Madden 25?

[DookieMowf]

Amazon is offering a $10 promo credit towards your next purchase.

Hmmm. I don't remember seeing that promo when I pre-ordered, but I did get the Anniversary edition.

[Rodster]

Amazon is offering a $10 promo credit towards your next purchase.

Hmmm. I don't remember seeing that promo when I pre-ordered, but I did get the Anniversary edition.

I think they started that promo today and it's only for the standard edition. I read that the $99 Anniversary edition has been their best selling Madden ever.

[Danimal]

Terry what slider set did you d/l?

I was not going to get the game and gave it one more shot last night in my Franchise and was about to quit then went in to look at the sliders to see they were all on default except cpu pass defense which was at 80! So the sliders I set in the main menu didn't carry into my Franchise. So I move them around within the franchise and outside of penalties I was able to get the game playing ok.

[MizzouRah]

IGN gives it an 8.5.. Gamespot a 6.0

[wco81]

Maybe now they can show and start talking more about the next gen, now that they've gone through the current gen release.

[Inuyasha]

I went out and bought it even though I said I wouldn't. Old habits hard to die. got it at TRU with the $10 Gift Card and Free Gamer Guide. Gamer Guide sold on ebay for 20 bucks after an hour listing it. So game cost me $30 the way I see it. I can live with that.

Quick Impressions : Based only on one PLAY NOW game, me Niners at home vs Cowboys default ALL PRO.

-Game is not as bad as some of the websites say.
-It's still NFL and the only game in town.
-I can see why people are calling it Madden 13.5

Cosmetics :

-Use to the Default cam. Actually like it now more than the demo. It seems to zoom in more compared to the demo after the snap. Will fool around with the other camera modes.
-The colors are really overdone. Almost neon-ish. The Niners home reds glow a lot. I liked how the colors in NCAA blend in better and are toned down in the contrast department.
-The player models sort of look like porcelain dolls. Maybe it's the overdone contrast that makes this affect. Sideline player graphics are bad.
-The grass got some watering in 25. Nice green lush grass compared to last years game. The grass graphics are excellent especially on close ups.
-Replays I really like. Even though the game looks too bright in gameplay, it looks good on replays.

Gameplay :
-After one game I sort have mastered running game with the LT trigger. I'm almost unstoppable with Gore. It's feels extra Arcadey since you're mashing buttons a lot. Some of the moves are over the top unrealistic at times. I hope there is a slider to tone this down but I think my kids will love it.
-I am getting sacks without any problems. Some sites said there is no d-rush. It's sort of true and untrue. Maybe it depends on the ratings. But I did get 4 sacks on Romo.
-Passing game I had no issues, but I'm using Kap and the niners. Kap was 11/14 2 TDs.
-Control is good, much better than last year. The INT HOLD Y thing really works well this year compared to last. Maybe too well.

Overall it's a typical Madden game. Didn't' see anything spectacular but also nothing that was a game killer. But at times feels like I'm playing last years game.


ADDED :

-Had a really fun game Bears at Pack. Fooled around with the cameras and really liked the zoomed cam. it's more like madden 12. legacy is more like Madden 13's cam. Didnt have as much success with Forte using the LT controls. Cutler's helmet looks really awkward. Like a growth is coming out of his head. not sure why they changed this. I also noticed they put in the stadium sounds again this year after they forgot to add them last year. That was one pet peeve of mine from last years' game, why they took out the stadium specific sounds that were nice in Madden 12.

This game was fun because for some reason, Pack ran the ball a lot instead of passing it. I primarily ran the ball with the Bears but mixed a little pass here and there. Rodgers was very inaccurate at times which was good to see but not sure how realistic that is. But this was a really fun game, I ended up winning 10-9 whereas in my first game, I won 31-13 or something like that.

-One thing this game does better than NCAA, CPU defending the curl routes. In NCAA, they are pretty much unstoppable, but in Madden, if it's double coverage, it's a good chance you'll get Intercepted by the CPU.

[10spro]

I am having good games with adjusted sliders. I do wish that they would be less dropped balls though, heck even the MUT mode I found it interesting.

[Zeppo]

Only played one quick game last night v CPU but so far I really like what I saw. The Giants offense was tougher to stop than I'd gotten used to in out endless Madden online league. I really like the Pistol formations additions to the Redskins playbook and the implementation of some functional read option stuff as well. Huge improvements over last year in that regard.

I wasn't paying complete attention, but it felt like after turnovers and punts, they give you the 0:40 play clock which is a massive improvement over previous iterations of the game. That's been ne of my old pet peeves about Madden.

I can't wait to start our league again, but apparently the stupid "no accelerated clock for head to head online franchise games" has returned from the beginning of last year. Idiots. Here's hoping they deliver a patch in short order.

Are there any other annoying and stupid glitches anyone ranting about?

[Inuyasha]

My last game was so good I'm itching to get at playing the game again as soon as possible. It'll have to be after work but I haven't had that feeling with Madden for a while.

[sportdan30]

I gotta say, it's a mixed bag for me. I do enjoy it more than NCAA '14, mainly because I'm a bigger fan of the NFL. There's lot to like, and it's a great fun to just pick up and play. I look forward to playing a season with the Rams and checking out the different teams and their stadiums.

With that said, EA always seems to take what could be an very good game, and make it just a good game.

Commentary is improved and flows quite a bit better, but still not where it should and could be. It's nice to hear Nance call a player's name, even it only happens 40 percent of the time. Sims however is generic in his commentary, and gets old very quickly.

Some animations look quite nice, but it's the loud minority that sticks out like a sore thumb. Pinball tackles, weird take downs, etc. are comical and head scratching.

Presenation and atmosphere are considerably better than in year's past. The crowd really gets loud and with the speakers turned up, it feels like a big game. Replays are somewhat better, but still need a LOT of work. I wish we could see TV style replays. It would make it that much more authentic looking.

The cut scenes bother me plain and simple. IMO, this is one of EA's greatest weaknesses. The repitition of them kills the immersion. As an example, playing as the Rams, we're tied late in the fourth quarter, and I have all three of my time outs. Each time out I call, there's a cut scene of the same coach or trainer giving Bradford a drink of Gatorade. The dude is going to piss himself! It just doesn't fit the flow of the game. For whatever reason, EA can't figure out how to spread these type of cut scenes apart.

I'm playing on PRO default, although I've had to adjust sliders almost immediately. QB accuracy is too high, so I lowered that to 10 each. It was an improvement, albeit slightly. Running the ball is too easy to pick up an average of 5-8 yards a carry. My first game with Richardson of the Rams against the Falcons, I picked up 120 plus yards on 15 carries. I lowered run blocking, and that made an immediate difference. My next game against the Chiefs, I had 55 yards on 10 carries. I'm playing 8 minute quarters.

Penalties are non existent on default. However, I increased "late hits" by just a few notches, and my last game there was 5 late hit penalties. So, that particular slider is sensitive. I upped holding 5 notches, and still did not see one holding call. Apparently, some require quite a bit of tinkering, whereas others could be too extreme.

I'm really quite happy with the overall gameplay. The CPU mixes the run and the pass quite effectively, however I do feel that they rely on the big play quite often. It's either a long pass or a run in which the RB seemingly is on a mission to pick up big yards. I've only seen a few drives that they methodically move the ball down the field. Running and passing controlled by me, the user is enjoyable. The juke moves are better and more responsive. There is much better control over your running game. Yards after catch is slightly improved, but not as good as NCAA.

I'm getting good pressure on the QB, as is the CPU on me. Playing defense still feels a little disconnected. Taking control of a CB for me at least results in failure most of the time. This game is certainly catered to the offensive game, so I rely on rushing the QB more times than not. I'm simply not skilled enough to defend a WR.

More than likely, I'll get a season in and trade the game in by October 5th so I can recoup 45 dollars in credit back. It's way too early to tell whether I'll pick this game up for the PS4. I'm hoping that animations, cut scenes, slight gameplay improvements, etc will be smoothed out for next gen.

[MizzouRah]

We all thought going to current gen was going to be a big improvement, I just don't have faith it will get any better.

They need competition like the NBA series has.

[Inuyasha]

I highly recommend using the Zoomed Cam now. I can't go back to the default. The zoomed cam makes you feel more immersed with the game, almost like you're on the field with the players. It's not a crappy zoom cam either where you can't see anyone else on the field. The default cam is too far away from the game and I feel more disconnected.

[Rodster]

Is the default cam the same as it's in the demo? I actually liked the new demo cam. I'm waiting for my copy to show up. It's nice to read that you guys seem to like this years Madden.

[Inuyasha]

Is the default cam the same as it's in the demo? I actually liked the new demo cam. I'm waiting for my copy to show up. It's nice to read that you guys seem to like this years Madden.

Yes basically the same. In the full version I really liked it too. I didn't like it in the demo. I think it zooms in more after the snap in the full version. But after Zoomed cam it's hard to go back.

If you play online, you can only play with the default cam.

[10spro]

I'm getting good pressure on the QB, as is the CPU on me. Playing defense still feels a little disconnected. Taking control of a CB for me at least results in failure most of the time. This game is certainly catered to the offensive game, so I rely on rushing the QB more times than not. I'm simply not skilled enough to defend a WR.

Playing secondary is a bit of a hit and miss, so I changed to no switch. It just seemed to me that with auto switch the CPU would almost always have a slight step ahead of you completing the big plays.

Special teams is one area I noticed an improvement whereas now you can return decently kicks and punts.

With infinity 2, laying a brick on a well time hit feels awesome but you can certainly look like a fool if you mistime it against a very good HB.

I enjoy the presentation and menus and agree about the lousy cut scenes. Will give camera zoom angle a try but Legacy s working fine for me so far. The demo camera angle absolutely sucked Hoover and you certainly got some options here.

[Leebo33]

Yeah, the return game is really improved. I got my first KO return for a TD and it was very rewarding. Although the CPU hasn't taken one to the house on me they have done well especially with quality return men. I have also seen a reasonable amount of fumbles and bobbles which really add the variety. Last night the CPU muffed a kickoff and had to start at the 7 and I fumbled and lost a fumble on a return before my TD.

I really love the variety. I played as Indy at home against Baltimore and won 9-3. I followed it up the next day and it was 21-17 at the half same teams but in Baltimore.

[Inuyasha]

I fooled around with MUT. I never liked it but looks like this year you can start out with a decent team. They give you Top players to pick as captain and I picked up Tom Brady.

Then the first intro pack they give you actually has like 3-4 quality players.

Other than that, the offline mode is similar to NCAA.

Also they gave me like 17K in coins. Maybe it was carried over from previous years or everyone gets an allotted amount.

[10spro]

I fooled around with MUT. I never liked it but looks like this year you can start out with a decent team. They give you Top players to pick as captain and I picked up Tom Brady.

Then the first intro pack they give you actually has like 3-4 quality players.

Other than that, the offline mode is similar to NCAA.

Also they gave me like 17K in coins. Maybe it was carried over from previous years or everyone gets an allotted amount.

If you played previous MUT, it's a carry over.

[Danimal]

Terry with his ninja one post and gone

I downloaded Azure slider set and I like it. I looked at what it had an thought there was no way it would work but it does. I lowered the accuracy a bit more than he did however. Now trying to find penalty sliders and auto subs.

A large group[ of people claim adjusting the pnelaty slider affects game play. i.e. putting DPI up to 100 makes defenders worse in coverage. Putting holding high means line play will be worse. I don't know if I buy it or not.

[sportdan30]

Had a great last second game winning field goal to beat the Eagles 19-17. McCoy ran all over me for 133 yards, including the first play from scrimmage. The Eagles did put together a lot of long drives only to score a TD and a field goal. Vick was able to scramble and pick up some yards, but he was inconsistent throwing the ball. On the offense side of the ball, I wasn't able to put together any kind of running game. Prior to the game, I did lower run blocking considerably, so I'm sure that had a lot to do with it.

I'm steering far away from the impressions thread over at OS. There tends to be quite a few people whose only motive apparently is to speak negatively of the game. Slider discussion maybe, but truthfully, everyone's skill set is different as is the team they choose.

[Inuyasha]

If you have a great RB your offense is pretty unstoppable on All pro Default.

I played a random game as the Seahawks vs the Colts and I won big. Lynch had a 62 yard TD run and ended the game with 162 4tds.

It was a night game and they had some video clip of both teams in the intro, that was cool and I didnt see that before.

So my itch has been sort of scratched with this not so stellar last game, but I'll keep on playing. Maybe the best way to enjoy the game on all pro default is to play a team like the bears who are middle of the road and have a good but not great RB.

[Danimal]

It's really crazy to me how many thing that were broken when 13 launched and then fixed, are still an issue here.

BAD
1. No accelerated clock in head to head OF
2. When you start a franchise your Sliders, and autosub setting don't import in.
3. If you download a roster set you need to load it each time you start the game or so it seems.
4. If you want to use an imported slider set in an OF you need to load it outside of the franchise, then go into the franchise and import slider set because in someones infinite wisdom they put a butt to import slider but then not allow you to chose among the ones you have saved.
5. Fatigue is iffy to me if it is working in OF. In play now it works fine but I don't see guys fatiguing like they should in OF. I'm not 100% sure on this.
6. You can't play a D-linemen and get any penetration which makes no sense because you can in NCAA 14. I know I am a unique individual who like playing line but I'm forced to not if I want any pressure from my front 4.
7. Front line QB' are way too accurate, most incompletions come from drops or DB knocking the ball lose. Now backups with slider turned way down are horrible but take Phillip Rivers, with slider at accuracy 10 he completed his first 15 passes against me.
8. Running is way too easy but I'm pretty sure with enough work I can fix that.
9. Penalties don't work right, enough said its clear the dev team doesn't want them to work.
10. It's still way too hard to shed blocks.
11. Normal speed is too fast and slow speed has the hicup which kills all toss plays.
12. Big running backs are way to powerful

GOOD
1. Running control is really good once you get the hang of it. Runners play to their strengths. Forte is shifty, at least he was in the ST before the patch (see below)
2. I feel like the DB / WR play is actually better. Still not perfect for example your WR doesn't go up for the ball at times unless you control him.
3. Menu are finally laid out nice and very useful.
4. Hits are toned pretty well, still see an occasional odd ball but I'm not jumping out of my seat goiing WTF was that.
5. Maybe it's my sliders but I don't see those leaping INT' matrix style
6. There is a return game

As you can see the bad is winning at this point but I am not far enough in to make a sound judgement. I know whatever patch they released on launch day seems to have made the game a little less dynamic. No one is saying what it does, only you need it for online play.

[MizzouRah]

I think it goes like this every year for Madden. People are starved for a football game.. like it at first.. start to like it a little bit less.. less and less.. traded in.

[Inuyasha]

All Pro feels like Pro or Rookie this year on offense.

I played as the Redskins and I got 2 big TD plays on my first two possessions. One on a screen for 80 yards, and another one on a long pass for 70 yards.

I have no problem dominating on ALL PRO default.

I will download some sliders to find a good balance for this game.

[Leebo33]

It's possible the penalty sliders impact gameplay. I had the Defensive PI way up and after switching it to way down it seemed like DBs were more aggressive. Oddly enough, I had my FIRST defensive PI call in the game after lowering it. Small sample size? Placebo? Sliders reversed? Who knows? I had the speed threshold at 45 and moved it back to default and that seemed to help the CPU offense for some unknown reason. There are just too many variables so I am going to end up putting threshold, fatigue, and the penalties back to default and just tinker with gameplay sliders.

The game is definitely easier on default levels. I would have never thought of lowering my QB accuracy and pass blocking to 10 before, but it seems to work now and I'm an aging gamer losing reflexes.

The good news is that I am generally ending up with fantastic/realistic play now games with very reasonable stats and challenge but not frustration from playing the CPU.

As far as presentation...well...ugh. These are the most hydrated players of all time (or least because no water comes out of the bottle), Simms makes me wish my tunnitis was worse, and I roll my eyes all 20 times a game I see the cut scene with the coach bending over slightly at the waist and yelling through his hands.