I don't think I'm inside my own mind today... and this topic will have nothing to do with going back to school. Though Madden certainly could use the refresher, I wonder if they are even trying anymore. Now, I've played the game for a long time but lately I just don't get that same rush the game has given me since the 2005-2007 period. That was a section of games that I felt Madden truly was at its best. It may not have been as pretty, and the animations and physics may not have had the complexity that they do in the modern games but it was fun and I NEEDED to have it every fall.
Since Madden and gaming have moved into the "next generation" I would dare suggest that Madden has been having an identity crisis. The visuals have taken leaps and bounds every year and I dare suggest to most gamers not to be impressed by the graphical display that Madden can be. The game itself though has failed to truly innovate itself in such a long time it truly boggles my mind how the game can persist more or less unscathed due to its borderline cult of a fan base.
Since Madden and gaming have moved into the "next generation" I would dare suggest that Madden has been having an identity crisis. The visuals have taken leaps and bounds every year and I dare suggest to most gamers not to be impressed by the graphical display that Madden can be. The game itself though has failed to truly innovate itself in such a long time it truly boggles my mind how the game can persist more or less unscathed due to its borderline cult of a fan base.
My favourite period of time was when the game incorporated trait elements for the players such as "hard hitter" "sure handed receiver" "rocket passer" "brick wall" "bulldozer" etc. That made them a 'step above' the other players on the field. Madden has tried more recently to show a divide in player skill by just making the skills the focal point of a players in-game prowess. It's gotten to the point that many real NFL players are intrigued to see just how good their "Madden" avatar is. I always like to see the players talk about their Madden counter-part's. It's almost like Madden has become as big a part of NFL culture as anything else. The Madden Bowl co-insides with The Super Bowl.
2005 had Rey Lewis on the cover...
9.0 on gamespot.com, editors choice. Average critic score of 9.0 from 45 reviews. It was a great game and I bought the special edition (I believe it was the 15 year anniversary edition which really didn't have much special on it. It had a shiny cover and was 10-15 bucks more than the regular rendition. They introduced the 'hit stick' which is still used in more recent renditions. I loved the game and its probably still one of my most memorable Madden's.
2006 saw Donovan McNabb grace the cover...
Ratings wise, the Xbox version received a 8.4 in 47 reviews 2006 was a 'whiff' in the Madden trend, it was also the first season that Madden jumped to the 'next generation'. It saw a 7.4 and the score was generous as it was a rather forgettable game, gorgeous, but forgettable. On the regular Xbox it was a solid game. It introduced the 'vision cone' for increased QB accuracy, a mode I never used. In their review, Gamespot called the game "a false start". It also introduced a 'precision passing' mode where you could throw your pass behind, in front of or above a receiver to try and avoid defenders. It also introduced a 'truck stick' which allowed running backs to plow through defenders.
Ratings wise, the Xbox version received a 8.4 in 47 reviews 2006 was a 'whiff' in the Madden trend, it was also the first season that Madden jumped to the 'next generation'. It saw a 7.4 and the score was generous as it was a rather forgettable game, gorgeous, but forgettable. On the regular Xbox it was a solid game. It introduced the 'vision cone' for increased QB accuracy, a mode I never used. In their review, Gamespot called the game "a false start". It also introduced a 'precision passing' mode where you could throw your pass behind, in front of or above a receiver to try and avoid defenders. It also introduced a 'truck stick' which allowed running backs to plow through defenders.
2007 saw Shaun Alexander on the cover...
2007 is a game I still own for Xbox. It was a year that saw the divide in quality between the 360 and regular Xbox versions get smaller. I did not own a 360 yet at this point so I went with what I could get, since I didn't buy 2006 and I had to have Madden! The 360 saw a rating of 7.9 which isn't much of a ratings improvment, but it at least had some modes that Madden 2008 neglected to include. Gamespot called the Xbox version an "aging veteran" where as I'm sure Madden fans who owned a 360 were just thankful it was better than 2007. There were some cool game mechanics included in the xbox version. The franchise didn't quite have the depth the current Madden system has, but its NFL Draft was as good as it's been. The regular Xbox version got an 8.1 rating.
2008 saw Vince Young grace the cover as a rookie...
2007 is a game I still own for Xbox. It was a year that saw the divide in quality between the 360 and regular Xbox versions get smaller. I did not own a 360 yet at this point so I went with what I could get, since I didn't buy 2006 and I had to have Madden! The 360 saw a rating of 7.9 which isn't much of a ratings improvment, but it at least had some modes that Madden 2008 neglected to include. Gamespot called the Xbox version an "aging veteran" where as I'm sure Madden fans who owned a 360 were just thankful it was better than 2007. There were some cool game mechanics included in the xbox version. The franchise didn't quite have the depth the current Madden system has, but its NFL Draft was as good as it's been. The regular Xbox version got an 8.1 rating.
2008 saw Vince Young grace the cover as a rookie...
This year marked an obvious transition in focus as the 360 version was decent where as the Xbox version was pretty mediocre. I had a 360 so I got to have some solid playing time with Madden 2008, now it felt like it was the best 360 version to date, and it was, but the game felt incomplete to me. There was more work to be done. The 360 version saw a rating of 8.3 average through 55 reviews, the Xbox version was dipping into mid 7's territory. I didn't buy either version of the game and I'm glad. Vince Young I think is one of the more intriguing cover athletes. Maybe the greatest underachiever to grace the Madden Cover.
2009 saw Brett Favre grace the cover...
I bought this game and I played quite a bit of it. It introduced my favorite madden feature ever, Super-Sim which allowed you to simulate a game play-by-play, until a change of possession, by quarter or to the end of the game if you so chose. Great for garbage time if you get out to an early lead and maybe want to let it play out a bit, add some drama with a great come-from-behind victory. I loved the Super-Sim. Graphically this game was good but it wouldn't compare to more recent entries. The version of the game was solid though its rating wasn't much of an improvement over 2008's version.
I bought this game and I played quite a bit of it. It introduced my favorite madden feature ever, Super-Sim which allowed you to simulate a game play-by-play, until a change of possession, by quarter or to the end of the game if you so chose. Great for garbage time if you get out to an early lead and maybe want to let it play out a bit, add some drama with a great come-from-behind victory. I loved the Super-Sim. Graphically this game was good but it wouldn't compare to more recent entries. The version of the game was solid though its rating wasn't much of an improvement over 2008's version.
During this period of time, I didn't really have many other games to play so I powered through Madden for the better part of an entire year, where typically I'd have Hockey or Baseball games to distract me keeping me fresh for Madden season. (I eventually got NHL 09 later that year but by the time I got it, I had been playing Madden 09 primarily for around a year straight... that's a lot of Madden!) I got to know Madden, I saw it for what it truly was. Game flaws in the areas of receiving the ball on the sidelines (something they didn't truly address for a couple more years) blocking flaws that made both passing AND running the ball a complete frustration from time to time. Flaws that started out as little things I would notice happening time and again grew to big flaws that would cause me to shut my game off. No wonder I grew to love the super-sim mode so much!
Madden 10 was released just before I moved across the country so I had to have it. It was the first game to feature two cover athletes. Larry Fitzgerald and Troy Polomalu.I waited until I recieved my Xbox and traded in games (including Madden 09) to get it. Immediately, I liked the new menu's and I thought the game had a very slick presentation both in the menus and on the field. The game looked as good as it ever had at the time and I started out really enjoying it. That enjoyment didn't last very long though, Gamespot's general review hit the nail on the head...
" A number of features make Madden NFL 10 a more realistic and enjoyable portrayal of football, but a few problems--both old and new--continue to trouble the series."
After a couple months, and that's max, I grew frustrated and traded the game in. Nagging flaws that bothered me in 2009 persisted in 2010's version of the game. I grew anxious for Backbreaker, and I renounced my Madden addiction. It's still strong. I need my fix (this is essentially one big build up for my next blog entry where I review the Madden 11 for the Wii. I will also sing praise for NCAA Football 11)
(As I was saying...) I bought NCAA Football 11 and I have been enjoying that a lot. Madden uses the same "Locomotion" engine for improved physics and control so I have no doubts that Madden will be improved in many of the ways that NCAA 11 is an improvement over any Madden game I've played for the next gen consoles. Madden 11 has the highest rated critical average since the 2006 version for Xbox (11 has an 8.7 average over 23 current reviews) and is the highest rated Madden for the 360.
My end point is this: Why can't they just make one game, update it with patches periodically while developing a revolutionary NEW Madden. Something that will help re-establish Madden as THE sports simulator video game. Improve the stagnating franchise and superstar modes. Take the time to give the game play the TLC it has desperately needed for almost a decade now. All the while, overhauling the graphics to not only give the game a great send off for what is now the current gen but preparing the game for the inevitable "next-gen" that is coming so that the game doesn't have to stagnate on those consoles for 3-4 years while the developing catches up to the technology.
I want to rent Madden 11 for the 360, and I want it to be good. I want to see signs that the game is heading in a good direction so that I may want to buy it, or Madden 12 when it's released next fall. I am sick and tired of the merry-go-round that is the current Madden cycle, and more-so than that. I am sick of its borderline brainwashed fan base who cannot WAIT for the newest rendition to be released. I should know, I used to be one of them!
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