside my 10 at the 2 minute mark.

Here's what was not cool: With 1:50 left and fourth and goal from my 8, they elected to kick the FG. One could argue that, with Campbell having a bad game, three TOs, and Janikowski, maybe you kick the FG and try the onside, but the CPU kicked off regularly. Very sketchy management.

The funny part is that it worked. I couldn't get a first, and on top of that I shanked the punt to give the Raiders the ball at midfield. They managed to drive and get down to my 1-yard line with 35 seconds and no TOs. They then ran a play where Jacoby Ford went into the endzone, ran a comeback that took him back out of the endzone, caught the ball at the 1, traveled backward via momentum to the 3, then made a brilliant spin move to shake off a tackler and throw off another CB who overpursued. He went forward and dove just past my safety to score the winning TD.

All in all it was really cool. I could feel the momentum switch in the game when I blew my scoring chances, and I felt like I lost because of my own poor play, not because of an EA screwgee. And I really liked how the Raiders stayed true to the character of their offense. McFadden just missed 100 yards on around 18 carries, and he had a nice mixture of power and elusiveness. With Jamal Charles, I could tell how his strength was being shifty -- in the open field, he faked out a number of defenders, but wasn't great head-on with trucking. That variety is what's making the game very entertaining for me right now.