What You’ve Missed: Madden 12 Review - cursive's Blog

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What You’ve Missed: Madden 12 Review

Posted on January 13, 2012 at 08:54 PM.

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Now that we have gotten our first review out of the way, let’s move on to our second serving. Some would say this is our meatiest game we are serving up, as one of if not the most popular sports game ever. I will admit most of my time will be spent on the sticks with Madden 12 in my console, for better or worse of course.

The Breakdown:

With most consumers concerned about added content of sports titles that are released every year, EA Sports leaves little untouched in Madden 12. We will test out the product behind the scenes as well as on the field and see what improvements we enjoy the most, and which ones don’t stand up to the hype. With big promises going into this year’s title of Revamped Game Modes, we will look into each addition and see how it stacks up starting with Presentation. EA Sports upgraded all the bells and whistles for those who like to see the atmosphere in the stadium when not on the field. They added authentic player introductions specific to how each team comes out on the field, pregame actually feels like what you would see on Sundays. But once in the game things tend to drop off, like commentary that doesn’t match at times and replays that just show both coaches reaction instead of the play. Also to finish the half and the end of the game we still don’t have highlights or a post-game wrap up.

If you are a player looking for offline games such as Franchise or Superstar modes, EA has revamped both systems almost to the point that it gives you a very different feel. Additions such as Expanded Roster, Free Agent Bidding, and Player Editing throughout the course of your Franchise were a huge improvement. Unfortunately each did come with its own setbacks, such as Random Undrafted Free Agents, Less Free Agent Logic, and NCAA Draft Imports with disproportionate players. Something you will notice however is how much the Dynamic Player Performance will affect your players week to week. Get your quarterback on a Cold Streak and watch his accuracy on the field disappear, but work his confidence back up with quick passes and check downs that will get you out of that slump. All and all the additions still outweigh the flaws and I have enjoyed each week and each off-season task in my offline franchise. A quick note about Online, one of the nicest additions was the creation of Online Communities. EA gives you the ability to create a group of Madden players who during Play Now will only play against each other and track the stats within said group. I know I will never make it to the Top of the Madden Ranks, but I can now be #1 in my Online Community and have bragging rights over my friends. There were even changes to Madden Ultimate team where you can now trade, sell, and auction your player cards. The only negative is that we will have to wait to see any major updates to Maddens Online Franchise.

One of the biggest features coming into this year’s title is the addition of Custom Playbooks. We had our concerns of how this would affect online play but saw the potential for Franchise Mode and players looking for that authentic feel. Out of the box, Madden’s Custom Playbooks weren’t without flaws, but were a great addition none the less. Once again, because we played the game since launch and long through the past two months, we have now seen the audible and formation stacking issues go away. Turning from call playing to game playing, you will notice the difference from player to player on how they go about their game because of the new Player Roles and Traits. Not to get into too much detail but examples of Peyton Manning, a quarterback who stands in the pocket, compared to Michael Vick, who looks to scramble, each trait decides how a player reacts in the game which makes for play close to their real life counterpart.

On offense, the passing game has gotten a nice touch of realism by adding a decrease in accuracy when throwing of your back foot. But given time, your quarterback can light up the field with the deep ball and work in some nice comeback routes. On the other hand running the ball is very similar to NCAA as the blocking AI has taken a big step forward which shows when lineman are working off of a double team to get to a linebacker. Again the lack of suction in blocking and tackling has only made for a smoother experience, when trying to pound the rock and possibly break one all the way.

Defensively we saw some much needed additions that get you a realistic feel and allow for improved control of your entire defense. EA Sports has included Individual Assignments, which allow you to select a single corner back and assign press coverage or shade a receiver on the inside or out. Even without individual assignments the pass defense in this year’s Madden has improved with both zone and man coverage. Also note that even with the flats are improved, zone doesn’t play like NCAA as it has its own feel. Something you might notice right away is when you go for a tackle, the animation is not automatic at all. If you run to the ball carrier and you don’t use the Tackle button or Hit stick you will run right past him. The lack of suction is something you will need to get used to, but it is a something you will learn to appreciate. One thing to note if you play on All-Madden, the Defensive Assist button is removed from the game on this level.

Final Note:

With all the additions and improvements EA Sports has been able to input in this year’s installment of Madden, we can only expect great things to come. From presentation to rebuilding game modes to game play on the field, this is hands down the best I felt about Madden in a long time. So if this is a game you have not felt the need to purchase every year, Madden 12 would be a great chance to get back into the flow of things and I promise you won’t be disappointed. Out of the box we definitely saw some hiccups but nothing big enough to take away from everything we liked. But since this is Madden and this is a game I expect so much from, because it is so close to my heart I felt like I had to be a little more critical with my score.