Madden NFL 11: The Speculation Commences - RaychelSnr's Blog

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RaychelSnr's Blog

Madden NFL 11: The Speculation Commences Stuck

Posted on January 12, 2010 at 03:24 AM.

(15)

Madden fans across the vast world wide web are abuzz tonight after EA CEO John Riccitiello fired the first bit of information out about Madden NFL 11 in a conference call with investors.

Riccitiello initially said about Madden that there would be "an innovative and new take" on the game. IGN quotes one of those wonderful unnamed inside sources who said about the announcement on Madden, "This is an innovation that changes the game significantly�and no one will see it coming."

This, of course, has set off an internet firestorm as many speculate as to what Riccitiello actually meant with his statement. Is he talking about making Madden more arcadey? Is he talking about the Wii version? Is he talking about NFL Trainer? What about Project Natal?

There are a lot of questions for sure.

Rather than back down at the enormous challenge laid down by the unnamed EA employee, I think we should take a step back and analyze what we do know right now at this moment and form some conclusions based upon what we know.

First, we know that Madden sales were disappointing this year according to Riccitiello himself. However, Riccitiello did acknowledge in that same statement that Madden was received with higher marks from critics. It also goes without saying that just yesterday, EA announced a much lower than expected earnings forecast which was undoubtedly due to weak sales.

Second, we know that a new creative director for the football titles was hired recently in Mark Turmell. We know Turmell has worked on numerous arcade titles and we also know that he has had a long string of successes in the games he has worked on through a couple of decades worth of releases.

Third, we know the part of Madden which has not really been touch is the in-game flow which has been very similar each year since 1998. That approach is call a play, make pre-snap adjustments, run the play, see cutscene, call next play.

Fourth, we know the IGN source claimed the innovation (singular) changes the game significantly and no one would see it coming.

Fifth, we know via twitter that Ian said the 2009 Mission Statement, "Everything you see on Sunday," still applies.

So how does it all tie together?

We know the game has worked off the same formula for over a decade. We know sales are declining. We know a guy who brings a much different approach to how games flow and should be played was brought in. We know Ian has claimed the 2009 mission statement still applies to the product. We know the innovation supposedly changes the game significantly.

The last bit of info is key (and also the most unreliable), and I believe that Madden is likely undergoing some major changes in regards to the flow of the game. Basically, the pacing of the game as well as the general presentation of the in-game portions of Madden could very well be undergoing some major changes this year to change how the game is fundamentally played from the old call play, run play, cutscene format. What that might entail is anybody's guess, but that certainly seems to be what we might be looking at.

There are other possibilities as well, such as enhancements to the Wii version, project Natal support, or some type of integration with the detail-light NFL trainer game. But the announcement's and source's wording seem to indicate whatever is planned is planned for both major platforms and will change the fundamental aspects of the game, so I don't think it'll be a small add-on feature or integration with another EA product. As a wildcard, the statement might refer to an expanded Madden Ultimate Team mode as well.

As always, we'll stay on top of things and play the wait and see game like every other speculating sports gamer wondering what this new and innovative approach to Madden is. Expect more concrete details on Madden to start leaking by Spring. Until then, let the speculation continue!

Comments

# 1 allgames @ Jan 12

I think it has to be something simple but radical like passing, kicking/punting and blocking using the camera/motion controls. It could also be something related to fantasy football or maybe...using the madden game to predict the next play during a live game. Say you're watching MNF and you have the teams playing in the game loaded up in this new mode. Before each play happens, you could try and choose the play that the team will actually call/run. Get it right and get madden points of some kind. Personally I would like them to add a spectator mode too.

# 2 Valdarez @ Jan 12

My worst fear is that EA's Peter Moore's idea of a 'pay as you play' Madden is on the horizon. That's the day I am done playing football.

# 3 TreyIM2 @ Jan 12

I'm not going to speculate as to what this new "innovation" is going to be but the fact that it was said that "This is an innovation that changes the game significantly…and no one will see it coming." really makes me cringe.

Now, I know companies trying to push their products on the masses will come up with grandiose statments they feel will generate excitement, buzz and all that but for a game like Madden that still needs a lot of core gameplay fixes, I prefer the focus to be on that UNLESS this grandiose statement applies to EA coming up with an ALL NEW ENGINE for the game that has mindblowing animations while further improving on those core gameplay issues. That's just what I hope for. Other than that, I'm still very scared of that "This is an innovation that changes the game significantly…and no one will see it coming." statement, knowing how EA has tried so many different gameplay features over the years that didn't quite pan out.

# 4 jimbo1215 @ Jan 12

They say things similar to this every year. I've been playing madden since '97 on the Playstation. IMO they need to worry about making the game work like its supposed to first and foremost. Unfortunately I don't think that's comepletely possible until the game is built from the ground up essentially. Not to make it sound like the game is terrible, it has some great features, unfortunately they don't all mesh together well or always work like they should. So as I stated before, I would be happy with a game that works as close to Sim football as possible, stop adding new features that don't work entirely right, and please commit to your core fan base. that's where your sales are coming from year in and year out. Leave Madden Arcade for the casual football fan. I also believe a spectator mode would be great and something I would use very much as long as the talking is limited to the spectators amongst themselves and the players amongst themselves.

Just my 2 cents. take it how you will.

# 5 ashantewarrier @ Jan 12

They need to fix what's wrong with the current version and knock it off with the gimmicks!

# 6 bigsmallwood @ Jan 12

".....no one will ever see it coming..." I really hope it is not some gimmick......I hope its a new engine or something that is going to TOTALLY alter the way we have seen and played Madden. I won't speculate further than saying, I can't wait for the first video. Let the games begin.

# 7 TreyIM2 @ Jan 13

Just thought of something - Maybe they are using the Euphoria engine for Madden 11. Now THAT would COMPLETELY fit that potentially over-the-top statement Riccitiiello made. Who would really see THAT coming especially with Backbreaker finally about to hit in April and no known news of EA bringing in that engine or even being in talks with Natural Motion regarding the engine.

Oops, I think I just speculated.

# 8 Mofficial @ Jan 13

Applause, applause and more applause to rodriggo. They continue to make their "innovations" seem groundbreaking and amazing when, all we're ASKING for is some simple, basic gameplay that accurately reflects how football is played in the NFL. THAT IS IT! We are simply in need of these game creators to study football. Speak with the coaches, bring in the players, gain a sense of what football is like. LOOK AT A GAME! I mean seriously! I just want what happens in real life, to happen in Madden. I've never seen somebody just spin out of a tackle that was made by 4 other guys. I've never seen a player run straight up and down. Add a composure rating. Create momentum. We should not care if there's a new innovation or not. The game should be the innovation itself. IT should allow the player to go deeply into all of the aspects of the NFL. And GAMEPLAY SHOULD BE THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY. Forget about it looking pretty, you can dress it up later. What's a Pug with makeup on? Still ugly (no offense to Pug owners out there). They try to listen to this and listen to that, and still don't get it. I've bought every madden since I got into it in 04 to try to support the title. After being promised so much in 09 and finding that there were still multifarious flaws in Madden 10, EA will not be getting my $60 dollars. They can get a demo download and maybe a rent, but I've managed to repress my need for a football sim, since none now can satisfy.

# 9 Mofficial @ Jan 13

@TreyIM2, while they may be great news as Madden could potentially be a LOT better, I would really like Madden to not hop on somebody that doesn't EVEN have fair grounding in competition.... That would just be so lame.

# 10 superstarshad @ Jan 13

Im really excited about Madden 2011. If you played Madden NFL 10 extensively, you find a game that is extremely solid. The only thing Madden was missing was a ton of features. Im expecting Madden 2011 to have a ton of bells and whistles never before seen in video football. In regards to gameplay, I would like to see these 2 features; pressure sensitive, user controlled, precision passing and motion control snaps. The passing game in madden is way to easy and the number of qb made incompletions are few and far in between. When you complete a pass in Madden it should feel like you did something, rather than pressing a button. In regards to motion controlled snaps, why do we need designate a button to hiking the ball. What I would like to see is the user jerk the controller to hike and have a split second to press a face button (square, x, circle, or triangle) to coordinate the offensive line against the pass rush.