Madden Community Backlash - Kushmir's Blog

Kushmir's Blog

Madden Community Backlash

Posted on August 19, 2010 at 08:45 AM.

(24)

I've played Madden long enough to watch it struggle through its first year of online play (Madden 2003) when users were able to use gamesharks, quit at will and put HBs @ QB, WRs @ TE and all other manner of foolishness. A jet-packing/Mike-Vick-is-too-good controversy in 2004, the infamous juke/kickoff/fatigue glitches in 2005 and the dreaded Run-Pass Glitch in 2006 in addition to many people feeling like the next-gen later that year didn't live up to the hype of the much-celebrated Next-Gen Trailer. Madden 2007 and 2008 were largely unspectacular and it wasn't until 2009 (field degradation, dirty jerseys) that people started to get excited again. Madden 10 was largely a breath of fresh air that did have a "flats" issue but largely gave us the best gameplay the series had seen since, well--EVER.Then came August 10th, 2010...and many Madden fans are still shaking their heads in disbelief. I talked to several prominent Madden site owners and to a man they agreed that the community was stunned, angry and felt betrayed. One wrote: "There definitely is a lot of backlash. I Think EA underestimated the reaction longtime fans would have to them directing the game more casual."

The Madden Community is in up in arms right now. People are not happy. The game has been out a little over a week and people are already screaming Patch. Why you ask? First it was the Strategy Pad. While I don't find anything wrong with the decision to incorporate the SP, I think that like the speed burst option there should have been a choice. Before the game even released, EA said they would patch it within the first month, no big deal to me, but to many this was Strike One.

Next there was the moment when people actually got their hands on the game. It was readily apparent the defense had been Dumbed Down to such an extent that many long-time users wondered out loud if Madden had finally catered their game exclusively to casual fans who may have thought the game too complex, too difficult and intimidating. While off-line Madden users adjusted sliders and got the game they wanted, Online was a fiasco, as any average player found it easy to rack up 40 point games with ease. Punts were an afterthought and 4th down conversions in excess of 15 yards were routine. Fair Play rules? Nowhere to be found. The Madden Community was shell-shocked. There was a universal cry of "Patch the Defense" but as of this writing it hasn't even been addressed. Strike Two.

Then came the Coup De Grace, THE FINISHER. Two shots center mass. First, it was revealed that online players were no longer able to play our friends in ranked games, people complained badly, and although I agreed with the decision based on protecting the integrity of the Leaderboards from Rank Manipulation--I still thought friends would be able to get wins and losses with no ranking points. Lastly, after years of being forced to play the CPU online when an opponent left, Madden fans would finally get their wins the instant an opponent quit and be free to find another opponent. NICE. but no so fast, the new system sadly had a pretty big Achilles Heel. If a person quit in the first half? You got no win, no points, no nothing except for 15-20 wasted minutes you could never get back. After word got around quitting first half had no consequences? Quitting Ran Rampant. Fans of online play cried foul when they found out, and still are--and as of this writing still, nothing has been done. Strike Three.

I can't say what will happen or how this will end, but I know that people's patience has worn thin and that if something's going to be resolved it needs to happen SOON. The community seems fed up with their concerns being ignored and the same issues with gameplay rearing their heads year after year after year. They're tired of a handful of people giving them a sub-par brand of virtual football--and although i've stuck up for EA in the past, I can't go along for the ride this time. This time--they're in the wrong. WAY WRONG. Alienating the long-time Madden Community is bad any way you slice it. I fear that there may be so much animosity after it's all said and done, that long-time Madden fans may jump ship the first time there is a legitimate competitor to the Madden franchise just to spite EA and Tiburon. Hopefully the Powers That Be get the message--time is certainly of the essence.

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Comments

# 1 Beastly Wayz @ Aug 19

NCAA This year is much better. I like you have stuck up for EA on the Madden Franchise for way too long. It's the same issues year after year. I am completely disgusted with the Madden this year.

WHERE'S THE DEFENSE EA

# 2 goatriderhorde @ Aug 19

Great write up! This is the first time I'm not planning on buying Madden. Partly because of the dumbing down, and largely because franchise is worse now than it was on last gen. Between NCAA, NHL 11, NBA 2k11 and The Show, my sports itch shall be thoroughly scratched.

# 3 roadman @ Aug 19

Good write-up.

Offline, which is what I play the most, can be adjusted with sliders. Online, I agree, is a mess.

# 4 ODogg @ Aug 19

Great article and I 100% agree! However you most definitely can play your friends in ranked games. If you go to the Friends list in the main menu you can't challenge them to a ranked match there but if you simply go to Leaderboards, sort to your friends list, then you can challenge them there.

# 5 rooney8 @ Aug 19

Quote:


	I fear that there may be so much animosity after it's all said and done, that long-time Madden fans may jump ship the first time there is a legitimate competitor to the Madden franchise just to spite EA and Tiburon. Hopefully the Powers That Be get the message--time is certainly of the essence.

I agree with this. Being constantly told we want to make the best sim game possible only for it to become more arcde every year makes people hate the EA and Madden. I think if they ever do make a great sim game they will have pissed off and alienated so many of their fans they won't buy it anyway. Was a bigger deal years ago but with Fifa, Nba2k and the Show video game sports fans can get enough of a fix to live without a football video game.

# 6 Kushmir @ Aug 19

ur a lucky guy--i tried the offline thing this weekend. just isn't for me. i need a human opponent to challenge me.

# 7 Kushmir @ Aug 19

yeah Odogg, me and my friends have been playing as we normally would. i've got ZERO issue with not get ranking points from playing them. i'm just baffled that i'm not able to get credit for my victories over them--empty victories or not.

# 8 Answer348 @ Aug 19

I appreciate that you dislike certain aspects of the game, but this seems like another case of dissension among the vocal minority. From my experience, this is the best and most complete gameplay that Madden has ever had. I think you're inaccurate if you believe that your displeasure is shared with more than 5% of all Madden players.

# 9 dsallupinyaarea @ Aug 19

Great Article man. Agree 100% on everything. I have one problem. I know they put sliders and it can effective "fix" offline, but I don't feel that a game should be shipped broken with an option for the user to fix it. It makes me angry that I have to adjust the game just to make it playable right out of the box.

# 10 Kushmir @ Aug 19

you could very well be right Answer, because we don't have access to all the data. maybe this is why we haven't heard anything. the old "they'll shut up eventually" mentality....the casual fans don't HAVE boards--in fairness every community i went to (even casual-ish places like IGN and Gamespot had numersous threads complaining about the very things we're talking about now.

# 11 Acedeck @ Aug 19

I agree with the article, though I feel there are even more issues than just the few listed above.

I feel like there's no reason for me to hold onto this game at this point. I intend on selling it. Here's the kicker: I never activated my online pass code, so EA loses out on that too. Whoever buys my game won't need to give EA the extra $10 to play online.

After all, the online is ridiculous this year. Who should have to pay $10 to play what we've been delivered this year?

# 12 StormsWarning @ Aug 19

good article i agree as well, i would also like to point out 3 years ago peter north spoke on the PC platform, saying we'd have a madden title by 2010, well the next installment is here in 2k11, and not only are alot of people upset that the consoles versions are broken, but the PC community is up in arms as well, how is it that this game can be developed for every platform, but PC? i mean even a cell has a version of madden 11? that is just down right ridiculous, PC community is starving for a next gen madden, yet alone a full working version, most including me are playing the last installment madden 08...

# 13 dat boi Q @ Aug 19

no matter how u feel madden sales have been decreasing year after year
when i went to the mid night release their were only three other people

# 14 blazer003 @ Aug 19

NCAA was pretty good online... until they broke it as well. I honestly wonder if EA did this on purpose to try to get people to say, "Ah, NCAA is broken, let's get Madden," seeing as how bad they knew Madden was not getting a good vibe in the community.

# 15 CoachDavid @ Aug 20

This is the firstbyear I have not purchased Madden.
This both EA and the NFL's fault.
Competion is the the foundation of a free market.

NFL cancel the exclusive with EA, stop scheduling Thursday games, and well, let the players celabrate after scoring

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