Madden 16 Impressions

[JBHuskers]

I played for three hours and I have three short stream clips that I will upload later. Here it is in a nutshell.

1. Is this game better than 15? YES!
2. Is it a huge improvement from 15? NO! (with the exception of gameplay)
3. Is the gameplay a major step up from 15? YES!
4. If you have 15 should you buy 16? If gameplay is #1 to you then yes...if not it's a toss up.
5. Are the CFM improvements worth it? Probably NOT. Scouting is nice but that's about it.
6. What's the verdict on goals? At times I like them but frankly I find them annoying!
7. WR/DB interaction a good thing? YES but FYI it also involves A LOT more button mashing.
8. Legacy issues still present? YES
* AUTO SUBS doesn't do much, robo QB, weak cpu run game, poor zone D, no formation subs from week-to-week, running out of bounds, etc.
9. Is aggressive catch overdone? YES!!!! Too many one handed catches, too many tip drills and speed kills.
10. Is the audio better? YES!
11. Is presentation better? Well it's not very good but it is slightly less annoying than last year.
12. How are the facial scans? The players who have them look pretty good but the coaches don't look very good IMO.
13. How are FA ratings? Absurdly high! The FA pool is basically full of high 80's and high 70's players. It's crazy!
14. Has equipment been upgraded? NO! Nothing new in that area.
15. How well do penalties work? Fairly infrequent but definitely more than last year. (avg about 4 per game with no tweaks)

I haven't played with the sliders and have not seen any injuries at this time. am also not used to playing on XBOX so it is harder for me. That being said, it's a decent game. Is it worth $70-80 dollars? Honestly, if you enjoyed 15 then probably not but if you skipped 15 or didn't like 15 then I suspect you will like this game as the gameplay is a lot better.

I am down to about 6 hours so I need to save some time as I want to do scouting and a draft and then check out season two. I am also doing a relocation but I believe none of that changed.
12. Do stat banners last longer? YES!

Good stuff!

[CLW]

watching Shop's stream now - JB when you plan on streaming?

[skipwondah33]

Been watching it all morning.

JB if you aren't giving away games then I'm not showing up

[jaymo76]

I could have sworn they were when I looked at them for a couple weeks ago.

No in CFM they are together.

[cdj]

Thanks for the impressions & thoughts, jaymo. Appreciate it!

[JBHuskers]

watching Shop's stream now - JB when you plan on streaming?

Around 5:30 central.

Been watching it all morning.

JB if you aren't giving away games then I'm not showing up

[skipwondah33]

Around 5:30 central.

Haha please my game is already bought at Best Buy lastnight for $29. Giveaways are just always interesting on Twitch

[JBHuskers]

Haha please my game is already bought at Best Buy lastnight for $29. Giveaways are just always interesting on Twitch

I couldn't let that comment go

[jaymo76]

I really get the sense that ratings matter this year as weaker rated players are not very good (eg QB's and RB's). I just played Pittsburgh and they dominated me pretty good (SF). Too many INT's though. Sliders need to be adjusted re: the frequency. Big Ben threw 3 ints last game while my QB's threw 2.

[skipwondah33]

Bradford looks to be pretty suspect throwing watching this Pasta Padre game. Also on all but 1 deep pass has been broken up or tipped.

They are using the "Play the ball" function and/or letting the CPU break up the pass

Bradford is 7-20, 45 yards and 3 interceptions. Threw a streak about 15 yards off target

[jaymo76]

I find it incredibly difficult to use the icons on short passes. By the time you hit the icon the ball is already there. Most "user catches" are mid to deep range. Also, if you don't push the button it doesn't matter as the cpu catch mechanics will take over.

[jaymo76]

I really struggled against the Pittsburgh D in this game. Here is a bit of the game from kickoff to the Steelers first score.

[jaymo76]

Halftime show in the Pittsburgh vs SF game. This game was a dog. I could not run or pass the ball and BIG BEN kept throwing Ints. Rudy you will be happy to know that I rushed for 1 yard in the first half!!!

[JBHuskers]

In my stream that's running right now, I've had a couple instances of pressure not created by me.

[jaymo76]

With a number of backups in the game, this was my only TD. Rookie QB Thompson is a 64ovr.

[Rudy]

That was a pretty bad half Jaymo. Still seems as though cpu qbs aren't smart enough on all pro. I thought everyone said it was a lot tougher this year?

[jaymo76]

That was a pretty bad half Jaymo. Still seems as though cpu qbs aren't smart enough on all pro. I thought everyone said it was a lot tougher this year?

QB play has not been spectacular but the QB's do go deep/long a fair amount and as such the aggressive catch interceptio is in play a lot more. Short passes they are deadly accurate. I don't know if weather was a factor in that game as Ben was awful!

Zone D isn't very strong this year... excet versus the deep ball. Man coverage is alot more effective. I am concerned about moving the cpu QB slider too much as last year if you moved accuracy to 10 or below the cpu gameplan would move to run heavy.

[jaymo76]

Thus far on ALL PRO: A few other thoughts from today

Gameplay:
-too many interceptions hum and cpu
-too many one handed catches
-not enough non-blitz DL pressure
-really weak cpu return game
-weak zone coverage for hum and cpu
-slants and flants are often open pass zones

Presentation:
-presentation is actually somewhat better this year
-lots of new commentary
-Phil Simms far less annoying/few silly comments
-stadiums sound really good, especially with speakers!
-stat banners seem to report the correct information
^exception: the monolith stats aren't alays the same as the game stats


Unsure:
-penalties: haven't seen many
-injuries: haven't seen many
-auto-subs: have not had an RB or WR sub out yet

Overall, I am still really struggling with the new pass mechanics. It's extra buttons to mash and I have not mastered it yet. The more I play the better I will get. However, I am down to under five hours so I am trying to experience as much as I can with the time I have, hence no slider tweaks.

[jaymo76]

I think there is an issue with the "encroachment" penalty. Three times now I have gotten an encroachment penalty when the cpu QB breaks the huddle. Nobody is set yet and then... boom... penalty on my D. A number of OS people have reported this as well.

[jaymo76]

Had an interesting game tonight as NO vs Cincy in a snowstorm. I won 23-17 in OT, Brees was 19/43 for 342 yards 2 TD and 5 Ints. 3 of those pics were forced as I was trying out aggressive catch. I am of the opinion aggressive catch is not overpowered but I am also of the opinion that aggressive catch is smoke and mirrors... I will explain that later though.