'Official' Madden 2005 Impressions Thread...

[Toper]

So far I will say Madden is the game I was expecting NCAA to be........

Man, I couldn't agree with you more. As much as I'm enjoying Ncaa this year, this is the first time in a long time that I think "I'd rather be playing madden" while I'm playing Ncaa.

Toper

[Teal]

"As much as I'm enjoying Ncaa this year, this is the first time in a long time that I think "I'd rather be playing madden" while I'm playing Ncaa."


(Gollum voice ) ... I'm not listening...
lalalalalalalalalalalalalala!!!!! I can't part with NCAA!!!!

[wco81]

Overall look - They are using more of the NCAA cameras, especially in the Classic camera, which is more zoomed out than recent Maddens. The grass is the same pastel in NCAA, making some uniforms hard to pick out. The lighting effects are very nice.

Running game - slightly better outside running but still very hard to just turn the corner with pure speed. I've broken some long runs off tackle or between the guards. The control is as precise as Madden has ever been. You still get offensive linemen being driven 2-3 yards into the backfield too frequently. And yes, the lead blocking doesn't always get the first defender and often, the tackles and TEs just leave the ends to pursue the safety downfield.

Passing game - very difficult Even without the defensive adjustments at the line, the defenders are very tough to pass on. Maybe unrealistically so. New features like custom packages, custom hot routes and custom shifts apparently do not work online.

Defense - Defense seems much better, in the first couple of days of release. Even BEFORE the Hit Stick and the Defensive Hot Routes. The safeties and corner backs react to the ball aggressively, not just watch it land in the WR's basket.

In fact, I would say they're swatting an unrealistic number of balls. In the NFL, the top CBs wil have 16-20 passes defensed per season. That is a bit more than one per game in the NFL. It appears that DBs and LBs in this game can get 16-20 swats in a handful of games.

The LBs in Madden 2005 rarely let balls get over their head and on horizontal patterns, they make up a lot of ground to knock the balls down. It's hard to throw over them and also in front of them. They are swatting both kinds of pass plays. Often on a long pass, the CB is going full out just trying to keep up with the WR or at least make the tackle after the catch. In Madden, they're running down WRs and making balletic swats. If NCAA had super DBs (actually they're quite vulnerable) the Madden DBs are unreal.

For pass pressure, they've really improved the rush from the down linemen and the blitz routes. In fact, you could bring the blitz almost as well as the glitch blitzers of a couple of years ago. Especially since you have to select players to give them the assignment to blitz, you can also move them closer to the QB before the snap, especially on those CB blitzes.

Overall feel - not completely alien from the Madden of say about 5 years ago, where you had super LBs and the ability to apply a lot of pass pressure. EA obviously wanted to gain defensive credibility and they did it with shorter online game time, cutting out a lot of breakaway speed. They also threw in more fumbles (may be Hit Stick but I'm not seeing that icon in the lower-left hand corner of the screen yet there are fumbles galore)

It's certainly different from the past couple of Maddens and we did ask for more defense.

[pigpen81]

Played 1st game just now, on All-Pro, Chargers vs. Cardinals.

Held cards to 35% passing.

I had 20 yards rushing on 19 carries, it gets jumbled in the middle for sure. I did rip off a couple of mice runs using right trigger to side step though...but it is tough at first....I prefer ESPN running at this point.

I completed 10-17 passes. Wasn't to hard...but I need more time.

I can see that I will still play ESPN online....cheese doesn't happen playing DSP'ers.

I can also see I will play Madden franchise because they have 2 things I wish ESPN did:

1) Accelerated clock

2) In game saves...which is huge...it just takes to long to play a game of ESPN with realistic settings.

I will play some more tonight.

[Leebo33]

I picked it up tonight at Circuit City and got a free $10 gift card. That will take the sting off if I end up selling it.

I really enjoy ESPN. I haven't noticed any issues in gameplay with some slider adjustments to help the CPU offense. It seems slightly stale to me, but maybe that is because I just finished playing the last version a ton and just sold it in MAY!

I am ready for some football now that the preseason has started. I'm going in with an open mind and if this game is truly better than ESPN I may never leave the house again.

[FloridaGators]

I expect Madden 2006 to be the year of the runner. They supposedly fixed the defense this year, and they fixed the Offensive Passing game in Madden 2004.

I am predicting a new Right Analog system of running, changed from the Playmaker running, and L. Tomlinson or Priest Holmes on the cover.

[MizzouRah]

What quarter mins are you guys using? I started with 12, but 13 might be a tad closer play wise to the NFL.

Other than that and maxed out penalties, AM defaults are working ok thus far, albeit very hard at first.


Todd

[dbdynsty25]

What quarter mins are you guys using? I started with 12, but 13 might be a tad closer play wise to the NFL.

Holy crap that's a long game. I play 9 min. and that is about my limit.

[Alan_Bernardo]

What quarter mins are you guys using? I started with 12, but 13 might be a tad closer play wise to the NFL.

Holy crap that's a long game. I play 9 min. and that is about my limit.

I think he's using the accelerated clock. I'm using 12 minutes and might, possibly, bump it up to 13. Playing 15 mins allows an unrealistic amount of plays. This is with the AC, obviously.


Alanb

[Leebo33]

NCAA is dead to me. It's going on sale tomorrow. I agree this is the game NCAA should have been. It would have been nice if NCAA played more like this because I like to have one college and one pro game, but I will stick with two NFL games instead because the gameplay is so different.

This is the most impressed I've been with Madden gameplay right off the bat in a long time. The game looks like ass compared to ESPN though and it is pretty boring from a presentation standpoint. I'm no graphics/presentation whore, but the difference in games is stark. If the gameplay is close then I'll probably play ESPN more, but both will get a place in the rotation.

[bdoughty]

Now if I made a statement like that Bdoughty would be all over me. Hey BD! I'm sorry but that statement makes you look like the pot calling the kettle.

See you did it for me. Makes me proud. Well kind of sort of.

I had some impressions of Madden but I don't think they would meet your Madden 2005 Quality Assurance Seal of Approval inspection, so I will just keep them to myself.

[Inuyasha]

Now if I made a statement like that Bdoughty would be all over me. Hey BD! I'm sorry but that statement makes you look like the pot calling the kettle.

See you did it for me. Makes me proud. Well kind of sort of.

I had some impressions of Madden but I don't think they would meet your Madden 2005 Quality Assurance Seal of Approval inspection, so I will just keep them to myself.

I think I'll do the same. I dont want to ruin the feel-good party here. Game is decent, but nothing awe-aspiring. I admit I still need to play more, but some of the things you guys are seeing I just don't see thus far.

[MizzouRah]

What quarter mins are you guys using? I started with 12, but 13 might be a tad closer play wise to the NFL.

Holy crap that's a long game. I play 9 min. and that is about my limit.

Accelerated clock is on, sorry.

I think I'll do the same. I dont want to ruin the feel-good party here. Game is decent, but nothing awe-aspiring. I admit I still need to play more, but some of the things you guys are seeing I just don't see thus far.

I would agree, this years Madden is better than 2004, but with all the talk I thought I would be taking ESPN back. I still have ESPN ahead of Madden... just my opinion of course. ESPN's presentation vs Madden is much > than Madden's gameplay vs ESPN's. If ESPN's franchise didn't have all the funky AI moves, it would never leave my Xbox dvd tray.

I really think Madden's franchise mode is worthy of the purchase and well, so far... that's the bottom line with me and Madden.

If they would have just tested the franchise more in ESPN before releasing it so damn soon!!


Todd

[GTHobbes]

Just getting to read through impressions today...keep 'em coming fellas.

db -- if you're not able to run in the open field in ESPN, you're doing something wrong. Like PK, I'm always able to at least get a couple of extra yards, and more often than not I can break away from the first defender who gets to me with either a stiff arm or a good juke (depending on the runner). Use the right joystick..it really is your friend. I love returning punts in ESPN with the right stick getting me past the first guy down field.

PK -- FPF is awesome. I've been playing these games forever and the traditional 3rd person cam started to feel stale a couple of years ago. Usually I mis and match now..a game in FPF mode and then a regular view game. It's really like getting 2 games in one, in a lot of ways. If the Steelers have a good year this year, I know that I'll be playing FPF and regular view football until January. If it wouldn't have been for FPF, I may have been too completely jaded to get any enjoyment whatsoever out of either ESPN or Madden this year.

[Leebo33]

Random thoughts:

- I really like the passing game on both offense and defense. There have been some drops, but they are reasonable. I haven't seen any unusual tips. It's hard to believe that NCAA and Madden are even made by the same company.

- The CPU defense really moves around a lot before the snap...good stuff.

- The game is smooth on Xbox and there is no slowdown.

- I am playing on default All-Pro. I can't run for crap. The CPU can't run for crap. At least the CPU is trying to run.

- All the CPU punts seem really short.

- Some of the cutscenes (those cheerleaders are FUGLY) are downright laughable. I know, I know...it has nothing to do with gameplay...but why even bother?

Right now it seems like a great version of Madden (as long as I can find some sliders or a good setting to get the running games going), however, on FIRST impression it doesn't seem like I will be retiring ESPN any time soon. I can see why the review scores are so close.

[Dave]

BD, Weaver...
My wife and wallet are begging you, tell me why I shouldn't buy this game! NCAA taught me to wait and read the opinions (damn TOCA and Indycar for justifying my release date purchases) after a day or so. I'm sure there are issues with this game and would like to know what everyone is experiencing.

I've enjoyed ESPN so far, but it doesn't have the same one more game feeling of ESPN Baseball or the two aforementioned racing games. OTOH, NCAA gives me the no more games feeling, so trading it in, along with my remaining credit at the local store gets me Madden...

Off topic, I can't stand Terry Mulholland.

[bdoughty]

BD, Weaver...
My wife and wallet are begging you, tell me why I shouldn't buy this game! NCAA taught me to wait and read the opinions (damn TOCA and Indycar for justifying my release date purchases) after a day or so.

I put emphasis on two things you wrote ----- wife and wallet. I am not married, therefore I rarely ever have to worry about #2. Also I have learned never to get between and man, his wife and her wallet.

PK said it best when he wrote the following in response to Dan:

Terry is a gamer and a guy for whom I have a lot of respect in here, but he's not Jim Jones.

I'm not going to drink any flavor of Kool-Aid, especially when it costs $50, simply on the word of one guy. I know others have praised Madden, too, but it's not like I hate ESPN. I don't, and it's really growing on me as I learn to make pre-snap adjustments on both sides of the ball.

I'm eager to rent Madden and decide for myself.

Give it a rental no matter what the concensus is.

[Theo]

How do you unlock all of the alternate uniforms? Thanks!!

[Inuyasha]

BD, Weaver...
My wife and wallet are begging you, tell me why I shouldn't buy this game! NCAA taught me to wait and read the opinions (damn TOCA and Indycar for justifying my release date purchases) after a day or so. I'm sure there are issues with this game and would like to know what everyone is experiencing.

I've enjoyed ESPN so far, but it doesn't have the same one more game feeling of ESPN Baseball or the two aforementioned racing games. OTOH, NCAA gives me the no more games feeling, so trading it in, along with my remaining credit at the local store gets me Madden...

Off topic, I can't stand Terry Mulholland.

Dave,

I will have to agree with BD and let you decide for yourself. But, take a look at the following site :

http://dubiousquality.blogspot.com/2004 ... den-0.html

I dont agree with him that ESPN is the second coming, but in my opinion he does point out some valid flaws in madden that I have also seen.

[bdoughty]

Bill Harris? Why does that name sound familiar? Doesn't a Bill Harris post here or am I imagining things.



After many hours of playing Madden and seeing his comment regarding graphics, I did go back in time to a comment made by EGM.

Patrick: What about Madden's New Look? I'm really digging how
the stadium lighting changes with the time of day, and the players---
from body sizes to the number of wristbands they wear---are spot on.


Bryan: ESPN doesn't look too shabby, ethier, but the player models are a
bit stretched out and lack some of the finer details(not in the faces but
everywhere else)you'll find in Madden.

And the magazines have the audacity to tell us those full page ads pay their bills/salaries.

[seanmac31]

I’m coming to Madden after having been in a real groove with both ESPN and NCAA, especially the latter, where I’ve played about twenty games in the last three days, enough for the game to open up and feel like it’s really working properly (i.e. I am getting almost no drops and have figured out how to make most of the throws, allowing me to do things like gun the ball into receivers being covered by linebackers or hitting the hook against a cover two zone), not to mention having gotten much better at shutting down the deep ball. The talk about Madden has seemed split between people who think it is only a minor upgrade and those who are blown away by the improvements in gameplay to the point where it will be their only football game this season. I’ve only had a chance to play three games so far, but my initial impression is that Madden is good, even very good, but that it is not going to make me get rid of either of the other football games, at least not in the near future.

It’s obviously too early for me to comment in depth on the gameplay. My early feel was that it was pretty easy to pass on All-Pro- in my first game I played the Vikings against the Eagles and Culpepper went 17-21 for 299 and 3 touchdowns, with a good 200 of the yards coming from Randy Moss, who the computer insisted on leaving in single coverage for some reason. In later games with less talented offensive teams (Denver, Jacksonville), my stats were not as good, but I always felt very confident that I could move the ball through the air. The run game has been a mixed bag to this point. When it works, it looks great, as blockers generally always make the right decisions, in stark contrast to ESPN where you’ll see interior linemen double to the outside and leave guys to come streaking through. On the other hand, there does seem to be a bit of that NCAA feel where DTs push into the backfield or come very quickly off the block to make a stop. I had Quentin Griffin in and he was generally getting pounded on any inside runs (which is fine). He did break one lovely seventeen yard touchdown where he bounced off tackle and set up his blocks, but generally when going to the outside, he was getting run down by defenders even from questionable angles. I ran a few screens with him and they were things of beauty, and he felt more elusive in the open field there than he did when running the ball. Go figure. Defensively I haven’t had a chance to successfully use the hit stick, but I’m very impressed with the degree of customization you can do presnap. It makes up for what are fairly limited defensive playbooks. I haven’t noticed any of the super LB stuff in zones, and for the most part the DB play has looked good, although there have been times when I’ve seen corners make these great leaps to bat away balls when they were beaten. This is supposed to reflect their rating, I suppose, but they should be in better position in that case.

In terms of looks, the game is clearly better than NCAA. In fact, I think from the gameplay angles, it looks better than ESPN. The colors are more vibrant, the player detail is good enough to keep it in the ballpark, and the movements are more fluid, right up until there is a tackle, at which point ESPN looks much better. On the other hand, the presentation is nowhere near as good. I’m not a graphics or presentation whore at all, but I confess that I was missing my halftime and postgame highlights tremendously. I don’t know where EA got the idea of showing replays in the player screen window, but it’s terribly executed (see 2K5 for an example of how to do this the right way); in practice you have the choice of watching a replay and getting the next play off on time.

My other quick point is about control. I can’t deny that Madden just feels smoother than ESPN. There are things that ESPN does really well- for instance the way a runner has to kind of idle behind his blockers and then set himself up for his run, but the control is a bit twitchy. I know how to run in ESPN, but it never feels as smooth as either of the EA games. On the other hand (and this falls into the control section), I simply cannot stand the fact that Madden continues to roll out its antiquated audible system. I never step up to the line without a run/pass option out of the same formation, and so this is a big deal for me. ESPN has a great system for audibles. NCAA is still a bit ungainly (I need the pictures to remember what is mapped to where), but at least I am able to pick one alternative play that I can remember and step up to the line…where I probably won’t be able to call it thanks to HFA. Still, it’s something. Until Madden improves in this area, it’s never going to get the same degree of play from me because it simply won’t feel like as tactical a game.

Anyway, those are my early impressions. I’m enjoying the game and will put in a ton of time with it over this week.

[Danimal]

Now if I made a statement like that Bdoughty would be all over me. Hey BD! I'm sorry but that statement makes you look like the pot calling the kettle.

See you did it for me. Makes me proud. Well kind of sort of.

I had some impressions of Madden but I don't think they would meet your Madden 2005 Quality Assurance Seal of Approval inspection, so I will just keep them to myself.

Now that is not fair. I would not argue anyones opinion who has actually played the game! I might have a different opinion, but that is life isn't it?

But if someone comes into a Madden Impressions thread, makes a post of 5 points why Madden is the same game (lets not forget he hasn't played the f***in game) and then alludes to the fact the only people saying positive things are fanboys & ESPN haters. I find that a little far fetched.

[bdoughty]

I did say I was proud of you to an extent. I worked with Jrod over at OS and have participated in forums with him for a few years. He is a good guy but possibly the most negative gamer to ever post on a forum. It is what he does, many of us are used to it I guess, he is a hardass on games (any game - even the untouchable Winning Eleven). When he is not compaining about something in a game, he is complaining about his local Gamestop. He might be the only person banned from every Gamestop in the country. They have a picture of him at every store. He will say otherwise but as a former Gamestop employee I know the truth!



As for Madden I just prefer to keep my comments to myself for now. Not that the game is bad or that it is going to be kicked out of my library, I just do not see what a few of you guys are. Of course I am only a day into it and it is a bit to early for me to judge it. I just happen to think that the only good judge of a game is the person sitting behind the controller.

[Toper]

But if someone comes into a Madden Impressions thread, makes a post of 5 points why Madden is the same game (lets not forget he hasn't played the f***ing game) and then alludes to the fact the only people saying positive things are fanboys & ESPN haters. I find that a little far fetched.

Danimal,

Well said...I never understood why people would go into an impressions thread and post stuff about a game they do not have or are not interested in.

BTW, thanks for your early pimping of madden...it's easily one of the nicest surprise of this year's sports titles for me, sofar. Whether or not people want to give it a chance will not damper my enjoyment of this one.

Toper

[Danimal]

But if someone comes into a Madden Impressions thread, makes a post of 5 points why Madden is the same game (lets not forget he hasn't played the f***ing game) and then alludes to the fact the only people saying positive things are fanboys & ESPN haters. I find that a little far fetched.

Danimal,

Well said...I never understood why people would go into an impressions thread and post stuff about a game they do not have or are not interested in.

BTW, thanks for your early pimping of madden...it's easily one of the nicest surprise of this year's sports titles for me, sofar. Whether or not people want to give it a chance will not damper my enjoyment of this one.

Toper

Well thanks I guess..I didn't mean to pimp it. I just wanted people to know it was a decent game as I know a lot of people think badly of Madden.

I am however going to stop posting impressions. I'm 30+ games in and I am starting to see some minor warts. I think I can't enjoy the games anymore (Madden, ESPN, NCAA) and continue to get in threads like this because I keep reading so many things about them that it is taking the enjoyment away. Hell I was having fun with NCAA and then so many people pointed out all the bad things that I don't even enjoy playing anymore.