Sunday, September 12, 2010

Review: Madden NFL 2011

I am on an EA Sports strike I will not buy any of their games new, mainly because of the whole online registration awesomeness that they think is a good idea, and generally I don't play Madden anyways, always more of an NCAA guy, but I heard that this one was really good so I thought I'd give it a try.

This year's Madden is by far the best that I've ever played, due to the attributes that I will discuss now. Streamed lined running, balance passing, and new play calling system makes this Madden the best for any level of fan.

The sprint button has been removed and more emphasis has been put on the use of the right stick. This gives the player more control and also makes finding holes a necessity. This also creates a new level of realism that was missing in previous Maddens.

The passing game is neither too easy nor too hard. You don't feel that every pass thrown is caught and also don't feel that you are only chance at getting yards is running. I saw very few unrealistic catches and unfair drops. The receivers caught when they should and dropped when they should.

The new play calling system picks plays for you and allows you to listen to your offensive and defensive coaches via headset. If you're not good at defense like I am, this automatic play system balances the game. The offensive play calling can be frustrating at times, but overall the A.I. is decent. If you are one of those people who wants to look at the entire playbook, you can turn this feature off. But for me, it made me feel more like I was the QB or the defensive captain.

In closing, EA Sports stepped up their game in response to natural motion and 505 games attempted competition. They finally listened to the consumer and made necessary changes.

As a side note, they added a physics engine to the tackle engine. These things make the game very good, but it still lost its luster for me after a season or two.

1 comment:

  1. I got this game for free with my paid subscription to Sports Illustrated..still wasn't worth it....I played the game for less than a week and traded it in...too repetitive and unrealistic...a total letdown. Bring on NFL 2k13!

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