Madden first impressions

The first thing I did was take those stupid IQ tests.  I'm going to give the Madden IQ thing a try for a few weeks and see how the game plays using that before I go with Pre-set difficulty settings and slider tweaks.

 

I then went in to see all the various modes and options, viewed some rosters, set my music play list (they always have all the cool NFL Fims music tracks unselected in the "jukebox"), I maxed out penalty settings since those are never called, I changed game time to 12 minute quarters and I viewed the default audibles.  Then, after about an hour of messing around, I fired up my first game.  I decided to re-create the recent preseason game of the Dolphins vs. Bucs at Dolphin Stadium.

 

I ended up winning 29-7.  It sounds like I dominated, but I really didn't.  I only scored one offensive TD, a run by Brown.  The rest came from 5 FGs and an interception I returned for a TD.

 

The Bucs turned the ball over 3 times (2 interceptions and one fumble).  I had no turnovers although I did fumble twice, but I recovered both times.  First fumble was by Brown as I was fighting for additional yards.  The second came after my QB got blind sided.  Both times a Dolphin lineman fell on the ball.  I scored 17 points as a result of the Bucs' turnovers, so it was not like my offense was dominating.

 

McCown (Pennington is not on the roster yet) finished the game with 0 tds, 0 ints, about 58% completion percentage and about 178 yards.  I was sacked twice.  Pretty realistic stats.

 

Ronnie Brown rushed for a little over 100 yards with a 4.0 ypc average.  But they were all hard fought yards.  He only had one nice run of about 17 yards.

 

I've been reading a lot about the CPU QBs being too accurate, but I held Jeff Garcia to a 60% completion percentage and he only had about 190 yards with one TD.

 

The biggest problem I saw was that the CPU running game was pretty weak.  They barely cracked 60 yards for the game (if that).

 

Now, some gameplay impressions.

 

First, I want to get this out of my system.  I HATE THE QB ANIMATIONS!!!  Whew, I feel better.  This is one area where 2K is 100X better than Madden.  The way the QB drops back, shuffles around in the pocket, and throws, looks totally unrealistic.  QB's also don't seem to have to wind up to throw long passes.  They get the ball out way too fast and a lot of the times they only use their arms as if they were throwing a 10 yard pass, yet they are zipping the ball 30 yards down the field.  Looks terrible.  This needs to be fixed next year.  Also, the football looks way too big in their hands.

 

Other than the terrible animations, the passing game felt pretty good.  I think the passes fly through the air too fast, but that is fine.  I was able to put some touch on a few passes and lay the ball in just over the linebackers and just before the safeties.  That felt good, since in past Madden games you know those linebackers could swat anything down that was near them.

 

The running game felt like a big improvement over past Madden games.  The biggest reason being gang tackles and the ability to break out of animations.  The gang tackles are not as dynamic or impressive as the 2K games, but it is better than the single-man tackle-fest Madden was a few years ago.  You can fight for some extra yardage now after going into a tackle animation so the animations don't feel as canned as they used to.  The lanes and holes opened up by your o-line won't stay open for very long so you really have to follow the play to a T, hit the hole hard and fast, and be happy grinding away for 4 yards at a time (if you are lucky).

 

One thing I have always enjoyed more in Madden than the 2K series is playing defense.  I enjoy playing as a MLB, but never felt comfortable controlling one in any of the 2K games.  I would always over-run plays and take the linebacker out of the play.  In Madden I feel like I can get him to go where I want and I have a much more enjoyable experience.  I was also able to put good pressure on the quarterback by mixing up my blitzing and changing from Man to Zone coverages often to keep him off balance.  The great thing was that it wasn't automatic.  Sometimes the blitz would make him rush a throw, or dump it off to a RB, but the CPU would also read it on occasion and hit the whole in my D for a decent gain.  It was a good back and forth.

 

I'm going to need to turn down FG accuracy because I was 5/5 on FGs from all sorts of distances (3 were 40+ yards) and I had perfect aim and power each time.  Didn't come close to missing one.

 

Overall, my first game was a fun experience.  There are some things I don't like and I still think that 2K has Madden beat as far as realistic animations and the tackling system is concerned, but it sure was fun playing as the Dolphins again.

 

Plenty more testing left to try.

 

A new low . . .

Boy I am pathetic.

 

So I have some time to kill yesterday and I decide to go to Best Buy.  Seemed like a good idea at the time.  A few blocks from the store I realize that it was "Madden Holiday" and I'd probably be tempted to buy the game if I see copies laying around.

 

No, I can be strong I think to myself.

 

I walk up to the store, the sliding double doors open and I am greeting with a beautiful 50" flatscreen TV showing, what else, Madden 2009.  And I have to admit, the game looked gorgeous.  The grass textures were phenomenal and the colors just popped.  Very vibrant.  Very pretty.  I force myself to turn from the screen and next to me is a table with about 30 copies of the game.

 

I hesitate for a moment . . . then grab a copy and head for the register.

 

I really need to do something about this football problem I have.  Expect impressions soon.

 

I suck.  lol.

 

Madden

So, up until last week I was set on picking up Madden this year.  There is no APF 2K9 to give me an alternate choice (thanks again for that NFL), so Madden it was going to be.  And after not playing an NFL game last year, I was kind of looking forward to it.

 

But, thanks to last week's demo, that is all out the window.  Nothing about that demo impressed me.  I think the Madden IQ and adaptive difficulty thing is just asking for trouble.  And from what I've been reading, EA decided to remove CPU Sliders this year as well.  Wow.  Are you kidding me?  First, NCAA's CPU Sliders were completely bogus and did not work and now Madden doesn't even have CPU Sliders!!!  I have ZERO faith that Tiburon's programmers are talented enough (or even have the time), based on what we've been getting from them the last few years, to implement an adaptive intelligence system that will work perfectly for everyone and we'll have no need to adjust the way the CPU plays.

 

Plus, I don't want the game to change to accommodate my weaknesses, I want to adapt to the game myself, by getting better.  Does the game take into account what team you are playing when deciding to change the game to your play-style?  What if you cannot rush because you are using a team that just has a really weak running game?  I do not want the game making the running game easier!  I can't run because my team is not supposed to run!!  Like I said, this system sounds very shady and it is just asking for trouble.  The fact that you have no CPU Sliders just magnifies it by 10X!  They should have spent all that time just improving the AI and tweaking the preset difficulty settings.

 

My impressions from the actual gameplay were pretty bad as well.  The QB dropback is still so unbelievable ugly and unrealistic I cannot believe it has not been addressed yet!  The animations are still 5 years behind 2K as far as realistic movement is convcerned.  Graphically, the game is looking nice.  The stadiums and field look fantastic, but the animation just kills the the visuals for me.  And what was EA thinking by giving you a demo that only has 1:30 minutes of gameplay and you cannot play defense?  Great job!

 

I don't like to judge games from a demo (negatively judge it at least) so I will wait until the game is released and see what the folks over at Operation Sports have to say.  I hear EA is already working on patches to address some of the problems found by those with an early copy of the game.  Who knows, maybe I'll be picking the game up in October or something, if the gameplay drastically improves from what I expereinced, but it won't be next week.

 

In-game XMB works great, but in-movie XMB? Not so much . . .

The 2.40 (I mean, 2.41) PS3 Firmware Update which added trophies and in-game XMB access has been working swell.  Sure, the games I own do not support trophies yet, but it is good to know it is there (I guess).  In-game XMB access has been very helpful.  Unfortunately, there is no XMB access while watching a dvd or bluray disc.  I spend a good 50% of the time using my PS3 for dvds/bluray watching, so I find this disappointing.  The 360 lets you access the Guide regardless of what you are doing, so I was hoping for the same functionality from this firmware update.

 

It is still a step in the right direction, I am just saying . . .

 

I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks . . .

A word of advice for anyone picking up Hot Shots Golf: Out of Bounds.  Especially those who are fans of the series.

 

Use the new Advance Shot Method.

 

I resisted it at first.  Why learn a whole new control scheme when the traditional 3-click system has been solid for over 10 years now?  Plus, I felt I had mastered it well enough to hold my own.

 

Well, the game seems to urge you to try the new method.  There are a few challenge events that you can only participate in if you use the new method.  Plus, you have more overall power with the new method, since the game handicaps the 3 clickers by reducing their max drive length.  So I caved and jumped into practice mode to give it a try.

 

Surprisingly, I warmed up to a lot faster than I thought I would.  After just 3 holes I was beginning to feel comfortable and after finishing an 18 hole round at -16 using the new method it is safe to assume that I feel really comfortable with it.

 

It has actually increased my enjoyment of the game; and I was already enjoying it!  So, for those who shy away from change (me), please give it a try.  It is well worth it.