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| Posted by : AndyP on 07/26 |
Madden 11 demo impressions
I have been able to spend some time playing the demo of Madden NFL 11 today and will be posting updated impressions as the day progresses. Remember to read these comments with caution simply because this is a demo - and a demo can differ significantly from the final product.
- The new commentary is nice, Gus Johnson was an outstanding choice. He expresses himself well, it's not the same monotone that you might have been used to
- GameFlow will be a great feature for those who are maybe pick-up-and-play Madden guys, who need their plays called for them or might want to get through an online game at half the time it used to take. For me, I turned it off part of the way through the opening drive... I'll stick with the tried and tested way of playing the game. By the way, there are two settings...
* Playcall Style - which is either "Conventional" or "GameFlow"
* Coordinator Audio - "Off", "On", "Always" or "Headset Only" - useful if you happen to be playing in the same room as somebody
Strangely, however, even with the playcall style set to conventional and the audio to headset only, it still came up with the headset graphic and the instructions for the play at the bottom. There must be something else I need to change...
(edit: there is a setting for coordinator subtitles that I somehow missed which turns off the playcall instructions)
- The running game will be familiar to anyone who has spent some time playing NCAA this past week. I like the blocking so far. One of my biggest problems with '10 - and I'm sure I'm not alone here - was that the blocking was a problem at times. I'm only a quarter into my first demo game as I type this but so far, I like what I am seeing. I also think the new locomotion/running game package works nicely - I've always enjoyed running the ball more than passing anyway so this is a nice fit for me.
- The new kick meter here will take a bit of getting used to. Not sure if that is something that can be changed back to the more conventional analog stick style of past games but it's a lateral bar where timing is the all important factor. I just shanked my first punt out of bounds for like 20 yards... ouch !
- There is a Gatorade Top Performers list that popped up at the two minute warning of the first half as well as a Verizon scoring summary after a Touchdown is scored. Anyone else miss the lineups that were part of the presentational additions two years ago and haven't made it back since ?
- Sideline awareness is in full effect - I followed the gameflow instructions (before I turned it off) and completed a nice pass to the sidelines. The receiver dragged his feet to stay in bounds which was nice to see.
- Because of the time given to the coordinator to audible his play to you pre-snap, the crowd goes silent - I assume that's the reason why anyway - and then picks it up once the QB is set to snap the ball. For that brief period at least it sounds like you are playing in a cathedral. I expect that in the full version, with the new soundtrack etc. that there will be much more atmosphere - not sure what will happen to the music however so it doesn't clash with the audio.
- I don't mean for this to turn into a review or a retrospective of previous football videogames, but I was a huge fan of the camera shake that NCAA used to have back in the day. You could feel the emotion and... I digress.
- The default speed for the demo was SLOW. I changed it to the middle setting. Last year I played Madden 10 on the slow setting largely on the advice of the developers and was happy with the game, but after playing NCAA 11 on the faster (middle) setting I changed it in this demo as well. I think I prefer it on this setting. The rationale for using SLOW last year was that it gave you more time to see the lanes opening up for the running back but with the improvements in the running game already this year I find that it happens without the need to slow the game down.
- Defense is more immersive in NCAA simply because I can choose to isolate one position and play defense as that player - pre-snap, on the PS3 I click the RS to bring that up if my memory is correct - something that doesn't seem to be there in the demo version of Madden.
- Defensive changes are now tied to the D-pad - you no longer press Y/or the triangle button to bring up options. I can't seem to find the receiver spotlight option - not sure if that has been taken out of the game at this point. Also, these defensive options via the D-pad will be difficult to execute in the short amount of time pre-snap.
- My understanding is that the final version of the game is much more polished than this demo.
- The D-pad pre-snap adjustments are awkward to say the least. For instance, it takes three button presses to initiate a change on the DL whereas it used to take just two. Against the CPU when time is at a premium - especially because the CPU unlike a human opponent doesn't have to press the same buttons that you have to - the time just isn't there. You might get one adjustment in if you are lucky.
- Running is still a lot of fun and I am seeing a lot of broken tackles. A CPU running back just evaded two separate tackles running up the sideline without really needing to juke to avoid them. |
| Posted by : AndyP on 06/11 |
Franchise mode disappointment for Madden 11
Asking gamers for their ideas of what to include in a brand new franchise mode for Madden is admirable. However, given that we've been telling the Madden developers for years what we wanted to see from franchise mode it's a concern that we are doing so with Madden 11 still months from being released. Are EA telling us that the game should be considered a write-off for fans of franchise and superstar modes. Throw in the fact that the Madden 11 franchise mode will still be inferior to that seen on PlayStation 2 and first generation Xbox versions of Madden and it is an inexcusable indictment. The NCAA development team appear to be able to innovate, add new features year-on-year and develop across many different areas of the game - why not Madden ? |
| Posted by : AndyP on 06/03 |
NBA Elite 11: Q&A With David Littman
As the lead designer for the resurgence of the NHL series in recent years, Littman takes up the position with credible success to his name and it will be interesting to see what changes are made to the NBA franchise by EA Canada. Included here are a bunch of screenshots - the first that EA have released showing NBA Elite 11 - and given that it is still apparently early in development (NBA Live was traditionally released around November) it will be interesting to see whether the visuals improve dramatically over the coming months. |
| Posted by : AndyP on 06/02 |
Madden 11 to feature online scouting
This is a welcome feature but it doesn't go quite as far as I would have liked. The inevitable comparison to make is that with NFL 2k5 and the impressive 2k Sports VIP feature. One of the most useful aspects of the VIP was not only the depth of information that was tracked but also the fact that a VIP could be downloaded and then played against. I would have liked to see EA do something similar to that and allow me the opportunity to play somebody else's profile, based on their tendencies. In fact I would have liked them to go even further and allow me to download and watch a recording of a game that my opponent has played - or be alerted to when a user is playing a game and allow me to "tune-in" and watch it in realtime. |
| Posted by : AndyP on 05/31 |
NCAA 11 demo dated
Is there a legitimate reason why the Xbox 360 seems to get a jump start on things like a demo or patch - not just NCAA in this case, but there are countless other examples where the PS3 seems to come second best. Which is odd not least because we're led to believe that the certification process for PlayStation 3 is less complicated than for Microsoft/Xbox 360. |
| Posted by : AndyP on 05/15 |
Video : Backbreaker Passing Gameplay Tutorial
It seems like people are divided when it comes to this game - judging by the comments and reactions whenever a video or screenshot is posted. They either love it or hate it, basically. As I stress time and again, this is the first version of the game - and the first version of any game is only a starting point. Since 2k disappeared from the scene, however, there has been no competition in the football videogame genre - something sorely missed in my opinion. Give this game a chance. |
| Posted by : AndyP on 05/12 |
A new Fight Night - coming soon
While the announcement of a new Fight Night (even if EA did so accidentally), is a welcome one. That said, the "Online Pass" announcement is a much less enthusiastically received development. Used game sales must frustrate game publishers, but are a perfectly valid way of purchasing games for many. Worse still, it prevents a gamer who has already paid their money to buy the game from passing it on to somebody else - whether that be a family member, a friend - without restricting the available features. Whether that be restricted to basic online gameplay or other things like downloadable rosters and other content is at this time unknown. Note the official description of the 'Online Pass' is that it "gives you access to online features and bonus content for your game". This raises additional questions such as whether the current proliferation of DLC for a game will be curtailed - what will and won't be included as part of the "Online Pass" ?
For the retailers it is equally depressing news. Many stores already rely heavily on used game sales for a significant proportion of their sales as the move towards more digitally based content affects in-store sales.
It's hard to see how publishers who are making a profit on their games already, could justify throwing in an extra $10 charge arbitrarily. |
| Posted by : AndyP on 05/12 |
Run blocking Improvements
While the vast majority of people agree that Madden NFL 10 was a huge leap forward for the Madden series on the next-generation consoles, issues with the blocking AI still remained. It's good to see that EA have addressed these for '11. Only time will tell if they turn out to be as big of an improvement "as advertised" but the signs are good. |
| Posted by : AndyP on 05/03 |
'Backbreaker': Producer Q&A
What is most exciting about Backbreaker is that not only does it provide an element of competition in a genre that has seen little if any for the last 5 years; but that it promises to deliver a football game based on a physics driven engine rather than canned animations. That's not to say one is better than the other, but it's an exciting proposition. The potential is there, but remember as well - it's year 1. No game gets things perfect the first time around but hopefully football gamers will give Backbreaker a chance and if the latest gameplay video is anything to go by it will be exciting to get a game that has been so long in development, finally in our hands. |
| Posted by : AndyP on 04/27 |
Dual Stick Control - video commentary
This could have a huge impact on gameplay, if that doesn't sound too excessively dramatic. Being able to take greater control of a player in the game when in possession of the ball is a major improvement over what we have now. I love the whole balance thing and the twisting of the player torso actually looks very impressive from a purely visual standpoint. I want to see a player lean in a different direction, sometimes lose balance and fall, sometimes stay on his feet - it's realistic. Ian also makes reference to the FIFA and NHL franchises who have nailed down gameplay like few other videogame franchises in recent years. The more that can be borrowed from EA Vancouver to better the Madden franchise, the better.
Anyone wish we could get a more realistic 3-d looking grass, however ? |
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