• Rules and regulations here: http://www.virtualsportsnetwork.com/forum/showthread.php?133219-VSN-Secret-Santa-Donation-Drive-Raffle-Waffle-Maynard-is-Awful&p=2346085#post2346085
  • We have just launched a new VSN Amazon Store. This new store will allow you to order games (including PC downloads) and anything else you want from Amazon and help VSN out at the same time! You get the exact same deals and pre-order bonuses through our store front as you do from Amazon so please bookmark this link and use it when you are shopping at Amazon.com - [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/"][COLOR="#0000FF"][U]VSN Amazon Store[/U][/COLOR][/URL] Here are some direct links to pre-order the major upcoming titles- [B][SIZE=4][COLOR="#0000FF"]PlayStation 4[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00BGA9WK2"]PlayStation 4 500GB Console[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00HVBPRUO"]PlayStation 4 Gold Wireless Headset[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00BGA9X9W"]PlayStation 4 DualShock 4 Wireless Controller[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00BGAA3S2"]PlayStation 4 Camera[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00DCBDNW6"]Final Fantasy XIV: A REALM REBORN[/URL] - April 14th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00J128FPA"]Final Fantasy XIV: A REALM REBORN Collectors Edition[/URL] - April 14th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00IMVRVC4"]Trials Fusion[/URL] - April 15th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00GG4BBUM"]MLB 14: The Show[/URL] - May 6th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00DHF39KS"]Wolfenstein: The New Order[/URL] - May 20th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00BI83EVU"]Watch Dogs[/URL] - May 27th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00DYAQHTQ"]Watch Dogs Limited Edition[/URL] - May 27th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00I0574EW"]Murdered Soul Suspect[/URL] - June 3rd [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00DHF39HQ"]The Elder Scrolls Online[/URL] - June 30th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00BGA9ZZ4"]Drive Club[/URL] - September 30th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00GZ1GUSY"]Tomb Raider Definitive Edition[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00H5V9S6E"]Rayman Legends - Standard Edition[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00C27SCC2"]Thief[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00HD4R5YU"]Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes Standard Edition[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00BGAA0SU"]inFAMOUS Second Son Limited Edition[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00FYIXMHQ"]inFAMOUS Second Son Collectors Edition[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00D2ZK1IG"]Dying Light[/URL] [B][SIZE=4][COLOR="#0000FF"]PlayStation 3[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00B0JALUE"]PlayStation 3 500GB Console[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00AEX81SG"]PlayStation 3 250GB Console[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00GY4OAIE"]LEGO The Hobbit[/URL] - April 8th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00I9UVY30"]FIFA 2014 World Cup Brazil[/URL] - April 15th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00ICWO2ZW"]Darksiders Collection[/URL] - April 29th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00ICWO2P2"]Red Faction Collection[/URL] - April 29th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00HQY8LRM"]Rambo The Video Game[/URL] - April 29th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00FRESXSA"]The Amazing Spider-Man 2[/URL] - April 29th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00CPKUV98"]Wolfenstein: The New Order[/URL] - May 20th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00J6DLPLK"]Drakengard 3[/URL] - May 20th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00BGHUS58"]Watch Dogs[/URL] - May 27th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00DYAQHZ0"]Watch Dogs Collectors Edition[/URL] - May 27th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00BG6ZHK0"]Murdered: Soul Suspect[/URL] - June 3rd [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00IGHP28Y"]Transformers Rise of The Dark Spark[/URL] - June 24th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00DNGQTFI"]Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00H4BBTCQ"]Tomb Raider - GOTY Edition[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00HNYWFMC"]Far Cry Compilation [/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00946FSIA"]Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00HQY8LRM"]Rambo The Video Game[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00FQFFPZO"]NASCAR '14[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00DFT92MU"]Thief[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B0088MVP3S"]Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00ECOBFCC"]The LEGO Movie Videogame[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B006IOAHPK"]South Park: The Stick of Truth[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00FDQQD52"]South Park: The Stick of Truth Grand Wizard Edition [/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00F6YD2AK"]Dark Souls II Black Armor Edition[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00F6YD2FK"]Dark Souls II Collectors Edition[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00GJSUUC0"]Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes Standard Edition[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00E44EZYA"]Ultra Street Fighter IV[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00D2ZK2O4"]Dying Light[/URL] [B][SIZE=4][COLOR="#0000FF"]Xbox One[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00CMQTVUA"]Xbox One Console[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00MCLFZ1Y"]Xbox One Console Madden 15 Bundle[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00IIHU44E"]Xbox One Console Titanfall Bundle[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00HVPFGD8"]Titanfall Limited Edition Controller[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00CMQTUSS"]Xbox One Wireless Controller[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00IAVDQCK"]Xbox One Stereo Headset[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00IAVDOS6"]Xbox One Stereo Headset Adapter[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00GY4OB8S"]LEGO The Hobbit[/URL] - April 8th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00CMQTUCE"]KINECT Sports: Rivals[/URL] - April 8th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00IMVRVA6"]Trials Fusion[/URL] - April 15h [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00FRESTZW"]The Amazing Spider-Man 2[/URL] - April 29th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00DHF39L2"]Wolfenstein: The New Order[/URL] - May 20th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00CX8VY4S"]Watch Dogs[/URL] - May 27th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00DYAQI0E"]Watch Dogs Limited Edition[/URL] - May 27th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00I0574CO"]Murdered Soul Suspect[/URL] - June 3rd [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00IGH2HKU"]Transformers Rise of The Dark Spark[/URL] - June 24th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00DHF39EO"]The Elder Scrolls Online[/URL] - June 30th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00GZ1GUNO"]Tomb Raider Definitive Edition[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00DBCAS7E"]Zoo Tycoon[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00H5V9SLE"]Rayman Legends - Standard Edition[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00CYNTHA0"]Thief[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00DB9JYFY"]Titanfall[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00G2HSX86"]Titanfall Collectors Edition[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00HD4R5WC"]Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes Standard Edition[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00D2ZK2MQ"]Dying Light[/URL] [B][SIZE=4][COLOR="#0000FF"]Xbox 360[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00FATRKOK"]Xbox 360 250GB Holiday Value Console[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00GZ9ESEE"]Xbox 360 250GB Console w/Halo 4, Darksiders II, Tomb Raider and Batman: Arkham City[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B003ZSP0WW"]Xbox 360 Wireless Controller[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00DC9SWWE"]Titanfall[/URL] - April 8th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00G2HSWZU"]Titanfall Collectors Edition[/URL] - April 8th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00GY4OBB0"]LEGO The Hobbit[/URL] - April 8th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00I9UVY7G"]FIFA 2014 World Cup Brazil[/URL] - April 15th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00ICWO2G6"]Darksiders Collection[/URL] - April 29th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00FRESY6G"]The Amazing Spider-Man 2[/URL] - April 29th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00CPKUV7K"]Wolfenstein: The New Order[/URL] - May 20th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00BGD6LMG"]Watch Dogs[/URL] - May 27th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00DYAQHNC"]Watch Dogs Limited Edition[/URL] - May 27th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00BG6ZHL4"]Murdered: Soul Suspect[/URL] - June 3rd [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00IGHY7LC"]Transformers Rise of The Dark Spark[/URL] - June 24th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00DNGQQUQ"]Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00H4BBVZQ"]Tomb Raider - GOTY Edition[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00DBCAT3W"]Fable Anniversary[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00946FSJ4"]Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00FQFFQ2Q"]NASCAR '14[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00DFT92EI"]Thief[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B0088MVP2Y"]Castlevania: Lords of Shadow 2[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00ECOBFA4"]The LEGO Movie Videogame[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B006IOAHTQ"]South Park: The Stick of Truth[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00FDQQD6Q"]South Park: The Stick of Truth Grand Wizard Edition [/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00F6YD26Y"]Dark Souls II Black Armor Edition[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00F6YD27I"]Dark Souls II Collectors Edition[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00GJSUXLS"]Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes Standard Edition[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00E44EZPE"]Ultra Street Fighter IV[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00D2ZK2RQ"]Dying Light[/URL] [B][SIZE=4][COLOR="#0000FF"]Wii U[/COLOR][/SIZE][/B] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00GY4OAM0"]LEGO The Hobbit[/URL] - April 22nd [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00FRESQKU"]The Amazing Spider-man 2[/URL] - April 29th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00DC7G2W8"]Mario Kart 8[/URL] - May 30th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00IGH1LJ8"]Transformers Rise of the Dark Spark[/URL] - June 24th [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00DC7O77A"]Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze[/URL] [URL="http://astore.amazon.com/vsngaming-20/detail/B00ECOAX34"]The LEGO Movie Videogame[/URL]
  • We are looking to possibly form a second XB1 Madden 15 league on VSN. Please visit the Sports Gaming subforum and post in the thread if you are interested.
  • There will be a site outage from 12 pm est till 3 am est
  • If you are having trouble accessing your account and don't remember your password, email help@virtualsportsnetwork.com and i'll get you an updated password for 2024.

Madden 12 Impressions Thread

As much as I hate OS, I actually like that rule. It allows you to just look at impressions without having to wade through crappy posts about fags asking if Dre's dreads are right in the game.

Oh, I like the rule too but they come across as total douche bags and I will make fun of them as much as I can.

I think its one dude with 7 different names. Probably a short fat guy (bald) , sitting in a room with 10 different monitors.
 
Truthfully ... if you hated Madden before this game, you're likely to still hate it. This is a good game, but hardly revolutionary. My guess is it doesn't win over 95% of the haters.
For all the great camera angles and improved lighting, this game simply doesn't capture the crowd ... and the play by play is still horrific, hell maybe even worse. I can't believe for all the good things they did, they let the play by play slide again ... and made the crowd an absolute non-factor.
The play by play lag is awful. You'll be on 2nd down and Gus is just announcing what happened on 1st down.
And as a 360 Madden guy moving over to the ps3 side, the graphics on the ps3 suck in comparison. Not even close. PS3 owners have been jobbed for far too long.
As gameplay goes, it's still Madden. Yeah, there are some improvements, but there are also some mind-numbingly stupid glitches that weren't there before.
All that said, I'm buying it Tuesday.

I haven't even touched franchise yet, so don't ask.

I don't even blame the developers anymore. This is simply a case of them trying to patch a game for eight months every year and hoping like hell they get it right. A yearly game is almost impossible, MLB The Show just got lucky because they got the code right from day one, and FIFA got a chance to build a new engine. A truly great Madden needs a three-year cycle, something it will never get.
 
No it doesn't.

I believe it does. I don't think Madden developers aren't trying. They simply can't fix a crappy game in 8 months. I've met them, they're good guys, honest, trying their best. But, like Obama, they've been handed the Titanic. Since EA's idiotic decision to build the game from scratch for the first next-gen game in six months or so, they've had to deal with bad, bad code.

I've said it before, but I I'll say it again, it's time for EA to get a crew to work on a truly new Madden for the next three years ... and let another crew work on Madden 13.

There's a reason why you don't see a new Forza, Halo or Gears of War every year.
 
Even OS is not all daisy this year on Madden. While they say it's still a "good" game, they do acknowledge its flaw that keep it back.

Computer AI -- Not the Sharpest Knife in the Drawer

The AI does some pretty wonky things over the course of a few years in Franchise. The first thing you will notice (mainly because it's the first thing you do) is that the substitution system in Pre-Season games is pretty broken. Since the AI puts guys in down the depth chart that don't actually play the correct position, you can have Safeties playing WR and QB's playing kicker at the end of pre-season games. It's not a big deal until Calvin Johnson gets hurt playing Safety in the fourth quarter of a pre-season game.

The AI tends to manage it's roster decentely, but it doesn't get too active. There are no trades to speak of outside of the draft (and some of those made no sense to me), and there are some really terrible draft picks. For instance, I saw a kicker taken in the Top 10 one season.

There are some bright spots thanks to player roles. The AI doesn't draft several QBs in a row and it doesn't typically get rid of franchise stalwarts (such as Peyton Manning) so easily. So it's not all bad in terms of AI, it's just not good either.

Given that you can basically out wheel and deal the AI at every turn, don't expect to be challenged to rise to the top of the NFL after a few seasons so long as you can manage your team's cap room.
 
I believe it does. I don't think Madden developers aren't trying. They simply can't fix a crappy game in 8 months. I've met them, they're good guys, honest, trying their best. But, like Obama, they've been handed the Titanic. Since EA's idiotic decision to build the game from scratch for the first next-gen game in six months or so, they've had to deal with bad, bad code.

I've said it before, but I I'll say it again, it's time for EA to get a crew to work on a truly new Madden for the next three years ... and let another crew work on Madden 13.

There's a reason why you don't see a new Forza, Halo or Gears of War every year.

It's their own fault for putting out a shit game initially, refusing to redo it and treading in mud for an entire gen of consoles. And it's not really important who's fault it is or how nice the devs are. The game is still gonna be ok overall, but it's built on a bad foundation...that's why it'll never be great.

Other sports franchises have managed to put out yearly titles that do a much better job than Madden. Is what it is.
 
some franchise stuff:

Do you need authentic NFL roster management and player progression? If so, you might find some annoyances this year. Do you want a deep scouting model, RPG-like Player Roles, expanded rosters and a cool eBay style FA period? Then there’s a lot to like.

Let’s start with the annoying stuff and work our way up:

• The player progression model actually has a lot of good stuff in it. You’ll see young players take significant player ratings leaps – I saw one rookie, created by the game, jump a whopping 12 points from year one to year two.

• Veterans will also take a dive at certain points in their career, Browns TE Ben Watson hit the wall around age 32/33, dropping 3 points one year then 7 the next. That is precisely what we should see happen to most veteran players. But…

• The game seems to be downright leery of taking superstars out of the game, which is unfortunate. I’m willing to bet that by Week One of the year 2014 these players will not be playing at this level:

o Peyton Manning: 98 OVR
o Tom Brady 95 OVR
o Drew Brees 91 OVR
o Adrian Peterson 98 OVR
o Steven Jackson 92 OVR
o Reggie Wayne 94 OVR
o Dallas Clark 96 OVR
o Antonio Gates 92 OVR
o Dwight Freeney 91 OVR
o Julius Peppers 91 OVR
o Jerome Harrison 96 OVR
o Ed Reed 92 OVR
o Troy Polamalu 94 OVR

• These are all OLD men at this point – most of them anyway and they show very little sign of slowing down. Again, this is NOT the norm, these players are indeed outliers to the basic foundation of the progression model but superstars get old, too. And if Manning, at 38, is still performing like he was in his PRIME I will eat my hat. In fact, Peyton Manning, Wayne, Clark, Jackson and Tom Brady didn’t drop a single rating point between 2014 and 2015. Sorry, I’m not buying that.

• One of the complaints of Madden’s franchise mode was that teams used to hoard talent in certain positions, drafting three QBs or signing FAs that were in no way a position of need. Madden 12 fixes that – but takes it in the opposite direction.

• Teams are now very leery about re-signing players in the off season. If the player is rated in the 70s or even low 80s there is a good chance the AI will just let them walk, despite having the funds to pay them. When every team does this the FA pool is LOADED with players rated from 70 to 80. Not stars but clearly serviceable players. The AI will then sign a ton of undrafted rookies and use them as backups.

• For example, Brandon Jacobs, rated a 78 and asking for a measly 650K in 2012 sat out the entire season because no one would sign him but there were a slew of crappy young players serving as backup HBs on teams.

• The Browns, coming off a playoff run in 2013, failed to re-sign Colt McCoy, rated an 84 OVR and coming off a QB rating of 82.4, letting him just walk and now are starting a 1st year QB rated a 71 OVR. The Browns went 4-12. Hang the GM.

• You see this quite a lot – teams not signing players who they don’t see as valuable but then not replacing them with better talent. In fact it’s the opposite. You will see more rookie and 1st year players on NFL rosters in Madden than you can count while solid, 4, 5, 6 year vets rated 77, 78, 79 sit and wait for the human player to snatch them up.

• Getting into stats—for the most part these look perfectly fine. Aside from Manning throwing for 5,000 yards every year (this game loves Peyton Manning) I see QB % rates a touch too low. No QB will lead the league in completion % in the modern era at 61%. Most QBs in Madden come in around the mid to high 50s.

• There are way too many 90+ yard runs by halfbacks—usually 15-20 a YEAR. (There has been around 20 in the history of the NFL,…)

• Still, for the most part there aren’t too many red flags. You’re not going to get a stat engine that is ‘perfect’ in a game like this so seeing a few oddities is to be expected.

• The new scouting system is very cool and best of all doesn’t feel too much of a time burden. I like having to pick the players I want to scout depending on the event (combine, Pro day, weekly scouting). You really need to make sure you choose wisely because you can find some real gems in the drafts this year. But unlocking those ratings via scouting is the key to finding them. It makes me wish the game were on PC.

• A feature some will love and some will hate is the FA system. It’s like a frantic eBay bidding system with a 1:30 countdown timer. You need to know exactly what you need when FA starts because if you go into it and just freewheel it you’ll lose track of time and miss out on players. It’s literally a system of one button pressing. There is no “negotiating” with players this year – it’s click, boom, submit, outbid, and click again, etc. until that timer runs out but the timer is running for a lot of players so it’s monstrously frantic. My complaint is that the AI just isn’t aggressive enough at signing mid level players, as stated earlier.

• I love the Player Roles / RPG feature. You have mentors, underachievers, trench fighters, special teams stars, QB of the Future, that sort of thing -- and most impart rating impacts in the game, which is also a great touch.

• In all, Franchise Mode is a mixed bag – filled with fantastic ideas, some of them executed extremely well, but yet there are areas that it needs fine tuned – such as re-signing players and the age model for superstars.

Let’s hope for a fix from EA to clean some of it up because there is a great mode in here – it just needs fleshed out.
 
Don't care they're all flying the same flag.

OK ... now I can speak from personal experience here. I am an editor working for a company whose decisions I don't always agree with (Ok, I rarely agree with), but I need my fucking job to pay my mortgage, so I just play along.
Yeah, it sucks, but it is what it is. My newspaper chain is hardcore conservative ... and clearly I am not ... but I need to pay the bills.
In a perfect world, I could tell them to go fuck themselves, but it's not a perfect world so I just do my job.
Same for the Madden developers - they know their game is far from perfect and they're working to improve bad code, but they have a job and are doing what they can.

Most people in the working world will tell you life isn't perfect and you have to compromise. If you're 16, I understand why you think otherwise.
 
I can deal with Peyton Manning never getting worse but all those mid-level players just sitting out is going to bother me. SOME team would pick up Brandon Jacobs.
 
this is like madden 04 in tht the superman catch is going to destroy the players who dont have manual control and create games where you have to score.

Srs, if you have decent manual skills catching bombs is super easy. i gurantee guys who play this game who throw lots of drags and posts will win a lot. GURANTEE IT.
 
If I throw deep I always manual catch. I don't trust my AI player to make the catch. That being said, I don't manual catch the crosses and slants. I'm just not fast enough.
 
My impression is that I chickened out on the $25 to get the EA Pass because of a busy weekend.

As for the manual catch. I need someone to lab with me and teach me the tricks of the trade.
 
So a couple of annoying things first. Playing a franchise and somehow I got into the playoffs with Ricky Stanzi at QB after trading Cassell to the Titans (stock roster). We get into the AFC Championship game @ Tennessee and aside from a helicopter flyover, presentation-wise this is just any other game. Beat the Titans and we're off to the Super Bowl vs.... the Bucs...

In the Super Bowl, I am apparently the home team. The game is at the Superdome in New Orleans and the commentary is talking about home field advantage. Gus Johnson constantly references that we're playing at Kansas City (end of quarter shit etc). I didn't play franchise mode enough last year to remember, but I'm pretty sure they didn't have this ridiculous shit.

So, I win the Super Bowl and we get to the presentation of the trophy and parade and Obama, except there is so much of the 2D confetti that you can't see anything. It is like static on the screen there is so many Lombardi trophy shaped ticker tape shit in the way. Garbage. Pure garbage.

As far as gameplay, the game @ Tennessee was a tough 13-10 win. I can't pass for shit with Stanzi, but the running game is a little too easy. Charles had 150 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown, then another 100 receiving and a touchdown on a long screen play. In the Super Bowl vs Tampa though he went off for 200 yards rushing with 4 TDs and another 100 receiving and a TD. The passing game will come, it's just a matter of timing. Manual shit on deep balls is easy, maybe a little too easy. I love how tight the manual control is for WR and DBs, but I've had a ton of user picks and user catches so far on some spectacular shit and I'm not one of the better manual players.

Defensively, you can get some pressure but you have to bring it. Rushing 4 will get there sometimes if your coverage is awesome, but expect to get picked apart most of the time unless you're bringing 5+ on the blitz. The CPU actually runs the ball now! It's about goddamn time. CJ2k had 115 yards on 18 carries and a TD on a nice 30 yarder where he made me look like half a retard. No bullshit in the CPU running game. Bad RB run like they should, guys like Charles, CJ, etc burn you, Blount runs you over.

Kicking is fun again. I'm a little frustrated on field goals but I use the Chiefs and Succop got fucked in Madden this year. Punting is awesome though. I don't know if it's just because I have Colquitt or what, but you can really put your opponent in some shit with the punting game this year. Coffin corner punts are much easier to pull off without using the right stick.

Just a few things I've noticed so far. I didn't want to get too deep into franchise impressions yet, but the Chiefs won the Super Bowl in year two with all the games simmed aside from the AFC Championship and Super Bowl and Ricky Stanzi at QB. Take from that what you will. :runaway:
 
Back
Top