Madden NFL 11 News Post

Out of Bounds: Best Madden Innovations

01:25 PM - August 17, 2010 by RaychelSnr

I tend to get into arguments. I'm not entirely sure why, or how, but they seem to follow me wherever I go. Sometimes it's politics and sometimes it's music. I'll go on for hours about the merits of the Stones and the failings of Jim Morrison. And sometimes, in my lamer moments, I'm not at all above having a dust up about video games.

A buddy of mine was none too pleased about the column I wrote last week about what I feel is a stagnant Madden franchise. He said I was just another one of those NFL 2K5 acolytes, and I couldn't appreciate the game because of my own preconceptions. He even said that I have totally ignored the major leaps forward the Madden franchise has brought to the table.

That's tough but fair. I have, after all, enjoyed a few Madden games over the years. I played the ever living hell out of the 1999 edition. I've owned and/or rented almost every incarnation of the franchise. My experience goes all the way back to the Sega Genesis days where the players were all identical sprites running oddly about the field. I have, honestly, been a cautious fan for as long as there's been a Madden.

So I've decided to honor the franchise and its innovations with a quick countdown of what I feel are the best improvements over the years. As always, feel free to disagree.

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# 21 TheWatcher @ 08/18/10 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocky


	I don't know if this is more ironic or sad, but I would list Madden's commentary back in Madden '93 and '94 as a major innovation for it's time.

Yeah, and even the level of innovation with that is questionable, because the Joe Montana Sportstalk series commentary blew that away. The commentary in Montana was flowing play-by-play, while Madden's was just "Boom", and "Where'd that truck come from" and a few words from Pat. I know they tend to say they were the first with commentary, but it was a lame effort compared to its competition.

# 22 RaiderKtulu @ 08/18/10 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheWatcher


	Yeah, and even the level of innovation with that is questionable, because the Joe Montana Sportstalk series commentary blew that away. The commentary in Montana was flowing play-by-play, while Madden's was just "Boom", and "Where'd that truck come from" and a few words from Pat. I know they tend to say they were the first with commentary, but it was a lame effort compared to its competition.

Just goes to show that being first doesn't really matter. As much as some people may enjoy bashing EA, doing it for "not innovating" is rather pointless. They weren't the first to use 3d player models either - Gameday did that, but when both games went from ps1 to ps2, Madden's graphics made Gameday look silly.

EA doesn't really need to be innovative with Madden, they just need to implement the right things from other games and improve on them.

# 23 charter04 @ 08/18/10 03:06 PM

It's funny how everyone wants Madden to be so inovative and change everything. The only way that could happen is if they had 2 to 3 years to work on a game, like non-sports games get. Some 5 to 10 years and they still suck. Why would EA take that long when they will make lots of money every year as long as people keep buying it. I buy Madden every year, so I am not hating on Madden. I would be will to get a new game every 3 years or so with year roster DLC, if it meant getting the game we all want. I think I am in the minority though and that is the problem. Backbreaker is headed in the right direction but how long did they work on it and still failed in so many areas. If they had to release a game yearly since 1989 I bet it would not be what it is or even be a game at all. We can knock EA all we want but they are a company and for a company the bottom line is more important than making hard core fans happy.

# 24 nasatate @ 08/18/10 04:06 PM

Madden can still come out on a yearly basis. Look at what Activision does with COD. Releases it every year with different developers every year. I think the best idea is to have two development teams rotating each year so that the quality doesnt get sacrificed.

# 25 charter04 @ 08/18/10 04:34 PM

Making a FPS like that is a less of a task than Madden. Even MW2 Had so many mulitplayer problems. Making a game play like real life with 22 players on the feild at the same time and including all the other things people want is harder. For one thing I want off-line dynasty to be great. How many others, as far as percentage, even care about that. I here people crying for better Be Superstar Mode. I could care less about that. Some just care about the play on the field. There just seems to be way to much to get right if you bring out a game every year. Unless you get the foundation right to start and then build on that. Because EA has went from Sega to PS1 to PS2 to next gen systems they have not been able to, or have been unwilling to start from scratch on the foundation. 2k got that part right and they where able to build on that. I just don't think you can completely start from scratch on a game engine in one year. NBA elite is doing it, but they had to reach the point of such desparation, because of sales. NHL 11 is sort of doing it, but I don't think they had to scratch everything. We will see how it works for NBA Elite. If things go well with it maybe it will for EA to put the guy in charge of NHL and NBA elite over the Madden franchise. I think he could really do the job.

# 26 Skyliner80 @ 08/18/10 04:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocky


	I don't know if this is more ironic or sad, but I would list Madden's commentary back in Madden '93 and '94 as a major innovation for it's time.

I think the Joe Montana Sportstalk Football series has something to say about that.

# 27 Skyliner80 @ 08/18/10 04:45 PM

Personally, I thought the 'hit-stick' was introduced pretty well. Where the he'll did it go? I mean it doesn't feel like a feature in Madden games anymore. I assume it's not even in the game since there's no label on the control scheme. I also used to love the 'strip' button. Loved how randomly effective or penalizing it would be.

# 28 Skyliner80 @ 08/18/10 04:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rashad19


	I would have to say branching animations or the ability to control how you breakout of a tackle was a great innovative feature.

I believe the 2K series came out with that first.

# 29 Bigfoot365 @ 08/18/10 05:58 PM

The Front Page Sports series did many of the things Madden adopted (and many of them better) back in the early 90's on the PC. Franchise, weather, full situational gameplan editor, even a play editor. I still go back and play it from time to time.

# 30 mr_president @ 08/19/10 12:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigfoot365


	The Front Page Sports series did many of the things Madden adopted (and many of them better) back in the early 90's on the PC. Franchise, weather, full situational gameplan editor, even a play editor. I still go back and play it from time to time.

agreed.

Quote:


	2. Madden 99 - Franchise Mode I would be more than happy to argue that this is one of the biggest innovations in sports gaming. I don't know how it can be argued against. By giving us multiple seasons and GM-inspired powers, Madden furthered the experience of sitting at the helm of an NFL franchise. This mode furthered the immersion factor of the series, and it exponentially increased the replay value of the game. After all, if you were to, let's say, pilot the Dallas Cowboys to a Super Bowl and win easily, what then? Before the franchise mode, you could only start again with the same players and the same league. Lame.

....nfl primetime 95 had a multi season franchise before madden, as did college. nfl prime time also had a passing feature similar to that of nfl fever's read and lead, which both preceded the vision cone and both were implemented better.
http://www.answers.com/topic/prime-t...-deion-sanders

i'm not really sure what innovations belong to madden??

# 31 Dog @ 08/19/10 01:27 AM

i thought the vision cone was a very good idea. if they could somehow implement it without making the game look arcade-y it would be a HUGE innovations

# 32 jyoung @ 08/19/10 08:18 AM

As others have said, Madden, as a whole, just has not been a very innovative series.

Front Page Sports Football was way ahead of all other football games back in the '90s, and 2K assumed that position of leadership in the '00s.

Madden always seems to be several years behind the games that are really pushing the sport of football forward.

The problem is that not many people had home computers back in the early '90s, and even fewer had Dreamcasts in the early '00s.

# 33 QuinnMahoney @ 08/21/10 03:10 PM

No love for the Hit Stick? Or Playmaker controls?

# 34 Kaanyr Vhok @ 08/26/10 05:27 AM

You have to include the 'scores from around the league' in Madden 92 or 93. Madden had a ticker way back then and it was dropped.

# 35 dophin26 @ 08/26/10 02:18 PM

- I remember designing plays for Madden on my Commodore 64 (still have that version, just no C64).

- I keep playing the demo to get into M11 (bought M10, but hardly touched it). I just don't feel like I'm doing much but turning left and right with players. I don't feel involved. I haven't given up trying though.

- Morrison blows the "Doors" off the Stones any day.

# 36 Gotmadskillzson @ 08/26/10 02:37 PM

I miss Game Day.....and their NCAA football game 989 sports had.

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