One of the main issues with Madden is that it struggles to correctly represent what we see on NFL Sundays. The series is quickly losing its luster and "must buy" status among sports gamers, its gameplay light years behind games like FIFA and NBA 2K. Here's Part 2 of our series on what desperately needs to be added for the series to regain some momentum.
1. Interceptions -We get it, someone decided to jack up interceptions to compensate for the poor pass defense and a passing game with too many exploits. Sorry, but isn't this the era of PS3/XBOX360 where shortcuts like that should be unnecessary? Interceptions happen at a record-setting rate in Madden and it needs to stop. Defenders simply don't catch the ball as well as the game indicates. In the four seasons of our franchise the league leader had 15, 16, 12 and 13 interceptions. The NFL record? 14. Considering the REALISTIC effect lowering catching had on pass completions, we're pretty sure adding a few more deflections and passes batted down at the line of scrimmage will be just what the doctor ordered to tone down a too-dominant passing game.
2. Special Teams - Isn't it past time the third phase of the game of football got its proper attention in Madden? Why haven't we seen a Special Teams rating with Offense/Defense in addition to a Punt Return, Kick Coverage and Kick Return stat for every player? In Madden every team gets a stellar coverage teams. Shouldn't we see better units hold blocks, gunners who down punts deep in the opponents territory, avoid penalties, track down returners, avoid breakdowns and even occasionally block kicks (yes--punts too) like they do in reality? Right now we can put any fast player back to return kicks and be successful, but some fast guys like Lee Evans and Donte' Stallworth are horrible returners. Shouldn't players like these have the lowest possible KR or PR Rating? (40) We think so. Brad Smith, Eric Weems, Marcus Hudson, Colt Anderson and Anthony Madison might not be marquee names but they are some of the best kick coverage guys in the NFL. Shouldn't we see them with high Kick Coverage ratings and the ability to track down returners and/or draw penalties in the return game? Sure we should. Its embarrassing that we can kick right AT returners like Devin Hester, Josh Cribbs and Desean Jackson and almost guarantee we'll never be punished by big returns. Ratings people obsessed with highlights have considered Reggie Bush an elite returner because he had 2 great years returning punts in New Orleans. Sadly, this is no longer the truth. Did you know that he has returned a kickoff a grand total of one time in his career? His status as an elite KR is a farce. His PR average for the last three years is 7.2 (no TDs) and the simple truth is that he was an elite PR in 2008 but hasn't been one since. Rating him in the 90s is like pretending Gilbert Arenas is still Agent Zero, but we get it, why let facts get in the way of an accurate rating?
3. Rivalries - Steelers/Ravens, Cowboys/Redskins, Jets/Patriots, Packers/Bears. Barring a complete disaster of a gameplan by one of those teams you're looking at a game that will probably be closely contested. Familiarity breeds contempt and those matchups are among the most familiar in the game. Let's see closely contested games complete with numerous special cut-scenes, trash talk, clever fan signs against our rivals and other aspects that display the intensity of a true rivalry game.
Wish there was a more recent Madden post to leave this comment on, but this explains a lot:
ReplyDeletehttp://twitter.com/#!/Donny_Moore/status/146088158923206656
PFF sucks. They evaluate games primarily with an eye towards fantasy, and they tend to have trouble with basic stuff like who is on the field on a given play.