Madden NFL 10 Patch #2 Details Coming Next Week

[johnkorean]

Quote: Originally Posted by Trevytrev11

How about MLB: The Show? That should be pretty comparable, right? Both are annually released sports titles For the PS3 version over the first 10 weeks of sales: MLB The Show 08: 309,852 units MLB The Show 09: 377,282 units 09 sold about 22% more copies over the first 10 weeks than the 08 version and would have faced the same, if not worse (depends on which economist you ask) economic conditions than Madden. And it also had competition from 2K (though one could easily argue that 2K presented 0 competition).

I'm mostly playing devil's advocate here, since I think it's probable gameplay has had some impact on down sales, but:

Madden has been around forever, whereas I'm pretty sure The Show is still pretty new as a franchise. Psychologically, it's a lot more difficult for someone to look at their game collection containing 10 versions of Madden and say "You know what I need? The newest Madden." Whereas you look at the same collection and say "Hmm, already have 3 The Shows. Yeah, I can get the newest one."

Speaking from personal experience, until last year the last Madden I owned was '05, which was awesome for Xbox. On a whim I got '09 and just never played it, since I was more into Oblivion and College Hoops 2k8. I have no idea whether '09 was any good or not, but word of mouth was that it was terrible and not really worth it. This year I decided not to get Madden until hearing from a trusted friend that this year's version was a vast improvement over previous versions, especially for what I was looking for (and that there weren't the same problems of marketing NEW AND EXCITING FEATURES that weren't simply features that used to be there, were taken out, and then put back in again).

I love the game. It's far from perfect, but it's enjoyable. The sim stats for franchises are off, but I'm also playing a fantasy draft franchise, which is also unrealistic. Plus, I remember the days of NFL Quarterback Club '98 for N64, when I was perfectly happy even though every quarterback finished the year somewhere between like 65% and 70% completion percentage.

Gameplay has come so far in the last 10 years that we've gotten spoiled and just assume that the code writing for all this stuff must be easy. Doesn't anyone look at the Madden disc anymore and say "My God. Somewhere on this disc, somehow, someone has done something so that when I put this disc into this machine, Madden happens on my TV due to a series of logic functions affecting on/off switches." Technology is crazy.

[roadman]

Quote: Originally Posted by spankdatazz22

I would say all the games you noted represent their sport better than Madden represents [football]. I haven't played them all but from what I know and have read I feel comfortable saying that's the case. I think most people are able to take into account what a game is on the whole and judge it's flaws accordingly. I look at it like, if you're in a great relationship and you forget to do something simple like clean up after yourself - no big deal. But be in a bad relationship where your girl is already at the edge, that same little thing is enough to set her off. That's where a lot of football fans are w/Madden imo. I don't feel it's because Madden's being held to some higher standard, because that's DEFINITELY not the case imo. Even with exclusivity, Tiburon hasn't put to rest comparisons between it and older games - that's pretty ridiculous at this point. I'm pretty sure most fans of the games you noted aren't looking back at older iterations as being equally good or better. That's on Tiburon.

Well, as an former NBA Live player, I would tend to disagree with that. Now, maybe Live has started to turn things around with Beluba on the team, but the first few yrs on NG and previously, Live was crap. Late 90's and early turn of the century, Live was a good game.

I do believe Madden is held to a high standard because they are the only game in town and they will be always compared to the other game that a lot of folks felt was the high standard in football gaming.

Beluba's had a few yrs under his belt and Live seems to be turning around. Even last year, Live appeared to have issues, but it looked like it was going in the right direction.

Maybe there are some similarities between Madden and Live, currently.

[Sauk]

Quote: Originally Posted by jira2004

I really see why Ian is not on here anymore!

Yeah the truth can hurt.... Who want's to read how bad the game is all day long, but in the end hopefully it will get these guys off their lazy behinds and produce a game that doesn't need 2 patches and can be played correctly right from the box instead of having to wait 3 months like I have been.

[spankdatazz22]

Quote: Originally Posted by roadman

I do believe Madden is held to a high standard because they are the only game in town and they will be always compared to the other game that a lot of folks felt was the high standard in football gaming.

At this point (five years into next gen) should old Maddens, 2K5, and APF really be legitimate comparisons? I'd argue Maddens next gen ineptness has done more to add to the legend status of 2K5 than 2K5 ever did. It was a last gen game that's basically stood still for the past five years.

I sort of agree with you on the Live analogy. Both Live and Madden had horrible transitions to next gen. However, from what I've seen/read/played of Live 10, I'd say it doesn't have the fundamental issues that Madden 10 has if you're looking at how either represents it's sport. And if you look at something Live is doing with Synergy and tendencies it could be argued it's doing something better than no other basketball game has done. There's really nothing you can look at in Madden and say it's doing [this fundamental function] better than any football game before it. QB play? Tackling? Offensive lineplay? Defensive lineplay? WR play? DB play? Online? Online franchise? There's really no area I can look at the game and say it does an exceptional job at [this]; that it's gone beyond what came before it - it seems like it's all a matter of it trying to get to the level of being tolerable. When I think about things like seeing ball carriers getting juggled into the air after getting hit from behind, or seeing a smallish running back like Willie Parker break out of a 4-5man tackle with some regularity - you just don't see these types of issues in other sports games to the level you see them in Madden (imo).

The one thing I'd say Tiburon did an exceptional job actually has nothing to do with the gameplay or any of the game modes - it was with the community interaction. They went beyond what any dev had done before. I think they did a remarkable job turning around the apathy many were feeling towards the game overall, at least on this site. But in the end it came off more as marketing, as people that weren't a part of the interaction still seem to have that same apathetic feeling towards the game. Which sales bear out to be the case. There's just no way Madden sales should be declining given the NFL's popularity and their position with exclusivity. None.

[johnkorean]

Quote: Originally Posted by Sauk

Yeah the truth can hurt.... Who want's to read how bad the game is all day long, but in the end hopefully it will get these guys off their lazy behinds and produce a game that doesn't need 2 patches and can be played correctly right from the box instead of having to wait 3 months like I have been.

I love how people think that if they trash the game, the developers will sit in their offices crying because their feelings are hurt. "I'm trying really hard, guys! Stop being so mean!"

In reality they're sitting there saying "Wait, these guys think it's a terrible game and they're still buying it like sheep? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Morons. Maybe I'll go home at 2 today."

If you actually want to make a difference, complain with your wallet.

[19]

Quote: Originally Posted by johnkorean

I love how people think that if they trash the game, the developers will sit in their offices crying because their feelings are hurt. "I'm trying really hard, guys! Stop being so mean!" In reality they're sitting there saying "Wait, these guys think it's a terrible game and they're still buying it like sheep? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Morons. Maybe I'll go home at 2 today." If you actually want to make a difference, complain with your wallet.

Great point! Again it comes down to the fact that Madden has no competition in the marketplace, which I believe is the undeniable cause of all these ill feelings towards the devs. I think in thier mind they feel they can get away with releasing what is essentially a BETA version of the game. It's too bad because IMO this game is a marked improvement over previous next gen versions.

[A Brisk Breeze]

All you ever see for the most part is people complaining about the damn game. Why cant we give it some praise for christ sake. I love the game, I honestly think its the best Madden to date. I have no complaints as of right now, sure when it first came out, the holding on field gold attempts was driving me nuts, and the fact that I couldnt run the ball for my life was killing me, the dropped passes was a pain in the ***, since patch # 1 came out, I can honestly say Im really enjoying the game. Its fantastic. We can sit here say make complaints all god damn day long about the little bs that you all come up with, but the fact of the matter is, either you like it or you dont. Deal with it. I love it, I play it everyday, and will continue to do so. Same with NCAA Football 2010, say what you will, but that game is awesome as well.

[Sauk]

I haven't purchased the game in 2 years.

And if you have seen a few of the reactions that Ian has had on this board you would not be saying what you just said, because he has had a few of those "my feelings were hurt" kind of reactions.

Not a very good post by you

Quote: Originally Posted by johnkorean

I love how people think that if they trash the game, the developers will sit in their offices crying because their feelings are hurt. "I'm trying really hard, guys! Stop being so mean!" In reality they're sitting there saying "Wait, these guys think it's a terrible game and they're still buying it like sheep? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Morons. Maybe I'll go home at 2 today." If you actually want to make a difference, complain with your wallet.