Madden 12 News Post

Madden NFL 12 Reviewer Impressions: Gameplay

10:59 AM - August 27, 2011 by RaychelSnr

Madden's gameplay is a strange sort of Jekyll and Hyde act this year. While on one hand, I really want to love the gameplay for all the things it does right, there's always a bit of creeping anger and disappointment when I experience the things Madden doesn't do quite so well.

Madden is far from a bad game. I'm about 15 games into my Madden experience, and it's pretty easy to conclude that Madden is anything but a bad game. It's just that to get to some realistic results, the game cuts so many corners and seems to be asking me to suspend my own disbelief to find enjoyment in the face of some lacking realism.

On the basic surface level, if you've played NCAA Football 12, you sort of know what to expect from Madden 12. If you've played an EA football game in the last several years, you've also played a large part of what Madden 12 has to offer. What Madden does differently is important to the core gameplay experience and will probably define whether you, as a hardcore fan, are willing to spend the $60 on the game.

Read More - Madden NFL 12 Reviewer Impressions: Gameplay

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

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Member Comments

# 21 bmj2k7 @ 08/27/11 01:26 PM

Finally someone who cares aboue DEFENSE! Ive played flag tag, midget, middle school, junior varsity, varsity and even had some offers from some school to play football for them (mostly private, but not all) at the college level, after i graduated a couple years ago. What happens if i want to run a tiger blitz (send all LBs) 2 deep man (2 deep safeties) lockdown coverage (man to man CBs) and have my DTs in coverage and DEs in the flats so you still have 4 man blitzing (which for that split second you have the advantage bc they dont know who's rushing) and atleast 3 guys in coverage (The DL) Its Impossible to do all that and really just having a overload blitz where you send everyone to the same side is hard to do on madden. They need a new defensive play calling system so we can do what we really want to, not what were forced to do. So us defensive guys can wreak havoc on the opposing QB.

# 22 Armor and Sword @ 08/27/11 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Perfect Zero


	I understand that it is just a video game, but at this stage of development it should play a better game. The "Atari" comments make me cringe every time. This isn't 1985 any more, it's 2011, and we should expect better advancements in gaming. I feel that OS did a good job pointing out both sides of the argument, and realize that in today's gaming world, you have to advance realism. I also love the comment "If you want the experiences the writer has nitpicked about, the only way you will ever get it is by actually playing the game of football, not a video counterpart." Unfortunately, I'll never grow a rocket arm, become two inches taller and grow a blue jersey with the name "Manning" on the back of it. Most people want to experience the game with the Colts or Cowboys or whomever. Going out in the back yard and playing toss up isn't going to make me Peyton Manning. Playing video games helps in this experience.

So you don't think Madden 12 is an advancement? It is clearly (IMO going out on a limb based on the demo) going to to the best in the series to date.

Madden 93 was the pinnacle in 1993. Madden 2005 was the pinnacle in the series back in 2004.

Here we are seven years later and I feel we have the best Madden for this gen and maybe ever (I don't know yet as I have not gotten my copy but played the demo and loved it). It took much longer this time in this console generation no doubt. But it is here.

Games today are far more advanced than games from 2005. Sports games have taken a huge leap IMO visually, feel wise, controls as well as AI this gen.

It's not even close. I can't play PS2/XBOX spots games anymore.....just can't do it! Platform, adventure and shooters and RPGs...oh heck yeah I still pop in some old favs all the time, but sports games are average compared to todays offerings. They really is no comparison anymore IMO. I think Sports games in general as well as FPS have made amazing leaps in quality, AI and modes this gen. Yeah bugs are being found...then patched and tuned that is a reality of todays games and cycles. The patch has become a Developers crutch much like instant replay has for NFL officials. So it is a blessing and a curse in that regard. I agree games should ship great out of the box. And most don't seem to anymore. Even the great ones like The Show and 2K11 had a big patch each to correct bugs and glitches.

Come on man. It is getting so lame how critical sports gamers have become!!!

When you played Madden back in 1993.....were you not doing cartwheels?

I was. After growing up with Atari Real Sports and Intellivision then even Tecmo Super Bowl this was a huge leap....HUGE!!!

Now I agree Madden has underwhelmed for some time. But 2010 to now they have really stepped up a lot more. It may not be what you want. But for hardcore Madden fans (which I am) the game is getting better and better.

To each his/her own.

But I think most Gen X guys like me agree.....sports games today are amazing and we are getting so much enjoyment out of them as compared to 5,10,15 and 20 years ago.

# 23 coach422001 @ 08/27/11 01:36 PM

the comment about the dynamic player performance going too far each way is one of the things that frustrates me most about programming for sports video games. Programmers want to add something to the game and either they go way overboard to show the swings in performance, or you get alot of the same thing from year to year making it seem stale (like some of the old Fifa manager situations). I think Front Page Sports football was the last one that I played that I felt got it right; you'd see the burst for a number of plays or for a quarter then it would start coming down again. It is sounding like your players become supermen or me trying to run past Ray Lewis for a whole game, which just doesn't seem realistic. Maybe there will be a way to tone the results down a bit from what the reviewer mentions.

# 24 PVarck31 @ 08/27/11 02:01 PM

Most of us grew up in a generation where home gaming systems were completely new to us. It was amazing being able to play videogames whenever we felt like it. I think the early consoles moved so fast forward in terms of quality. We were in the middle of the tech revolution. Things moved so fast, we went from the NES, to SNES, and Genesis very quickly from Atari and Intelevison. Games were getting better at an extremely fast rate. Then the PS1 released and revolutionized games. Throw in the Dreamcast, and PS2 and Xbox. It was a whirlwind.

We have been in this gen for almost 7 years. The longest time before new systems have been released. You would expect to see sports games like Madden to have taken a huge leap. I am not saying Madden 12 is bad. I haven't even played it. (except the demo) But with tech the way it is today, it just seems like madden hasn't been able to keep up with it. I have no idea why but I don't see that changing this gen.

# 25 JRod @ 08/27/11 02:20 PM

One of the best reads you'll find on Madden, ever. Everything was covered. Well done!

# 26 thegreatusurper512 @ 08/27/11 03:51 PM

The game doesn't have the new cba in the game (rooke pay scale #1). Therefore all of the franchise adjustments are moot imo. It will be as unrealistic as buying a football game that puts 12 men on the field.

# 27 coach422001 @ 08/27/11 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by atomant94


	Which version of Front Page Sports football u talking about?

I think it was 97. My guys played better (or worse) for a number of plays but Mike Alstott didn't suddenly run like Walter Peyton for a few games. It also had it's problems (the return game, lousy angles by defenders taken to the ball carrier) but it was alot of fun at the time (speaking a bit to 31's comments).

The other concern I'm thinking about based on Cassel going 21 of 22 when hot is that it seems no matter what he has around hiim, the hot player will be a stud. Receiver ability should come into play here. So even if hot, the QB shouldn't be near perfect if he has a poor set of receivers around him.
What happens if you have a hot QB with a cold WR? Does the ball just hang in front of the receiver due to the conflict, like a cat dropped from a height with a piece of buttered toast butter side up strapped to his back?

# 28 squadron supreme @ 08/27/11 03:52 PM

I gather that from reading this and other articles on Madden 12 is that it really isn't worth $60 unless you really need that NFL fix. I used to be that way until this year because clearly NHL 12, Fifa 12, and NBA 2k12 are going to be better than their predecessors and better than Madden. Thats not to even mention non sports titles in Uncharted 3 and Batman Arkham City. If I get Madden it will be after a price drop or using my store credit to reduce the price greatly. I just can't justify paying full price for a game that has been out this long on this generation of consolesbut still has the same glaring problems.

# 29 Radja @ 08/27/11 03:53 PM

i think we are seeing typical madden improvements so far from what you have written. again this will boil down to how much the consumer thinks it is worth to pay for.

granted some things are hard to simulate. like when you wrote, the DB's sometimes completely ignore the WR in the zone. that happens sometimes with real games when coverages are blown, so ... it boils down to how often that occurs in the game.

for a lot of us it will be whether they improved the offline franchise aspects.

personally, i can stick to a sports game for a couple years if i like my franchise presently. so unless its a massive improvement, i am sticking with my present madden franchise.

# 30 northface28 @ 08/27/11 04:01 PM

Good review and informative. So far there are too many questionable things going on once you get past all the fluff. Sure its an improvement over M11, but whats that really say? M11 was a mess. Jury is still out, but, for now, im not seeing enough improvement to justify a full price purchase. Ill just continue the waiting game.

# 31 scottyp180 @ 08/27/11 04:46 PM

i wonder how much the first patch will change the game and peoples impression of this game. It seems most sports titles have a day one update so maybe there will be some new impressions next week. Either way I plan on buying this game. I havent purchased madden in 5 years and after playing the demo I finally see enough improvements (again over a 5 year span) to warrant a $60 purchase,

# 32 maddcatt @ 08/27/11 04:51 PM

It's a game, it's football and I'm easily buying it ...All games have faults and I realize there will never be a game that is going to emulate a real football game perfectly ...I also realize, Nobody is ever going to buy a sports game that's more geared towards towards the defensive side of the ball

# 33 PAPERNUT @ 08/27/11 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by scottyp180


	i wonder how much the first patch will change the game and peoples impression of this game. It seems most sports titles have a day one update so maybe there will be some new impressions next week.

I was wondering the same. Is there any known patch that is due to hit this game on the 30th for launch for the retail disks?

# 34 Playmakers @ 08/27/11 05:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ


	I hope you do enjoy the game. Within 10 minutes, I regretted buying Madden 11 last year and no amount of patches and slider-tweaking ever made that game enjoyable. I don't want to go through that feeling again this year, so I'd rather wait.

I feel better about Madden 12 than NCAA 12

But having said that i'm not going to open it for about a week LOL!

I waiting for impressions and stuff from guys i trust on here....I can't get my full $60 bucks for NCAA 12 so I'm not opening Madden 12 right away.

With my luck i'll open it and EA will have a laundry list of things they are doing with a patch....

# 35 steelernation28 @ 08/27/11 07:11 PM

So disheartening EA, your effort has been and I believe will continue to be uninspired and half-@ssed. Shame on you.

# 36 Vikes1 @ 08/27/11 07:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DJ


	Still, I'm glad to see the cookie-cutter reviews disappearing and the journalists doing their duty of holding EA to the flames and calling them out, so to speak, for minimal year-to-year improvements.

I agree DJ...it is good to see more balanced reviews now, than years past.

# 37 ASUsideline @ 08/27/11 07:39 PM

I have to say that after reading a lot of the reviews and watching the game play footage videos, I'm really not that impressed with version of madden. I buy NCAA and Madden every year. I think EA and a lot of the people who play madden at E3 every year have been selling the same old stuff for the past three years. I think this years version of madden might be alright for the first week, then after that It will get boring real fast. I just can't see spending $60 for this game now.

# 38 C the Lyte @ 08/27/11 08:04 PM

After reading all of the reviews (and my past experiences), I have come to this conclusion...Madden is an Arcade game that wants to be a simulation. And in doing this, creates such a weird mix. It's like it's the only game that does this. Most other games are fully sim/realistic, or fully arcade-ish. Madden some how combines both @ the same time and @ the same level. Still undecided on my purchase, but I dusted off my PS2, bought Madden 09, and strangely feel appeased...

It seems to be an arcsim. I think if ppl know what they are getting then they will have no problem.

I gotta say though, 2 thumbs up for the review. I can't thank you enough.

# 39 TombSong @ 08/27/11 08:09 PM

Details and reasons why he felt the way he felt. THAT'S a review. We can love it or hate it but the only thing that can be argued are facts and everything else is debatable. He spoke in specifics and gave examples. When you bring evidence you shut up all the would be critics of the review and most importantly you are giving the readers something to look at and think about when they play the game and decide if they want to buy the game or not.

For the guys who say, its just a game, we should not expect x,y,z. That would be true if the things we ask for are not possible or have never been done before. However. A lot of what we want HAS been done already in older games. This is what makes the Madden situation so sad. I will be the first to say, overall Madden is not garbage. It can be a fun game to play. However in light of what has been and what is now and what is coming, Madden cannot be allowed to go the way its been going the last 6 years. Someone at Tiburon HAS to step up the games game play and "football" features on the field. It is dated and needs some serious work.

IMO it looks like they have the last 2 years been trying to skate by on improving the presentation hoping all eyes will be on that while doing little to address the legacy issues and current game play problems and lack of innovative features that matter while playing the game.

# 40 MaddenFranchise10 @ 08/27/11 09:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Turbo Lax 33


	At the end of the day Madden is a video game, not a recreation of actually playing the game.

That's a terribly lame argument. Why then, can EA Sports produce a much more detailed and engrossing experience for their FIFA and NHL games? How has 2k made such an immersive and complete NBA experience? How come SEGA has been able to make a quality MLB game as well?

Why is it that while playing FIFA, NHL, NBA2k, or The Show, I feel immersed, as though I'm really there, on the field/rink/court. And with Madden, I feel as though I'm playing a mediocre video game? Is it because Madden is just a video game? Or is it because Madden is mediocre?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vikes1


	I agree DJ...it is good to see more balanced reviews now, than years past.

Agreed. It's interesting to see the trend in game reviews. In year's past it was as though reviewers copy-pasted their prior year's review, just as Madden would copy-past their prior year's game. The critics would echo the same old problems that have been inherent for years, while touting the new hyped-up features, and ultimately giving the game a "B+".

It seems that reviewers (even here at OS), have finally become more objective when critiquing Madden.

But it begs the question, why has it taken so long? Why did OS give past iterations of Madden exceptional scores? For example, Operation Sports gave Madden 10 a 9/10. Where was the objectivity then? Seriously, what's changed?

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