Madden 11

Ok guys I am doing a bit of a post on Madden 11, which as we know comes out in August. This article will probably be useful to the likes of us gamers, Doc, 80#. Now you are probably thinking that this will be an article about how good Madden 11 will be, but instead I have a beef with this Madden and EA in general. So lets being with the new features that we will be getting this year:

Improved Run blocking, so blockers pick the right guys and create better holes for running backs.

New game flow and gameplan, so games only last 30 mins instead of an hour. So you can run plays much quicker and make better decisions.

Dual Stick Control, better player movement and motion.

New Locomotion, so players run differently and at correct speeds/acceleration, and have better running motion.

Catch Tuning, different catch animations and more realistic catches.

Better Online Multiplayer up to 6 different players that player specific players.

Oh and Drew Brees is on the cover.

Check this link for the updates. Madden Update Blog

This is a bit of the advertisement or spiel that Madden has released about this game:

"Madden NFL 11 redefines the way you experience the game of football. It's simpler: From 350 plays down to 1, the all-new GameFlow system puts you in the helmet of an NFL quarterback to execute an authentic, situational game plan, one play at a time. It's quicker: 60 minute game times reduced to as little as 30 minutes; spend more time on the field and less in the playbook. full games, half the time. It's deeper: Madden NFL 11 is feature-rich including all-new 3-on-3 Online Team Play, improved animations, more intuitive controls, and Madden NFL Ultimate Team ... all to the play-by-play of the most exciting voice in sports, Gus Johnson."

Sounds good, a lot of good new features. And they do look awesome and will be a massive improvement to the game play. But this is where the beef starts. Now I think this is all good and well but my problem is with what EA did next. They went and said this:

"In the meantime, we’d like to address some areas of the game that we know are hot on many of your radars, specifically the Franchise and SuperStar modes. Last year we delivered Online Franchise and while it was received very well by community and press, the usage was among the lowest for any of our gameplay modes. What this said to us was that Franchise mode as whole needed more than just a new access point, it needed a complete refresh. As most of you know, Franchise mode debuted in Madden NFL 99 on PlayStation, and since then, we’ve been adding on layers and layers of code each year to make it the most authentic experience possible. As console technology has evolved, it’s become increasingly more difficult to evolve the mode in-kind, since we are handcuffed by the limitations of the code from so many years in the past. To re-write Franchise mode to take full advantage of the PS3 and Xbox 360 would take well over a year to do, which is why we’ve taken the approach we have up until now. With that in mind, we made the decision to focus this year’s development on making the core areas of Madden NFL better, namely the AI, animations, playcall, and online play. While that meant not making any major overhauls to Franchise or SuperStar, we were still able to make some notable improvements while we prepare for the future. Specifically, we improved franchise stats (especially season rushing yards and season sacks), in-game injuries, Super Bowl presentation, NCAA Draft Class tuning, and we even completely re-created over 8000 players in 32 draft classes. We also added the new Meadowlands Stadium as the 2014 Super Bowl site. However, the biggest addition to Franchise mode this year is Game Planning."

Ok good so they have told us what they are doing but here in lies the problem and my beef with EA. They have told us what is in this game and what will be in next. Madden 11 will have awesome game play and that experience will be great but without the superstar and franchise modes updated as well (to acceptable standard) then M11 (Madden 11, got tried of writing it so much) will be half finished. Talking of myself I play franchise to get the players I want and to do all the business stuff, some play for superstar or for the online play. And for me M10 had a terrible franchise a put the game down after 3 months haven't picked it back up. In comparison this was the first Madden I had bought since M06, which I had played religiously for the last 4 years! And overall I thought M06 was a better game than M10. They stripped down the game, tried to simplify it trying to rely on the game play. But I don't think they realised that the game modes and game play go hand in hand. That both need to be on par and then go beyond that level to be above all other games.

Now I am going to make some suggestions, I don't think there is room for both modes on the one game. Because you have to sacrifice stuff in one for the other. I think it is about time EA realized that Superstar should be its own game. I know that would be difficult but a game devoted to becoming a football superstar is better than the sh*t that they have put out lately.

I feel that the franchise mode is what makes this game for the offline player. And it has been overlooked for so many years, I am so happy that they are rebuilding and making it what it should be. Madden Gamers like myself have been screaming for an update like this for years. And since EA has done this to other games in it's stable it is about time that it is happening. But then why put out M11? Maybe wait, build a solid game that doesn't need all the patches to fix bugs and release just the one title, next year. Call it 'The Madden' or 'NFL Madden' or something like that.

The problem is Madden 11 will be a half finished game, sort of like a prelude to Madden 12 which will be a far better game. To part with my hard earned cash and pay $110 (AUD) for a half finished game seems a bit rich. I probably still will get it because I want to try out the new game play. But after a few months I will put that game down, since I now know that there will be a better game next year. And M11 will be in the shadow of massive games to come out like GT5 and Killzone 3. I am seriously thinking that this game is a waste of money, I may wait till next year, haven't made my mind up.

I don't know what the f*** I am saying, just frustrated with these fat cats. Hit us up in the comments with your thoughts or anything else. ~ Aussie Out!

Pics from IGN.