OS Roundtable: Madden NFL 13 Demo Impressions

[btemp]

Quote: Originally Posted by JBH3

I think the presentation of Naantz/Simms was great, but call me crazy if the gameplay just felt like typical/normal Madden from yesteryear.... No? I played as San Fran on default All-Pro.

+1.

Quote:

Not sure how it could have. New pass trajectories, new catching animations, infinity engine and read n react defense.

These are largely cosmetic. Pass trajectories get rid of the occasional knockdown by an LB, catching animations have very little effect on the game, IMO the infinity engine at this point changes very little how the game is played, and "read and react defence" (hilarious marketing) not only makes passing easier but is again, like everything else, a TWEAK.

[Goodydog]

1st, I will state that I am an avid 2K Football fan. That being said, I would give the Madden demo a C; however, at this stage of football videogaming, a C = subpar.
Those individuals who don't understand the phrase "it's the same old Madden" need to realize that...
gamers don't want the game of football to change, they want EA to eliminate all of the mistakes that have plagued the Madden franchise for years (example: all versions of Madden are offense heavy; they are also pass heavy). EA has ignored other facets and intricacies of the game of football and focused on a few minor aspects (that people like to exploit) then they slap lipstick on it and sell it to the masses. If there are other aspects of the game of football that you like that aren't included in the Madden Team's focus (line play or the running game), you have probably felt neglected (insert 2K fans here). This is the reason why the debate has continued between 2K players and Madden players.

And for the individual who asserted that if you are not a Madden fan then you are not a football fan, dude, you are a joke. I will always break it down like this...EVERY 2K fan was a Madden fan at one time...that's why we tend to have a little more credibility than most Madden fans. The red pill tastes better.

[roadman]

Quote: Originally Posted by btemp

+1. These are largely cosmetic. Pass trajectories get rid of the occasional knockdown by an LB, catching animations have very little effect on the game, IMO the infinity engine at this point changes very little how the game is played, and "read and react defence" (hilarious marketing) not only makes passing easier but is again, like everything else, a TWEAK.

No problem, just a difference of opinion.

[Bgamer90]

Quote: Originally Posted by btemp

These are largely cosmetic. Pass trajectories get rid of the occasional knockdown by an LB, catching animations have very little effect on the game, IMO the infinity engine at this point changes very little how the game is played, and "read and react defence" (hilarious marketing) not only makes passing easier but is again, like everything else, a TWEAK.

What wouldn't be cosmetic then? Some of the features you mentioned address "legacy issues". If addressing legacy issues is just cosmetic, why were so many asking for it on these forums?

[roadman]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bgamer90

What wouldn't be cosmetic then? Some of the features you mentioned address "legacy issues". If addressing legacy issues is just cosmetic, why were so many asking for it on these forums?

I think I can answer that.

Some people were looking for a different priority of legacy issues to be dealt with from EA.

For example, some people wanted OL/DL overhauled, momentum, plant footing worked on before pass trajectories, read and react, leaping LB's and CB's, etc.....

At the end of the day, EA makes the decision, we can only make suggestions.

[btemp]

Quote: Originally Posted by roadman

No problem, just a difference of opinion.

Nice to have a discussion, recognize we don't agree, and have it all be polite and civil. Thank you.

Quote:

What wouldn't be cosmetic then? Some of the features you mentioned address "legacy issues". If addressing legacy issues is just cosmetic, why were so many asking for it on these forums?

If you're interested I can go into greater detail, but ultimately I think the biggest "legacy" issues (think of these as umbrella issues with sub-issues below) are (a) repetitive, uninteresting defence and (b) broken offensive line and defensive line play. Personally, I'd add a (c) lack of development of franchise there as well, but we won't know if major steps have been taken until we play CC. [I also just want to note these are off the top of my head, there are probably better "umbrella words" to capture these]

So some of the fixes you've brought up would be sub-issues (or sub-sub-issues) of these major problems. Again, if requested I can go into much greater detail.

And at the end of the day I found Madden boring. That's of course entirely subjective, but I personally attribute it to these improvements being "tweaks" leaving the underlying, fundamental flaws in the game untouched. Or perhaps just a lack of innovation. This is almost exactly the same Madden I've been playing since 05 [IMO]

[Flamehead]

Based on the improvements in presentation, commentary, and gameplay, plus the change in franchise mode, I can see myself enjoying this years edition immensely IF there are no game breaking bugs in CC mode.

[PacMan3000]

Quote: Originally Posted by rangerrick012

RE: Presentation, and lack of network branding - you don't need network branding to have great/TV style presentation. NBA 2K doesn't have a network brand but it still delivers a great presentation package. So although I get why some believe that slapping an ESPN or CBS logo would make things more immersive, I'm not entirely sure that would fix every problem that people still seem to have w/ the presentation side of things. You're focusing your attention on the wrong thing if you think network logo automatically = great presentation & a great game. Most recent example I can think of that is Grand Slam Tennis 2, which had ESPN presentation but still felt subpar on many levels. If you look at the NBA 2K team they say they worked with guys from TNT to get as close as they could to an accurate TV presentation. I think EA could do that but not put the 'CBS' or 'ESPN' logo up there, it would still be a huge step. Granted like I said the presentation has already taken a huge step from years past, and I do think this years' is an attempt to replicate a 'CBS' broadcast w/o the logo.

This is a great point. Remember how EA boasted about replicating all the real-life stadium cameras in Madden 12, saying that in each stadium, you'll be seeing replicated pre-play, post-play, and replays from virtually the same angle as it would be in the real-life stadium?

That appears to either be completely gone, or significantly reduced now. Why? There's not even any close-ups in the game anymore--everything is a bland medium shot presentation-wise. And the replays are always the same 3-shot/splice method.

Audio is *much* improved, but in terms of visual presentation, they never build on their success. They innovate, and then they walk away from what they innovated. Instead of building on the visual presentation last year (which I thought was quite good), they've gutted it.