07-23-2009, 02:56 PM
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#664
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Banned
OVR: 28
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Texas
Posts: 3,301
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Re: Madden NFL 10 Demo Available, Post Impressions Here
Let me preface this by saying that I'm a 32 year old football purist and a HUGE fan of 2k football. I had every console version of Madden up to 2001 and stopped after 2k came out. My love for the NFL has kept me intrigued in Madden, but it has failed to make the cut for the last 6-7 years.
OK, Now, the demo...
First off, I want to say that I am VERY impressed. The slower, more realistic game speed is an excellent change and makes the game play out in a much more realistic manner. I played a full game (Cards/Pitt) and I saw lots of things I liked, and some things I didn't like.
Passing Game Observations:
The passing game FINALLY has made the jump that I have been waiting for. It's not totally there just yet, but it's pretty damn solid. The ball doesn't look like a cannon ball shooting through the air anymore. Wobbly passes look great and passes bounce of of receiver's hands just like they do in real life. You can now pass the ball over the middle without a super human LB jumping 5 feet to pick it off. The trajectory of the ball is very realistic now too. I threw a pass to Boldin in double coverage and it was tipped by the defender, Boldin reached for it and got a hand on it, and then Breaston lunged and caught the deflection. The entire sequence looked fantastic. I saw Roethlisberger make some overthrows and under throws. The QB movement feels much better than it looked in the videos also. Jamming a receiver at the line actually exists!!! When I pressed I saw my DB push, tug and even knock over a receiver at the line. It was awesome. Being able to throw the ball when you get hit is cool, but it always does the same bad throw. A lame duck just shoots out at a 45 degree angle and sits on the ground like a brick when it hits the ground. Hopefully this will be different in the retail version. One of the best things I saw was when throwing to the sideline either on corners or outs, the receivers now have sideline awareness and you can see them attempt to keep their feet in. It looks pretty good. It's not quite as nice as 2k's awesome sideline animations, but it's pretty sweet and looks realistic.
Player Movement:
Being the monster 2k fan that I am, player animations have always been a big deal. Everyone has been fretting over Madden's player animations and physics. I am happy to say i was pleasantly surprised. It's actually done quite well. There is still that occasional "shotgun blast to the back" tackle animation, but most of the time it looks very realistic and the gang tackling looks and feels great. The blocking and OL/DL interaction looked and felt pretty good to me also, and I could see the pocket form properly. No more running outside the pocket and throwing across the field. Admittedly, I did not see much evidence in the vids of the procedural awareness, but when playing the game it shows up quite nicely and really adds to the realism. Pretty cool. The throwing styles of the QBs is also very cool and adds a lot to the game. I did not see any "rocket catch" or "jet pack" or whatever you madden experts call it.
Miscellaneous:
Play calling seems solid and the O lineman seem to do their job the way you draw it up. Pulling guards get in proper position and running backs hot routed to stay in and block pick up blitzing defenders quite well. On defense, man coverage seems to be much better now and you can actually use it again, although I'll need to play the real game more to tell.
Conclusion:
If you are a guy like me who has played nearly every console football game over the past 25 years, you just want a great NFL game. NFL 2k5 was that game in 2004. I don't have a biased opinion towards any particular company. I just love realistic football. I've always been a harsh critic of madden over the last 6 years. Only because I want a great game. I think this game looks like it could be a real winner. It has some flaws of course, and there are a few things I wish were different, but coming from a big 2k fan like me, it's certainly looking like a solid game.
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. But after a few snaps I liked the way it felt, timing seemed to apply more. I had medium expectations for the demo and can say I have't been let down so far. I now eagerly anticipate August 14.
