The developers at EA Tiburon have worked to improved practically every aspect of "Madden," from the way players look and move and the way plays are called to the presentation and Super Bowl celebration.
It happens every year around this time -- the kids go back to school, the Mets fall out of playoff contention and a new edition of "Madden NFL" arrives on every video game platform known to man.
This year, though, EA's football sim is packing more than just a cursory roster update and throwaway feature or two. The developers at EA Tiburon have worked to improved practically every aspect of "Madden," from the way players look and move and the way plays are called to the presentation and Super Bowl celebration.
Simply put, the leap from "Madden 10" to "Madden 11" is nothing short of amazing. That's not to say that every change implemented this year was necessary -- I'm looking at you, strategy pad -- but the good certainly outweighs the bad, making this the best version of "Madden" to date.
On the field, a new locomotion system and Dual Stick controls -- which were featured in "NCAA Football 11" -- allow players to move and change direction much more realistically. This also extends to how players start and stop, as now acceleration and speed ratings play a larger role how players perform. Using the Steelers, I was consistently able to get receiver Mike Wallace - who's rated 96 in speed and 97 in acceleration -- behind the secondary for big gains. Likewise, I rarely could get separation with Hines Ward (85 speed, 85 acc.), but I could count on the wily veteran to pull in whatever was thrown his way thanks to his 90 catch and 95 catch-in-traffic ratings. As a whole, player ratings have a real effect on the outcome of each game, and knowing your players strengths is key to success.
Other gameplay improvements have been made to the run blocking AI, catch animations (especially along the sidelines), and gang tackling (which now appears much less frequently). Quarterbacks still have a tendency to get off a bad pass instead of taking a sack, and the return game needs some work, but "Madden 11" plays a very, very good game of football.
One of the big bullet points for "Madden 11" is the new GameFlow playcalling system. Rather than sift through dozens of pages of playbooks to find the right play to call, GameFlow can pick your play for you based on down and distance and your team's tendencies. You can also create your own game plan and pick the plays you want the AI to call for you. The plays are relayed by your coordinator, either via a text box or through an audio clip (hearing the play sent in over the Xbox 360 headset is pretty neat).
The system seems to work well enough, though I felt that the play-calling seemed to favor the pass on offense and called too many blitzes on defense. I also ran into the occasional odd call -- on 3rd and goal from the 6-yard line, my coach called for a four-wide set with all receivers running streaks -- but for the most part the play selection was varied and fairly realistic. One of the selling points for GameFlow is that it allows a game to be completed in 30 minutes, but that's only if you're playing five-minute quarters. My games played with 12-minute quarters still took nearly an hour, regardless of whether I was using GameFlow. For those unfamiliar with the intricacies of football, the GameFlow system is a great way to get into the game without feeling overwhelmed. Longtime "Madden" fans, however, will likely want to switch back to the conventional play-calling system, which can be toggled on in the menu.
Unfortunately, there's no way to turn off the strategy pad, which has been put in place to make offensive and defense pre-snap adjustments. Perhaps I'm just getting old and am set in my ways, but I really dislike this new way to handle things like shifting my defensive line or calling hot routes for my receivers. Even after playing with the new system for a week, I still haven't gotten the hang of it. Hopefully EA can patch in the old button-press method.
Presentation also received an upgrade with team-specific Super Bowl celebrations, pregame scenes depicting things like fans tailgating or guys getting ready in the locker room and custom stadium audio (now I can finally hear Hail to the Redskins after a touchdown). Gus Johnson brings some excitement to the commentary team with Cris Collinsworth, though his over-the-top delivery can get grating after a while. I also loved seeing things like dynamic attendance, a more detailed crowd and recognizable player faces.
It happens every year around this time -- the kids go back to school, the Mets fall out of playoff contention and a new edition of "Madden NFL" arrives on every video game platform known to man.
This year, though, EA's football sim is packing more than just a cursory roster update and throwaway feature or two. The developers at EA Tiburon have worked to improved practically every aspect of "Madden," from the way players look and move and the way plays are called to the presentation and Super Bowl celebration.
Simply put, the leap from "Madden 10" to "Madden 11" is nothing short of amazing. That's not to say that every change implemented this year was necessary -- I'm looking at you, strategy pad -- but the good certainly outweighs the bad, making this the best version of "Madden" to date.
On the field, a new locomotion system and Dual Stick controls -- which were featured in "NCAA Football 11" -- allow players to move and change direction much more realistically. This also extends to how players start and stop, as now acceleration and speed ratings play a larger role how players perform. Using the Steelers, I was consistently able to get receiver Mike Wallace - who's rated 96 in speed and 97 in acceleration -- behind the secondary for big gains. Likewise, I rarely could get separation with Hines Ward (85 speed, 85 acc.), but I could count on the wily veteran to pull in whatever was thrown his way thanks to his 90 catch and 95 catch-in-traffic ratings. As a whole, player ratings have a real effect on the outcome of each game, and knowing your players strengths is key to success.
Other gameplay improvements have been made to the run blocking AI, catch animations (especially along the sidelines), and gang tackling (which now appears much less frequently). Quarterbacks still have a tendency to get off a bad pass instead of taking a sack, and the return game needs some work, but "Madden 11" plays a very, very good game of football.
One of the big bullet points for "Madden 11" is the new GameFlow playcalling system. Rather than sift through dozens of pages of playbooks to find the right play to call, GameFlow can pick your play for you based on down and distance and your team's tendencies. You can also create your own game plan and pick the plays you want the AI to call for you. The plays are relayed by your coordinator, either via a text box or through an audio clip (hearing the play sent in over the Xbox 360 headset is pretty neat).
The system seems to work well enough, though I felt that the play-calling seemed to favor the pass on offense and called too many blitzes on defense. I also ran into the occasional odd call -- on 3rd and goal from the 6-yard line, my coach called for a four-wide set with all receivers running streaks -- but for the most part the play selection was varied and fairly realistic. One of the selling points for GameFlow is that it allows a game to be completed in 30 minutes, but that's only if you're playing five-minute quarters. My games played with 12-minute quarters still took nearly an hour, regardless of whether I was using GameFlow. For those unfamiliar with the intricacies of football, the GameFlow system is a great way to get into the game without feeling overwhelmed. Longtime "Madden" fans, however, will likely want to switch back to the conventional play-calling system, which can be toggled on in the menu.
Unfortunately, there's no way to turn off the strategy pad, which has been put in place to make offensive and defense pre-snap adjustments. Perhaps I'm just getting old and am set in my ways, but I really dislike this new way to handle things like shifting my defensive line or calling hot routes for my receivers. Even after playing with the new system for a week, I still haven't gotten the hang of it. Hopefully EA can patch in the old button-press method.
Presentation also received an upgrade with team-specific Super Bowl celebrations, pregame scenes depicting things like fans tailgating or guys getting ready in the locker room and custom stadium audio (now I can finally hear Hail to the Redskins after a touchdown). Gus Johnson brings some excitement to the commentary team with Cris Collinsworth, though his over-the-top delivery can get grating after a while. I also loved seeing things like dynamic attendance, a more detailed crowd and recognizable player faces.
As someone who primarily enjoys "Madden" offline, I was disappointed to see that franchise mode received little in the way of improvements. Some under-the-hood adjustments were made to ensure more realistic sim stats and new draft classes were created, but by and large franchise mode was untouched. Hopefully the development team can focus on this area for "Madden 12." Online, franchise mode and Madden Ultimate Team return, and Online Team Play -- a new three-on-three co-op mode -- has been added. Keep in mind you'll need an online pass -- which is included with new copies of the game -- to play "Madden 11" online.
"NCAA Football 11" set the bar high for its pro counterpart this year, and "Madden NFL 11" has stepped its game up to compete. The action of the field is as good as ever thanks to the new player controls and locomotion system, and new features like GameFlow and Online Team Play certainly bring some interesting ideas to the table. There's still room for improvement, especially where the franchise mode is concerned, but "Madden 11" remains a must-buy for football fans.
"Madden NFL 11"
Developer: EA Tiburon
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Available for: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 ($59.99)
Rating: E for everyone
Score: 8.9/10
