Madden NFL 11

[jaymo76]

what can they add to franchise ? the only valid thing would be if you actually use salary cap- to have the AI take care of stuff for you if it says your over because youre spending all day trying to release players and than it says- not enough players- its stupid

IOU / RAM Seriously? Don't you guys remember how amazing PS2 franchise modes were and all of the rich features? All I can say is 2k5 AND MADDEN 05 to answer this question. Things off the top of my head:

IR that actually works
Practise squad
Restricted Free Agents
Create a coach
coaching contracts
mid/end season team switch
create a play
custom playbooks
NFL pre-draft show
Tony Bruno radio show
team scouting during practise mode
owner//agent/coordinator emails
global player editing (100% editing enabled)
ESPN weekly wrap up show including game highlights from OTHER games, etc.

Pretty much every single review said the same thing... next gen is a stale barebone franchise mode as compared to last gen versions. For OFFLINE franchise players, franchise is very dry after a few seasons. With 2k and Madden 05/06 I went well past 10+ seasons with each game because it was fun... next gen Madden franchise isn't fun. I don't judge a game based soley on gameplay. I base a game on how fun it is to play and how involved and committed I am to the game. This game has so much potential but it's still far, far away from where it needs to be.

[Rudy]

I think agents and off field distractions would make franchise a lot more interesting. Some players should be easy to re-sign while others should be a real pain in the ass. Make up fake agents and attach levels of difficulty in dealing with them. I haven't done a franchise in a long time but do some players start out with high salary demands and actually drop them during the free agency period? I used to play about 4 games a year and then sim the rest to do the offseason stuff. But the NCAA dynasty mode is more addicting and it's hard to go back to Madden's franchise mode imo.

[ram29jackson]

IOU / RAM Seriously? Don't you guys remember how amazing PS2 franchise modes were and all of the rich features? All I can say is 2k5 AND MADDEN 05 to answer this question. Things off the top of my head:

IR that actually works
Practise squad
Restricted Free Agents
Create a coach
coaching contracts
mid/end season team switch
create a play
custom playbooks
NFL pre-draft show
Tony Bruno radio show
team scouting during practise mode
owner//agent/coordinator emails
global player editing (100% editing enabled)
ESPN weekly wrap up show including game highlights from OTHER games, etc.

Pretty much every single review said the same thing... next gen is a stale barebone franchise mode as compared to last gen versions. For OFFLINE franchise players, franchise is very dry after a few seasons. With 2k and Madden 05/06 I went well past 10+ seasons with each game because it was fun... next gen Madden franchise isn't fun. I don't judge a game based soley on gameplay. I base a game on how fun it is to play and how involved and committed I am to the game. This game has so much potential but it's still far, far away from where it needs to be.

good stuff- but I never got create a play to work properly- ie- I messed up saving additional plays for a full playbook

nothing experiential about pricing/picking foods or adding to the stadium. sure, you want to feel like theres more outside the stadium and players actually weakening with age- but i ont have all day haha

[ram29jackson]

Officially, the Madden Launch show, that will feature our very own cdj and JBHuskers, airs tonight from 10:38 to 11:02 Central on Spike. Just fyi.

gotta' sit through -Rambo- before we get to see the ugly pusses of the strangers that post here haha.

this will be interesting

[steelerfan]

gotta' sit through -Rambo- before we get to see the ugly pusses of the strangers that post here haha.

this will be interesting

Lol! I told them both that they better not embarrass us all. Ha!

[sl8b]

Maybe it was just me, but in madden 10, had players that refused to re-sign with me. I loved the LG franchise mode alot more, but I definately don't hate the new one. The ability to look at scores and standings from previous seasons is a HUGE plus for me. History should be a big selling point in franchise mode, and that's one area that ea has impoved the game.

But why on earth can't we see who everyone's assistant coach's are during the season? I haven't checked if that's changed this year, but if they didn't touch franchise, I assume it's the same.

[I OU a Beatn]

Never played franchise. I've always been an online guy.

Anyway, I messed around in practice mode for about 20 minutes last night. It's light years ahead of NCAA in just about every department. Man defense isn't overpowered. Zone defense still sucks, but that's to be expected. The animations are crisp and the game is about as smooth as you can get. The run pursuit is drastically improved. Flats are still vulnerable but they're better defended than last year. Pass rush appears to be almost perfect.

Haven't played online yet, but I'm definitely guessing my experience will be much more enjoyable.

[skipwondah33]

Never played franchise. I've always been an online guy.

Anyway, I messed around in practice mode for about 20 minutes last night. It's light years ahead of NCAA in just about every department. Man defense isn't overpowered. Zone defense still sucks, but that's to be expected. The animations are crisp and the game is about as smooth as you can get. The run pursuit is drastically improved. Flats are still vulnerable but they're better defended than last year. Pass rush appears to be almost perfect.

Haven't played online yet, but I'm definitely guessing my experience will be much more enjoyable.

Man defense can be a little psyhic at times when playing on All-Madden online I have experienced. Playing with a couple of my league guys the Man under coverage was dominating. Zone isn't as powerful as it use to be which is a good thing IMO.

The kick meter isn't a problem on All-Pro online with the lag but when you go up to All-Madden it can get a little dicey. Sometimes the game doesn't register when you hit X and of course the bar moves faster.

I love the game up to this point though.

[cdj]

So who has the game and what do you think so far?

It's pretty tough to go back and forth between NCAA's pre-snap methodology and the Strategy Pad in Madden. Oddly enough, I've left the game speed at default in each title and have enjoyed the difference.


I've actually been giving Madden Ultimate Team a solid run out of the box this year. I'm finding myself more drawn to it right now than wrapping up my franchise for some reason. I'm 9-2, but find myself wanting to build up my MUT squad instead of finishing the season.

[Rudy]

I doubt I'm getting Madden. I'm very happy with NCAA 11 and just don't have the time to play both. Nor do I want to adjust to different game styles and controls. I love my Dolphins but I love college football better.

[skipwondah33]

So who has the game and what do you think so far?

It's pretty tough to go back and forth between NCAA's pre-snap methodology and the Strategy Pad in Madden. Oddly enough, I've left the game speed at default in each title and have enjoyed the difference..

I actually love the game. Despite the two games having identical gameplay almost, Madden feels different. That isn't a knock on NCAA, it just plays different in some regards with gameplay and especially user control. I can make more plays than I can in NCAA. I've put in 10 user scrimmage games against my league buddies with the game speed set to Normal which feels right, thought it would be a problem going from Slow (which I didn't like last year but got used to). We also only play on All-Madden difficulty.

Special teams is important this year and some think it is easy. I've had my share of returns with Sproles (my league team), but I definitely like the fact you can't do like years past on kicks and punts which is select a player then burn downfield and lay the hit stick. You have to pay attention to lanes or else you will give an easy cut back. Which reminds me, actually having running lanes feels good in the game, not too easy but just right.

I'm not having the broken tackle problems everyone speaks of. When and if I do see broken tackles is if I'm trying to lay the hitstick down every tackle or trying to "strip" tackle. Two things that were overpowered and unrealistic last year, especially the "suction hitstick". If I tackling by using square I rarely see broken tackles.

Never thought I'd believe it but the strategy pad has grown on me and in all honestly it is actually easier than the "old" way IMO. Some plays I make alot of adjustments as far as trying to mix man and zone coverages in a play. I'm knocking just about all of them out, note that I don't play the CPU. With that said I haven't played NCAA since picking up Madden on Tuesday, I figure I will only play that when I have games in the Powerhouse OD.

I'm dropping alot of user interceptions in my games, especially on the deep passes. I'll be in perfect position to pick it but the ball bounces right off.

[CLW]

Curious as to your guys thoughts on whether Madden would be worth a purchase. I tried online franchise last yr but the group I played with just wasn't very fun and most of the guys I know are NCAA only kinda guys. I would only buy/play Franchise mode and online sparingly just to mess around. Thoughts?

[morsdraconis]

Curious as to your guys thoughts on whether Madden would be worth a purchase. I tried online franchise last yr but the group I played with just wasn't very fun and most of the guys I know are NCAA only kinda guys. I would only buy/play Franchise mode and online sparingly just to mess around. Thoughts?

If for basically only Franchise mode, I wouldn't purchase. Franchise mode is this game is so incredibly broken, it's not funny. When you have rookies coming in that are basically superstars already (and not just one or two here or there, but at least 4 or 5 a draft) it completely destroys the competitive balance of the rosters. Hell, even 7th rounders come in at like 65 overall and then you have guys like an 85 overall FB that doesn't get drafted at all so he's free game in free agency.

Like I said, it's so broken, it's not funny.

[skipwondah33]

Curious as to your guys thoughts on whether Madden would be worth a purchase. I tried online franchise last yr but the group I played with just wasn't very fun and most of the guys I know are NCAA only kinda guys. I would only buy/play Franchise mode and online sparingly just to mess around. Thoughts?

I honestly couldn't help you out in this one. I haven't played franchise is 3-4 years I believe. I would say if you were going to be playing online against straight people then I'd say purchase it from the gameplay standpoint alone. I don't have a bias towards either but I feel the gameplay is slightly different from NCAA, for example pursuit angles. I don't think the CPU ever takes bad angles in NCAA and they are always in or can get into position...atleast on Heisman. At the same time there is so much more to immerse yourself into in Dynasty mode in NCAA, but the same still remains that playing the CPU is nerve racking. That will be on both games though

[CLW]

If for basically only Franchise mode, I wouldn't purchase. Franchise mode is this game is so incredibly broken, it's not funny. When you have rookies coming in that are basically superstars already (and not just one or two here or there, but at least 4 or 5 a draft) it completely destroys the competitive balance of the rosters. Hell, even 7th rounders come in at like 65 overall and then you have guys like an 85 overall FB that doesn't get drafted at all so he's free game in free agency.

Like I said, it's so broken, it's not funny.

Yeah it was AWFUL last year too. I could only get two seasons in before I lost all interest. Online dynasty wasn't any better either as guys made idiotic trades (i.e. Colts owner traded away Manning after Year 1 for draft picks)

I honestly couldn't help you out in this one. I haven't played franchise is 3-4 years I believe. I would say if you were going to be playing online against straight people then I'd say purchase it from the gameplay standpoint alone. I don't have a bias towards either but I feel the gameplay is slightly different from NCAA, for example pursuit angles. I don't think the CPU ever takes bad angles in NCAA and they are always in or can get into position...atleast on Heisman. At the same time there is so much more to immerse yourself into in Dynasty mode in NCAA, but the same still remains that playing the CPU is nerve racking. That will be on both games though

Yeah from what I'm hearing I think I'll pass on Madden. NCAA 11 is keeping me pretty happy so far. I have a GameFly subscription too so I need to play some other games like Red Dead and several others that are on my queue as well.

I just hope EA doesn't continue the every other year pattern that is developing now with BOTH NCAA and Madden. NCAA 09 had the big hit of online dynasty (I think madden pretty much had nothing). Madden 10 had Online Franchise and great gameplay improvements (NCAA was a BUST in my eyes). NCAA 11 has been solid with gameplay improvements and dynasty wire. Madden 11 doesn't have anything that NCAA doesn't already have that I'm really interested in and they did nothing to Franchise mode (allegedly a HUGE change to franchise mode is coming for Madden 12).

[NatureBoy]

If you're a diehard Madden NFL fan, then you're well aware the game is out now for all major consoles. You also know the series has sold more than 85 million units since it debuted in 1989 and you're probably well versed in the Madden Curse.

But we'll bet you don't know everything about the new game, so we tapped EA Sports senior producer Phil Frazier to let us in on eleven things you didn't know about Madden NFL 11. Let us count the ways:

1. To create the playbooks for Madden NFL 11, designers watch the actual "all 22" tape that real NFL coaches use to evaluate game film. EA SPORTS had to be labeled as a 33rd NFL franchise by the league in order to get these tapes.

2. Plays chosen for you via GameFlow are based on actual run/pass percentages of NFL teams from last season. All situations were evaluated including a variety of down and distance situations, two-minute offense, etc.

3. More teams in the game use shotgun and wildcat formations thanks to some valuable information from Coach Madden. In a number of conference calls with the design team he mentioned that more and more teams are using both of these formations on a regular basis.

4. Madden NFL 11 is the first sports game to feature an active league commissioner. Roger Goodell makes a cameo appearance in the brand new Super Bowl win sequence.

5. Broadcaster Gus Johnson expelled so much energy recording his lines for the new Super Bowl victory sequences that he could only do one per session.

6. If you total up all of his time on microphone, Gus Johnson, our new play by play announcer, recorded more than 70 hours of dialogue.

7. The design team spent time with NFL coaches, including Tennessee Titans Offensive Coordinator Mike Heimerdinger, to help rebuild the zone blocking matchup system.

8. To help create a more realistic and noticeable difference between players in the NFL, they hired 12 different size athletes to do motion capture for the new locomotion feature. Athletes ranging from heavy to skinny all performed sprints, cuts, stops, etc. to help make sure the new mo-cap (motion capture) looked amazing.

9. Madden NFL 11's new running animations were captured on a 40-yard-long motion capture stage -- the first time any EA product has used a stage so large.

10. The brand new presentation system in Madden NFL 11 contains more than 250 banners, 493 scriptable scenes, and 754 presentation packages.

11. To create the New Meadowlands Stadium, used this season by the New York Jets and New York Giants, our environment artist took almost 1,000 detailed pictures of the stadium under construction.

LINK

[jaymo76]

Found this comparison on you tube.... wow!!! 11 vs 2k5. It's a great watch. Madden has the look down but 2k still owns presentation!

[skipwondah33]

It's pretty tough to go back and forth between NCAA's pre-snap methodology and the Strategy Pad in Madden. Oddly enough, I've left the game speed at default in each title and have enjoyed the difference.

Yes it is a very tough transition from one game to the next. The pre-snap audibles are a brand new again after dealing so much with the strategy pad and getting use to it. I also felt the speed of the game was ALOT different even though I play both on Normal. Seems like players in NCAA move alot faster as a whole, even the lineman. I thought ball trajectory was a bit low at times as well or NCAA players had longer arms and can jump higher lol.

Its definitely hard to transition effectively between the two if you play one more than the other.

[JBHuskers]

ian_cummings

Quick summary: Madden NFL 11 quitters are getting punished now, in ranked and Ultimate Team games. Blog coming soon (I hope).

Quick summary part II: victims of quitters still get their wins in ranked games / prorated coins in MUT. Blog coming soon (I hope).

[steelerfan]

Have any of you guys messed with HUT in the NHL 11 demo? I'm curious how similar it is to MUT. Surprisingly, HUT seems fun in NHL. It may actually hold my interest longer than BAP or EASHL have been able to do. Just wondering how MUT is similar/different.


EDIT: nm, I just discovered my copy of Madden 11 is here, lol.