Madden 09 News Post

Video Game Football Stinks, and No One Seems to Notice

02:55 PM - August 4, 2008 by RaychelSnr

Today at Operation Sports we have a very special guest writer, Todd Zuniga of 1Up fame. Zuniga is writing about a topic which has been heavy on his heart lately, the fact that Video Game Football Stinks, and No One Seems to Notice.

Quote:


	"You�re all suckers. You�ve been waiting around for, what, seven months now, awaiting the next Madden -- or maybe you�re an NCAA guy. Regardless. And you�ll soon celebrate or condemn the tweaks, changes, fixes and faux pas in Madden 09, but you�ll still miss the big picture: American football is a terrible video game sport. And no one seems to notice."

Game: Madden NFL 09Reader Score: 7/10 - Vote Now
Platform: NDS / PS2 / PS3 / PSP / Wii / Xbox 360Votes for game: 88 - View All

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Member Comments

# 41 BlyGilmore @ 08/05/08 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nick buckeyes7


	YOU ALL DON'T KNOW JACK ABOUT FOOTBALL.NCAA 09 IS THE BEST GAME OUT THE D IS AMAZING IT'S NOT AN OFFENSIVE GAME IT'S JUST ALL ROUND REALISTIC FOOTBALL I AM 31 AND 28ONLINE AND ALL YOU JACKASS CAN'T BEAT ME.BY THE WAY IF YOU CAN'T PLAY D THEN YOU SUCK I GET EVERY USE CATCH\ TACKEL EVERY TIME.MADDEN 09 IS GREAT TOO LT IS EASY TO STOP SO QUIT DOGGING ON EA AND ON NCAA AND MADDEN.BECAUSE IT'S THE BEST THEY HAVE BENN GAME OF THE YEAR AND IT'S THE BEST SPORTS GAME EVER!

why are you yelling at us?

# 42 ExtremeGamer @ 08/05/08 12:13 PM

So the guy who gives NCAA a glowing score, is now calling people suckers for waiting for the game?

If NCAA and "football" games are so bad, then why did you give it a good review and score in EGM? EA pay EGM for the higher score? Or just scared to give your real opinions in a national magazine? I don't get it and this hurts the credibility of your opinion and writing style, as well as EGM's.

# 43 ddRick @ 08/05/08 12:13 PM

I absolutely love playing defense. I hate going on offense just because defense is so fun. It might be fun if you stop playing on Defensive Lineman. I see most madden players play on the lineman which is no fun at all; all you do is rush the QB all game and if you are lucky you reach the QB three times for a sack. A assume most play lineman because they can't play coverage or don't know how to play their zone. As the free safety I can almost shut down the left side of the field and make a huge difference for my D. I try to read the offense and makes plays on the pass.

# 44 computerlover @ 08/05/08 12:19 PM

cant understand football?? wow.. well.. i do because i played it in HS and College.. i understand baseball because i played it as well.. i understand basketball because i was cut... ummm errr... played that as well.. hell i even understand lacrosse.. I understand that i cannot play it.. LOL.. but soccer?? wow.. i dont understand that one at all.. and thats not a bad thing.. its just not interesting enough for me.. hell i watch to see the fans beating the crap out of each other! lol..

to each his own. does the football video game need fixing.. of course.. but does it take away from the overall experience.. for some it does. but even if its perfect... which most games are not.. Football is not a video game where you want to control more than one person at a time on D... i let the cpu run the routes and control once i the ball is in the air, or if its a run. simple.

go ahead with your love for association ball.. or futball.. hell soccer to me is like watching paint dry.. just a bit more boring.. until the riots break out.. lol!

# 45 ehh @ 08/05/08 12:34 PM

Yeah, no one around OS thinks video game football blows.

# 46 Beantown @ 08/05/08 01:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ExtremeGamer


	So the guy who gives NCAA a glowing score, is now calling people suckers for waiting for the game? If NCAA and "football" games are so bad, then why did you give it a good review and score in EGM? EA pay EGM for the higher score? Or just scared to give your real opinions in a national magazine? I don't get it and this hurts the credibility of your opinion and writing style, as well as EGM's.

Bingo.

And trust me, all you need to do is look in the NCAA forum to find out just how many people notice the faults in the game.

Give me a break.

# 47 opiumtodd @ 08/05/08 03:04 PM

Man, oh, man! I've yet to respond (so sorry). It's Todd, the scribe of this article. Many thoughts, but I'm harried and hurried right now. Aim to get them over by night's end!

# 48 mastershake88 @ 08/05/08 03:21 PM

I just love it. I love how if it was me or a "normal" person would have made this thread I or anyone would have had my thread deleted and we would have gotten a infraction.

# 49 yamabushi @ 08/05/08 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mastershake88


	I just love it. I love how if it was me or a "normal" person would have made this thread I or anyone would have had my thread deleted and we would have gotten a infraction.

Can I report an article for insulting my intelligence?

# 50 hail2thevictors @ 08/05/08 03:55 PM

Some good points, some bad points. Soccer, boring. Football, action! Nuff said for me!!!

# 51 Methlab @ 08/05/08 04:17 PM

I agree with this. Football does stink compared to soccer when it comes to Video Games. Soccer is getting to the point online where it will be the most rewarding game to play.

Defense is boring in a football game. Football games take forever to finish. They need to make the games last 20-30mins. A soccer game is 10 mins online. Same with Hockey. Basketball leaves way too much to chance and the passing has never been good at all.

In soccer, you have games with incredible passing. The main issue with soccer is scoring glitches, but those can be irnoed out. The amount of glitches in a football game each year are too numerous to count.

All that being said, I will give Madden a shot this year for the first time on a next gen console. If it lets me down again, I am done with EA football games until there is a dramatic reason for me to change my opinion.

Foootball games just seem to laborous for the most part. The only series that was not was the 2k series. I hope Madden09 can return that feeling.

# 52 Spongedaddy @ 08/05/08 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by opiumtodd


	Man, oh, man! I've yet to respond (so sorry). It's Todd, the JACKASS* of this article. Many thoughts, but I'm harried and hurried right now. Aim to get them over by night's end!*

Fixed.

Just Kidding.

I think calling people suckers was a big mistake, especially with your review of NCAA.

However, I understand what's going on here. I would have done the same as you. If I think football games stink and the consumers are suckers I would have written a scathing review...that is until EA came along and offered me tickets to the Cubs game and a few benjis.

Congratulations sir on keeping bribary going. I have freelanced and know how tough that life can be. By accepting bribes for reviews you have helped out your wallet.

Well played my friend, well played.

# 53 mva5580 @ 08/05/08 05:12 PM

So what a minute. This guy gave these games positive reviews in EGM, but now he's saying that they stink? Score one for credibility.

Anyway, I think we're close here to the inherent problem, that video game football is just not very good. There are too many variables at one time and it seems as if EA Sports does not have developers, or more likely, a development life cycle plan in place that is capable of handling how complex of a game football is.

We're talking about 22 guys on the field at the same time who are ALL very important to the play each and every snap. That's not true in baseball. It's true in soccer, but as he says it's a slower moving game, so there is more time for reactions to occur. Basketball is only 10 guys, and while there are plays run, it's not even close to football. And hockey is close, but there are 10 (+2 goalies) players TOTAL on the ice at one, so you're talking less than half of the players to program. And football has many more technical things to worry about such as all the routes, zones, man to man, blitzing, etc.

I've said it a million times, and I'll say it again. Video game football should absolutely NOT be released once a year, if these companies truly care about making the best game possible. It should be released every 2 years, with roster updates in the middle, and also a draft class file that everyone can download and implement into the dynasty mode.

But we know overall quality is not the goal in all of this. Profits are, and there is no chance in hell EA Sports is ever going to change their development cycle so they can drastically improve the game over 2 years rather than 1. So this entire discussion is moot to begin with.

I would imagine that programming a football game is very tough to get right. And that's even without all of their "we'll try to get that in next year" excuses when it comes to the little things that don't even have anything to do with how the AI performs on the field.

We can complain about this on message boards all we want, and of course we'll continue to do it. It's what people generally do best, complain. But I'm telling you people, there NEEDS to be some point where you all say enough is enough, and you just stop buying the game. Think about it. If even just 400-500,00 people in one year did this, EA Sports would notice. You can't expect sales to go from 4 million to 1 million just on protest, there aren't that many people with the will power to do it. But even from 4 million to somewhere in the mid 3.5 million range, it would be a huge deal for EA Sports.

Anybody here seen the movie Se7en? "Anymore, if you want to get someone's attention, you can't just tap them on the shoulder. You have to hit them over the head with a sledgehammer." EA Sports does not care about message board complaints. They care about CASH. Period.

# 54 BrianFifaFan @ 08/05/08 07:19 PM

Gonna have to agree with the grades. Both NHL09 and my namesake are both cutting edge representations of their sports. Next for faithfulness for the game is NBA2k series. Madden/NCAA, while popular are behind the next-gen curve. But I have faith in Ian and Co. down at sunny Tiburon. But still the fact remains that Madden fans are very resistant to change. And both games need some serious changing to even begin to approach the level of either Fifa or NHL. Good read! Brian

# 55 Mysta Hagy @ 08/06/08 12:08 AM

So... Should i even consider buying NCAA 09? Seems to be a big hit every year. Does anyone know how good the online play is?

# 56 Heshi @ 08/06/08 06:28 AM

You probably don't know much about soccer if you're saying that playing defense in soccer games (PES/Winning Eleven, FIFA) deserves an A. There are A LOT of frustrating issues with stupid defenders in soccer video games. The back four reatreating to the own goal line instead of trying to keep the playing field small in PES 2008 are a good example...

# 57 Sully @ 08/06/08 12:01 PM

I am patiently waiting to see how Todd could possibly remove the foot that he currently has lodged in his mouth.

# 58 slickdtc @ 08/06/08 12:06 PM

Quote:


	And hockey is close, but there are 10 (+2 goalies) players TOTAL on the ice at one, so you're talking less than half of the players to program.

Hah, wow, they can't even get hockey right with half the players of football, why should we expect football to be even remotely close to realistic? Don't know why I never thought about that.

# 59 Spongedaddy @ 08/06/08 01:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sully


	I am patiently waiting to see how Todd could possibly remove the foot that he currently has lodged in his mouth.

He can't since his hands are stuck up his rear.

I kid, I kid.

He does have some 'splaning to do...or a retraction. I think at the heart there is some good content to explore. The current model of sports games does tend to short change the consumer in some ways. Calling his readers suckers along with a hypocritical NCAA review don't help his point.

# 60 sleeterbat @ 08/06/08 07:14 PM

I agree with -Pike- football D is a strategy and skill, I have a great time with the challenge of stopping an offense. Offense should be easier than defense because they know where the ball is going and where the players are going, and as for NCAA 09, I am a regular football gamer for a while now, and after the bugs which there are patches for now, I think it's a great game and I play it all the time. Campus Legend online dynasty and offline dynasty, I play it all.

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