If it's crap... We'll tell you
The ten worst things that ever happened to the Madden franchise
The Ten Worst Things In recent Madden history
Madden 10 is set for release on August 14th. With all the complaints, this Madden should be the best one ever. Okay, we say that every year and it never comes true. But in order for us die hard fans to appreciate this new game we have to take a hard look at the biggest blunders that have ruined past Maddens.
10. The weapon system
In case you didn't know that Ray Lewis can tackle really well, here it is.
This really isn’t a bad thing because it never really affected the game play. Sure it was a wasted idea but it in no way made the game any worse. If your player has a high rating he gets a symbol indicating what he can do. That’s all the weapon system is: indicators for special abilities. If you didn’t know Ray Lewis is a tackling machine, then the weapon system will indicate that he is. That’s it.
9. Where the hell is Madden? (Madden 06, 07, 08)
Get your ass back in the game Jon.
I’ve mentioned Madden a million times already. The game is named after him. His face was on the box ( a long time ago). His voice used to bring delightful commentary to the game play, even if it got awfully repetitive. But when the series made the jump to the Xbox 360, he disappeared from the game entirely. No images of him, no commentary, no nothing.
Instead of hearing his gruff voice we got commentary from a bland radio guy. It honestly felt like EA was just exploiting his famous money making name without using any of his talent. Then he came back in Madden 09 as a hologram and gave us sort of useful information. Chris Collinsworth carries the mantle as the commentator now and he does a great job, but would having him and Madden doing the commentary be a problem?
8. Crappy frame rate (Madden 06-07)
This game moves about as fast...Shaun Alexander's legs these days.
It looks pretty bad when the next generation of Madden on brand new hardware has pathetically choppy animation. It’s so bad that many moves don’t even work because they require a complete animation. By the time you use the block shedding move against a blocker, the ball carrier has left the building.
7. Lead blocker controls (Madden 07)
Steve Hutchinson: you're the man, but theres a good reason the Seahawks booted you for Shaun Alexander.
Lead blocker controls allow the player to become a lineman and clear running lanes for the running back. It’s not that this dosen't work, it’s just that is isn't necessary or fun to use. There’s a reason players would rather be a running back then the guy who blocks for him: the running back looks cool and gets all the glory, while the fat lineman just sits on the bench waiting for a pat on the back.
6. The rating system (Next gen Maddens)
His catch rating is 99, what else do you need to know?
Okay, how the hell did the rating system get so complicated? Pass block foot work, pass block strength, impact blocking? If your player has a pass block rating of 99, all those other ratings are worthless. There are plenty of useless attributes with every position in the game. If a player has a high catching rating that should be it, and the “catching in traffic” rating is pointless.
And how on Earth can you build your franchise from the ground up, when your top draft pick has a rating of 72. Well if you work hard and train him, and start him in every game, he may get lucky and gain five points. By this rate it takes years for any rookie to be as good as the other players. Drafting is almost pointless in comparison with signing free agents.
The old games worked with only the most basic attributes and it was perfect. Why mess with it?
5. The turn over problem (Madden 08)
Vince Young on the cover, I should have known.
How this got past the creators of the game is a mystery. Every pass in the game gets snatched out of the air by the defense, every running back gets his clock cleaned and drops the ball. You can turn the sliders down, but it doesn’t matter. You can turn the difficulty down, and it still doesn’t matter. No matter how safe and conservative you play you will turn the ball over. The game takes the ball out of your hands, even if your ball carrier has a carrying rating of 99. This made the game unplayable and one of the worst Maddens of all time.
4. Unrealistic game play (mostly online, almost all recent Maddens)
Vick in a video game is just unfair...
How many times have you seen a slow quarterback roll out of the pocket and defense has no answer for it? Or how about the 80 yard bombs to receivers who just shed coverage like it was nothing. Or how about running backs breaking tackles they could never break in reality. Or how about…okay I could go on forever with this rant. The computer plays the game pretty fair which doesn’t compare to what you see online. The cheesing is relentless. The only way to win is to exploit the games flaws and out cheese the other player. This wouldn’t bother me so much if this game wasn’t a simulation, which inquires that it’s realistic and involves strategy, which is why I play Madden instead of NFL Blitz.
3. Superstar Mode (Madden 06 to now)
This is one of the highlights of Superstar mode...
What was an interesting new mode of play added to the game in Madden 06, quickly deteriorated into just another wasted feature that Madden has become famous for. The numerous problems with this mode haven’t been addressed in years, like the camera angles, and the only real addition was the option to use real life rookies in Madden 08. I guess it would be fun to be Matt Ryan if I could see where the hell I was throwing.
This game mode is un-involving, tedious and boring. It’s extremely basic and takes numerous controls away from the player, while giving you nothing to do in between games besides training. It’s also incredibly slow. A 16 game season feels like a lifetime, compared to the streamlined Franchise mode. I would rather be boring old me instead of playing this crap any day.
2. The Vision Cone (Madden 06-08)
A magical beam of light that guides the Quarterback in his quest for touchdowns...you know just like in real football!
This one baffles me. The vision cone basically made the player scan the defense with a triangular beam of light by using the right stick and highlighting whoever he wanted to throw to.
If you throw to a player outside of the cone, the pass will be inaccurate. If you don’t scan fast enough you (the QB) will most likely end up on your back. This happens a lot. As if you don’t have enough to worry about while passing, (footwork, reading the defense, staying in the pocket, avoiding the rush, checking all options, pressing the right button etc.) now you have to pointlessly scan the field as if you cant just use your own two eyes.
Who thought this was a good idea? The saying goes: “If it aint broke don’t fix it.” The Madden passing system wasn’t broken, and therefore didn’t need to be adjusted in any way. But what’s really puzzling is that this feature only made the game harder then it needed to be, thus alienating any new players to the franchise. And to make it even worse, the PC versions made this mandatory in online play. WHY?
However my prayers were answered when it was scrapped for Madden 09 and I pray it NEVER comes back.
1. Exclusive License (Madden 06 to now)
I personally hate Madden 06, and I consider the worst Madden game ever. It was the first Madden game made under the exclusive deal EA Sports signed with the NFL. Only EA Sports can make NFL licensed games, which means that the NFL 2K series is effectively dead. I’m not a fan of those games but they brought good honest competition with Madden, and a second option in case Madden sucked. Now there is no competition. If Madden stinks there is no other decent pro football game on the market. Remember All Pro Football 2K7? It sold like Kevin Federline’s last album, and that’s only because of some tech issues and marketing. Trying to sell a pro football game without an NFL license is like trying to sell water to a whale.
There is no reason for the developers at EA sports to even try anymore. Madden 06 was proof that they indeed stop trying by giving us some of the worst features in Franchise history. Superstar mode, and the vision cone were just the beginning of the crapiness that carried on into the Xbox 360/PS3 generation. Now these games are finally getting back to being good, but it’s been a rough few years.
Whoever runs EA Sports, and the NFL I’d like to say…
http://fuckyothoughts.blogspot.com
Madden 10 is set for release on August 14th. With all the complaints, this Madden should be the best one ever. Okay, we say that every year and it never comes true. But in order for us die hard fans to appreciate this new game we have to take a hard look at the biggest blunders that have ruined past Maddens.
10. The weapon system
In case you didn't know that Ray Lewis can tackle really well, here it is.
This really isn’t a bad thing because it never really affected the game play. Sure it was a wasted idea but it in no way made the game any worse. If your player has a high rating he gets a symbol indicating what he can do. That’s all the weapon system is: indicators for special abilities. If you didn’t know Ray Lewis is a tackling machine, then the weapon system will indicate that he is. That’s it.
9. Where the hell is Madden? (Madden 06, 07, 08)
Get your ass back in the game Jon.
I’ve mentioned Madden a million times already. The game is named after him. His face was on the box ( a long time ago). His voice used to bring delightful commentary to the game play, even if it got awfully repetitive. But when the series made the jump to the Xbox 360, he disappeared from the game entirely. No images of him, no commentary, no nothing.
Instead of hearing his gruff voice we got commentary from a bland radio guy. It honestly felt like EA was just exploiting his famous money making name without using any of his talent. Then he came back in Madden 09 as a hologram and gave us sort of useful information. Chris Collinsworth carries the mantle as the commentator now and he does a great job, but would having him and Madden doing the commentary be a problem?
8. Crappy frame rate (Madden 06-07)
This game moves about as fast...Shaun Alexander's legs these days.
It looks pretty bad when the next generation of Madden on brand new hardware has pathetically choppy animation. It’s so bad that many moves don’t even work because they require a complete animation. By the time you use the block shedding move against a blocker, the ball carrier has left the building.
7. Lead blocker controls (Madden 07)
Steve Hutchinson: you're the man, but theres a good reason the Seahawks booted you for Shaun Alexander.
Lead blocker controls allow the player to become a lineman and clear running lanes for the running back. It’s not that this dosen't work, it’s just that is isn't necessary or fun to use. There’s a reason players would rather be a running back then the guy who blocks for him: the running back looks cool and gets all the glory, while the fat lineman just sits on the bench waiting for a pat on the back.
6. The rating system (Next gen Maddens)
His catch rating is 99, what else do you need to know?
Okay, how the hell did the rating system get so complicated? Pass block foot work, pass block strength, impact blocking? If your player has a pass block rating of 99, all those other ratings are worthless. There are plenty of useless attributes with every position in the game. If a player has a high catching rating that should be it, and the “catching in traffic” rating is pointless.
And how on Earth can you build your franchise from the ground up, when your top draft pick has a rating of 72. Well if you work hard and train him, and start him in every game, he may get lucky and gain five points. By this rate it takes years for any rookie to be as good as the other players. Drafting is almost pointless in comparison with signing free agents.
The old games worked with only the most basic attributes and it was perfect. Why mess with it?
5. The turn over problem (Madden 08)
Vince Young on the cover, I should have known.
How this got past the creators of the game is a mystery. Every pass in the game gets snatched out of the air by the defense, every running back gets his clock cleaned and drops the ball. You can turn the sliders down, but it doesn’t matter. You can turn the difficulty down, and it still doesn’t matter. No matter how safe and conservative you play you will turn the ball over. The game takes the ball out of your hands, even if your ball carrier has a carrying rating of 99. This made the game unplayable and one of the worst Maddens of all time.
4. Unrealistic game play (mostly online, almost all recent Maddens)
Vick in a video game is just unfair...
How many times have you seen a slow quarterback roll out of the pocket and defense has no answer for it? Or how about the 80 yard bombs to receivers who just shed coverage like it was nothing. Or how about running backs breaking tackles they could never break in reality. Or how about…okay I could go on forever with this rant. The computer plays the game pretty fair which doesn’t compare to what you see online. The cheesing is relentless. The only way to win is to exploit the games flaws and out cheese the other player. This wouldn’t bother me so much if this game wasn’t a simulation, which inquires that it’s realistic and involves strategy, which is why I play Madden instead of NFL Blitz.
3. Superstar Mode (Madden 06 to now)
This is one of the highlights of Superstar mode...
What was an interesting new mode of play added to the game in Madden 06, quickly deteriorated into just another wasted feature that Madden has become famous for. The numerous problems with this mode haven’t been addressed in years, like the camera angles, and the only real addition was the option to use real life rookies in Madden 08. I guess it would be fun to be Matt Ryan if I could see where the hell I was throwing.
This game mode is un-involving, tedious and boring. It’s extremely basic and takes numerous controls away from the player, while giving you nothing to do in between games besides training. It’s also incredibly slow. A 16 game season feels like a lifetime, compared to the streamlined Franchise mode. I would rather be boring old me instead of playing this crap any day.
2. The Vision Cone (Madden 06-08)
A magical beam of light that guides the Quarterback in his quest for touchdowns...you know just like in real football!
This one baffles me. The vision cone basically made the player scan the defense with a triangular beam of light by using the right stick and highlighting whoever he wanted to throw to.
If you throw to a player outside of the cone, the pass will be inaccurate. If you don’t scan fast enough you (the QB) will most likely end up on your back. This happens a lot. As if you don’t have enough to worry about while passing, (footwork, reading the defense, staying in the pocket, avoiding the rush, checking all options, pressing the right button etc.) now you have to pointlessly scan the field as if you cant just use your own two eyes.
Who thought this was a good idea? The saying goes: “If it aint broke don’t fix it.” The Madden passing system wasn’t broken, and therefore didn’t need to be adjusted in any way. But what’s really puzzling is that this feature only made the game harder then it needed to be, thus alienating any new players to the franchise. And to make it even worse, the PC versions made this mandatory in online play. WHY?
However my prayers were answered when it was scrapped for Madden 09 and I pray it NEVER comes back.
1. Exclusive License (Madden 06 to now)
I personally hate Madden 06, and I consider the worst Madden game ever. It was the first Madden game made under the exclusive deal EA Sports signed with the NFL. Only EA Sports can make NFL licensed games, which means that the NFL 2K series is effectively dead. I’m not a fan of those games but they brought good honest competition with Madden, and a second option in case Madden sucked. Now there is no competition. If Madden stinks there is no other decent pro football game on the market. Remember All Pro Football 2K7? It sold like Kevin Federline’s last album, and that’s only because of some tech issues and marketing. Trying to sell a pro football game without an NFL license is like trying to sell water to a whale.
There is no reason for the developers at EA sports to even try anymore. Madden 06 was proof that they indeed stop trying by giving us some of the worst features in Franchise history. Superstar mode, and the vision cone were just the beginning of the crapiness that carried on into the Xbox 360/PS3 generation. Now these games are finally getting back to being good, but it’s been a rough few years.
Whoever runs EA Sports, and the NFL I’d like to say…
http://fuckyothoughts.blogspot.com
Add a Comment
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Comment by Prince Raw D on September 9, 2009 at 9:32pm - When does there exclusive license end? Very soon I hope.
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Comment by Matt Hatfield on July 14, 2009 at 11:39pm - Wow I thought I was the only one who thought of some of this stuff, I mean I am a big fan of the franchise, but still there are some major problems with it. The other thing that I dont like is when the offense calls a no huddle, and they rush to the line, and before you can get the defensive player you are controlling on the defensive side of the ball, the offense snaps the ball and the defense gets a penalty, that retarded, cut that stuff out of the game, before I break my Madden games!!!!!! Just sayin.....
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Comment by Reekzilla on July 14, 2009 at 5:15pm -
i was a huge madden fan, until 2003 when i let a cousin hold it for a copy of espn
i ended up renting it for at least five times
and i still own a copy of nfl 2k5 on xbox and ps2
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Comment by Biosaber on July 13, 2009 at 11:56pm - EA Sports its good at making Fight Night games
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Comment by Badman3000 on July 13, 2009 at 9:23pm - Madden Is broken I had a 1000 yard passing 500 yard running in one game.
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Comment by Brandon Mac $hawn on July 13, 2009 at 6:21pm - This is why I don't play madden anymore. Ea sports keep making the same game and taking our money. They don't really listen to us because is the only official game and they know were going to buy it. I just got fight night round 4 and I hate it. They always make things worse or unrealistic. I'm not fucking with Ea Sports anymore.
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Comment by Mayor McGizzle on July 13, 2009 at 6:18pm - I understand DanK, I'm holding the NFL execs just as accountable as the EA sports people. Neither one of them gives a damn about the customer and we keep giving them our hard earned cash every year so we cant expect positive changes.
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Comment by DanK on July 13, 2009 at 11:22am - Ok this kind of irks me when people mention the EA/NFL deal only because every single time they make it seem like its EA's fault. The NFL put the rights up for sale and both EA and 2K put up bids EA's was higher. i mean i agree that you need competition to grow and shit but still this kinda gets me everytime
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Comment by Truth on July 13, 2009 at 10:02am -
Dude how can you have a list and not mention this new "All Play" bs for the wii. I mean honestly, I got a wii instead of a 360 so my little sister could play games that she would enjoy. I thought well they'll be a few games i might enjoy, one i knew i could rely on was madden. Then all play came out...sad days, sad days, sad days. WTF! You couldn't even substitute it for GC controls it was wii controls or nothing and that stunk i hated the wii controls, and now the way this new wii version looks for 10 it's just going to get worse, so the whole All Play thing isn't even optional. Anyway luckil I may be getting a 360.
Well I'm not going to be on much today so hit me back with a PM
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Comment by Jeff W. on July 13, 2009 at 6:48am -
Hell to the yeah. Competition makes you work harder and EA Sports made the cynical decision to stop trying and just buy off the NFL. The gameplay has sucked ever since and it drives me batshit that this far into his career and you STILL can't get Ben Roethelisberger's name on the back of his uniform of create a player's name with just initials.
Madden sucks hard but it's the only game in town and you can believe they know it and are laughing all the way to the bank.
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