First Thoughts on Madden 11 Demo: Pros and Cons

| Jul 29, 2010 | 6 comments
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I downloaded the new Madden 11 demo that was released late afternoon yesterday, and after one game I had to stop.

Looking around forum boards and blog post comments, it appears most people felt the same way I did. Disappointed.

It seemed like the developers made too many unnecessary changes and not enough focus was placed on the major issues. For example, commentary was stale and clearly re-used from last year’s game, while a brand new kicking feature was introduced. I think most would agree that the overall experience and presentation of Madden would have benefited from a broader range of commentary, rather than having a simpler kicking meter.

From my initial take on Madden 11, here is my list of pros and cons:

PROs
—Slightly improved graphics
—More catching animations, including sideline catches
—More tackling animations
—New dual stick controls when carrying the ball
—Ability to “GamePlan” before the game to set up GameFlow play-calling
—Faster cut-scenes

CONs
—The “Strategy Pad,” an unnecessary and hard to use replacement for pre-snap adjustments
—Boring and repetitive commentary
—No kick/punt return coverage whatsoever
—Automatic GameFlow recommending terrible plays, especially when on defense
—Crowd noise being stale and inconsistent

These are just my first thoughts after playing one full game. I chose to play as the N.Y. Jets, and easily crushed the Indianapolis Colts 28-3. Running the ball was almost given yardage. On my last drive, I was able to run the ball every single play down the field and score.

Hopefully, as most demos do state, this wasn’t an an exact representation of what the full game will be like. But with a release date of just a couple weeks away, I can only assume they must be going into production very soon. So if all these problems exist in the demo, where and when will EA developers find the time to address these issues?

The demo also failed to assure fans whether or not improvements to franchise game mode has been made. I’ve been a fan of the Madden series for a very long time, but this year’s lack of significant new features lessens my desire to purchase the new Madden 11.

Check out a video of the demo being played by gaming blogger, PastaPadre.”

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  • http://www.nfc-beast.blogspot.com Rob

    I actually respectively disagree with a few of your points.

    The commentary, although never a Madden strong-point, has been improved a bit. With the new commentator (can’t remember his name) actually getting excited as I burst down the sideline for a long score. Last year, you’d get no emotional reaction from big plays. Minor, yes. But still an improvement.

    I think the GameFlow plays will work once gamers get to setup their own gameplan with their own playbooks. I for one, don’t know any of the plays in either playbooks, so it was hard for me to gameplan. But I have a feeling that once I get my own team in there, the play calling will be more accurate.

    I played on All-Pro this morning and dominating the run game wasn’t as easy, but I’m not sure if that’s because the Jets run offense is better than the Colts run defense. Again, once we get the full game, I’m sure we’ll figure that out.

    Madden is notorious for the last minute updates and patches, so I’m sure there will be plenty. But I guess I’m not as disappointed as most people are with the demo.

  • http://thepurplechaos.com/ conoonk

    True, the new commentator, Gus Johnson, might be a minor improvement, but it’s still not that exciting. I broke a huge tackle to get into the open field and score, but it felt dead to me with no crowd response.

    And the real problem I was referring to was Cris Collinsworth’s commentary. After playing over 500 games of Madden 10 last year, it was an indescribable feeling when I heard the exact same lines in this year’s game.

    And the GameFlow might be nice if some serious time is spent on the GamePlan, but would the casual gamer be interested in doing that?

    The last minute update/patch might be custom, but they usually fail to address the serious issues. Last year, it took until the 2nd patch to fix the HB flat/screen plays, which was being heavily exploited online.

    With all these things aside, the absolute worst feature was the strategy pad. I’ve been a Madden gamer for years, and the surprise change completely interrupts my flow of the game. I can speak for most hardcore Madden-gamers that the strategy pad HAS to go.

    I guess I’m just disappointed because I really had high hopes for this year’s edition. The 09′ to 10′ transition was huge, so I thought EA was finally on to something. Until this demo came out. Why change things like the strategy pad when so many other concerns need to be addressed???

  • http://www.nfc-beast.blogspot.com Rob

    I can understand your disappointment.

    I do believe that gameflow was made for the new gamer, who would love nothing more than a coordinator to tell him/her how the play is suppose to work; and the hardcore gamer who only uses 15-20 plays in the first place. Thus far, my friends who don’t fit in neither category think it’s a waste.

    I must agree with you though, the strategy pad is the worst change I’ve seen in quite a while. What was wrong with the pre-snap adjustments from last season? I find myself scurrying to adjust to the offense now and it’s flat-out frustrating. A lot of my style is based off of pre-snap adjustments which I can no longer do as fast as I use to. I hope, much like the QB vision, this feature is taken right back out of the game.

  • Dj Lee

    Ok, being a hardcore madden fan i started the game on All-Madden…big mistake. Strategy Pad messed me all up, tackling was so hard for me, the cpu would easily get 20-30 yards a carry…all game flow is is a quicker ask madden…also no turbo? No coverage on kick or punt returns? NCAA over madden this year

  • Joey

    Ok…Madden 11 was released four days ago, and I’ve played somewhere between 7-10 games with friends who are also hardcore Madden gamers.

    I think by now it’s safe to say, “the strategy pad is a strategic nightmare.”

    The run game is ridiculously easy. We played a game yesterday. I was the Ravens, my boy was the Lions. “Best” rushed for over 200yds and averaged 10.4 per carry on All Madden. In the same game Calvin Johnson was virtually unstoppable on the deep passes.

    I’ve been rocking Madden since the 90′s when it first dropped on Sega Genesis. What I’ve always loved about Madden was the way EA Sports worked to try and make the game as authentic as possible with the technology available at the time of release. In this version, it seems they’ve tried dumbing down Madden and making running and passing a lot easier. Yes, the KR/PR too…I lost one game with 17 seconds to go, after my boy ran back a squib kick. On this play, he KR was not challenged nor touched by any of my cover team….over-all…highly disappointing!!!

    If I wanted a high-paced, high-scoring, simple football game….I would just have bought “Blitz” or some variation.

    I hope EA Sports goes back into the lab and come correct next time…..

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