Madden NFL 12 Reviewer Impressions: Gameplay

[steelernation28]

So disheartening EA, your effort has been and I believe will continue to be uninspired and half-@ssed. Shame on you.

[Vikes1]

Quote: Originally Posted by DJ

Still, I'm glad to see the cookie-cutter reviews disappearing and the journalists doing their duty of holding EA to the flames and calling them out, so to speak, for minimal year-to-year improvements.

I agree DJ...it is good to see more balanced reviews now, than years past.

[ASUsideline]

I have to say that after reading a lot of the reviews and watching the game play footage videos, I'm really not that impressed with version of madden. I buy NCAA and Madden every year. I think EA and a lot of the people who play madden at E3 every year have been selling the same old stuff for the past three years. I think this years version of madden might be alright for the first week, then after that It will get boring real fast. I just can't see spending $60 for this game now.

[C the Lyte]

After reading all of the reviews (and my past experiences), I have come to this conclusion...Madden is an Arcade game that wants to be a simulation. And in doing this, creates such a weird mix. It's like it's the only game that does this. Most other games are fully sim/realistic, or fully arcade-ish. Madden some how combines both @ the same time and @ the same level. Still undecided on my purchase, but I dusted off my PS2, bought Madden 09, and strangely feel appeased...

It seems to be an arcsim. I think if ppl know what they are getting then they will have no problem.

I gotta say though, 2 thumbs up for the review. I can't thank you enough.

[TombSong]

Details and reasons why he felt the way he felt. THAT'S a review. We can love it or hate it but the only thing that can be argued are facts and everything else is debatable. He spoke in specifics and gave examples. When you bring evidence you shut up all the would be critics of the review and most importantly you are giving the readers something to look at and think about when they play the game and decide if they want to buy the game or not.

For the guys who say, its just a game, we should not expect x,y,z. That would be true if the things we ask for are not possible or have never been done before. However. A lot of what we want HAS been done already in older games. This is what makes the Madden situation so sad. I will be the first to say, overall Madden is not garbage. It can be a fun game to play. However in light of what has been and what is now and what is coming, Madden cannot be allowed to go the way its been going the last 6 years. Someone at Tiburon HAS to step up the games game play and "football" features on the field. It is dated and needs some serious work.

IMO it looks like they have the last 2 years been trying to skate by on improving the presentation hoping all eyes will be on that while doing little to address the legacy issues and current game play problems and lack of innovative features that matter while playing the game.

[MaddenFranchise10]

Quote: Originally Posted by Turbo Lax 33

At the end of the day Madden is a video game, not a recreation of actually playing the game.

That's a terribly lame argument. Why then, can EA Sports produce a much more detailed and engrossing experience for their FIFA and NHL games? How has 2k made such an immersive and complete NBA experience? How come SEGA has been able to make a quality MLB game as well?

Why is it that while playing FIFA, NHL, NBA2k, or The Show, I feel immersed, as though I'm really there, on the field/rink/court. And with Madden, I feel as though I'm playing a mediocre video game? Is it because Madden is just a video game? Or is it because Madden is mediocre?

Quote: Originally Posted by Vikes1

I agree DJ...it is good to see more balanced reviews now, than years past.

Agreed. It's interesting to see the trend in game reviews. In year's past it was as though reviewers copy-pasted their prior year's review, just as Madden would copy-past their prior year's game. The critics would echo the same old problems that have been inherent for years, while touting the new hyped-up features, and ultimately giving the game a "B+".

It seems that reviewers (even here at OS), have finally become more objective when critiquing Madden.

But it begs the question, why has it taken so long? Why did OS give past iterations of Madden exceptional scores? For example, Operation Sports gave Madden 10 a 9/10. Where was the objectivity then? Seriously, what's changed?

[youALREADYknow]

This is the same review that could be written for every Madden in the past few years. It's also the same review that will continue to be written about every Madden for the next few years until EA/Tiburon have the testicular fortitude to actually commit to innovation and risk changing the current game engines.

Having said that, it's obvious that if they are going to continue down this road then there should be a lot more focus on the Franchise mode and realism outside of game play. I hope the focus on Franchise this year was the start of that trend.

[Saviour]

Excellent write up. Its always a plus to read an article when the writer concentrates on the football elements and how they are not represented well in the Madden series. The Madden series can always be fun but you have to ignore basic realistic details about football to enjoy it. If you are a die hard football fan who understands the physics of the game Madden will always leave you wanting more. If you can ignore the realism issues, you can have a great time with the game.