Madden 07 (Xbox 360) Thread

[Danimal]

Personally, I like this year's Madden better than NCAA '07. I think the presentation in both games is rather blah and incomplete. If I have one major complaint, it's that the presentation still seems to be years behind 2K5. That's definitely disappointing. I do however enjoy the on field chatter, so I just turn off the commentary.

I keep seeing this mentioned, no one seems to realize it is never going to happen. ESPN doesn't want this presentation, neither does EA.

EA is committed to going with the on the field experience (mistake in my mind), forget TV style presentation. As for the radio announcer, I would think the logical step is to get every teams announcer in the booth and record. I can't imagine this would be more expensive then getting the ESPN Trio in studio.

Watch when NBA Live comes out, the intergration you see there is where they are heading. ESPN wants to invade your gaming time with updates, podcast and video highlights. They don't give a rats ass about replicating TV style presentation, that doesn't make them money. But if you see a 20 second hihglight of NFL Primtime that ctahces your eye, you may turn off the game and go to ESPN on your set.

It is unfortunate, but IMO we are never going to see presentation like 2K5 again. At least from an EA / ESPN product.

[10spro]

I think the PC version is better than the 360 version. In game saves, mini camp, no stuttering, deeper, and of course, modding capabilities. I have both versions, and if I could only play one, it would be the PC version.

In game saves? Sold!!

I have the 360 version, but if the PC version is comparable to it, the ability to save a game in progress will switch me over. This is a huge feature for me and I can't believe its not available on the 360 version (for the second year in a row now).

Even the PSP has it.

[Bill_Abner]

Personally, I like this year's Madden better than NCAA '07. I think the presentation in both games is rather blah and incomplete. If I have one major complaint, it's that the presentation still seems to be years behind 2K5. That's definitely disappointing. I do however enjoy the on field chatter, so I just turn off the commentary.

I keep seeing this mentioned, no one seems to realize it is never going to happen. ESPN doesn't want this presentation, neither does EA.

EA is committed to going with the on the field experience (mistake in my mind), forget TV style presentation. As for the radio announcer, I would think the logical step is to get every teams announcer in the booth and record. I can't imagine this would be more expensive then getting the ESPN Trio in studio.

Watch when NBA Live comes out, the intergration you see there is where they are heading. ESPN wants to invade your gaming time with updates, podcast and video highlights. They don't give a rats ass about replicating TV style presentation, that doesn't make them money. But if you see a 20 second hihglight of NFL Primtime that ctahces your eye, you may turn off the game and go to ESPN on your set.

It is unfortunate, but IMO we are never going to see presentation like 2K5 again. At least from an EA / ESPN product.

Dan's right. The ESPN integration will most likely never be put in the same direction 2K was going.

NBA Live's ESPN "features" has more to do with ESPN beating you over the head with live score updates, live podcasts of s*** like PTI, etc. It's 100% a marketing tool and not a gaming tool. It was the best deal ESPN could ever sign. EA effectively paid them to be it's ad agency with gamers.

[Theo]

Btm, I highly recommend the pc version. The more I play it, the more I enjoy it. In fact, I am going to sell the 360 version.

[Danimal]

Btm, I highly recommend the pc version. The more I play it, the more I enjoy it. In fact, I am going to sell the 360 version.

I'm right there with you. It sucksseeing things like the QB facing one way and throwing another. but this game has so much more to offer then the 360 version. Spawned games if you want to be in a league, html and text reports of the games etc.

I will hold onto the 360 version until I see the "patch" and since it didn't cost me aything. (i traded in 4 games on madden day at EB, they were giving an extra 20% and plus 105 for my Edge card, i netted $150 in credit.)

[Leebo33]

Until then, we'll continue to over analyze every little thing about the game, instead of just taking and enjoying it for what it is. It's not perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but it's not as bad as some of you make it out to be.

First off, I'll state that I really enjoy the single player game and somewhat enjoy SS mode. I'll easily get my $48 out of it even before considering re-sale value.

But how is it "over analyzing" to point out that the commentary and presentation suck? I've played MLB The Show. I can see what a developer can do with commentary when they really *want* to and they care about the sport. I'm sorry, but if the MLB team can do it with a game that sold, what less than 100k copies a couple years ago, then EA can do something with Madden. Madden doesn't even take advantage of their own damn exclusive license. The only thing that makes me feel like I'm playing an NFL game besides the player names are the uniforms and the stadiums. I get no indication from the commentator that he's ever seen these players before. No mention of past history, records, insight into the game, rivalries, etc. How expensive would it be to write and execute some decent commentary? Who cares years from now if they bring in Bill Hillgrove to do the Steelers commentary if he has to read this sh*t?

I don't need ESPN style presentation. If you want to give me an "onfield" experience, how about starting with the crowd? I've been to many NFL games and the crowd doesn't react anything like a real crowd. Don't even get me started on the scoreboard cut scenes that seem like something I saw on the Three Rivers scoreboard in 1971.

Overanalyzing would be if I said the announcer pronounced Brett Favre's name wrong. You don't have to overanalyze to realize this is the worst presentation of any team sports game I've played over the past few years and it just puzzles me. Why is it? If the average gamer doesn't care about presentation and it doesn't add to sales then why do the other developers even bother? Are they just stupid for wasting time when they could use that money for marketing?

[ScoopBrady]

I don't know Leebo, I'd have to give the Worst Presentation in a Sports Videogame Series award to Winning Eleven. I'm not saying Madden's presentation is the best but it's better than Winning Eleven's and I don't recall ever hearing a peep out of anyone about that. EA is under the microscope, and rightfully so after securing the exclusive rights for so many games, more than any other company.

[Dave]

You don't have to overanalyze to realize this is the worst presentation of any team sports game I've played over the past few years and it just puzzles me. Why is it? If the average gamer doesn't care about presentation and it doesn't add to sales then why do the other developers even bother? Are they just stupid for wasting time when they could use that money for marketing?

I had a post typed up before scrapping it where I complained about the radio announcer again. As I said before, the shitty radio announcer is much closer to 16-bit football than it is to the PS2 version of Madden 07. Never thought I'd miss the Madden/Michaels tandem in the virtual booth, but they were a hell of a lot better than what EA put in place for the next gen offering.

Eventually, I'll figure out how much I like this game. I'm underwhelmed by the presentation and the loss of in-game saves and accelerated clock. But the game itself is mostly fun, and that is what counts.

[Bill_Abner]

Well, I thihk Michaels sounds so bad that I wish the game still had Summerall.

[Danimal]

I set the PC version to "on the field" audio and I don't hear anyone but the players and the PA announcer. another plus for the Pc version

[Dave]

Well, I thihk Michaels sounds so bad that I wish the game still had Summerall.

Summerall's play-by-play was great. It cracked me up to hear him say "VANCE kicks it off" when playing as the Colts in Madden 03 (PS1 version).

I also miss "BOOM"

[dbdynsty25]

I set the PC version to "on the field" audio and I don't hear anyone but the players and the PA announcer. another plus for the Pc version

You can do that on ALL of the versions...not exactly a "plus" for one over another. BTW...did you check to see if you could play the pc version in 1920x1200 resolution? Now THAT would be a plus.

[billharris44]

I don't know Leebo, I'd have to give the Worst Presentation in a Sports Videogame Series award to Winning Eleven. I'm not saying Madden's presentation is the best but it's better than Winning Eleven's and I don't recall ever hearing a peep out of anyone about that. EA is under the microscope, and rightfully so after securing the exclusive rights for so many games, more than any other company.

I don't think it's just because they've secured exclusive rights. I mean they've been putting out Madden for twenty years now. Twenty years and the CPU still can't manage the clock correctly (at least, it can't in the 360 version--I don't know about the others). We've been buying this game for TWENTY YEARS and fundamental parts of it still don't work.

And what's crazy is that I hear people making excuses for EA every year about why parts of the game don't work. How many freaking tries are they supposed to get before we expect solid gameplay?

[Danimal]

I set the PC version to "on the field" audio and I don't hear anyone but the players and the PA announcer. another plus for the Pc version

You can do that on ALL of the versions...not exactly a "plus" for one over another. BTW...did you check to see if you could play the pc version in 1920x1200 resolution? Now THAT would be a plus.

I can check when I get home from work, but i recall reading something about 1600 max or something. An as far as I recall, don't you hear the radio announcer no matter what on the 360?

[10spro]

Beside the lack of presentation, my other beef would be the stuttering in the cutscenes and menus. I thought it was a framerate issue, anyone else noticed it? Need more life on the sidelines, everything is too bland and robotic.

The field degradation is a bit over the top. I played a dry game in Seattle and the entire middle of the field was just dirt by the end of the game. That is a bit much, IMO.

[LAking]

You can do that on ALL of the versions...not exactly a "plus" for one over another. BTW...did you check to see if you could play the pc version in 1920x1200 resolution? Now THAT would be a plus.

No widescreen resolution support is what is preventing me from picking the pc version up right now. Hopefully someone can come up with a workaround, but i doubt it since it didn't happen last year.

[JRod]

I set the PC version to "on the field" audio and I don't hear anyone but the players and the PA announcer. another plus for the Pc version

The PC version and the Xbox version are the same except for the fugly graphics.

I'm enjoying the SS mode on the xbox. The controls are tighter.

[wco81]

Beside the lack of presentation, my other beef would be the stuttering in the cutscenes and menus. I thought it was a framerate issue, anyone else noticed it? Need more life on the sidelines, everything is too bland and robotic.

On the PS2, it pauses like it's going to disconnect an online game, between plays when they are playing those cutscenes over the playcalling screens.

I think it's because they're streaming data which needs to load into memory.

Not a good sign if the X360, with way more RAM, is straining already. Either that or they need to optimize the data layout on the disc better.

[Theo]

I have a widescreen monitor and I am playing in 1600x900. That is the highest widescreen resolution in the game.

[dbdynsty25]

Still haven't figured out why companies don't support that resolution on the PC...hopefully Tiger Woods will this fall. That is a game that NEEDS it.

[Leebo33]

I don't know Leebo, I'd have to give the Worst Presentation in a Sports Videogame Series award to Winning Eleven. I'm not saying Madden's presentation is the best but it's better than Winning Eleven's and I don't recall ever hearing a peep out of anyone about that.

Really? Winning Eleven's commentary is at least as good as Madden's IMO, they have video hightlights at the end of the half, and you can save replays of goals. Post-play hightlights are probably about even. Post-game stats are at least comparable even though soccer really doesn't have a lot of stats. WE is an Xbox game. I haven't played Madden on Xbox since last year but the crowd sounds are probably equal. I'll give Madden the edge in menus, but that isn't as important to me.

[LAking]

Really? Winning Eleven's commentary is at least as good as Madden's IMO, they have video hightlights at the end of the half, and you can save replays of goals.

I agree, I would give the nod to WE. The commentary is pretty smooth and fills up the silence. I love the halftime highlights. And from the handful of games i've played on WE i think the crowd reactions are pretty good. In madden, if i remember correctly, the crowd will cheer for the away team just as much as the home team when a touchdown is scored. One of my personal favorite feelings is listening to and watching a stedium erupt into a frenzy when a goal, TD or homerun is scored. I've never felt like Madden did a very good job of that. WE does it pretty well. Madden kills as far as menus and overlays, but soccer doesn't really use the latter very much.

[GTHobbes]

The presentation and commentary are horrible...no dispute about that. I'm surprised more people don't complain about the horrible tackling animations. I just don't know how much more of the "bang into each other and fall down" tackling animations that EA uses, which are probably going to turn me off the game quicker than the presentation and audio. I don't think that's over analyzing at all...They can do much better than this.

You really have to ask yourself what EA does with the millions in revenue that Madden brings in every year, cuz we sure aren't seeing it.

[dougb]

EA could have held the game longer to give the developers a chance to work some more on the game - without the competition from 2k there simply isn't any reason why they couldn't have released the game in November or December.

They simply have no desire to put any more $ into developing the game when sales are virtually guaranteed. Shareholders are the one's they'er trying to please most - not gamers.

Best wishes,

Doug

[LAking]

EA could have held the game longer to give the developers a chance to work some more on the game - without the competition from 2k there simply isn't any reason why they couldn't have released the game in November or December.

They simply have no desire to put any more $ into developing the game when sales are virtually guaranteed. Shareholders are the one's they'er trying to please most - not gamers.

Best wishes,

Doug

Good points. I never really thought about the fact that they could in theory work on it a little longer without the competition around. Was there ever a time when it was traditionally released at the start of the regular season instead of preseason?