Madden NFL 13 Demo Available Now, Post Your Impressions Here (360, PS3)

[TMJOHNS18]

Is DPP gone? Gameplay feels too much like they just took NCAA 13 and tacked on a little physics. Sometimes on All-Madden QB's will run, throw in stride, and the ball comes out like it's fired from a canon. Had RG3 throw a near TD strike 60 yards out from the right hash to the left corner of the endzone. Nearly a line drive throw, seen throws like it a few times right before QB gets hit.

Also, why are fumbles down on first touch? Can't scoup and score.

[simsdog]

madden has been like this for years, the shadows are way to dramatic, the game looks great going one way and dark and ridiculous the other, shadows rarely appear like this is a normal real life game

[StrawHat Patriot]

Quote: Originally Posted by CigarCityBandit

Fantastic job on the WR animations and catches. When a guy catches a pass it finally looks realistic...the way they lean and turn etc while catching is beautiful. Player models look very realistic now. The new passing system is definitely noticeable and not just "supposedly" there. Using Flynn I had a few passes I really "Forced" into a small window and the entire interaction of the ball from the quarter back to the receiver and even on incomplete passes feels more real than ever before. Uniform degredation looks very realistic. Broadcast camera cut scenes look good especially shots of the football being caught. Replays are pretty good considering you cant cue up your own. The Replays are from multiple angles and show off the Infinity engine very nicely especially on big hits or runs where there are broken tackles etc. There are finally ENOUGH replays being shown that was always a gripe of mine that the CPU wouldnt cue up enough replays. Now there are plenty of replays shown. To INFINITY and beyond... First let me start by saying that YES you will see some wierdness with the physics here and there, ok probably about 30% of the time something funky happens, maybe you can argue that its even 40%, however the other 60% is so damn good that I can overlook it even if NOTHING was tweaked for launch. FINALLY I can play defense the way I want to with some actual IMPACT. Several times in the 4 games I played so far, did I get a DE or someone else wrap up the ball carrier and then I fly in with another player and lay a shoulder in the ballcarriers chest and watch his torso flex backward at impact. At times the gang tackling will blow your mind they look so damn good. Some people mentioned that it doesnt look like Backbreakers physics but I disagree. I can see definite similarites, and not in a bad way. Now you can decide for yourself if thats a good thing or bad thing but I finally see the ragdoll type nature present in player models that Ive been looking for (I think WE have been looking for) for an awful long time in a football game. I was causing fumbles and jarring the ball loose just enough with the hit stick to make it seem lifelike. Infinity is a GREAT foundation to build from so far. This game plays VERY different from previous Maddens. It truly does feel like a completely redesigned game. SO much so that I think the arcaders and pick up and play crowd is going to hate it. I think the sim guys and those who want to play a more realistic style of football are the ones who win here. Dont get me wrong, alot of whats there will feel familiar like running the football and throwing and catching. Those things are controlled similarly to what you are used to in previous Maddens but thats it, the controls are similar, the outcomes are VASTLY different from what you have previously played. Another interesting observation...People are complaining about their RB running up the back of his lineman and falling flat on the ground and to that I say this...The times where I was NOT running with the stick Mashed forward and I did run into the back of my lineman my RB slid off of him whichever direction I chose and he kept his forward momentum. Its only when you are Burying the stick upward will the RB probably get tripped up. Otherwise it looked incredibly real to see the "inside running" play out. Basically Madden fans should be rejoicing today. We NFL fans are finally getting the same level of detail and authenticity that NHL'ers and FIFA'ers have been given for quite some time already (and Im not just referring to RTP...Im talking complete experience). So to the folks at EA, I say "Thank you"

In my opinion the game is even more arcadish with the running and swerving. I don't think I even need to juke anymore to make a cut to an area, and the IE tackles don't make sense sometimes, blocking is still an issue, curl routes are too effective, etc. the added control might increase the cheesers and pickup 'n play crowd IMO.

[TeamBuilder]

The lighting is horrendous in the Seahawks/Redskins game. Any time the sun is in front of you its extremely difficult to tell the difference between the two teams.

A bright sun shining down on a field makes for a clearer image, not a color blur.

[Tyrant8RDFL]

Quote: Originally Posted by RLaguna

In my opinion, and I consider myself very well groomed in video sports games (been playing almost every single one since the days of 4th & Inches on the Commodore 64 and Intellivision's Football) This game is a MAJOR BUST!.....My prediction is that this game will recieve some of the lowest Madden scores we've seen in quite some time, And the irony of the whole thing is that the feature many of us begged for the most is what is going to sink this game fast. The Physics Engine is just so unpolished its a distraction when playing the game. I cannot take the game seriously because there simply is no sense of realistic contact between players. For one, they feel hollow and have no sense of physical bodies colliding. They momentum is all just completely off at times. Players will be running full speed outside on sweeps and come to a full stop when a defender cuts them off at an agle and then it goes into this mini standstill physics struggle game that just looks completely off. Players bounce weirdly off each other into different directions at times I seen a few plays where the RB gets tripped up going over a low tackler but doesnt go down (good ea) but then freezes in that stumble animation and just glides about 3 yards past and over the tackler while in that frozen stumble stance as if he was one of those electric football magnets from back in the day! (bad EA!) The whole lack of immersion on almost every single contact truley makes this feel like a completely unfinished product that needs several years...YEARS, not weeks of tweaking to address. There are some tackles that look good but I honestly think the ratio is like 4 bad, weird or just off for every 1 that looks right. And it doesnt just end there with the contact. RBs juke left and right awkwardly and unrealistically as if they have metal rods underneath them and someone is yanking them left or right during the juke with absolutely no sense of weight shifting or momentum change. In my opinion, EA really went backwards...REALLY backwards with this years version. It lacks smooth fluid realistic and natural gameplay. I actually forced myself to finish 3 demo games just to convince myself that what I was seeing wasnt a mistake.......I actually rather go back and play Madden 10. Its much more grounded and feels better then this. Actually 09 does! Its truely disappointing for me because I had such high stock that the new physics engine would shoot some much needed gameplay and dynamics into this game.....It Just doesnt! Its actually a big distraction for me.

Wow brother what you stated here is exaclty what I was feeling while playing the demo. My daughter was watching me play and we both stated how the players at certain points looked like zombies in a football uniform.

I right along with you on your closing comment. The IE engine for me is also more of a big distraction than a pleasant surprise.

I will play some more tonight to see if my view changes on the demo, but I could not finish a game last night. I'll see if I can finish one tonight.

[DarkFudge]

In my opinion, and I consider myself very well groomed in video sports games (been playing almost every single one since the days of 4th & Inches on the Commodore 64 and Intellivision's Football) This game is a MAJOR BUST!.....My prediction is that this game will recieve some of the lowest Madden scores we've seen in quite some time,

And the irony of the whole thing is that the feature many of us begged for the most is what is going to sink this game fast. The Physics Engine is just so unpolished its a distraction when playing the game. I cannot take the game seriously because there simply is no sense of realistic contact between players.

For one, they feel hollow and have no sense of physical bodies colliding.

They momentum is all just completely off at times. Players will be running full speed outside on sweeps and come to a full stop when a defender cuts them off at an agle and then it goes into this mini standstill physics struggle game that just looks completely off.

Players bounce weirdly off each other into different directions at times

I seen a few plays where the RB gets tripped up going over a low tackler but doesnt go down (good ea) but then freezes in that stumble animation and just glides about 3 yards past and over the tackler while in that frozen stumble stance as if he was one of those electric football magnets from back in the day! (bad EA!)

The whole lack of immersion on almost every single contact truley makes this feel like a completely unfinished product that needs several years...YEARS, not weeks of tweaking to address.

There are some tackles that look good but I honestly think the ratio is like 4 bad, weird or just off for every 1 that looks right.

And it doesnt just end there with the contact. RBs juke left and right awkwardly and unrealistically as if they have metal rods underneath them and someone is yanking them left or right during the juke with absolutely no sense of weight shifting or momentum change.

In my opinion, EA really went backwards...REALLY backwards with this years version. It lacks smooth fluid realistic and natural gameplay. I actually forced myself to finish 3 demo games just to convince myself that what I was seeing wasnt a mistake.......I actually rather go back and play Madden 10. Its much more grounded and feels better then this. Actually 09 does!

Its truely disappointing for me because I had such high stock that the new physics engine would shoot some much needed gameplay and dynamics into this game.....It Just doesnt! Its actually a big distraction for me.


I agree with what you said, there tackling is running into each other, fall down, tackled, it looks like pinball IMO, very little physical contact and running backs getting tackled by just a defender putting his arm on the RB and down he goes. I dont see tackling at all, more like the ball carrier hits a wall and falls down with the help of a defender around him. Call me not impressed with RTP at all, it needs to be cleaned up 10 fold. Man I hope the next set of consoles we truly get a great football game and not this same old stuff.

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These comments are spot on in my opinion of whats wrong with this game's engine.

Its like the players arent really tackling each other. Its like 2 hand touch football...they just run to each other, make simple pixel contact and it triggers the infinity engine wonky physics module. There's no true sense of a player really driving into the player and thru the tackle like your taught in football camp. Most tackles look like pinball, bumper cars, rock em sock em robot, Super Fly Jimmy Snooka top of the rope wrestling collisions rather than realistic and immersive wrap up tackling. Bodies are flying everywhere. I thought the Backbreaker engine had a much better feel of transfering weight and a tighter more realistic collision model with mostly natural looking hits that gave a MUCH greater sensation of "HITTING"

What really has me depressed is how much this game feels so linear and repetitive like all the other previous Maddens felt until the moment of contact then you just see some wonky variety in the way a player goes down. You see the same exact angle of pursuits, the same exact limited AI decisions for any given situation....There is nothing more organic and dynamic to the gameplay other than the variety of ways a player interacts with a defender which for the most part look completely unrealistic and unpolished 7 out of every 10 times.

I expected more of an organic and dynamic all around AI and gameplay experience which I am really not seeing here. It still suffers from alot of those scripted predetermined Maddenisms that we have gotten used to over the years. For example how the screen freezes, starts to rotate and SAYS INTERCEPTION while both players are still leaping in the air right before the ball even has a chance to utilize the true locational physics of the player's hands! What is that??

It happens alot too on tackles where players start to go into their fall down animation at the split second a tackler starts to engage. Thats to not true physics determining the outcome!.....That to me is predetermined results that trigger a tackle animation that may utilize a ragdoll effect

I dunno....I think we are all being duped here. This physics engine is almost like a plug in module that has been added on to an age old and simplistic madden engine that is beyond it's years

All Pro Football 2K8 with the updated NFL rosters has been more enjoyable...AND realistic than this. AND they never ONCE touted a Physics Engine but yet I find more variety and dynamic AI in THAT game thats over 5 years older!...Why? Didnt EA scoop up many of the 2K Football team a few years ago to assist with Madden? This game simply doesnt cut it for me based on what I have seen in the demo...sorry to be so critical but I'm a bit dissapointed.

[Tweeg]

I just had an extremely glitchy play.

De Angelo Hall picked me off in the end zone, on a poorly thrown ball by Flynn (ok cool). Nantz says "He's brought down by Brian Orakpo." Game cuts to a sideline shot of Redskins DB Cedric Griffin warming up for a field goal. ?

[bxgoods]

Quote: Originally Posted by cnchavis

I dont know if this has been reported but I called for a fair catch on a punt, the incoming defender stopped like always. However, banks started running with it, and I took control of him and they spotted it where I finally got tackled.

Yea I noticed that also, fair catch is buggy in the demo.