Madden 11

Microsoft XBOX 360

Click HERE for screenshots. 

For the second year in a row, the opening movie in Madden 11 showcases the athlete featured on the cover.  If you are a Saints fan (and/or into Drew Brees), you are in for a real treat.  Personally, I don’t dislike him, but I was turned off by the fact that the opening goes out of its way to highlight the Patriots 4^th and 2 play against the Colts, which failed and triggered the downward spiral for the Pats 2009 season.  Anyway, the intro is alright- very dramatic with “Lord of the Rings” style music.  John Madden is once again MIA.

The single best element of the intro is the tremendous sound.  I’m not certain if previous Madden titles have had 5.1 surround before, but if they did, it is no where near as impressive as it is in Madden 11.  From the intro, through the menu screens, and throughout the actual games, the sound is tremendous and puts you right in the middle of the action (it feels 3-d). 

For the divisional playoff game, the Kansas City Chiefs came to Foxboro.  As the game got started, I was happy to hear that Gus Johnson was now the color commentator alongside Chris Collinsworth.  While some people find Johnson’s antics a bit too theatrical, I feel like he is a perfect fit for a videogame like this one.  He is spirited and adds a level of enthusiasm to the game’s commentary that has been missing for many (MANY) years. 

Before the game even started, the presentation had clearly been improved over Madden 10.  Little clips of the visiting team getting off the bus, or of fans tailgating in the stadium are a nice touch.  I was also impressed by the level of pre-game discussion from Collinsworth regarding the relationship between Tom Brady and Chiefs QB Matt Cassel, given that they were former teammates.  These are bits of dialogue that are in depth and specific to these two players – legitimate analysis.  Impressive.

When I got onto the field, I noticed that the graphics had somehow improved yet again over Madden 10.  Even more little details are included in the player models – not to mention the improved tackle animations and physics. 

One of the biggest “innovations” new for Madden 11 is one I never used.  “Gameflow” is intended to speed up the time it takes to play a game by having the CPU choose plays for you and letting you skip the whole process of sifting through the playbook between plays.  While you have a choice of creating your own custom playbook from which the CPU draws these plays from, I opted to go with “conventional” play calling.  I didn’t want to entrust the CPU with such an important (and enjoyable) strategic part of the game. 

Even with gameflow off, I still got commentary while on the field from my offensive and defensive coordinator.  This was OK and didn’t really bother me, but if it were gone, I doubt I would miss it.  He rarely adds much of value in his comments, but I suppose it does add another layer of audio on top of the crowd noise, player noise, and broadcast commentators (which contributes to the feeling of “being there”). 

The play dynamics have been tweaked a bit again this year, but I felt like most of these were subtle and good changes.  It is critical to follow your blockers on running plays and to not freelance as much (lest you get killed in the backfield).  As the first half cranked along, I was continuously wowed by the new player animations and how closely the players’ motions mirrored their real life counterparts.  Also, it seems as if many more player faces have been added - rather than just a few “stars”, I saw many players that looked freakishly like they do in reality. 

While this might be a bit superficial, this attention to detail and stunning presentation – both aurally and visually – got me really excited to play this game.  The fact that I was finally playing with a contemporary roster probably also fueled the feeling that I was really playing as the Patriots. 

I had a commanding 14-0 lead at halftime and was having fun.  In my notes I noted that while the stats weren’t very close, I was really enjoying “the show”.  This halftime show included impressive highlights from my game. 

I used the second half to milk the clock and closed out KC with a 21-0 victory.  In the end, I had the ball for 15 minutes vs. their 5 and had outgained them 320-162 yards.  The game was never very competitive, but I was smitten – it was SO PRETTY.  When I backed out of the game to the menu screen, I was further impressed by the live sports ticker on the bottom of the screen, discussing the events of the day, including Pittsburgh Steelers RB Rashard Mendenhall’s Twitter comments regarding the death of Osama bin Laden. 

The AFC Championship Game brought the Titans to town.  This game was much tighter than the first and began with a series of punts.  On one play, one of my defenders went down and moments later I was given the option of whether to risk putting him back in or substitute someone else on the fly.  It included details of the injury and the rough probability as to whether the player would be reinjured if he went back in.  Another great touch.

I couldn’t stop drooling over the graphics throughout the first half- so very many details that they got right.  This ogling might have detracted from my game, and I found myself losing 3-0 at halftime.  Statistically, I was doing poorly and probably should have been losing by more. 

My woes continued into the third, particularly when I challenged a completion made on the sidelines by them on 3^rd and 13.  I ended up losing the challenge (and a TO) and they were awarded the first down.  More time ticked off the clock before I finally forced them to punt.

My next drive was my only good one of the game.  On a key 3^rd and 6, I found rookie tight end Rob Gronkowski open in the flat.  He rumbled over a defender and stretched for a key first down (again, just like in real life).  I kept the drive going with a lot of runs from Benjarvis Green-Ellis (the Lawfirm) and eventually punched it in for the score, putting me up for the first time, 7-3 with 4 minutes left in the game.

They would have at least one more chance to score and win the game, so I tried to pull out all the stops with my defensive play calling to force a turnover (playing a deep zone and sending the LBs on the blitz).  This NEARLY worked as I forced a bad throw that went to Brandon Merriweather, but he dropped the ball (again, like in real life).  They managed to get a decent drive going, but it stalled out after they got into my territory and managed to connect on a long FG to put the score at 7-6 with 2:20 to go.

They still had all of their time outs, so I knew that I would need a couple of first downs to ice the game.  Fortunately, the decisive blow came on a 3^rd and 5 run up the gut from Sammy Morris, who took the ball 15 yards and allowed me to run out the clock.  That play was aptly labeled “the Doritos Play of the Game” in the postgame show.  This 7-6 win was a defensive chess match and my first great Madden game in awhile. 

The Super Bowl matchup featured the Bears vs. Patriots.  A rematch of Super Bowl XX, the Patriots first ever Super Bowl in reality (they lost 46-10).  The presentation for the big game is (appropriately) even better than it is normally.  The commentators chat excitedly about the Super Bowl as pre-game footage takes us “inside the locker rooms” of the teams about to go out and compete.  Even the menu screens have changed to reflect that this is the Super Bowl.  The 5.1 surround sound is awesome.

As the game got underway, I noticed waves of flash photography from the stands on opening kickoff. All of this added up to make me feel excited and almost nervous about the “scale” of the game. 

One of the keys to this game ended up being field position, and I dominated in this area from start to finish.  They got the ball first, but my D was amped up and harassed Bears QB Jay Cutler right out the gate, sacking him twice on the opening drive.  This drove the Bears backwards and after a short punt, gave me great position to start the game (on their 47 yard line).  I responded with a methodical 7 play drive that resulted in a TD to put me up 7-0.

On their second drive, the Bears attempted a reverse, but the play ended in disaster when their wideout fumbled the ball.  There was a “quicktime” event to recover the loose ball and I actually won (for the first time).  I must admit that I didn’t mind this gimmick so much when I actually recovered the ball.

This gave me great field position on the Bears 28 yard line, and a couple of plays later, I hit Wes Welker over the middle for the score.  With 22 seconds left in the 1^st quarter, I was up 14-0. 

The Bears finally started to show some life in the 2^nd quarter by getting their first defensive stop and getting going on offense.  The Bears surprised me by launching a methodical 70+ yard drive to my goal line.  Fortunately, 350 pound nose tackle Vince Wilfolk was having a hell of a game, throwing offensive linemen out of his way all day and beating the crap out of Cutler.  This culminated on a hit that knocked Cutler out of the game for a couple of series (sprained wrist) and helped to hold the Bears to a short FG after a tremendous drive.  This put the score at 14-3 rather than 14-7, and was a huge victory for the team going into halftime.  Their monster 16 play drive resulted in 3 points. 

Halfway through, I had a strong 2 score lead, but the Bears were starting to show some life.  I opened the second half with an impressive drive of my own, but unfortunately stalled out in the redzone and had to settle for 3, putting me up 17-3. 

The ensuing kickoff for the Bears proved to be disastrous for Chicago.  Their return man got hit hard and lost the ball, which bounced directly into the hands of one of my gunners.  Suddenly, I once again had great field position and a chance to put the game away late in the 3^rd quarter.  Two plays later, I found Brandon Tate wide open down the middle of the field and hit him in stride for the easy score.  With the score 24-3, the competitive phase of the game was over. 

The CPU basically threw in the towel at this point and didn’t make much of an effort to come back in the 4^th.  I was confused by the fact that it kept running the ball and draining the clock rather than trying to frantically move the ball downfield with long passes. 

For the 4^th quarter, I kicked back and just enjoyed the show.  Star Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher was having a monster game and was all over the place (as in real life) and Pats TE Rob Gronkowski was a one man wrecking crew, mowing down anyone who dared try to tackle him (also, as in real life).  A few vanilla drives later, I had managed to run the clock out and win the game, 24-3.

The Super Bowl celebration sequence that followed was undoubtedly the best ever in a Madden game (even surpassing Madden ’95).  Chris Collinsworth and Gus Johnson discussed the Patriots history and the significance of this win while the confetti rained down and relevant highlights from the game were shown through a filter to make them seem more historic.  This was followed by highlights from the Patriots victory parade in Boston before going on to the White House to meet President Obama.  Epic.

Ultimately, I had a lot of fun with Madden 11.  While only one of the three games I played was really competitive, the presentation so impressed me, that I was left eager to come back and play more.  Perhaps after doing that, I will see all kinds of flaws.  Based on this sample, however, Madden 11 struck me as exciting to play and, most importantly, fun.  

Madden 10

Microsoft XBOX 360

Click HERE for screenshots.

For the first time in Madden history, two different players – Larry Fitzgerald of the Cardinals and Troy Polamalu of the Steelers- are featured on the cover of Madden 10.  The game opens with a movie featuring both of them, complete with highlights and voiceovers.  Both of these athletes dominate the menu screens that follow.  John Madden is given one short line of dialogue in the sequence in which he says “I’ve seen a lotta games, but I have a feeling this one is going to be special.”  But is Madden right?  Is Madden 10 a special game?

Once again, I have to equivocate in my answer.  On the upside, the graphics are jaw dropping in Madden 10.  I continue to be amazed by the ways in which the graphics seem to get better and better every year using the same XBOX 360 hardware.  More than once while playing this game, I had to shake my head at how many details they got right – the player faces and movements are fantastic and the overall presentation of the game is the closest thing yet to watching the game on TV. 

How does gameplay measure up?  Well, based on my limited sample of another Patriots playoff run, it is less than perfect. 

I was excited to see that when I started Madden 10, the game appeared to have imported my “Madden IQ” from the end of Madden 09.  I thought that this marked a continued improvement over the difficulty concerns that I took issue with in Madden 06 to Madden 08.  Unfortunately, the continued “fine tuning” of this number did not seem to have much of a positive impact on my gameplay experience. 

The divisional matchup featured the Titans coming to New England.  It was a cold night game that reminded me of their frigid Jan 2004 playoff game.  You could see the players’ breath in the cold air and the field seemed to have been frosted.  As the game opened, fighter jets flew over the stadium as part of the pregame festivities.  (A neat idea, but for some reason the animation was very choppy.) 

I got very excited for the opening kickoff when I saw that the old-style play calling menus appeared to be back in the game.  Three plays were displayed at once and you had the option of picking them based on the button you pressed on the controller.  This enthusiasm was short lived though, for while this was an improvement over the previous 360 titles, it ended up being a bit of a tease.  The core of playcalling is the same as from the other 360 titles (you can choose by formation, by “asking madden”, or by “play type”), but it is marginally improved by the ability to highlight more than 1 play at a time. 

As the game got underway, I was awed by the stellar presentation.  The camera angles on the field, particularly between plays, feel cinematic and put you right on the field in the action.  The coaches that stalk the sidelines look disturbingly like their real-life counterparts (not Bill Belichick though, who is not part of the NFL Coaches Association).  I was also struck by the realism in the ways that the players moved.  Wes Welker ran and juked just like Wes Welker – Randy Moss looked and ran like Randy Moss.  Even their TD celebrations were identical to their signature celebrations in real life.  Amazing.

I scored on my opening drive with a pass from Brady to Moss and -in addition to being happy to see the Moss TD celebration – I was pleased to see the return of the drive summary.  Thank you!  I really like these EA, please stop taking it out of the game every other year. 

After the score put me up 7-0, I kicked the ball off and the Titans promptly returned it 100 yards for a score.  7-7. 

My ensuing drive involved a Tom Brady fumble in which a bunch of players piled on top of the ball.  This triggered a weird “mini-game” or “quick time event” in which different buttons lit up on-screen and I had to jab at them to recover the fumble.  I didn’t understand what was happening until it was too late, and the Titans got the ball back.  This was weird and I am not completely sold on the idea of bringing quick-time events into Madden games. 

After a nice defensive stop, I got the ball back and launched into a beautiful 6 play, 75 yard TD drive.  I was really feeling good about the game on this drive.  Everything made sense, I was reading the defense and picking it apart with Brady at the helm.   Pleased with my 14-7 lead, I kicked the ball off.  They once again, had a 100 yard TD return to tie the game 14-14.  This was ridiculous.  Twice in one game?  What bothered me was that I did not even come close to touching their return man on either play (a different returner each time).  My defenders were simply knocked down after the kick and the returner waltzed untouched into the endzone.  Twice.

Statistically, I was dominating the game at the half, but the score was tied 14-14 because of those two fluky plays.  The halftime show was pretty cool as it featured (mostly) relevant highlights from the game I was playing.  This “show” is slightly improved over the Madden 09 version.

As the 2^nd half got underway, I started to forget about the glitchy kickoff returns as I was once again mesmerized by the gorgeous graphics in the game.  I had a fantastic 14 play, 5 minute TD drive to put me up 21-14.  Lucky for me, I kicked the ball out the back of the endzone on the ensuing kickoff, and they had to take the touchback (likely sparing me another 100 yard TD return). 

With 2 minutes left in the game and down by 7, the CPU made an extremely questionable play call.  After failing to convert on 3^rd and 7, the CPU opted to punt the ball back to me on 4^th down.  This meant I just needed 1 first down to run out the clock and win the game.  This did not prove to be very difficult as I got the first down and the Titans suffered a rather inglorious end to their playoff run. 

In finishing off the 21-14 win, I knew that the score was a little skewed – I had dominated statistically for all but two key plays – but I was so enamored with the graphics and presentation, that I didn’t let it bother me too much. 

For the AFC Championship game at Pittsburgh, I was surprised to see that my Madden IQ had remained static- 500.  There was no adjustment meter showing where I had improved or regressed as there was following games in Madden 09.  I also didn’t see any signs of the “Madden Test” or the hologram helper. 

The game began with a nice introduction for Heinz Field and the lighting effects as the game got underway were great as the sun set into night in this late-afternoon game.  I got the ball first, but struggled against the Steelers D and had to punt.  In an eerie replay of the special teams woes I had experienced against the Titans, the Steelers had a terrific punt return and nearly scored.  A few plays later, they finished things off and raced out to a 7-0 lead.

I was able to respond to their score with an impressive 13 play, 80 yard drive to tie things up at 7.  After exchanging a few punts, the next key moment of the game came on a 2^nd and 10 when Brady dropped back to pass.  I saw two things developing as I scanned the field.  The first was Randy Moss about to break free down the right sideline.  The second was a blitzing linebacker coming from the blind side.  Rather than get rid of the ball immediately, I hesitated until Moss was open and threw the ball.  Brady barely got the pass away, but it was off target and incomplete.  Unfortunately, I had taken too long and Brady was hit hard in his lower back as he released the ball.  He was not getting up. 

The medical staff rushed onto the field and Brady ended up being carted off the field with a herniated disk.  Yikes. 

This meant that young, untested Kevin O’Connell would have to step in and save the day.  In reality, the Patriots cut O’Connell following the 2008 season, but in this simulated playoff, he was now the star.  I employed the same strategy that the Patriots did in real life when Bledsoe went down in 2001- lots of short, easy passes.  I used the run to set up the pass and O’Connell marched the team the rest of the way down the field to finish with a TD.  I was up 14-7, but then the news came that Brady was out for the next 12 weeks.  Even if I won the game, I would be going into the Super Bowl without my best player.

The Steelers opened the second half with a brilliant sustained drive that culminated with a score to tie the game 14-14 late in the 3^rd quarter.  Later in the 4^th, Kevin O’Connell rose to the occasion and converted a critical 3^rd and goal from the 12 with a TD pass to Randy Moss.  With 2 minutes left in the game, I had regained a 21-14 lead.

All I had to do was keep the Steelers out of the endzone and run out the clock.  I kicked off the ball, and they promptly returned it 100 yards for the score.  I was furious.  As was the case in the Titans game, my kick coverage simply dissolved and the returner walked 100 yards for the score.  The Patriots kick coverage has not been “great” the last couple years, but in my 16 + years of fandom, I can’t remember them ever surrendering three 100 yard returns in a two game span.  It was ridiculous and silly.

Regardless, the game was once again tied.  With the score 21-21, I had a chance late in regulation to tie the game with a long FG, but the kick came up a few yards short. 

I got the ball to start OT and launched into a conservative, grinding drive that would ensure no turnovers and seal ultimate victory.  Four minutes later, I booted through the game winning field goal to finish off the Steelers 24-21.  There was some modest celebration on the sideline as the “coach” (not BB) was doused in a Gatorade shower and Kevin O’Connell put on his AFC Champion baseball cap.  I was happy to have won, but aggravated by the 100 yard TD return.  The game never should have gone into OT. 

The Super Bowl was against the Arizona Cardinals.  So, once again, I was squaring off in a Championship game against the athlete on the cover of the game (this year 2x).  My Madden IQ had fallen 8 points to 492 following my OT win over the Steelers.  The Super Bowl was in the pouring rain.

I was confused when I saw that my starting QB was not Kevin O’Connell, but instead someone named Luke McCown.  McCown was never a Patriot in reality, but I think the CPU automatically signed him off the free agent market leading up to the big game.  I debated about putting O’Connell back in, but ended up going with McCown just for the hell of it.  Neither player was a real replacement for Brady.

The rain effects have been improved even more over previous years, with droplets sticking to the “camera” screen as you are playing.  This is done just right, so as not to be too distracting.  There was also a nice touch of having all of the players wear the Super Bowl XLIV patches on their jerseys. 

The Cardinals got the ball first and I held by breath on their ensuing kickoff return.  It was a great runback, but I managed to bring the return man down before he could score.  They started at the 50 yard line. 

The game began as a defensive chess match for field position.  The game remained scoreless after 1 quarter, with my defense (and the rain) shutting down their passing attack.  My lack of a viable QB kept me from getting much of anything going.

The first big play took place to open the 2^nd quarter when Wes Welker muffed a punt and after a pileup (another “quicktime event” game), the Saints recovered deep into my territory.  One play later, they scored to go up 7-0. 

When I got the ball back, I returned to my strategy of using the run to set up the pass and employing short passes.  This worked out beautifully on a screen pass to Welker, who broke a tackle and ran 40 yards for the score (redeeming his earlier fumble).  I was able to score once more before halftime and go into the locker room with a 14-7 lead. 

By the time the second half got underway, the field conditions had deteriorated and the players were soaked.  This was the gloomiest Super Bowl ever.  After a defensive stop, I decided to work on the clock by giving a lot of carries to my running backs.  This not only took 6 minutes off the clock, but ultimately resulted in a Fred Taylor TD.  With 2 minutes to go, I was up 21-7. 

The Cardinals went 4 and out on their next drive, giving me great field position.  I couldn’t quite run the clock out all the way, so I ended up putting up one more FG before the game ended with a 24-7 Patriots win. 

The Super Bowl celebration was the best it had been for a few years, with star players tackling each other to the ground in celebration, and big Vince Wilfolk dancing around wearing his Super Bowl cap.  McCown was named MVP, and the “coach” (who resembled a very old man) hoisted up the Lombardi trophy. 

When the game finished, I saw that my Madden IQ remained at 492.  My conclusion in finishing this game was that it wasn’t quite right- the graphics and presentation were spectacular, but the game play/difficulty curve were not quite where they needed to be.  The games I played were either not competitive or competitive only as a result of fluky plays.  Perhaps a larger sample is needed (and the settings need to be tweaked), but based on my snapshot of Madden 10, it still is not as good as Madden 2005 on the PS2 when it comes to game play.