Madden NFL 11 Demo Available Now, Please Post Impressions Here

[mems1224]

played only one game but from what i gathered i liked a lot of things. gameflow might be good but i have to play around with it mode, i just jumped into the game and hated the plays that were called. pass coverage is still terrible, i dont think this is ever going to be fixed.

animations are still awkward and still too much of players getting stuck to each other. im probably gonna pass on it this year or get it used later on down the line

[MaddenEman]

My only TRUE problem with the Demo is that I didn't or couldn't save my gameplan for when I turn off the demo.

[dough6978ct]

My demo is downloading right now. I just wish it didn't take so long!!

[SoxFan01605]

I finally fired up the demo and I'm somewhat underwhelmed. The game play does feel tighter, but with that it also feels stiff and almost robotic in certain areas (mainly on catching animations etc...it seems like things happens in stages rather than fluidly at times. Not slow, just sticky...if that makes sense).

I do feel like the improvements helped the passing game like the earlier round table thread mentioned. The sideline play is a welcome fix and there are some nice new DB/WR interactions (I actually had a few good fights for the ball and position).

-Graphics are as nice as ever (I think NCAA is lit better, but it's tough to gauge Madden's lighting off of 1 stadium in a demo).

-Presentation looks good and while he sounds a bit robotic at times and VERY forced at others (we get it...Gus is more exciting than Tom...do we need him trying to get us pumped about Verizon being a sponsor?), Gus Johnson is better overall and should be good for the commentary in the futre if they ever move to a more progressive style.

-The running game is fundamentally the same to me. I didn't notice much "wow" factor about the dual stick controls. It really felt no different than 10. the blocking may be better, but I can't really tell for sure.

-I DO NOT like strategy pad. I've gotten used to it where it's not killing the game for me or anything but I don't see the point at all as all it does is make the game less accessible and fluid. It's more of a bother on offense than defense for me (defensive adjustments have felt clunky to me for awhile and the steps are roughly the same on D with the pad as without) but a bother nonetheless. Not the end of the world or anything, just a really odd choice they made IMO.

In fact, that brings me to my biggest gripe with 11 so far. Nothing seems to have been done to really push this franchise forward. Game planning is a nice concept, but I don't like gameflow playcalling very much (and it's basically a polished ask madden without madden). The strategy pad pushes the game interface backward, the kicking meter is as easy as the R stick and now I have a giant 1990s meter on my screen, etc.

The game play is taking such small steps forward, but at least it's forward I guess. It's certainly better than the direction the rest of the game is taking IMO. Everything else is 1 step forward, 2 steps back to me. Now, this is just a demo and maybe the changes will be better/more pronounced in the final copy. Maybe it's something that takes multiple full games with a variety of teams to appreciate. I dunno.

[Napstar22]

Quote: Originally Posted by MaddenEman

My only TRUE problem with the Demo is that I didn't or couldn't save my gameplan for when I turn off the demo.

Agree 100%.but the feature is awesome

[Kibby]

Enjoyed the demo. Still lot of carry over animation issues from the past several years, but this game seems solid.

[xylocaine]

Quote: Originally Posted by AlphaTrojan

I've been playing the demo more and while it isn't terrible by any means, I'm just not satisfied with it. It's due to the animations, on most plays I can predict what is going to happen because of the 3 or 4 possible animation outcomes. If the Madden team isn't going to pursue real time physics, the least they can do is an animation overhaul. Some animations may seem like a good idea(David Tyree catch) but don't pan out. Adding more casual animations(tackles,swats,blocks) would go a long way towards re-playability and authenticity.This is still the demo so some new animations may be in the retail but not to the degree I'm hoping for.

Yeah I was expecting them to add alot more new animations then what I'm seeing, in my opinion, that's necessary to keep the game fresh if keeping the same engine. Not to mention, could collingsworth have at least 50% new material. It's like the commentary in NCAA, that commentary is plain stale just because they haven't added enough new stuff.

[ezio]

Quote: Originally Posted by wrightnreyes

question about strategy pad. on defense how do you double a receiver? i want to make it so I can have 2 players on man coverage on one receiver.

I would like to know this too. I couldn't find a way to do it.