Madden NFL 11 Demo Available Now, Please Post Impressions Here

[staffan]

Played around 10 games on All Pro.

Today, this happened:
Computer Sanchez throws right to the sideline.
I take control of the CB and I decide to go for the pick.
In perfect position the ball seems to go to my hands but the suddenly ends up in the hand of the wideout.
I just had to go to the replay!
When the ball is just about to land in my CB´s hands - WHAT - the WR puts his arms through "my" arms to grab the ball!

I know, this is nothing new for Madden but I thought that it was gone (naive, I know).

This really kills the game for me!

But, can someone please tell me:
This physic "problem" is gone in FIFA and NHL and if I read correctly soon also gone in NBA because Elite is using the same physics as NHL.
Why is this not used in Madden?

[inkcil]

I guess the saddest thing about the gameplay is that when I go to instant replay and look at why plays do or don't work, it 99% of the time it comes down to Completely Blown Blocking Assignments.

For example:

I just failed to complete a screen pass to Reggie Wayne on 3rd down, which seemed completley fine. The pass was rushed, Payton was tossed to the ground, the ball was kinda wobbly and Wayne Alligator-armed the pass (with two defenders bearing right down on top of him) and dropped it. All of that was fine. But upon replay, I looked and saw that the two offensive players responsible for blocking the 2 defenders simply ran right pass them. With friends like that who needs enemies? Reggie Wayne was toast whether he caught the pass or not...never had a chance when his blockers decided that they weren't going to engage the defense.

[ComfortablyLomb]

Finally got around to downloading this...

- The Gameflow system is incredibly stupid. As soon as the coordinator started explaining Two Man Under to me I shut it off. I've watched hundreds of NFL games and played probably a thousand games of Madden in the last decade+ so I don't need the hand holding. Beyond that, the system is basically "Ask Madden" rehashed. I gave it a shot for a quarter and shut it off. I don't see myself ever turning it back on.

- The preplay controls really didn't need a new button scheme but the hate on this forums seems overblown. Once the controls are memorized it seems like it will be equally quick. The one thing that seemed funky was the AI offense snapping the ball a little too quickly. I'd hate to see them running the clock down to a second or two on every play though so maybe I shouldn't complain.

- Players seem to have more weight to them with the new Lomotion system. I like it but don't love it. It seems like some more tweaking might be needed but it's a possitive step. Pro-tak gang tackling appears to still be in the game but toned down from last year. I could be wrong about that, maybe they're just canned animations.

- Reciever animations seem a lot better and more "aware." They're not perfect but there's an upgrade there that isn't getting the recognition that it deserves.

- Gus Johnson is better than what the game had before but the booth audio still stinks. The problem is that it's so spotty and broken up, basically no flow to the commentary. It's just blurb, yell, or whatever and then several seconds of silence and repeat.

[blackceasar]

MY REAL-TALK NO BS DEMO IMPRESSIONS:

GAMEPLAY:

I feel like the gameplay has improved but I still think it has a long way to go. For me I think' NCAA's gamplay is much better. Locomotion to me is better in NCAA as well. In the Madden Demo it looks "slapped on" for a lack of better terms. Im not trying to make this an NCAA vs. Madden post but I feel like the Madden team could take some notes in some areas from the NCAA team. I actually dig Gameflow in "some" ways. I have found that when the coordinator calls in an offensive play, if you execute it CORRECTLY (and the D isnt all over his play-call) you will be rewarded. I dig that. I still think on the flip side though it can take away from some of the control you have over a game. Now what I think would be AWESOME here is when you play franchise mode, your offenseive and defensive coordiantors you hire have a true impact on your game if you use gameflow. What I mean is the great ones are better play callers. For example, lets say its 3rd and 1 on the 50. Lets say its OBVIOUSLY a running down. Now lets say almost every OC in the game would call a running play, BUT your top tier OC's wouldnt call "JUST" a running play...they would call "THE BEST" running play for that situation taking into account the fatigue of your players, the state of the other teams defense, etc. I see this as a franchise feature and seeing EA was too lazy to touch Franchise this year to get "swagger" into the game, one can only hope for gameflow to get this kind of depth with franchise mode in 2012 (wont hold my breath though).

I do see more of a seperation between the good players and great players. Revis shut down his side of the field for the most part. There were times though when Wayne had him beat but Peyton stopped looking over there because the last 4 times the ball went that way Revis had 1 pick and 2 deflections. I think the running game is probably the most improved aspect of the gameplay this year. It's nice to see momentum not carry your player out of bounds when catching on a sideline either although it still happens with more of a canned "tip toe" animation. In NCAA you see recievers actually stay in bounds and try to run up feild. I dont see that as much in Madden, again I think NCAA did a much better job.

GRAPHICS:
Better than last year? Yup. A bigger improvement over last year than what was done with NCAA? Nope, not even close in my opinion. Stadiums look amazing this year though. Not sure about the weather because this is still just the demo. Animations are nicer but again, it seems like there could have been a little more done this year.

PRESENTATION:
Do I like the choice of Gus Johnson? Yes I do. Am I pleased with his actual implementation into the game? Nope. Not at all... This is why, while Gus' voice and personality in my opinion is the perfect fit for Madden, the actual execution of this commentary and play by play sounds more like Joe Montanna Sports Talk Football (it was an old Sega Genesis game for the youngsters reading). It's too chopped up. I feel like they half-assed thier sessions with him in the recording booth. It's just not smooth. It sounds like when you are trying to pay a bill over the phone with an automated system. Okay not THAT bad, but I think you see where im coming from. He will say a sentence that flows nice only because its all done in one read but when it's time to place a players name someone in what he's saying there is a disconnect in tone, sometimes volume, etc. It starts to just sound robotic at that point and I think it takes away from the feel of the game. Especially when its a really sweet play. Now if this game was the first sports game to ever have commentary, I would give them a free pass...But when I fire up NBA 2k (even NBA Live), NFL2k5, NHL10, and MLB The Show... I makes me tell EA "so what's your excuse?"

Sound (not commentary)

Ummm...where is the crowd? When you score a touchdown, it seem like this year EA said "okay, we only have time to focus on the crowd and stadium sounds after a TD OR focus on the animations of the players after a TD". I think EA chose the latter of the two. You have just ran the ball up the middle, broke two takcles and stiff armed a saftey to break out for 40 yards into the endszone only to be rewarded with, almost silence (and some broekn up Gus Johnson commentary). WTF??

Other little presentation things:

I have spent the past 11 years working in an industry that has a heavy graphic design component to it. I don't know know who EA has over there handling overlays and post play grapics/interface etc but it feels like they grabbed some interns from the local university...or some VP of EA's kids. To me the scoring drive stuff looks kind of bland. Big flat box with a grated texture and some small text with a BIG Verizon logo off to the side.

I think EA is still dropping the ball when it comes to broadcast style presentaiton (in game). Sure they have the little ticker thing at the bottom with a players headshot and maybe showing he's got 3 tackes and 2 for a loss so far in the game but I wonder what's stopping EA from taking something like that and throwing it up int he center of the screen brodcast style, give it a much richer broacast graphic treatment and then have the camera in game actually focus on that player while they throw up his current game stats. EA, steal 2k5's presentaiton package...you'll thank me for it. Im just saying for myself, part of the fun about a video football game aside from actual gameplay and beating people is the overall experience. This is the reason why you never get tired of playing each game of MLB The Show. its why I can play a 162 game season in that game easier that i can get exited about playing a 16 game season in Madden. I still think EA's people responsible for presentation really don't get it or understand how to "tell a story" during a game..and I dont mean literally. I mean with stats, overlays, graphics, etc. Its being done now...just not in Madden. Overall though EA has added some nice touches here and there.

FRANCHISE:

There is no franchise mode in the demo...but what I have read is telling me not only did EA NOT even take a single tiny baby step forward with this. They actually took big steps backwards by removing what little NFL broadcast feel the franchise has had. Nope..no more NFL show during your franchise....

OVERALL:

I dig the demo, I really do. My comments were not a "bash EA" as much as a "look man, this is what you do well, this is what you could OBVIOUSLY do better". Is Madden 11 better than Madden 10? The demo tells me it will be better than Madden 10. Wether or not its worth 60 bucks for what I feel is going to be more of a patch than a real new game I will leave up to each individual consumer's tastes. There are some glaring things though that Im hoping and praying are the way they are because of its a demo (choppy commentary, silence in the endzone on scores, etc) but if those are going to be the same in the final retail build... I will still buy the game but it will be more of a change of pace game from NCAA 11. Meaning Ill prob play 10 straight games of NCAA 11 then one game of madden (before I get mad) then go back to NCAA for 10 more games.

[LionsFanNJ]

On thing Madden does on the Demo that NCAA retail fails at....Punt Return blocking and play in general. I feel if you can get past the first two or three guys, you got space to move and the blockers arent' dumb. Something i wish NCAA tuned.

[vch1212]

I just can't understand the thinking behind presentation. I mean why won't EA just put these guys in a booth together and let them go back and forth for hours? If its to expensive, then just get a bunch of no name voice actors, break em up in to broadcast teams and have em on different games. Make up networks and separate the games that way. That would be great. I don't think the fans really care if its collinsworth / Johnson or the guys from 2k5..(Who to this day still sound fantastic, even though I am a Madden fan!). Why won't they try this? Why?

Its so frustrating. Anyway I love the game play and lighting although I am a little insulted that Game flow is "Ask Madden" just repackaged...did they think we wouldn't notice a re-gift?

I love the passing game and can't wait till we one day find a replacement for the whole Y Receiver X receiver thing.

All in all they did ok. But sometimes I do feel like they don't care about details and they care more about casual fans.

[mrod009]

This game is solid if you overlook the minor flaws. One major flaw however is the tackling. What happened to Pro Tak?

Gang tackling seems non-existent.

[Golden28]

Nothing about Madden's yearly upgrade (although it could pass as a patch this year) excites me anymore.

I just get the feeling that it's a very average game from a very average developer who have become stilted without any competition to fire them to greater creative feats.

Shame really.