I've been playing all weekend, having a really good time with it, I must say. So many thoughts! First off, and I don't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing, the game really reminds me of the better last-gen Maddens, in that they've recaptured that smoothness and immediacy of player input. I had a TD run with Thomas Jones against an online opponent where I made it through three defenders, all because of moves I myself managed to choose and execute in a timely manner... felt great. But there are times when I play it, especially with the rather far away (for someone used to 2K) camera, where the proceedings feel like little more than a high-res update of last-gen EA football. The stagnant presentation doesn't help matters either. I'm also a little sad to find that Madden, IMHO, still looks worse than last year's NCAA game, with none of that game's dramatic lighting, and field textures that aren't much better than APF's. But God is in the details, right? And the details definitely set it above anything I played last-gen. So, likes and dislikes...
I LIKE: The blocking. I haven't gotten stuck behind a defender once while running, with the O-line opening noticeable holes that you can seek out and then explode through with turbo. I've seen my halfbacks get skinny. Teammates seem to look for open-field blocks. There's even good blocking on punt returns, which is a first in how long for this franchise? (looking back I think there was one year where they got it, but then it became broken again or something) The passing pocket doesn't feel as sturdy as it does in APF, and that might have something to do with the closer camera in APF where it feels a little easier to keep tabs on the rush out of the corner of your eye, but it's improved.
I DISLIKE: The blocking. I still see things that make me scratch my head. My guys ostensibly double-teaming (gymootg) a D-liner then letting him go right around them without much contact as they turn in tandem and hightail it for the hotdog stand in section A8. Routine plays get blown up in the backfield with too high a frequency to resemble real life.
I LIKE: Superstar mode. Everything about it is better... the camera, the ability to supersim between your appearances. I love it.
I LIKE: The game speed. And by that I mean the transitions between menus and play stoppages and all that jazz. Remember how '06 and '07, it felt like the 360 was choking on everything it had to process, and that meant weird pauses, useless button pressing and wasted time? This feels like a finished piece of software.
I DISLIKE: Other aspects of how fast the game goes. The CPU often hikes with 30 seconds left on the playclock, and doesn't even think about managing the game clock until the last minute. I think this is a conscious decision, designed to squeeze more plays out of 5-minute quarters (which I don't think is necessarily a bad thing), but it leaves almost no time for defensive adjustments. I'm having to learn to pull them off really fast, and try and read the offense as it's coming to the line. There's no accelerated clock, it seems. Add this all together and I think a lot of people are going to be annoyed. Personally, I prefer 5-min. quarters if possible, and this gets me closer to realistic scores and stats with default lengths. I ain't got all day... the fiancee wants to watch The Soup, and I can't blame her.
EH: Weapons. It feels vaguely like the player abilities in APF, bu what's best about it is how it functions as a handy at-a-glance visual index for team strengths while on the field, great for people who aren't such fans as to know the intricacies of every team's strengths, by position (like me!). You hold down left trigger and it highlights all the weapons on the field at a given time... very handy for knowing which way to direct a run play when the opponent has one side stacked with heavy hitters. There's also some play-stealing available for smart QB's and linebackers, but I haven't utilized it yet.
I REALLY LIKE: Create-a-team is back! Some nice stadium editing tools included as well. I always enjoy making my own teams, and they even generate two alternate uniforms for your team by randomizing color combos and details. They generate complete fictional rosters for your teams based on a handful of templates, so no having to steal an existing team's. There are some glitches... like my Flushing Firebirds having two players wearing #26, but no biggie. I can now fulfill my dream of re-creating all the APF teams in Madden.
JURY'S STILL OUT: Turnovers. I was intercepting the CPU at a clip of about 3-5 times per game to start, especially when experimenting with longer quarter lengths. It seems to have cooled off a bit, for some reason. Again, I think the game might be tuned to 5 min. quarters and casual players, but what do I know? Fumbles have been a slight frustration for me, but in 50% of cases it's something unwise on my part, like trying to juke with my tight end after a catch instead of just protecting the ball. The interceptions are something to keep an eye on, but in my Jets franchise it has not been an issue in the slightest. Maybe 1 per side with 5 min. quarters, if any.
I REALLY LIKE: The CPU offense. They seem to really mix it up.
I LIKE: Tackling. Some big hits his year, with a lot of variety. You can hit high or low, like in APF. Gang tackling has some of that sweet APF feel, where the offense needs 3 yards, you get to him after two, he's still fighting for it, and then another defender comes in and helps knock him back. Backs with the 'truck' weapon classification are more likely to fall forward when fighting for yards. Neat.
BIG DISAPPOINTMENT: Forget uploading clips, I can't even do snapshots from replays. This was in last year's NCAA! Do they even play each other's games over at EA?
I'll stop there, but I think it's a good game this year. If anything, when comparing it to APF, I think what happens on the field in Madden is a little more influenced by user twitch input, which is sort of great. Occasionally in APF, when two players collide, I feel like I'm watching animations play out with number-crunching behind the scenes. Throw in the 'A' pounding for turbo and it can get messy. No to turn this into a Madden-vs.-APF thing, but it's illustrative in some cases. Special teams blocking is a hands down win for Madden. And I've always thought player control was more immediate in Madden, but to no real end because of other deficiencies with the engine. With some of the AI and tackling improvements that player control is finally starting to amount to something.
I do think that devout sim players are going to have a lot of frustration trying to find that perfect stew of quarter length, settings, and sliders, due to the slightly turnover-heavy nature of the game, the removal of the acc. clock, and the CPU clock management. We'll see... that's a game I feel no need to play this year. But it looks like Madden might be.
Okay, I lied when I said I'd 'stop there'. I wish the game looked better and had better presentation. I'm constantly amazed at Tiburon's lack of vision for how the sole license holder for the country's most popular sport should look and sound. I want to be wowed, and this is so far from those 'target vids' back in the day, I can only shake my head. Oh well. For a Madden game, it's really good. But Tiburon seems to aggressively put a cap on what our expectations for an NFL game might be, to the point that it's difficult to even trust my own impressions. How's that for muddled?
If 'live opponent' for franchise is truly removed, that's a big shame. I haven't tried to find it yet, personally.
