Madden NFL 12 Review (360/PS3)

[mdiggitydawg]

Quote: Originally Posted by MMChrisS

Definitely not. As I said in the review, 12 is a clear step forward for the series...it's just not a great game still because of all the nagging issues. Of course, I don't pay for most of my games (OS does) so that's a bit of a different story. If I owned 11 and had to pay $60 for 12, I'd probably have to be a pretty big fan of the Madden series to do that, or a part of a great community of online gamers. The patched up version of 11 with some good sliders will play a good enough game of Football if you don't want to make the swtich. BUT 12 will play a better game of football soon enough with some patches and sliders -- so might be prudent to wait until then as well.

And there in lies the biggest of rubs..."With some patches and sliders". You have to admit, the fact that we have become the BETA testers for EA is what has completely ticked off so many consumers, myself included.

So leave it in the wrapping and what, wait 2 months for a patch and hope I'm still interested, huh?

Thanks for the review...I too thought 7.5 based on your in depth problems is too high...but you are the reviewer and have discretion

[SGMRock]

Quote: Originally Posted by BezO

Heven't played yet, but these problems are the same from year to year. I'm surprised that so much football missing from a football simulation can still draw a 7.5. I would think that realism would be a larger portion of the score.

I really think people take the simulation thing too far with Madden. Madden is really an inbetween sim/arcade game. If you like flight sims and you have played say IL2 or MS Flight Sim with all the hard stuff turned on and then you go and play that same game with the casual player settings. Madden is that casual player setting. It gives you the feeling of football and the fun of it without having to deal with all the exact stuff you see on the field every Sunday. Like you don't have to go sit at the bench and study overhead shots of how the defense is lined up after you just got picked off on a play that should have worked!

It is what it is. You can have fun with it or not buy it.

On that note it would be nice if the NFL let others use the license so they could make that Sim game or NFL Blitz game if they want. Or even make it for the PC!!! I mean in 2005 I owned both Madden 05 and 2K5 its not like there isn't room for people that love football to buy more than one game. I mean how many of us buy NCAA and Madden in the same year. (me for one)

[RaychelSnr]

Quote: Originally Posted by mdiggitydawg

And there in lies the biggest of rubs..."With some patches and sliders". You have to admit, the fact that we have become the BETA testers for EA is what has completely ticked off so many consumers, myself included. So leave it in the wrapping and what, wait 2 months for a patch and hope I'm still interested, huh? Thanks for the review...I too thought 7.5 based on your in depth problems is too high...but you are the reviewer and have discretion

Haha you don't have to tell me about the patch and beta testers problem, I was the first person to write on it from a major outlet and several have followed since then. Viva la revolution?

(yeah I'm giving myself too much credit)

[wheelman990]

Nice review and good points. Best review I have read and I also feel the final score is right on the money too. Great job guys.

[RaychelSnr]

Quote: Originally Posted by SGMRock

I really think people take the simulation thing too far with Madden. Madden is really an inbetween sim/arcade game. If you like flight sims and you have played say IL2 or MS Flight Sim with all the hard stuff turned on and then you go and play that same game with the casual player settings. Madden is that casual player setting. It gives you the feeling of football and the fun of it without having to deal with all the exact stuff you see on the field every Sunday. Like you don't have to go sit at the bench and study overhead shots of how the defense is lined up after you just got picked off on a play that should have worked! It is what it is. You can have fun with it or not buy it. On that note it would be nice if the NFL let others use the license so they could make that Sim game or NFL Blitz game if they want. Or even make it for the PC!!! I mean in 2005 I owned both Madden 05 and 2K5 its not like there isn't room for people that love football to buy more than one game. I mean how many of us buy NCAA and Madden in the same year. (me for one)

You are right about that but the real key is -- the greatest sports games in our genre today give the user the choice on whether they want to play a sim or arcade game. Madden forcefeeds you a style of game and takes an all or nothing type of approach. That's one of my biggest beefs with EA Football. The sliders do help, but they don't clear up the things that are horribly unrealistic whereas other games let you really tweek those aspects of the sport. It might just be an inherent problem with developing a football game or (more likely) it's something that hasn't really 'clicked' for the people involved in the process of making Madden just yet.

[Tomba]

Quote: Originally Posted by MMChrisS

We don't score games like college papers. We use a full 10 point scale. Read the scoring rubric listed at the top of the page. 7.5 doesn't mean the game is the equivalent to a C. Been trying to stress that with the links at the front of reviews for awhile

Understood and I respect the review article and model, but you also have to understand this is STILL the best Madden to come out. The game IS editable as well and that's what this community is about first and foremost.

Finding the right people to make the game they play... BETTER.

Slider sections and roster sections are places where this game gets explored even more and can find an audience that this review can otherwise turn away if not noted...

[SGMRock]

Quote: Originally Posted by MMChrisS

You are right about that but the real key is -- the greatest sports games in our genre today give the user the choice on whether they want to play a sim or arcade game. Madden forcefeeds you a style of game and takes an all or nothing type of approach. That's one of my biggest beefs with EA Football. The sliders do help, but they don't clear up the things that are horribly unrealistic whereas other games let you really tweek those aspects of the sport. It might just be an inherent problem with developing a football game or (more likely) it's something that hasn't really 'clicked' for the people involved in the process of making Madden just yet.

I think they keep taking the same base and trying to make it better when they should just scrap it because it doesn't work right. Player models and stuff are good but the actually on the field product like you said is not always real football as they cut corners.

If they really want to revolutionize the game they need to keep their cookie cutter team in place and hire another team to develope a whole new platform for 2 or 3 years down the road release.

In other words if you are dead set on making your yearly releases fine, keep doing what you are doing. But put in a team that can make a new game in parallel and give them the time to do it right for say a next gen release. I'm sure money and lack of the use of logic will make EA not want to do that though.

[jasontoddwhitt]

Well, sounds like I'm still going to play Madden 08 on the PC.