Five Predictions for Next Season

Feature Article

Submitted on: 09/03/2008 by Chris Sanner

You can call it shock, a surprise, a rude awakening, an eye-opener or a bolt from the blue.

Whatever you call it, EA Sports' critical success in football gaming this year was completely unexpected from this writer. I expected the games to be improved, but I never envisioned both NCAA and Madden getting above average reviews overall. When you throw in Head Coach 09's generally favorable feedback, it seems as if EA football is on a major uptick.

But is it really?

The answer is yes and no. Both NCAA and Madden have sported solid gameplay, but there was just enough wrong with each game to keep any sane human being from calling them truly legendary.

So what does next year bring? My hopeful answer is less bugs and continued advancements in gameplay and features. My realistic answer is a lot more of the same. Here are five things I am predicting for next season in EA's football games:

1. The NCAA developers will balance out the gameplay: Depending on who you ask (and if said person has the patch or not), this year has been all about the offense in NCAA Football 09. I'm going to make a very "bold" prediction and say the NCAA team will discover that there are two sides to a ball game and defensive struggles are as much a part of college football as the shootouts we have grown accustomed to when it comes to NCAA 09.

I'm sure some guys from the NCAA team will read this so just let me give a bit of advice on how to solve the crisis. Tone up the defenses to meet the offenses but make the difference between a 99 overall defense and a 70 overall offense a bit more discernable. A game between two similarly ranked teams should have any number of possible results, but this year it has been all about the offense.

Hopefully next year the defense won't be powerless right out of the box.

2. Madden will include an online franchise: Seems like an easy prediction to make doesn't it? Well, in this day and age, you just never know if online franchises really are a given. However, with the developers right down the hall (or across the room) figuring out how to do a multi-season Dynasty mode in an online setting, I think the Madden guys should be able to figure it out.

3. Create-a-School will finally make its return: Yes, I'm calling it here: create-a-school must make its return this season. After years of disappointment and sadness from NCAA fans, create-a-school will be making its long awaited return. Create-a-school making its return must be accompanied by all new logos, all new options and some kind of an awesome stadium creator. Honestly, if the old mode makes its comeback and still is the same as the original mode from nearly a decade ago, just leave it out.

Next year, franchise facelift...make it happen EA.

4. The franchise mode in Madden will get a face lift: Since Madden is going to be getting an online franchise mode (I said it so therefore it must be true by Internet logic), EA is going to realize it has to improve the franchise mode in order to make it the center of the new game. Let's face it, franchise mode right now is just so-so at best. At one time, the franchise mode in Madden was deep, innovative and the best we had ever seen. Then the year 2005 happened and the world started to change with the next generation of consoles hitting store shelves.

Gamers demand a truly next-gen franchise experience from the flagship professional sports video game series in the USA.

5. EA will finally "get it" and try to make the in-game action seem more real: After the gimmicky, yet largely improved menu interface for Madden this year, you still get the feeling the Madden developers forget what true presentation is supposed to be like. Thus, EA will finally realize the err of their ways and reverse course next year.

On one hand, the broadcast titles and overlays are well done and the play calling menu is very easy to use. On the other hand, if you look at the actual in-game presentation you are going to get bored. Madden (and NCAA for that matter) is boring -- still.

Am I the only one that felt a bit bored with this years game's atmosphere?

Without creating a much larger article (which will be hitting newsstands at OS near you next week most likely), let me just say that EA needs to realize the crowd has to feel alive, the players need to actually interact with their surroundings, and the game cannot feel like a video game if EA wants the presentation to be quality. (Also it would be nice to have a better pregame and postgame show.) This year's versions of football games were a slightly more exciting than Women's Air Rifle Shooting at the Olympics when it comes to overall presentation.

But what do you folks think we'll see in next year's games? Will we see EA Tiburon continue to improve their games or are you in the camp that thinks it's worthless to hope for anything meaningful to come out of Orlando anytime soon? Let's hear from both parties and see what types of things you all bring to the table.

Madden NFL 09 Videos

Member Comments

# 1 labguy @ 09/03/08 04:21 PM

Overall I agree with your top 5. The only thing I would do is put number 2 and 4 at the top. Madden is EA's flag ship title. The franchise mode has been ignored for too long. I personally think even with the disparity between offense and defense on NCAA, that it still has greater replay value due to the online dynasty mode. I think both titles are headed in the right direction for once. Overall though someone at EA has to look at how they are doing QA and come up with something better though. Earlier community days maybe? Beta release to limited amount of users? I don't know but what they are doing now is not working. Too many things that we find in 2 hrs of gameplay are getting through.

# 2 asu666 @ 09/03/08 04:29 PM

Madden and NCAA:

1. Quality Test, quality test, quality test...
2. Madden 2005 was great because it amped up the D. Lesson learned?
3. Why does NCAA still use generic stadiums? Bite the bullet and hire another stadium builder or two.
4. In-game presentation should be vastly improved (e.g., ESPN NFL 2K5). Maybe EA doesn't want to use the ESPN assets in-game because they want the license linked to Madden and not the other way around, but you guys still need to blow out the stats and overlays. Those need not slow the game down as much as something like Backtrack.
5. The CPU should know the difference between a cheeser playing 5 minute quarters and someone trying to play a sim like 15 minute quarter. The cheesers have been winning lately because every down is hurry up against the CPU teams and that makes playing 15 quaters unrealistic, especially in NCAA.
6. Where is Owner Mode in Madden and why doesn't NCAA have player conduct and some of the other last gen features yet? March Madness had a whoel campus and program build out feature.
7. Did you guys get the memo about the clock running after the ball is set when someone goes out of bounds in NCAA?

Overall this year was a giant step up from last year, so some credit is due. As far as I'm concerned though, ESPN NFL 2K5 is still the best football game ever made. I think five years is enough time to finally get your act together and trump it, if for no other reasons than it ends the complaining and the fans deserve better.

# 3 RaychelSnr @ 09/03/08 05:11 PM

Just one note, I actually didn't put these in order of how I'd like them. I actually alternated NCAA and Madden until the last one, so these aren't in the order I'd like to see them.

# 4 rudeworld @ 09/03/08 05:47 PM

Madden lack of presentation is what makes that game so boring..... with NO pre or post game shows and the laughable halftime show is here just funny. In NFL 2k5 a game which was released 4 years ago still outshine this game in presentation and some may say gameplay.....EA should be ashamed with the fact that Madden doest even seem like he is in the same game as the guys in the booth..... does he even say there names when sending it back to them from showing the halftime highlights? the game is just dull the main reason i traded it in...... and still playing NFL 2K5

# 5 asu666 @ 09/03/08 06:03 PM

The worst thing about the CPU's rush to the line to snap the ball is that there are all of these great defensive adjustments there that no one that doesn't play the game 20 hours a day and have memorized would possibly be able to make in the short time before the ball is snapped. I hardly ever see the CPU put a man in motion or make adjustments at the line. That's the game within the game and its broken right now.

The ball is hardly ever snaped with more than 5 seconds let on the ball clock in real life. Ever game someone breaks a school passing record because the hurry up approach the CPU takes adds tons of extra plays to every game.

Not to mention the clock not starting when the ball is reset aftering going out of bounds. That doesn't even matter because even if it did start, the CPU would still hike the ball with only three seconds having run off of it.

I have my penalty sliders turned up to 100% on v1.02 of NCAA and it's rare that more than once in a game of 15 minute quarters in there a penalty called. That helps the already over powered offense be that much more effective because they never have to deal with long yardage situations.

# 6 Moegames @ 09/03/08 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smokez4DAyz


	The Atmosphere got a little better, I can feel the action on the feel thru visuals, so, mission accomplished.

wow

mission accomplished? Hell no brotha.. not even close to mission accomplished. Tiburon has ALOT to learn in the Atmosphere Dept...which is needed for a NFL Vidoegame. Hopefully Ian feels the same..we'll see but as it stands..the game feels DEAD as it always has. The last NFL football game that felt alive was NFL2k5.

If your wanting to know what atmosphere is and what is exactly needed in Madden..do a search of my posts, most of what i post in here is nothing but the much needed atmosphere and presentation so badly needed in both games or better yet, use the seach engine, direct it to Madden Forums Only and Type in "Atmosphere" without the quotes...... you my friend, do not see the light, sorry to say

One of the MOST IMPORTANT aspects of NFL Football is totally missing in Madden..atmosphere and presentation. NFL games THRIVE on that stuff in real life.. come on, how can you not see this..are you a Madden developer or something? Sure sounds like it..

# 7 PaulZweber @ 09/03/08 07:31 PM

Otherwise known as a wish list...Why would they bother putting in an online franchise when they can work on online leagues for another two years? Create-a-Team? They can't even get editing players correct! You must be psycho to predict a facelift for the offline franchise! Oh wait, didn't they already announce this? Nevermind. College is all about offense, Madden is all about getting your offense stopped. Middle ground? Not with EA...

# 8 asu666 @ 09/03/08 07:48 PM

Madden Presentation Issues:

1. The pregame shot of the stadium exterior is the same road and cars on the lower third of the screen every time. The stadium shot is okay, but I would prefer an in game model that sweeps into the stadium's interior or even a photo would be better without the road and cars in the foreground and the cheesy downtown shot in the background like every stadium is right downtown. I played a game in Phoenix and it looks like the stadium is in downtown when it is actually in Glendale. A shot with hockey arnea and Westgate in the background would be better. Even the empty fields around the stadium would at least be realistic.

2. Backtrack is okay, but it takes too long to run and it rarely is right about which receiver is actually the best to throw to in a given situation. I've seen it pick out guys that were in triple coverage with a guy wide open on the other side many, many times. I guess it figures the guy that is alone on the other side of the field is on strike.

3. Were is ESPN? It's in the menus sure, but were are the statiscal overlays, pregame hype, halftime show, and postgame show? It seems like EA payed a lot of money to keep 2K from using the license, more so than wanting to use it in Madden. Almost a total watse imo.

4. I love the interactive sidelines in All Pro 2K8. Run into the sideline and the players will grab you to slow you down. break one down the sideline and your team steps up to the edge of the fild to cheer you on. I see some really scripted animations that play over and over in Madden. All Pro even has the actual defensive team standing on the sidelines when the offensive is on the field or offense when defense is on the filed. Even the prop fans to circulate air on the sidelines help add some motion and depth where Madden has these blurry faced things that stay in the same frozen animation the whole game with a couple of them on the edge of the group cheering even when nothing is happening.

4. I think the crowd died before we came out of the tunnel.

5. The down on the field run out in Madden 2008 was better than the low res helmet baloon run out from up on high in Madden 2009.

NCAA Presentation Issues:

1. All of the stadiums should be in the game by now.

2. I'd like to see the ESPN presenation carry over into the game overlays and statiscal breakdowns, but I know EA wants to use its own presentation. With that being the case, watch any game on any network and there will be more presenation going on than during NCAA gameplay.

3. The pre, halftime, and post game shows need to be developed.

4. The commentary is pretty weak. I don't know how many times I've been chastised for choosing to punt when it is forth down and I'm on my side of the field. Corso always thinks I should go for it even though I have a 7 point lead and there's under 2 minutes left in the game, or its the third quarter and I'm winning by 50 points. It doesn't matter.

# 9 RaychelSnr @ 09/03/08 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Smokez4DAyz


	The Atmosphere got a little better, I can feel the action on the feel thru visuals, so, mission accomplished. Hit stick camera, weather related speed changes, Night and Bad weather lighting, post play skirmishes or help ups, alot of little things, that you may not notice while you're frustrated with some cheesy guy online or the CPU A.I passing for 73%. As for NCAA, I don't know how much they can make defenses any better, the hash marks are farther apart in college, so drags and pitch outs are far more successful, mobile qbs, and star offensive players will always have the advantage in college, did you see week one of college? Lots of busted plays, only USC looked dominant, and OHIO STATE looked great, everybody else gave up at least 20 points. Maybe more infractions, due to the youth and inexperience of the atheletes.

I honestly didn't know there was a crowd in Madden until my second or third game playing. The atmosphere in Madden is downright terrible, among the worst I have seen

# 10 ofdman @ 09/03/08 09:53 PM

EA knows EXACTLY what they are doing! They have PLENTY of meetings when deciding what to work on and what NOT to work on so having a BLAND, non existent atmosphere is all part of the plan. Just another thing they can, attempt anyways, to get everyone excited about NEXT year. Haven't you guys noticed by now EA's plan? Their method of operation? One step forward, two steps back. They know good and well that their game lacks in this area or that area. It's all on PURPOSE just to set up next years HYPE!

"It's all...part of the plan." That should be their tag line instead of "It's in the game" since it fits a lot better. And, is true. "It's in the game" ??? Yeah right.

Pathetic that after all these years and especially after 2K5 that EA doesn't have a pre game / half time / post game show. Madden 09 is boring. Plan BORING!

# 11 baumy300 @ 09/03/08 09:58 PM

Definitely some good ideas in there.

# 12 Coachwf @ 09/03/08 10:52 PM

Former hardcore PC gamer and used to buy Madden every year until about 4 yrs ago. Decided to skip NCAA this year for Madden on the 360 and I got so bored my first couple games I am considering ditching it already. It really is bland. Can't believe the series has gone backwards, but it sure appears that way.

Obviously the gameplay isn't perfect, but I don't mind tweaking sliders. The presentation is just terrible though. No names on tackles, crowd is lame, virtually no pregame, halftime, or postgame shows. Need to show more stats in the game, etc. etc. How about a weekly show highlighting games from around the league like College Hoops 2k?

# 13 Chargersa7x @ 09/04/08 01:21 AM

Agreed with the list, but it sounds like another wish list that will be ignored. Heres to HOPE!

# 14 thescoop @ 09/04/08 02:00 AM

I predict EA finally uses ESPN. Next year we'll get a weekly NFL Live show to watch, Pre-game show, halftime show (complete with highlights from other games around the league) and post game show.

I predict Ea will bring stadium sounds over to Madden next year so we can put actually music used at these stadiums.

I predict Ea will put some focus on crowds and the roar of the crowds. Now we'll see fans cheer at the right times.

I predict EA will give us real sidelines that are actually interactive. They will follow a page from 2k's playbook.

I predict EA will finetune the madden IQ and make it more workable.

I predict Madden and NCAA will be more close in features and improvements

I predict I'd be very happy if at least half this list made it into the game.

# 15 Radja @ 09/04/08 12:33 PM

i predict next season, the reviews for ncaa and madden will be glowing and fail be in the 9 range calling it the greatest nfl/ncaa football games ever.

i predict that 3 weeks later the author of said review will then post how there are huge areas that need improvement.

i predict that that the author will also predict EA will finally fix the wish list of 2006 by 2012.

# 16 RaychelSnr @ 09/04/08 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dopeboy206


	I can care-less about presentation. They need to fix their interception bug. Their A.I. is bad. I played a game against the computer one time and threw 8 INT's. Some of these interceptions look uncatchable by the cpu because they were out of position but they still did anyways.

You say that...but I am willing to bet most gamers would play a game with awesome gameplay with absolutely terrible presentation and would come away feeling the game was just so-so. I think the expectations of gamers has risen to the point where just great gameplay is not enough to please the masses anymore. Does anyone else agree or am I off my rocker?

# 17 PaulZweber @ 09/05/08 11:52 AM

I completely agree with you Chris. Great presentation has been done for this type of game, and EA has the capability. If you are throwing eight interceptions in a game you need to quit going deep so much, try to find open recievers. We pay $65 per game, personally I expect quit a bit out of a game for that kind of money.

# 18 dubz @ 09/05/08 02:07 PM

I predict that EA will never use the ESPN license becuase the only reason they bought it is so that 2K can't use it.

I predict that next year's Madden will feature QB's dropping back 15 yards hucking up 60 yard bombs.

I predict that there will be no signs of a real pocket for the QB to throw from.

I predict that offensive linemen will just stand there and not block anybody when you play on All Madden.

I predict that the franchise will freeze on me like it has for the past three years.

I predict that they will add more things that I never would dream of using like Tron Mode, and Superstar Mode.

I predict that when my halfback runs a flat pattern, and I throw it to him, that he will run the pattern all the way to the sideline, catch the ball right next to the sideline, and then make no attempt to not go out of bounds. BTW this has been happening since Madden 93.

I predict that the announcer will not call the players by there names, but rather say things like "He catches the ball", "He throws it deep", or "He slides to the ground."

# 19 youALREADYknow @ 09/08/08 01:28 PM

Quote:


	I predict that when my halfback runs a flat pattern, and I throw it to him, that he will run the pattern all the way to the sideline, catch the ball right next to the sideline, and then make no attempt to not go out of bounds. BTW this has been happening since Madden 93.

FYI, EA fixed this in a patch for NCAA 09 and the sideline play is much better. Too bad all CPU controlled players avoid the sidelines like a plague and run back into the middle of the field on easy breakaways. Doesn't EA realize that most breakaway plays happen down a sideline? I've rarely seen a player in real life who is streaking down a sideline with nobody in front of them all of a sudden start zig-zagging back towards the hash marks.

# 20 tbbuccaneer87 @ 09/08/08 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ofdman


	EA knows EXACTLY what they are doing! They have PLENTY of meetings when deciding what to work on and what NOT to work on so having a BLAND, non existent atmosphere is all part of the plan. Just another thing they can, attempt anyways, to get everyone excited about NEXT year. Haven't you guys noticed by now EA's plan? Their method of operation? One step forward, two steps back. They know good and well that their game lacks in this area or that area. It's all on PURPOSE just to set up next years HYPE! "It's all...part of the plan." That should be their tag line instead of "It's in the game" since it fits a lot better. And, is true. "It's in the game" ??? Yeah right. Pathetic that after all these years and especially after 2K5 that EA doesn't have a pre game / half time / post game show. Madden 09 is boring. Plan BORING!

lol i read a funny *** tag line for ea. instead of "It's in the game", it said "It's in the game....next year". i thought it was hilarious.

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