Madden 12 News Post

Staff Roundtable: Madden NFL 12 Demo Impressions

07:16 PM - August 10, 2011 by ChaseB

Contentious, heated, excitable. Whatever buzzword I use, it probably can't properly sum up the way things get around here once the Madden demo hits each year. It truly is exciting and terrifying all at once. The staff has been playing the demo like all you folks out there, and they have a wide range of views on the game.

So read on to find out what some of our writers think about the Madden 12 demo at this point.

Read More - Staff Roundtable: Madden NFL 12 Demo Impressions

Game: Madden NFL 12Reader Score: 6.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Wii / Xbox 360Votes for game: 44 - View All

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# 81 209vaughn @ 08/11/11 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by seasprite


	I don't see super DBs in this. Certainly not to the level of NCAA

IMO one of the worst parts of EA football is that you dont really feel like you're totally in control of your QB. Touch passes and leading WR's is virtually impossible, b/c the WR's dont adjust to the ball in the air. WR's will never run "natural routes" like real life WRs. WR's in real life read the DB's and find soft spots in zones. In EA football, WR's are locked into a route and basically ignore what the coverage is doing. This is why there are always routes in EA football games that are impossible to use... Double move routes for example. WR's need to be a lot smarter IMO.

We also need to have a real sense of control over the QB... Maybe a slider (not the kind in the options menu, the kind that when you hit the button it goes off, then you let go to stop it) like in FIFA that will help with power and accuracy. I'm a veteran EA footballer, and I still dont feel in control of where i'm putting the ball.

# 82 Playmakers @ 08/11/11 03:52 PM

Once you slow this game down on the field (Game Speed Slider) it's fantanstic. I don't expect people to fool around with settings in a DEMO but once you see the game on slow speed with tweaks then you'll see the potential of the full retail version

I think this game can be tweaked to play the best football game EA has released in 5-6 years

# 83 scottyp180 @ 08/11/11 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MMurda


	the thing is tho, nba elite had competition and HAD to come correct, and they failed against nba 2k11. Madden doesnt have that same risk, because there is no competition. they cant not be #1...thanks to the situtation theyre blessed with (license). but theyll never do it until theyre forced to do it, which is when new systems come out. but even then, they may still be so lazy and just port over with prettier graphics, while the fifas and nhls of the future continue to blow past this stagnant game. but lets be clear, theres nothing in their way of doing this, if they really wanted to. i know they have to put out a yearly title. now that they have new developers to help develop ahead of time on top of the regular devs, why cant they do this for m13? the answer is they dont want to have that kind of commitment to excellence, and its really sad considering this was their most popular title for many yrs. IMO, even if it aint the greatest if they did blow up and start over, would it really be any diff of an outcome to them putting out bug/glitch filled games with horrible gameplay on this outdated engine? honestly i think more ppl would applaud the effort and give them more slack for trying to advance the tech and the game.

Madden doesn't lose the risk of not being number one but it definitely can lose die hard fans and sales. EA knows that year after year they are making money from madden regardless if they make significant changes or get good reviews. You're right their NBA series needed to make significant changes but in the process the franchise was crippled. Elite failed by its own standards not because of its competition. When the demo dropped for Elite 11 die hard Live fans couldn't understand how or why the game took a major leap back within a year. Graphics, controls, animations, and overall polish of the game was lack luster in comparison to Live 10 and as a result EA will go 2 years without releasing a sim basketball game.

Now say Febuary 2012 comes along and EA announces they are going to completely overhaul madden. I personally would be excited/interested but also concerned for the game knowing damn well you cant possibly rebuild a game in ONE year and expect a great product. If EA decided to not release Madden 13 in order to spend 2 years on Madden 14 then that would be great but I dont have faith in EA (or any sports company) rebuilding a franchise within one year. Again they wouldn't want to release a demo for Madden 13 and get the same responses that the Elite demo received.

You also gotta consider that while everyone here wants a sim football game EA is more focused on making money and appealing to ALL audiences not just the die hard football fans; which probably means making a game that is realistic but also easy to pick up and play and have fun. So their definition of the best football game is probably a lot different than many of our definitions. Based on the sales of their "bug/glitch filled games with horrible gameplay on this outdated engine" I think EA is perfectly fine with the formula they have. Im not siding with EA, nor do I think they put out a quality product each year I'm just looking at things from EAs perspective instead of a disappointed fan.

# 84 statum71 @ 08/11/11 05:35 PM

I agree with Bob.

However....Caley hit the nail on the head in regards to halftime by saying "I've all but given up hope that we will ever see anything like NFL 2K5's presentation again."

# 85 MMurda @ 08/11/11 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottyp180


	Madden doesn't lose the risk of not being number one but it definitely can lose die hard fans and sales. EA knows that year after year they are making money from madden regardless if they make significant changes or get good reviews. Now say Febuary 2012 comes along and EA announces they are going to completely overhaul madden. I personally would be excited/interested but also concerned for the game knowing damn well you cant possibly rebuild a game in ONE year and expect a great product.

thats my point tho. they can still lose die hard fans sales either way...by putting out recycled madden with band aid fixes that half work(why im not buying and many others) or by completely screwing it up with a reboot that doesnt work the best the 1st yr. IMO, they could rebound from a bad title quicker(less than the 6yrs we're at now) with a base that has a new engine that respects the fundamentals of physics, realistic AI, and puts in the presentation they have now. so what do they really have to lose?

and the fact you stated that theyll make their money regardless, further makes my point that if they really wanted to make the change in madden they could with not much risk, as opposed to nba elite who had a competitor to bury them. dont think for a minute EA wouldnt have dropped that Elite on time had nba2k11 not been around. they wouldve dropped it with a day 1 patch and a bunch of promises just like they do currently with ncaa/madden.

Quote:

Originally Posted by bucky60


	They don't have to do it in one year, and they don't have to skip a year. It's called parallel development. They could have had a new game engine by now and not missed a year. The question would be cost/benefit. Could EA afford to have an extra development team to work on a new set of game engines.

exactly my point...now they actually do have that dual dev team going so it will be interesting to see if this is for hype or if we'll see more bug/glitch and polish work and innovations each yearly cycle starting with m13 like we see with fifa and nhl.

# 86 STLRams @ 08/11/11 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 209vaughn


	IMO one of the worst parts of EA football is that you dont really feel like you're totally in control of your QB. Touch passes and leading WR's is virtually impossible, b/c the WR's dont adjust to the ball in the air. WR's will never run "natural routes" like real life WRs. WR's in real life read the DB's and find soft spots in zones. In EA football, WR's are locked into a route and basically ignore what the coverage is doing. This is why there are always routes in EA football games that are impossible to use... Double move routes for example. WR's need to be a lot smarter IMO. We also need to have a real sense of control over the QB... Maybe a slider (not the kind in the options menu, the kind that when you hit the button it goes off, then you let go to stop it) like in FIFA that will help with power and accuracy. I'm a veteran EA footballer, and I still dont feel in control of where i'm putting the ball.

I just finally played the Demo, surprised by how much I did seem to like it but this post here is how I also feel. The passing game.... touch passing is still not there enough for me personally. I still don't feel in control of where im putting the ball and I have hated this for years from Madden. The presentation, movements, graphics, gameplay all seem alot bettery but the passing needs to be addressed. Madden seems be on the right track though, if they can improve the passing game, add a full halftime show/end of game show with highlights/commentary from around the league, and keep expanding on the presentation and gameplay, they can finally get rid of my fond memories of NFL2K5. On that note, I am also impressed by the replays this year, very nice looking they have a NFL2K feel to them. Also I love how the running game and tackling looks this year.

# 87 bkrich83 @ 08/11/11 07:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bucky60


	Dude, arcadey is arcadey, even if someone's opinion says it's not. Sure somethings are subjective, but there are lines where the subjectivity becomes more objectivity.

Who defines arcadey then? It certainly is subjective.

# 88 bkrich83 @ 08/11/11 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bucky60


	He has a point here. Even many of the staff impressions called it arcade. He has a point here as well. But I don't agree with calling the game garbage. Just that there is a mob mentality to put down legitimate complaints. He's a little overboard with his message. I agree with some of the message, just don't (at all) like the delivery.

They didn't really call it arcade and what they did say seemed to be based on the speed of the game. Something that can be adjusted which they failed to mention.

# 89 Playmakers @ 08/11/11 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roadman


	First of all, BK is right, it's just opinions on the net. So, now we are down to my opinion is wrong and everyone else who says it's arcadey is right? It's a two way street. My opinion shouldn't be undervalued vs the round table writers and their opinion shouldn't be under valued vs my opinion. If someone starts telling me I should open up the window and go play football or turn on the TV, I'll put them on ignore. So, I ask again, why is your opinion of arcadey more valued than mine that says it's not? I just don't get that mentality. Is it really a matter of who is right vs who is wrong? There is just as many people who are loving the demo(if not more) vs people that say the game is arcadey. Does that mean the people who are enjoying the demo are wrong in what they are enjoying? Plus, like I said, opinions goes both ways and should be treated as such. As soon as someone says something bad about the game, look out, because here are people waiting in the wings to pounce on people who have different opinions than that poster.

I wonder if they are basing this off of just the game speed?

I've seen people call it arcadey but they didn't really specify if they were talking about gameplay or the speed of the game.

The speed of the game does tend to make it feel arcade out of the box....but i agree with you the actuall gameplay itself doesn't feel like arcade.

I think the guys on the Roundtable are only giving their opinion of it being arcade based on the speed but i could be wrong

# 90 Lakers 24 7 @ 08/11/11 08:12 PM

Doesn't sound like these guys played on the slow setting, plus you can spotlight receivers.

# 91 Armor and Sword @ 08/11/11 08:30 PM

In the end all that matters is what you think and if your having fun or not.

I like to discuss games....hence why I hang out here. What I don't like to do is banter back and forth over who is right or wrong. There is no right or wrong in video games.

If someone told me they loved ET on Atari 2600...great. Knock yourself out. I would not hang out in the ET thread because that game to me was complete and utter crap. I much rather hang out in a thread or forum of a game I love and talk about all the little things, trading, strategies, rosters, sliders etc.

Why hang in a sub forum of game you despise and implore your venom and try to convince people it sucks.

It is futile.

You don't like the game....no problem. Your opinion. Post your impressions and move on. Don't troll around and attack people for liking a game.

I have caught myself sometimes countering people who don't like a game. We are all guilty of it from time to time. But I am getting fatigued of impression threads and review threads becoming flame wars. It is really old.

It's 100 pages of utter noise and nonsense.

Off my soap box.

# 92 Tomba @ 08/11/11 10:33 PM

Been playing a bit more and I'm finding that All pro is best with very slow and threshold all the way down.

Again kicking field goals when you can't score a td is finally something i don't mind doing thanks to the great camera angle involved.

# 93 bluengold34_OS @ 08/11/11 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Armor & Sword


	In the end all that matters is what you think and if your having fun or not. I like to discuss games....hence why I hang out here. What I don't like to do is banter back and forth over who is right or wrong. There is no right or wrong in video games. If someone told me they loved ET on Atari 2600...great. Knock yourself out. I would not hang out in the ET thread because that game to me was complete and utter crap. I much rather hang out in a thread or forum of a game I love and talk about all the little things, trading, strategies, rosters, sliders etc. Why hang in a sub forum of game you despise and implore your venom and try to convince people it sucks. It is futile. You don't like the game....no problem. Your opinion. Post your impressions and move on. Don't troll around and attack people for liking a game. I have caught myself sometimes countering people who don't like a game. We are all guilty of it from time to time. But I am getting fatigued of impression threads and review threads becoming flame wars. It is really old. It's 100 pages of utter noise and nonsense. Off my soap box.

Please stay on, I actually enjoy your take very much!

# 94 BlueNGold @ 08/12/11 01:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tomba


	Been playing a bit more and I'm finding that All pro is best with very slow and threshold all the way down. Again kicking field goals when you can't score a td is finally something i don't mind doing thanks to the great camera angle involved.

What I like is the fact you can kick long field goals and not be guaranteed to make them every time.

Maybe that will change after getting used to the new kicking meter but so far it's been really good.

# 95 scottyp180 @ 08/12/11 01:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MMurda


	thats my point tho. they can still lose die hard fans sales either way...by putting out recycled madden with band aid fixes that half work(why im not buying and many others) or by completely screwing it up with a reboot that doesnt work the best the 1st yr. IMO, they could rebound from a bad title quicker(less than the 6yrs we're at now) with a base that has a new engine that respects the fundamentals of physics, realistic AI, and puts in the presentation they have now. so what do they really have to lose? and the fact you stated that theyll make their money regardless, further makes my point that if they really wanted to make the change in madden they could with not much risk, as opposed to nba elite who had a competitor to bury them. dont think for a minute EA wouldnt have dropped that Elite on time had nba2k11 not been around. they wouldve dropped it with a day 1 patch and a bunch of promises just like they do currently with ncaa/madden. exactly my point...now they actually do have that dual dev team going so it will be interesting to see if this is for hype or if we'll see more bug/glitch and polish work and innovations each yearly cycle starting with m13 like we see with fifa and nhl.

At this point I think it's kinda late for EA to rebuild madden on the current gen (6 years is typically the older stage of a systems life cycle). Realistically they should have started right when the 360 dropped, what EA did in the last 6 years should have taken 3 years tops. If EA starts building a new engine now then by the time next gen drops they should be able to release a praise worthy game. The way I see it is that if EA decides to rebuild next year then we might have to wait a couple years until there goal is fully realized and by that point new consoles may already be out. Or they can keep doing what they are doing while working on a new madden engine for next gen at the same time. Either way it is getting to the point where EA needs to make some kind of change.

# 96 nyg92fan @ 08/12/11 03:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swiftychampleone


	After playing the demo for Madden 12, it's a mixed bag for me. The game is beautiful and the presentation is top-notch. I did turn the game down to slow and got a better game. I'm still disappointed about the DBs and LBs having "psychic" powers and not being able to force a few tight passes. How should I go about fixing this without cheating? Turn up the QB Accuracy, WR Catching sliders? Turn down DB sliders? Haven't bought this game since '06, so bare with me. Franchise Mode is what determine whether I buy this game or not. However, like all sports games, you can't buy them on Day 1. There's always something wrong and something that needs a patch. I don't even understand why folks get angry and upset at demos/pre-release. Honestly, I wait until the patches come out and read impressions, then buy it used for $35 or less. Some people should try this method.

This is exactly how I feel about this Madden demo.. Exactly.. Well Put sir..

# 97 havokeff @ 08/12/11 03:14 AM

Wait... You agree with this guy because he is mad that he can't do something which professional QBs can rarely do? ("force a few tight passes.")

Fix it with sliders? How about you don't act like you are Dan Marino playing against a Pop Warner team and play the game the way football is played.

My Fing Gawd. Almost every complaint on this board is by some idiot that doesn't understand that if you force passes, they get intercepted. If you are late with a throw, like the guy on the first page was in his youtube whinefest he posted about "Magic DBs", you get intercepted. If you take a bad angle, you miss tackles. If you always go for a big hit you miss tackles.

And you know what, I would love for a company to put out AP2k5 or whatever holy grail you think was achieved 7 years ago, and watch that company get laughed into bankruptcy.

# 98 bichettehappens @ 08/12/11 03:30 AM

Delivery was a bit brash, but I must say I agree with some of the particular points you were trying to make. Particularly in regards to forcing passes and the "psychic DB" play

# 99 adriano @ 08/12/11 04:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by STLRams


	I just finally played the Demo, surprised by how much I did seem to like it but this post here is how I also feel. The passing game.... touch passing is still not there enough for me personally. I still don't feel in control of where im putting the ball and I have hated this for years from Madden. The presentation, movements, graphics, gameplay all seem alot bettery but the passing needs to be addressed. Madden seems be on the right track though, if they can improve the passing game, add a full halftime show/end of game show with highlights/commentary from around the league, and keep expanding on the presentation and gameplay, they can finally get rid of my fond memories of NFL2K5. On that note, I am also impressed by the replays this year, very nice looking they have a NFL2K feel to them. Also I love how the running game and tackling looks this year.

One thing I really hate in Madden is the lead passing. I have noticed you
In this years game, I can lead passes, better than in past games..
I hot routed streaks, threw it towards the middle of the field and towards
the sidelines..I would say 70 to 80 % worked.. The Shot gun formation
I had the most success..

I am with you it needs to be better.. i would rather it miss fire in the
direction I was aiming.. Then have a completion, no where
near where I was aiming....I hate that the most.. I think I want to try
the retail version..I am leaning of a purchase. The game felt good.

# 100 Playmakers @ 08/12/11 05:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by swiftychampleone


	I did turn the game down to slow and got a better game. I'm still disappointed about the DBs and LBs having "psychic" powers and not being able to force a few tight passes. How should I go about fixing this without cheating? Turn up the QB Accuracy, WR Catching sliders? Turn down DB sliders? Haven't bought this game since '06, so bare with me.

What the heck is going on with you guys in this thread?

Why is it all of sudden considered cheating if you tweak the gameplay sliders....

You are trying to accomplish something to deliver better gameplay for you right.....so why would it be cheating

Did EA all of sudden release a manual that states if you move a slider up or down ut us now considered cheating....because in this thread along i've seen quite a few guys used that theory

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