remy87's Review of Madden NFL 12

I think it's about that time that Madden moved to the every other year format.

User Rating: 6.5 | Madden NFL 12 X360

By remy87 | Review Date: August 30, 2011

I am a football fanatic, and Madden has long been my go to sports simulation franchise since forever. But the last few years have been sad, forget the lack of competition, how about the fact that it seems these guys are just running out of ideas! And if they aren't running out of them, they're certainly taking good ones and tossing them to the side. Madden 12 is what I expected from it, a SLIGHT "graphical" update with the same controls and same feel as every entry after about 3 games. Every game plays out the same, once you've adjusted to a difficulty and figured out the AIs tendencies... not a teams... the game is the same old song and dance each time. Franchise mode, while slightly improved with features we've already seen at some point in the history of Madden, is still boring. I remember in older Maddens where every week began with a pre-show featuring JB, in which the upcoming games were discussed. Small things like this should be utilized, their current usage of this is repetitive and stale. The player role function works well, however the significance it plays during a game never really stood out to me during a game. Online is slightly better if you know people who play the game online, being able to weed out the harrassers,quitters and sore losers makes it better and playing against other people makes the game slightly more enjoyable.
All of this brings me to my main point. I think it's time Madden stopped being an annual sports game. I know it'll never happen but one can dream right?
Looking at the list of things that can still be done with this Franchise I believe coming out every other year would actually be beneficial to sales.
For one they could add so many little things that they've taken away from us over the years, for example:
1.Tattoos- I understand football contains too many players to get specific, but how about allowing us to add tattoos to created draft picks or the Be an NFL player mode. Give us new ways to make the players distinctive.
2. How about focusing on rivalries. With all the licenses at their disposal, they need to use them. How about using some presentation to actually make certain games feel more intense than others. Also allow for new rivalries to begin during Franchise mode, if 2 teams continue to meet in important situations, such as the Colts & Patriots a few years back, allow that to build into a rivalry.
3.Fix the ridiculous stuff: Why do LBs ALWAYS make that 50 foot knockdown of a pass? How about the corners with their back to the ball yet miraculously knowing where to be? Fix it! Create zones for the AI to work individually, in other words give the CBs a totally different AI brain than the LBs or the DEs. That way you can focus heavily on having each individual AI brain work like the life-like counterpart. Another little thing- how about adding underthrows? "Technically you have them" But how about truly adding them, i'd like to throw a pass to my WR running an in route and because my QBs Accuracy is an 84 the ball falls just a yard short, because of the QB, not because I was hit or because the ball was tipped. This happens in football!
4.For the love of God, new graphics please! Screenshots are zoomed in! I want to be able to see the differences from the normal gameplay view!
5.Stop recycling old ideas and calling them new. Actually add new features.
Get more detailed with certain stats. There should be a stat for QBs known as Game Experience and Intelligence. It's a simple logic. Tom Brady has played 100+ games, and has an intelligence of 99. So playing a game against Brady and picking the same defensive play over and over again is going to lead to him quickly putting together some good audibles, picking up of blitzes etc etc. Cam Newton is a QB with 0 Nfl games and an intelligence of 70. He wont pick up similar blitzes through different formations like Brady would. Thus creating an actual difference in the QBs. You can do this for each position player. Let WRs have a fight for ball stat and toughness stat. Larry Fitz will fight for a ball and continue to go up the middle even if he gets hammered on a previous play in the middle. But Randy Moss, who's fight for ball would be lets say an 80, may let a few go by and just wait to make the tackle, and since his toughness will be a 70, if he gets hit 1 good time by Polamalu, the next time he runs there with Troy lurking he may just get alligator arms.

There is more that can be done, but all i'm saying is that with a release every two years, these ideas can be properly tested and introduced into future installments. Its just a thought. Hope you guys enjoy this review.

Madden NFL 12

I think it's about that time that Madden moved to the every other year format.

Observations of a madden purist...

Call it sim? Its not even built for 15 min Qrts.....