EA/NFL Extend NFL Exclusive License by One Year to 2013

[RGiles36]

Quote: Originally Posted by kjcheezhead

Take a look at Madden 10s line play. Guards stand in place and spin 360 on toss plays. There is no real pocket in that game either. There is also a catch, with improved line play comes the terrible pro-tak system that animates like a goofy group hug and then has scat backs break out of the animation by having difends slinde down and off like the rb is covered in vasoline. So you fixed your big-big problem of line play and traded it in for ridiculous tackling, and that makes ps2 version unplayable? Ps2 has had great sideline catches for years, Madden 11 finally got it. Ps2 has a playbook editor, play creator, allows you to creat sub packages before the game, allows individual press coverage, has formation shifts, user controlled celebrations,in game saves, has more organic commentary, better running and tackling animations. Madden 11's major feature to counter all this is gameflow and rewinds which allows for the cpu to pick plays and do overs if I feel cheated. Not trying to offend you, but claiming the improvements to line play outweigh all the positives I just posted and that ps2 madden fans play for nostalgia is just ridiculous to me.

No offense taken ...

Even w/ the shaky line play of M10, I'd still venture to say it was better than anything the PS2 Maddens produced. Fast forward to M11, the line play was vastly improved. The run-blocking, while it's not perfect, is the best that Madden has ever offered (best ever in a football game for my money). And in pass-blocking scenarios, the tackles actually get a little depth which allows the QB to actually step up in the pocket.

For what it's worth, the slippery-pig group tackle animation rarely happens in M11. I've personally have seen it no more than 5X. As far as PS2 sideline catching -- heh, I didn't think it was anything to write home about. Clearly just my opinion though. You think the tackling was better last generation?

My point remains the same: the gameplay now is better than it ever has been. The previous generation offers a level of depth that has been unmatched, and I acknowledged that in my previous post. But when it comes to gameplay, I'm not sure how one can go from what we have now to the PS2.

[mestevo]

Quote: Originally Posted by EddieV

I posted this a few pages back, and it's still true. EA was basically giving Madden away this year to even get to 5 million: "I don't think anywhere close to 5 million people paid $60 for M11. One million of those sales were on PSP/PS2/Wii, first of all. Secondly, there were all kinds of discounted pre-orders this year, and everybody was selling it at $29.99 pretty much from Thanksgiving until Christmas."

Some of these kinds of things can be tracked btw.

http://camelcamelcamel.com/Madden-NF...uct/B002I0JB6E

Was never $30 on Amazon, any time it was close to that low it was a sale, and those are retailer specific, just like the initial sales on launch that people tried to say were EA reducing the price because of poor pre-orders (there was an official OS blog about this). When a publisher reduces the price you can see it done uniformly everywhere.

EA hasn't ever lowered the price of Madden to $30, retailers did, there's a difference.

[EddieV]

Quote: Originally Posted by ryan36

Once a retailer buys inventory, it's the retailer's to price how they wish.

I don't think that's true -- that's why you hear these guys talk about "sell-in" numbers, which only means shipped to retailers. Look at EA's most recent financials, where they talk about maintaining a HUGE reserve for EA Active 2 due to its underperforming sales. If it was true that a retailer could price how they wish, there wouldn't be any need for EA to account for reserves (i.e., unsold units).

[ryan36]

rgiles I'd rather have depth. It keeps it replayable. I'm not a sim-head. Too sim is boring...really I want a good OL and a bad DL to play like it, I want deep customizable playbooks, I want QB's to act different...and WR and TE to not cheese w/stuff like the rocket catch.

And even in m11, instead of just getting beat on a block the blockers just run to the wrong guy, like the FB ignoring the DL in front of him to block a LB. Is it the best in Madden, probably. The best we've seen? Not in my view.

I know I'm playing a video game and I'm ok with that. But it better be fun.

[EddieV]

Quote: Originally Posted by mestevo

EA hasn't ever lowered the price of Madden to $30, retailers did, there's a difference.

Who cares? It's still less $ in EA's pocket (see my above post).

[mestevo]

Quote: Originally Posted by EddieV

Who cares? It's still less $ in EA's pocket (see my above post).

Now you're backpeddaling from your original point of EA making less money. The inventory is purchased, it's the retailers sacrificing margin and then some to get you to buy from them (typically to either get you in the store and/or with the expectation of you buying more than just that item).

Retail 101.

[mestevo]

Quote: Originally Posted by ryan36

rgiles I'd rather have depth. It keeps it replayable. I'm not a sim-head. Too sim is boring...really I want a good OL and a bad DL to play like it, I want deep customizable playbooks, I want QB's to act different...and WR and TE to not cheese w/stuff like the rocket catch. And even in m11, instead of just getting beat on a block the blockers just run to the wrong guy, like the FB ignoring the DL in front of him to block a LB. Is it the best in Madden, probably. The best we've seen? Not in my view. I know I'm playing a video game and I'm ok with that. But it better be fun.

For some reason I have the impression NCAA11 is the best I've seen, maybe because the game is a bit slower?

[ryan36]

Quote: Originally Posted by EddieV

I don't think that's true -- that's why you hear these guys talk about "sell-in" numbers, which only means shipped to retailers. Look at EA's most recent financials, where they talk about maintaining a HUGE reserve for EA Active 2 due to its underperforming sales. If it was true that a retailer could price how they wish, there wouldn't be any need for EA to account for reserves (i.e., unsold units).

If I buy something from you, it's mine- you can't tell me what to sell it for. EA has to account for unsold units, because they are games they published that a retailer hasn't bought yet, and still in EA's inventory. Once a game jumps on the truck from EA to Gamestop, it's sold. Gamestop can sell it a loss, sell it at cost, or sell it at a high or low margin...until Gamestop sells out, they will not be ordering more from EA .