More on Madden

It seems the only time I post twice in a row, it's because I'm still rambling on about the same thing (and I'm sorry for that).  But this time I wanted to talk about Madden 11 specifically as a video game and post my impressions so far.


I've seen some complains in other reviews and forums about the difficulty leading to unrealistic play, but for me it hasn't yet become a problem at the default setting.  If you learn how to game the AI, then yes, it can become unrealistic, but I choose to play as though the games were real instead of spamming the same play over and over.  I've also seen complaints that the AI is too good (and on All-Madden difficulty this is probably true) but most of the complaints in that vein seem to be "my offensive line keeps getting mowed over and my receivers are always covered and that's unrealistic."  These are the people that I think haven't watched much football, because I've seen it happen pretty frequently.


Basically, on the football side of it, I'm enjoying it.  The game plays pretty well, with the exception of a problem with the controls that makes it almost impossible to call for a fair catch on a kick return.  It's obviously not quite the same as a real game, but I find myself getting just as involved; the game that ended with an interception for a touchdown in overtime was especially nerve-wracking.  The commentary does get stale after a few games, though--I play as the Packers, and in every game I have to listen about how Grant was traded for a sixth-round draft pick.  Better commentary would help, but it's not my biggest complaint.


As a football game, Madden shines.  As a game, it falls short.  Every game begins and ends with the same one or two clips of fans in the stands.  The same players end up being highlighted as key players.  Franchise mode gives you total control over your team for as many as 30 seasons, but the interface is not very intuitive and requires a lot of effort to really get in to.  For example, if I notice I have a pretty weak right tackle and want to check out the free agents, I need to exit the roster, then look at the free agent list.  If I find someone I'm interested in, there's no option to compare him to my current players.  I need to remember the relevant stats and check the roster again.  Then, if I try to sign the free agent and it tells me I have a full roster, I have to go back to my roster, release a player, then go back to the free agent list, find the player I wanted again, and finally attempt to sign him to a contract.  It's ridiculously overcomplicated and I expect that as the franchise progresses and familiar names begin to disappear, keeping track of your players would get even harder.

I haven't yet checked out the Ultimate Team mode or the practice modes yet, but I expect them not to go to far from what I've seen.  Fortunately, the gameplay delivers.  I got it as a gift; I mentioned in the last post that I've become a football fan, but not quite enough that I would have bought the game myself.  But for bigger fans, the game would be worthwhile either as a football game, or a franchise simulator that lets you play games as well as managing your team.

As far as how it ranks compared to previous versions, I can't really say.  The last version of Madden I owned was 2003.  If what I've said sounds a lot like Madden 10 (or even 09) I can't really see it as being worthwhile to upgrade, especially since the Madden team website seems to suggest they're planning on implementing some bigger changes in 12.  Maybe it's not worthy of the typical Madden hype, but it's a fun game.  Fun enough that my 9-2 Packers should be making it to the playoffs before the weekend.