Anyone played Madden 10?

[chargerrich]

Swore the the gods  that I would not buy it again (at full price) after 10 years of shelling out $50-60 for the same game that STILL (as of 09) sucked when compared to ESPN 2k5 on the original Xbox... but now I am catching the bug and want someone to tell me its much improved from last year or still sucks.

So which is it? 

[Sky]

Yeah, this is the time of year I try /real hard/ not to buy a console. Since I usually end up using a console for football and not really much else.

Maybe I should load up 2k5  

(I'm a roster whore, though, I want constant roster updates through the season!)

[Cyrrex]

You should absolutely not take my critique as anything other than anecdotal and ultimately useless....but I played a game of it a few days ago with a friend.  It suffers the same thing as the last 27 iterations of the game in that it hasn't really changed much.

What my very knowledgeable friend told me that was significantly different:  first, the slowed the game down a tad...apparently it was slightly faster than realistic before, but they have corrected that, supposedly.  Second, player stats mean more.  I.e. your 95 rated defensive end will very likely run all over your 70 rated tackle, at least more distinctively than before.

Other than that, I thought it was pretty and looked like a reasonable simulation of a real football game.  If I was desperate for a game to buy, I'd consider this...but I haven't but any of the last many iterations, either.

[SnakeCharmer]

If there was some sort of league for this, I'd be all over it.  Granted, I'd be the walking talking version of the Detroit Lions and lose every game, but it'd be fun as hell.

[Rasix]

NEVER AGAIN.

[Montague]

The gang-tackling animations are kinda cool and it's a little easier to get yards on running plays up the middle.

Other than that, it's the same old Frankenstein monster of money plays, bullshit catch-up AI and interceptions that every other version has.

[Sky]

Other than that, it's the same old Frankenstein monster of money plays, bullshit catch-up AI and interceptions that every other version has.

Thank god Madden has no competition. Another year console-free! 

[Rasix]

Other than that, it's the same old Frankenstein monster of money plays, bullshit catch-up AI and interceptions that every other version has.

Thank god Madden has no competition. Another year console-free!  

Lucky us.  

I miss the NFL 2K games.  2K5 was more fun than I've ever had with any Madden.  Plus, it didn't make me want to throw my controller.

[WayAbvPar]

The only thing tempting me is that I bought NCAA 10 and can import draft classes, but that is not enough to get me to buy it. I like pro football more than college as a spectator sport, but college football is a hell of a lot more fun to play as a video game imo.

I miss 2K football too. Hopefully someone will wedge their foot in the door when the licensing agreement expires. If anyone could balance it so the defense actually played like a real defense instead of every game being 45-42 I would happily fork over my dough every year.

[HaemishM]

Fuck, I'd settle for a competent goddamn defensive camera. Why is it in a game with a completely 3D generated field, I can't set the camera to follow the offense when I'm on offense (like the game does now) and follow the defense when I'm on defense? Because that might make defenses competent? I haven't bought a Madden since the abortion that was 2008 for the Wii. I want to play the 2010 Wii version simply because they went full Fisher-Price Retard on the art design.

[Raguel]

Swore the the gods  that I would not buy it again (at full price) after 10 years of shelling out $50-60 for the same game that STILL (as of 09) sucked when compared to ESPN 2k5 on the original Xbox... but now I am catching the bug and want someone to tell me its much improved from last year or still sucks.

So which is it? 

I'm about a week late to responding but I think the game is much improved from last year AND it still sucks. 


Honestly though, I like the game, but there are things that annoy me:

1. Poor blocking at All Pro difficutly (I assume it's only worse using All Madden)

2. "Adaptive AI" is defeated if you're ahead in the 2nd half. The CPU will try all out blitzes several times, so you can't run, but you can get cheap yards/touchdowns by throwing the ball in the middle of the field.

3. Lack of sacks from the 3-4. That's been true for awhile now :(

4. Too many TOs. CPU qbs, even the good ones, try to avoid the sack by throwing the ball, which will lead a large percentage of the time to pick 6's.

5. So far, I find run defense either trivially easy or utterly futile. I haven't had much success yet with sliders.   


One thing I can do in this game that I couldn't do well in other iterations is shed blockers. Being able to blow up the tackle, pulling guard, and then tackle the back for the first time  is almost as cool as your first horse ride in Mount and Blade. Well, ok, maybe your fourth horse ride. :)


WRT Franchise: IMO they've substantially improved the draft. You can get really good players in the later rounds.

[Sir Fodder]

Played Madden/2K every year since it started, as a football sim it is easily the best ever, way way better than 2K5. Still tons of stuff that annoys the hell out of me, like horrid unskippable cut-scenes and rotating nausea camera, fucked penalties, etc, etc, ETC... and the worst part: in-game corporate advertizing- get it on with your Snickers "Chompetition," fuck you straight to Hell Peter Moore, there are even streaming ads for text messaging that appear as popups on the screen if you are connected to their servers during single player games, incredibly annoying and rage inducing. Still some crappy elements to gameplay of course (money play passing to flats), but the game can be well adjusted better than any sports game I've seen due to the set of sliders that actually work for the most part this year. Thread for sliders I'm using: http://www.operationsports.com/forums/madden-nfl-football-sliders/347861-bill-harris-realism-sliders.html

[sinij]

there are even streaming ads for text messaging that appear as popups on the screen if you are connected to their servers during single player games

Are you serious?

[Sir Fodder]

Yeah its crazy, it bums me out that people seem so accepting of this stuff. This ad kept popping up on a single player franchise game I started, like every other play then every play, had to cancel the game and restart Madden without letting it auto-connect to the EA server.


The game-play is actually pretty good under all the heavy handed presentation crap.

[dusematic]

I love that every year the menu animations get fancier and swirlier. AND ALSO LAGGIER.  I downloaded the demo, noticed the menu chop within 4 seconds, and uninstalled. 

[NiX]

Yeah its crazy, it bums me out that people seem so accepting of this stuff. This ad kept popping up on a single player franchise game I started, like every other play then every play, had to cancel the game and restart Madden without letting it auto-connect to the EA server.


The game-play is actually pretty good under all the heavy handed presentation crap.

I imagine getting to the super bowl is worse

[chargerrich]

So my willpower broke lilke a fat kid in a twinky shop and I bought the damn thing!

Observations

Good:
1. Hall of Fame is FINALLY included
2. The animations are nice
3. The running game feels much better than last year
4. The block shedding is nice
5. Gang tackles are well done
6. Stat anomalies seem fixed (in 09 I once had my Left Tackle lead the league in rushing attempts!)
7. Like the equipment options this year
8. Import from NCAA 10 is still there and probably the coolest feature

Bad:
1. Game while better than last year, still lacks that "something" that made the 2K series feel like a simulation
2. Why cant I configure my damn controller? Us lefties want to use LT for turbo! Whats worse is you can configure the NCAA 10 controller WTF?
3. Ingame advertising has reached new levels of rage inducing fury. What your not making enough already EA? Pigs
4. Money plays are still there...sigh.
5. CPU catch up logic is just stupid... If I blow out the Faiders then I blow out the Faiders, no need to turn Fatboy Jamarcus Russel into John Elway for a half
6. Game still is "designed" for the madden tourney 3 minute speed action arcade game and not as a true simulation, this is the worst part of madden
7. EA sucks with the passion of a 1000 suns and they need some competition

Overall its better than last year no doubt but I feel dirty for supporting EA...

[Raguel]

So hopefully most of the things we all agree suxors will be addressed in the two patches (per Ian Cummings). Hopefully it will make All-Madden playable. I played about three games, and in my last game I had my own guard block my field goal. Apparently I'm not the only one with this problem.

[Sky]

I got the xbox out of storage to play some 2k5 and save myself $400+.

Played as the Colts (love me some Freeney) and lulz @ Tommy Maddox and Deuce Staley Steelers.