Madden Ultimate Team First Look (Gamespot)

[SouthernBrick]

Doesn't look like something I'd be interested in even though it is free it seems lame.

[BlueNGold]

Quote: Originally Posted by Steeler99

+1 .............

Do you not read? It's already been posted a few times that Ian said a separate team worked on this, not the guys that made Madden 10.

[Icarus2k9]

As a massive fan of the concept of UT in Fifa 09, I enjoyed the final product without truly loving it. If they avoid the following banana skins, then the game will be a lot more compulsive than you think. But these are REAL banana skins, which led to the game being a "everyone has great teams on day 2" clustersuck.

1) The "cash shortcut". There is very little chance of EA not copying this from Fifa 09. The bronze, silver and gold packs could be bought with real money. We're not talking a huge amount of money though - enough for EA to make cash while allowing people to buy several gold packs for a paltry sum. Which brings me on to point 2...

2) Coin farming. If you were willing to buy a gold pack from the start, any rare players you had could be put on the ebay style auction market, where surprise surprise, people were paying astronomical amounts of coins for a card. E.g. Gold pack is 5000 coins, people were paying 60,000 coins for Cristiano Ronaldo. You could then purchase 12 gold packs, which you could just sell on through the Ebay setup for even more coins. By paying about a dollar, people would break the challenge of the game.

3) Then the online tournaments (which are reminiscent of soccer knockout cups) were too inclusive. There were varying levels of cups, with different experience entry requirements...but NO team level maximum. So if you hadn't coin farmed on day 1, you would have to beat four five star (90+) teams in a row with a two star team at best. For the first cup in the game. Out of 18. Most people didn't get past the bronze cups, because they didn't have the sense to say "Okay, bronze cups can only have x amount of non bronze cards used in them" or some other limiting factor.

3b) Couple that with the cheat cards, and you had no chance. Oh yes, those who coin farmed had gold class cheat cards. So they could reduce your entire team's stamina to paltry levels for an entire half. After beating three teams, having someone just cheat four times and beat you by default is rubbish. Especially with Madden length games.

4) The ultimate team concept works fantastically in Fifa because how small your squad was compared to how many footballers there were in the game. There were thousands upon thousands of players available, every kit and more besides, the works. But the smaller amount of teams in Madden will hurt the variety Fifa offered. Everyone will be one of five QBs, one of five RBs, etc etc.

5) Oh, and there are plenty of contract cards. Gold ones give players up to 20 games at a time. Remember coin farming? No worry about losing anyone to contract expiry.

The first day of UT was the best time I have ever had online, period. Then people got in the way and turned it into the equivalent of playing the Patriots with Adrian Peterson, Troy Polamalu and Patrick Willis. Every game. While they filmed you from the sidelines.

I hope they've avoided ruining the concept for the pursuit of a quick gain (the dollars that come in through purchasing packs the easy way), so fingers crossed.

[kjcheezhead]

Quote: Originally Posted by Icarus2k9

I hope they've avoided ruining the concept for the pursuit of a quick gain (the dollars that come in through purchasing packs the easy way), so fingers crossed.

I doubt very much they've avoided this at all. In fact, they've got to be counting on it. Purchasing them the easy way adds up to a lot of money for EA fast and it gets them off the hook. Technically it's free, but if u want to enjoy it, cough up the cash.

[Icarus2k9]

It wasn't impossible to play without paying - I got to a three-four star team through offline cups. It's just...there's no real room for being a purist these days

[marcus82]

any man, woman, boy, or girl at EA not working on fixing madden's bum @$$ engine is a wasted body. I'm talking from the janitor on up.

If someone from another team was allocated to work on this little trading card game then they should've been realloacted to the Madden team.

just my opinion.

[ScoobySnax]

Quote: Originally Posted by tj1182

I don't like it, but still why are they releasing it in January? Most people stop playing Football after the Super Bowl. I always play last game after the Super Bowl before it gets berried in my shelf.

You're sticking it between 50 packs of Life Savers?

[GTheorenHobbes]

Quote: Originally Posted by marcus82

If someone from another team was allocated to work on this little trading card game then they should've been realloacted to the Madden team. just my opinion.

Mine, too. Get 'em working on more camera angles, improved presentation, in-game saves, better commentary...I don't care, just put 'em to work on something.