Madden NFL 11 Review

[Scottdau]

Great review Steve. Can't wait to this get this game tomorrow. I was not so hype for it last night, but after reading this article I am hyped again!

[roadman]

Quote: Originally Posted by turftickler

Here is my review of Madden 11. It is better than Madden 10. The gameplay does feel to be more improved, but after I played Backbreaker, I feel like I am missing come realistic collision detection. The bad: 1. Players slide off of each 2. Ball physics are terrible and look ridiculous 3. Poor collision detection 4. Same 5 tackle animations 5. I hate the camera shaking when players get hit 6. I hate the camera stoppage during INT's (Just let the INT's play out like in real life and stop swirling the camera) 7. Where is the player lock that NCAA 11 has on defense? 8. Animations are too robotic The good: 1. Graphics are good 2. Player models are better than last year 3. Slightly better gameplay 4. My copy will remain on the store shelves this year (How can this be good you ask?) Well, I save $65.

Surprising and shocking.

/sarcasm.

[bears5122]

You guys have this rated higher than NHL, NBA 2K, The Show, and FIFA. So is this the best sports game of the year at the moment?

[stlstudios189]

I will agree the reveiw is still super positive I am pumped for this game for the first time since 2005!!! No way the game is a 9 with little franchise improvement but what ever man. Only 4 hours to go

[pietasterp]

I will preface this by saying I have only played the demo, not the entire retail release game. I can't agree or disagree with the reviewer re: the game content, but it seems to me that the review was much different than what I generally expect from an OS review. I don't want to say it was better or worse, and this is not a criticism per se, but it does seem that the overall tone was much more "IGN" than "OS". There seemed to be a lack of hard-hitting analysis of the minutiae that only OS'ers would care about, such as the already-mentioned near complete lack of detail about the defensive and special teams aspects of the game, and a lack of attention to detail about the mechanics of gameplay. Does the defensive AI start taking away flats/slants if you go to the well too often? What kinds of averages per carry/per game is he seeing over the course of a season? I'd like to hear more about how the blocking has been revamped; is it still "big-on-big", or do the lineman truly zone block?

Of course, no review will address every question people will have about a game, and someone is always going to disagree with whatever number someone puts on the game (which is why I think in-depth reviews should leave out a number...After all, Pauline Kael never finished a review of a Scorsese film with "8.5 (good)"...). I'm also not arguing about the overall tone of the review - after all, if a game is good, the review should have a positive tone. I understand reviewing this game is a thankless job; I mean, you might as well put a big target on your a**, especially in a place like OS, the second you even say anything about Madden. But I feel that on the whole, the review lacked a certain incisiveness and "next-level" depth that I expect from OS. Perhaps the reviewer was under time pressures that we aren't privvy to (don't OS reviews usually take a while to come out, giving the reviewer a chance to thoroughly play-test the game?) or else he was under space constraints (thus not allowing him to go in-depth on every detail). Or maybe he just thought the game was really good and reflected that in the review. I just wish the hard-core sports nerd aspect wasn't given such short shrift in the one place I can normally come to see someone get legitimately upset about improper blocking technique from a fullback on a 1-yard gain. I want OS to be more Tim Kurkjian and less Stuart Scott. But I guess that's really my problem...

[DLaren]

Quote: Originally Posted by OS Madden'11 Review

"The run blocking has been tuned so well that I hardly ever want to throw the ball."

Quote: Originally Posted by OS Madden'11 Review

"The locomotion and momentum improvements in Madden 11 feel like a throwback to the Playstation 2 days"

Quote: Originally Posted by OS Madden'11 Review

"With the new locomotion engine, the player differentiation is now greater than ever."

Quote: Originally Posted by OS Madden'11 Review

"the route running appears to be refined this year."

I am in complete agreement with these observations and these are the primary reasons why I am enjoying this Madden'11 title so much.

[kr3w]

I respect peoples opinions, and I expect the same to be done to mine as well. With that being said; of course you guys give Madden a 9. After playing Backbreaker, and playing the Madden 11 demo, I have no idea how the hell anyone could like Madden 11. The game felt, looked, sounded, and played like complete crap, objectively speaking.

I HOPED Madden 11 would have been better, and I'm disappointed, again.

[bullitt_711]

Well to me just going off common sense the game has to be an improvement over last years game. Why? It's the same game in the core, it looks exactly the same. All they did was do a major patch for it. That patch included gameflow, locomotion, the presentation was tweeked it seems better, protak seems improved, stadiums look better, graphics look tighter, rosters obviously changed.

To me personally the exciting adds for this game is the new rosters and locomotion, the rest of it is nice, but really those are the two that pull at me the strongest, and my Ravens finally getting a stud WR to go along side the cool as hell D Mase.

I think last years game was rated too high though, neither one of these games 10 or 11 is a 7 and neither one I assume (havent played 11 other than the demo) will be a 9 or 10. There both 8 somethings, but again i think it's only common sense this years madden will be better than last years.

I just really dont want to pay $60 bucks for it but Amazon hhas a $20 gift card with purchase that makes me anxious.

The other thing is I know in a month and a half I'll be 24/7 Elite and NBA Jam.