Madden NFL 12 - August 30, 2011

[NatureBoy]

EA released the first teaser trailer for Madden NFL 12. And when I say teaser, I mean, it's really just a tease. The very brief view shows 10 somewhat hard-to-interpret scenes. Each scene hints at something new for Madden NFL 12, but what are these 10 additions? I'm here to play detective.

Check out the Madden NFL 12 trailer. Then look at the screenshot below, which points to each of the 10 Madden NFL 12 hints.



1 - Online
This may hint at lobbies for online franchises. The current online game hasn't started in the trailer, but there's a conversation happening while real-time scores of other online games are displayed on screen.

2 - Player Tendencies
Does LT choose to make contact or go out of bounds? What's his reaction when the ball's in the air? How does he respond to different types of defenders? Looks like this and much more will be factored in to help make players feel even more authentic this season.

3 - Madden Ultimate Team
The new Madden Ultimate Team cards include Walter Payton. Interesting fact: Payton is the only Hall of Famer released for Madden Ultimate Team so far. Does this suggest more Hall of Famers will make appearances in Madden Ultimate Team 12?

4 - Opening Ceremonies
TV presentation is important for any sports game and Madden NFL 12 may be upping its games with brand new game intros, which includes mascots.

5 - Pressure Field Goals
The easy guess is that there's a change to the kicking meter. Here's another possibility: pressure situations added for kickers. After all, a kicker's true mettle is decided by how they perform in clutch moments. Madden could be adding some sort of "choke" element. After all, the video shows solid Packers kicker Mason Crosby followed by Dan "missed another field goal" Carpenter of the Dolphins.

6 - Stadium Upgrades
This looks like a new blimp view of the stadium. TV broadcast camera angles and improved stadium lighting and visuals seem to be in the works.

7 - Custom Playbooks
Custom playbooks are in!

8 - Onside Kicks
One thing missing from Madden has been the ability to surprise the other team with an onside kick. In the past, if you set up for an onside kick, you have to kick the ball onside. You set your formation for a regular kick, you can't onside it as a surprise. Seems pretty clear from the video that this is changing with Madden NFL 12.

9 - Hot/Cold Streaks
Aside from a slick interface, you can see that there is now a clear indicator of players who are "hot" and "cold." This must be tied to franchise -- but is it game to game or could it even carry over from one season to the next?

10 - 3D Grass
EA promised it and here it is. 3D grass in full effect. You can even see the cleat sink in. Can't wait to see the wear and tear on fields over the course of a game.

LINK

[JeffHCross]

See now, if you hadn't included the link, I was going to give you all the credit in the world for that. That's an impressive article for IGN too. Thanks for posting it!

[ram29jackson]

#10 3D grass? in all seriousness, who cares ? so, do you mean to tell me you think the players wont slide around anymore? they may have a few foot plant animations but I doubt it will be consistent.

no one cares about ultimate team, thats something you mess with when the season is over because you are bored and after playing a while, you realize how pointless it is.

player tendencies wont matter because the players wont play like their ratings suggest they are supposed to anyway.

these are my opinions but I highly doubt I am wrong.

[jaymo76]

For #4 add cheerleaders AND mascots. The Tenessee shot clearly shows the players running by the cheerleaders with the mascot in front.

[Details]

I'm happy with the video. Custom Playbooks is enough to declare it a success, even though it's long overdue.

It's March. I'll take 3D grass, mascots, cheerleaders, team specific entrances, improved field goals, and what looks to be a gamecast mode.

[JeffHCross]

#10 3D grass? in all seriousness, who cares ? so, do you mean to tell me you think the players wont slide around anymore?

I don't think it will have any tangible effect on gameplay. Just for show. Though I do think it looks pretty nice.

no one cares about ultimate team

Actually, I think quite a few people care about MUT. More than I would have thought though.

player tendencies wont matter because the players wont play like their ratings suggest they are supposed to anyway.

Tendencies != ratings. Tendencies show how they play, not how well they play. It may not have a huge impact on gameplay (though I think it will), but I do think it will have a significant effect on appearance. Players will play more like their real counterparts.

[ram29jackson]

I don't think it will have any tangible effect on gameplay. Just for show. Though I do think it looks pretty nice.
Actually, I think quite a few people care about MUT. More than I would have thought though.
Tendencies != ratings. Tendencies show how they play, not how well they play. It may not have a huge impact on gameplay (though I think it will), but I do think it will have a significant effect on appearance. Players will play more like their real counterparts.

in Madden 11 you could put a kicker on the offensive line and he would hold his ground like an actual lineman. I doubt they will actually be any different next year. I would love to see it though....

[skipwondah33]

I'd love for someone to use a kicker on the offense line or at QB when I played against them

[JeffHCross]

in Madden 11 you could put a kicker on the offensive line and he would hold his ground like an actual lineman. I doubt they will actually be any different next year

Well, yeah. I doubt it as well, until they moved to something height/weight/physics based. I now know what you meant by "play like their ratings" -- wasn't how I read it at first.

[ram29jackson]

if you look at the field goal kick, the linemen still magically slide in position to block as far as I can tell

[JBHuskers]

Saw this on Twitter yesterday...concussions will be in Madden 12.

[cdj]

Saw this on Twitter yesterday...concussions will be in Madden 12.

Along with that, players who suffer a concussion will not be able to return to the game. You won't be able to bring them back in the same quarter anymore.

[JBHuskers]

Along with that, players who suffer a concussion will not be able to return to the game. You won't be able to bring them back in the same quarter anymore.

"Would you like to play this guy at the risk of injury"

"Yes"

"Player X has just died on the field....cue old skool ambulance"

[JeffHCross]

Saw this on Twitter yesterday...concussions will be in Madden 12.

Along with that, players who suffer a concussion will not be able to return to the game. You won't be able to bring them back in the same quarter anymore.

Decent article on ESPN about the concussions, including quotes from Madden himself and Phil Frazier.

[jaymo76]

Decent article on ESPN about the concussions, including quotes from Madden himself and Phil Frazier.

Honestly I thought in Madden/NCAA that a player with a concussion was out for the game already???

[JeffHCross]

Off the top of my head, I don't know that I've ever seen a player in NCAA get a concussion. I've barely played any Madden, so can't speak to that. I trust the other guys that you were able to previously bring them back in.

[NatureBoy]

It looks like Madden NFL 12 details will be coming in a couple of weeks, as EA Sports and the Madden NFL 12 team are showing off a PR demo showcasing the Eagles, Broncos and Seahawks.

This comes from Michael Young's twitter page. we demo Tues, Wed, Thursday. Details should start to go public a couple weeks after.

This comes from Phil Frazier's twitter page. We'll be showing Seattle, Denver, and Philly.

[gschwendt]

Madden officially announced for August 30th this year. Three full weeks off from the usual launch.

[morsdraconis]

Hmm... interesting. Actually launching after the start of preseason. Maybe the senior members from EA leaving did have an effect on the timetable for the game release.

[Jayrah]

Good stuff!cant wait to see the hawks in action.