I’m going to have to start this review off in a negative fashion since that is the tone Cris Collinsworth sets for every single play of every single game.Seriously, does he really have to be such a “Negative Nancy?” All I ever hear is him sort of chuckling when I have a bad play, even if I’m winning, followed by a backhanded comment at one of my guys.
Ok, the first annoying thing: How come when I went to change my favorite team from the Steelers a screen popped up preventing me from doing this quickly that asked me if I was sure? Is it really that hard to believe that the Super Bowl winner isn’t someone’s favorite team?
Well, that isn’t really a big deal so let’s move on.
I cannot stand how, after each play, when I am pressing “X” to continue on to the play calling screen for the next play, there is a delay and about one out of every five times I end up calling play “X” without knowing what it is.
We don’t really need this delay especially when NCAA doesn’t have it; I hate those little differences between the games it makes the transition rougher than it needs to be.
If I have a bad play I want nothing more than to get on to the next one, why can’t the game respond immediately to me pressing X? Instead it has to screw with my mind.
Believe it or not, one thing I do love is the new speed. Now I can finally actually make a play on passes while on defense without having to be worried about a 150 MPH pass blazing through my player’s body after the delayed animation.
It reminds me a lot of the PS2 games which in a lot of ways are still better than the next-gen versions. It gives the more talented user a chance to prove he is better.
The other new feature is the dumb “Fight for the Fumble.” Why do I have to suddenly feel like I am playing WWE Legends of Wrestling and trying to execute a People’s Elbow with The Rock when my back loses the ball? I actually prefer from this the old way when you would see random linemen scoop up the ball in a pile and start rumbling their way downfield.
I see that this year in both Madden and NCAA came the return of defensive backs possessing psychic abilities.
Good, everyone hates this.
How in the hell is it that I have a receiver running a 10-yard in and the corner covering him has his back turned and breaks on the route before my receiver? Was the passing game really that bad last year? I enjoyed it last year and it was still difficult at times to pass efficiently especially with an inaccurate signal-caller.
When are the Madden makers ever going to get it through their heads that the answer to a tougher passing game is not defensive backs knowing the routes better than the receivers? It’s actually not having every quarterback be so accurate.
I know they tried to make strides in this department this year, but they are still way too accurate. Isn’t it kind of an eye opener when every decent slider set usually has QB Accuracy lowered to around 10 or 15?
Now that we’re talking sliders, how about the interception slider? Every year we have to move this one down to zero otherwise every quarterback will throw 30 picks a year. Not every bad throw or tipped ball at the line finds its way into defenders’ hands.
What’s with the fluttering ducks from quarterbacks when they are hit? Maybe every once in a while but I also see a lot of balls hitting the dirt right away when I watch a football game. When a quarterback gets hit they don’t all just look to the heavens and toss the ball up 25 feet in the air and five yards downfield hoping one of the players strays under it.
All of this aside, I really like the game. Once again, I was just in this mood because Collinsworth made me, I promise.
The player movements are amazing this year and there are no huge game-killers like last year with the CPU being completely incapable when running the rock.
Franchise also has a million improvements. And the presentation is both very cool and extremely hilarious. I don’t mind it not being perfect and enjoy the little things that are stupid, like when the lady broadcaster notes only the number of plays for each team and then the score at halftime.
This game has potential to be played for 15-20 years in franchise mode and you can tell this after just an hour of putting it in your system.
I’ll end with a funny story of something I do with every Madden game once I get it.
First, I simulated a season with the Dolphins (my favorite team, and I’m sure) and then traded up for the first pick just to make sure I got Tim Tebow.
I then made Tebow a halfback, jacked up the running tendency of the team to 100 and took off injuries.
One more year of simulating and you have one of the funniest stat lines you can get from a video game if you are a “Tim Tebow fan-mocker.”
Tebow ran 582 times in the season for over 1,850 yards and just four touchdowns. The Dolphins went 4-12 averaging around 12 points per game but had one game that particularly stood out. They beat the Jets 30-27 with Tebow running 42 times for 78 yards.
How did this happen? I love Madden this year.
Thank you, my name is Andrew.
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