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

[rufusone]

Quote: Originally Posted by 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. snipped--------------------------------------------------------------------------^ 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.

This is exactly how I feel, I think RTP is epic fail, I see no tackling, just predetermend pinball contact, watch the replays close and dont skip them, it looks terrible. I'm really disappointed, I was ready to be WOWed with the RTP engine, but I dont know what to say. I just hope the next set of new consoles we finally get a football game that is playable and not this.

[Feldman011teen]

I'm sorry but if anyone has said this is the same game as last year, I don't know what you've been playing. This is what next gen football should have been all along. I get the same feeling playing this as I did Madden 3DO. It's an immersive experience that represents well on the field.

[fatleg3]

Took a couple people's advice and changed to game speed to slow. Im now seeing fewer and fewer crazy tackle animations. I think im going to make a video showing off all the nice tackles. I HIGHLY suggest those that cant stand the tackling switch to slow or very slow.

[Dirk504]

I played the demo last night and overall I will just say that it's okay. I like the new passing system and the hits feel different. Also, I seem to have more time to pass now. The crowd noise is also really good. I do have some concerns though. The cpu was way too easy to beat. I played on All Pro with the 49ers and beat NYG 27-0. Eli Manning had 0... that's right 0 yards passing until the 4th quarter and I was able to sack him at will. I didn't touch the sliders or anything. I know some of you will say that I should be playing on All Madden, but I haven't played a Madden game since Madden 10, so it's been a few years since I even touched Madden and I havent played NCAA since NCAA 11. Also, the physics does some crazy stuff during tackles and especially after a play. I had a Ray McDonald pull a full fledged Exorcist head turn while making a tackle. And after the play it just looks like a train wreck. Also, the lighting is horrible in the Redskins - Seahawks game. The teams look waaaay too dark in the bright sun. With all of that said, I can live with those issues. The main issue for me that has me rethinking buying this game is that I was just plain BORED with it after a few games. Nothing about it made me want to be like, "I've got to have this game". The presentation is okay, but I found myself skipping over most of it and I'm a huge presentation guy. In other games I sit through all of the presentation elements before I play a game, but I just kept trying to skip through Maddens. The only way I'll buy Madden is if I really want to play with the 49ers. Other than that, I may skip this year like I did the last few. I'm not saying the game is terrible, but I just don't think it's worth my $59.99.

[Major9]

Quote: Originally Posted by moose1619

Normal game speed is way to fast, I went to very slow and felt the game played just right. At this speed i really enjoyed a lot of factors of the IE engine. yes i have saw a few whacky animations play out, but I am seeing some more nice ones. I love seeing my RB taking down at the knees knowing there is no way I can make it out of this play. At very slow there is minimal ice skating feel and the transitions between animations is much better. If you haven't played on very slow try it and see if it makes a difference for you.

I agree, I didn't even like the game until I switched to very slow. Now i'm thinking this may be the best football game I've ever played and I been playing every year since Joe Montana football.

[Feldman011teen]

@steve9347

That wasn't a great write up at all. He scored a TD because of Big Head Mode. Slow the game down to game speed slow and threshhold 35. I've done this with all ea football.

[thbends]

Quote: Originally Posted by steve9347

Flapship has posted their full Madden 13 Demo Review with comparisons to last year's game... http://flapship.com/madden-13-demo-review/ Pretty spot-on review.

That review was a little too negative. I do agree about the announcers talking about your defensive adjustments being something I do not like. I don't need the announcers telling the guy I'm playing the adjustments I am making to shut him down. The only time this would help me is when I show blitz when I'm not really blitzing.

[StrawHat Patriot]

Quote: Originally Posted by rufusone

This is exactly how I feel, I think RTP is epic fail, I see no tackling, just predetermend pinball contact, watch the replays close and dont skip them, it looks terrible. I'm really disappointed, I was ready to be WOWed with the RTP engine, but I dont know what to say. I just hope the next set of new consoles we finally get a football game that is playable and not this.

This. The IE tackles don't really make any sense 50% of the time with the after effect of the collisions. Like a player running at light speed to hit a RB around his chest and the RB spins and they both get recoil and fall on their back. Like WTF?