Madden NFL 15 is now available in stores. Be sure to read our review if you haven't gotten the game. If you have, leave your own impressions of your first play sessions in the comments below!
Some of the complaining is warranted but my god I'd say most of it comes off like children crying. For ten years or more we have seen madden make very little changes to gameplay, one year we have them come out and make some big steps forward and people STILL are not satisfied.
I stayed out of the Madden forum last year because how fast people can ruin the enjoyment of Madden by the nit picking. This year I can clearly see it will be the same way, I will stay out the madden forums due to how much bitching is done here.
Instead I will sit and enjoy what this team has done with Madden in one year and can't wait to see what they do next year!
Buddy, the complaining this year is warranted. (Most of what's being complaining about anyways). EA has done an OUTSTANDING job with 15. No doubt. But legacy issues and just plain unrealistic things (like DL's chasing down RB's, and such) should definitely be gone, and they're not. So, yeah that constructive complaining is needed.
My last game I had a pick 6 with a LB and no one was even close to running him down. I've only seen questionable cut offs by D lined on runs outside but also seen good runs to the outside with no issues. So I have no idea what that's all about.
I've yet seen a CB etc.. be run down by a lineman out ion the open.
Hopefully my luck continues.
Quick impressions for now. No matter what I tried I found 6-25 an unplayable single player experience. Thankfully this year is different. There is still a ton of wonky stuff going on but I am forgivable because the game is actually fun for me this year so far. Pro Tip: slow speed and tackling between 0-25 for you and CPU. Game becomes less predictable and exciting. Still working on sliders. Having low scoring games mostly. Don't like how it plays on all madden so hopefully I can tweak sliders more on all pro to get it where I want it. All pro sliders were going well at first then I improved so need to find a way to still use all pro and not be able to shut down the CPU too much.
Back to my "CPU advantage coding" argument. Anyone ever think that the CPU is faster when you start sprinting? I feel that as soon as I press R2, the CPU catches me (or starts to close in).
Im not sure if they get faster, but it seems if you hit sprint too soon behind the line of scrimmage or right at it, they shed their block instantly. I have better luck running when i am patient and wait to use the sprint button
I agree with your earlier post, I will have a d linemen catch a running back from behind from time to time
Im not sure if they get faster, but it seems if you hit sprint too soon behind the line of scrimmage or right at it, they shed their block instantly. I have better luck running when i am patient and wait to use the sprint button
I agree with your earlier post, I will have a d linemen catch a running back from behind from time to time
They do get faster, it seems the moment you hit sprint the dlinemen or defense in general knows exactly where u are at no matter their current situation on the field and tbey instantly shed there blockers and are usain bolt on their first step.
Anybody come across online players chewing clock in the first qtr? I swear people have problems. Why play the game if you have to do things like that. So far I haven't seen any thing online that you can't take away. At least it seems like there is a counter for everything.
My first impressions. I've played about 3 games and spent a lot of time in the skills trainer. This was my first taste of madden on the new consoles.
Graphics: Huge improvement over the ps3 days, still see some weird stuff. Eddie Lacy' s hair comes out through the back of the helmet sometimes and Aaron Rodgers has caveman arms imo, but overall it's really good compared to my past experiences.
Presentation: Huge improvement again. I like the real time celebrations instead of the cut scenes. Bj Raji got a sack and was eating his wheaties after, pretty cool. Some like the 3 point basketball shot just look weird tho. I have yet to see a Lambeau leap tho. Halftime highlights would be better shown from broadcast cam. Broadcast cam would be a little nicer if field goal attempts were shot from behind the goalposts like a real game.
Gameplay: This game is fun but arcadey imo. The cpu takes a lot of sacks, and throws all short high accuracy passes. I've been averaging 8 sacks a game with 2-3 being users. Playing all pro in three games I have yet to give up and offensive score vs the bears. That said, cpu defense is real. I'm 2-1 with a loss thanks to giving up a pick 6 and a fumble scoop and score. Blocking is questionable at times. I had a few screen plays that would've been nice gains but my guard turned around to block someone behind me and ran into me getting me tackled. Another play I rolled out left with Rodgers and had a free lineman standing in front of me with no one to block, when an lb decided to go after Rodgers, that lineman stayed in an animation with arms out looking for a threat and just let him blow me up. Rodgers got hurt and left the game on that play to add insult to it.
Some other notes. 3 games and no penalties called. Too many scoop and score fumbles, players never just try to fall on the loose ball. I tried to challenge my fumble and there was a note saying there was nothing to challenge in the menu screen. Just annoying since every turnover should be reviewed. It was a legit fumble tho. I had a slant play work in my favor where a defender jumped in front of Cobb but Cobb warped over 2 yards and got the ball, proceeded to run through the defender and go 40 yards for the score.
Wasn't all negative. The defensive camera and rushing the qb is a lot of fun. It the only way I play defense. I wish the camera would start in the normal view so I could make adjustments before it went to that over the shoulder view, and switching players is disorienting from that view but overall defensive cam makes madden a fresh experience.
My favorite mode so far is skills trainer. I like the drills that show you defensive concepts, how to identify them and how to attack them. It's a lot of fun and gives online guys a way to practice and lab that encourages real football strategies instead of finding the money plays.
Final thoughts. The game is fun, and feels new in a lot of ways. It's not the port of the nightmare ps3 games I hated and feared it would be. It's still very arcade out of the box. High number of sacks, picks and scoop/scores...high qb accuracy...low on penalties, bad snaps and blocked kicks. Yet somehow it captures my attention better than any Madden since the ps2 days.
Play calling sucks. The one thing they need to change is that. Bring back to the main menu for the formation play calling. I should not have to back out of the package I selected to bring in a new one. The play calling in madden for as long as I can remember has been great. This time it is so time consuming that you can barely select a play you want.
The game does not pick my plays. I pick my plays and I know it is meant for the more casual football fan, but please allow a classic madden play selection.
After not having played a Madden game since 09, I decided to pick up Madden 25 not too long ago. I liked it, but I had to pick up 15 after hearing all the impressions. Honestly I've never been a big fan of the game.
(note - other than skills trainer, so far I just play running back in career mode)
Let me say, EA really seems to have put a lot into Madden this year.
Wait... did I just type that?
-The graphics are obviously amazing. Even after all these pages it still is worth repeating. I'm not usually all that hung up on graphics. M25 wasn't fantastic but it was good enough. This just blows me away though.
-Normally I hit the button to skip the presentation, even if it is good. Well, in Madden I actually find myself watching it, mostly because the graphics are so good.
-The running game feels so much better, although I can't exactly say why. I liked running in M25, but this is even better and more challenging.
I won't get into the issues that have already been mentioned already. With the gameplay I am having tons of fun so far.
Last madden I had was 04, so you can imagine this has been quite the jump.
Currently 4-3 with my Panthers and loving everything at the moment, except the rediculous amount of sacks. (after 7 games Lotulelei has 16! sacks) Even with the panthers D, i'm having a hard time stopping passes over the middle, but i'm loving every moment of it.
Have you ever noticed that when you push either tackle button,the same thing happens to the cpu RB or receiver?
It seems it's something to do with how EA did the tackling stuff this year...I believe in the description for a "wrap" tackle,it says to "press X" within 3 yards.
It seems the same thing is happening with the cpu as well...but we obviously won't see any "prompt" for the cpu.
I can recall several times where the cpu RB gets through,and I'll push "X" and my defender will "warp" to make the tackle.
I noticed that on day 1 and said it on day 1. It is like the wrap tackle is a canned animation and the game will force that animation play out regardless of player orientation. Like late last night, I was running along the sidelines, I kid you not, the defender from about 3 or 4 yards away, body leaned back almost flat on his back and he slid over in that position to where his hip attached to my hip and he wrapped tackled me down to the ground.
EA might as well call conservative wrap tackle automatic suction tackle, because I have yet to miss a conservative tackle. Yeah EA made great strides this year, but that also went years backwards with some of the things in this game.
Now for those of you who mainly play online against other humans, then yeah, these problems won't bother you as much. But as a person who primarily against the CPU, these problems stick out to me as a loud suit after Labor Day.
Just like that new disengage feature the user can do to shed blocks instantly, the CPU does this A LOT on running plays, especially running plays up the middle. That needs to be toned down.
Perfect timing 1st step = jump the snap, I hate it. CPU abuses it quite often. Hell I watched many streams of people playing MUT and see people abuse it against other people. It is unstoppable when timed correctly.
There have been times when a LB from there regular position would use that quick 1st step feature and be on the QB within 2 seconds of hiking the ball. He would just run right by the center and guard UNTOUCHED.
Absolutely love this game. The only thing I hate is the way they did the fantasy draft. The players are not ranked by overall ratings, so you have to constantly sort the ratings field. Other than that, this is the best Madden ever.
I have to be honest. I think this is a well put together Madden going in a great direction. My two issues are offensive lineman giving up on their blocking assignments way too early off the snap and QB scrambles getting past the line of scrimmage and DB's just staying in their zones and not attacking a now offensive ball carrier. The last one I noticed as something that will hamper user vs user competition. I'm still searching for a great set of sliders on All Pro from the OS community, I trust that someone out there has to have good sliders coming soon to resolve some of these issues. Aside that I'm not blown away by Madden, but I'm not going to sit here and say they haven't made plenty of drastic changes. It's a good game, it's fun... But it's not a great game just yet but you can see the progress. I know Rex and everyone down there at EA is reading our comments and we all have been patient enough to see moves in the right direction. I think we are seeing them.
Slow speed plays a hell of a lot different then normal speed that is for sure. Outside runs are actually possible now. But EA needs to patch that tackling and block shedding. Running up the middle, the hole will look wide and you would think oh man I am about to bust a 8 yard or more gain, NOPE. As soon as you make it into the hole and take one step passed it, all the defensive linemen and linebackers INSTANTLY shed their block and your tackled for a 2 yard gain.
Even with tackle at 20, the CPU tackles way too good. Now I don't mind LEGIT tackles, but that damn warping and suction tackling needs to go. I was clearly a good 3 yards ahead and 2 yards to the left of the nearest defender. How the hell does my player not only stop running but contorts his body back and to the right into a LB ? That so pissed me off.
And to further prove chase down from behind logic is too powerful in this game, a 97 speed CB Josh Robinson for the Vikings intercepted my pass, how is it a 305 pound offensive lineman, the center Max Unger for the Seahawks chase him down from behind with 54 speed ? I mean there was nobody in front of the CB, clear sailing, he got caught within 25 yards from behind. I was yelled WTF ? How is that possible with 0 speed threshold ?
Pretty much the only special move I can get to work for ball carriers is the spin move. Juke move, nope, tackled. Stiff arm, nope just makes me get tackled even quicker. Trucking, nope, just get tackled quicker. Hell out of 2 dozen games now, I have still yet to see a stumble recovery.
I also noticed the robo QB is a lot stronger on slow speed compared to normal speed. Finally noticed the CPU takes my shots down field deep on slow speed.
The following needs to be patched ASAP:
1. Robo QB
2. Suction tackling
3. That automatic disengage block defensive linemen and LBs do as soon as you hit the hole.
4. The over powered chased down from behind logic. Nobody with 97 speed should be caught from behind in the open field by a 54 speed 305 pound offensive lineman on 0 speed threshold.
5. The flats seem to always be open for the CPU. RB is always left uncovered.
6. Tone down the success rate of 1 on 1 tackles. All tackles seem to be automatic. Hard tackle and conservative tackle both have the same very high level success rate.
7. What happened to stumble recovery and player avoidance ? I have yet to see stumble recovery out of 2 dozen games. Also CPU ball carriers tend to run into the back of their blockers way too often and get tangled in the blockers feet and fall down.
8. Too many times I see WRs flat footed and they just let the DB under cut them because they don't come back for the ball. Or the DB will jump but the WR won't jump for the ball.
9. Linebackers get their hands on too many balls over the middle. Their jumping skills is insane.
Hmmm,
Is there a consensus on the judgment of this experience?