I had quite a bit of fun with Madden 16 after getting it initially. I believe it is the best Madden on next gen consoles to date. But the game was full of bugs, particularly in franchise mode and I waited awhile to really get into my Dolphins franchise. In the mean time I’ve been playing NBA Live 16 and I popped Madden back into my PS4 and found myself bored. Madden is simply far too generic in gameplay.
Other Sports Games
While playing NBA Live or 2K, when you go up against an elite player you really notice them. You worry about them. You have options to defend them like double teaming. They stand out in the game and when I play against Curry or Harden or LeBron those games feel special and unique. When you play MLB The Show your palms get sweaty facing Cabrera or Trout in the box. You struggle against great pitchers. Superstars clearly stand out. In Madden this just doesn’t happen.
Superstars Don’t Make an Impact
I played against Houston in my Dolphins franchise. I didn’t even notice JJ Watt. The best defensive player in the NFL was someone I didn’t even notice and can’t remember a single play he made all game. In the real NFL he gets a sack a game, at least 5 tackles, disrupts a bunch of things AND THAT’S WITH GETTING DOUBLE TEAMED AND GAMEPLANNED FOR! You don’t have any options to double DL (DTs like Suh get both the G and C double almost all the time) or chip them like great outside rushers get from RBs and TEs on release. I will notice a good CB like Revis but you don’t even have the option of moving him around to cover the #1 WR all over the field. Elite ball hawking safeties barely make their presence felt in Madden either.
On offence great WRs largely go under-utilized by the cpu. They make next to no effort to throw them the ball more often like they should. So it’s not nearly as scary facing Julio Jones in Madden as it is in real life. The new catching system has helped as great players win those jump balls more but the targets are still too low. I don't scheme to stop great threats like Gronk or Julio and the game doesn’t provide a lot of options to stop them like DB shadowing or true double teams or brackets even if I wanted too. The only option is too highlight them and “spotlight” an individual player through audibles. But even if I did slide coverage over to Julio all game I would still expect him to get his catches and big plays. I believe that’s why Madden removed the double team play calls that were in the game in the first place. The game engine can’t handle it!
On offense I still struggle to see a real difference between quick players and thumpers at RB – particularly on the cpu side. The cpu doesn’t use the special moves like juke or spin. I want to see them. I want to see a guy like Jamaal Charles break my ankles in space. Same for WRs after the catch like Tavon Austin. You just don’t see those highlight runs in Madden when playing against the cpu. Part of the problem is the juke move is not done well in Madden as it's too weak and difficult to use. The RB just hits the hole (sometimes the wrong one) and runs into your player while you tackle him. Nothing really exciting. So every RB feels similar when you play against them. I don't want to see highlight runs every other play but once in awhile would be nice. You will NEVER see the cpu pull off a run like anything in the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUVKxFqYgm8
The good cpu QBs are finally better than the bad ones so I will give credit there for not seeing as many dumb sacks or INTs from Rodgers or Brady anymore.
No Gameplan Necessary
The bottom line when playing Madden is that you never need to adjust your gameplan. Every game you play you will do and try the same things on offence and defence. Every game will have a very similar feel. You don’t need to worry about great DL on the other team and you generally don’t have to fear great receivers or TEs much either. CPU RBs all run the same way and you NEVER need to worry about a cpu kick return as 99% of them are stopped by the 30 yard line. Too many plays and players have too many similar outcomes. It’s not organic enough and the great players don’t impact the game enough.
Madden needs a talent threshold slider. I want to see the great players stand out more. I loved the old NCAA 06 Impact Player System where you feared the impact players. They had a massive impact on the game although many complained it was too much. I would gladly take that over a game where I feel like I am going through the motions too often. I want to be worried about JJ Watt and Suh on defence. I want to fear quick ankle breaking RBs and explosive players on offence. Madden needs to be more organic and less blah, blah, blah.
https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com...dd73abdf34.jpg
