No other aspect of online really saw improvement either, but at least Madden has gotten large enough that EA knows what to expect in terms of server load. Online games played with negligible lag even during peak hours, and getting into (and staying in) matches was never an issue. Communities were the touted improvement to online, but the way they are implemented I couldn’t care less. On paper it sounds nice: give players the ability to start their own communities for head-to-head games, with every game and slider option open for editing. And all those options are there when you create your community. The problem: you can’t search by those different options, not even with something as simple as quarter length. This means that you have to go through each community to see what rules they play by, or know the name of one in particular. Under most circumstances, that would mean you joined a group with friends you already know, or a community you’re already a part of. There’s not a real opportunity to explore groups in an organic way, especially with the mass of groups who try to start their community names with as many 0’s and spaces as possible to get highest on the list.
Superstar mode, as I mentioned before, is a joke. Calling it a waste might be more accurate though; there’s potential here, but the mode is so neglected at this point it’s dying on the vine. Your player being drafted is a boring menu screen non-event for something that means so much to your career. Even more disappointing is that you’re the automatic starter, regardless of the team you end up on, and no matter who else is playing at your position. It makes very little sense that my 65 rated running back ended up the starter immediately for the Packers when they have a perfectly healthy Ryan Grant and James Starks. Position battles, or fighting for playing time, or being evaluated every few games would do a lot for this mode, and they are things that NHL and NCAA have already done with their modes.
You now earn points that can be used to raise your attributes now, but the way they’re awarded are only somewhat connected to things you actually do on the field. As a running back I’ve been awarded (or deducted) points for completed passes, superstar tackles, dropped passes when I was never targeted, and touchdowns I wasn’t on the field for. Some things, like running for a big gain or catching the ball for a gain or loss, were things I was actually involved in doing that I received points for, but otherwise the point system is loco.
Also, practice and training camp – where you can earn additional points – are pointless affairs where you line up for 10 snaps on plays that may or may not have anything to do with you. I’ve literally had my RB not even be present on the field for practice snaps and had to take control of Aaron Rodgers for pass plays. That shouldn’t happen, ever. You’re not replicating a full practice session with a team, you’re supposed to be getting snaps at your position to improve yourself. One last thing about Superstar mode, as a personal tip: turn off coordinator audio the first chance you get. Not only is it incredibly annoying and repetitive, many times it doesn’t even refer to your position.
Finally there’s the presentation, which out of anything should be Madden’s strong suit now. Sadly, I didn’t come away with that feeling. There’s cool things, like new introductions for teams, and elements like cheerleaders and mascots that are involved with them. I also liked the blimp shots from above stadiums, and views of the sideline that are filled with players doing stuff you’d see in a real game (gasp!), like talking in groups with helmets both on and off, or sitting on the bench with a towel draped over their shoulders.
These touches were nice, but everything else leaves a lot to be desired. Your mileage may vary, but I hated a lot of the broadcast camera views they used this year. It was an effort to make pre-game and post-game look more like a televised showing, but they abused the fisheye, bouncing up and down ‘filmed live on location’ camera view so much that I wanted nothing more than plain old static shots back. I could have handled the shots interspersed with other camera views, but it was like someone at EA Tiburon found out what a fisheye lens was, realized ‘hey, that’s how they get that view in the huddle on TV,’ then completely lost their mind. Another thing that bothers me is how players look like shiny plastic in Madden when NCAA has that problem totally in check. Character faces are amazingly close to their real life counterparts, but every player and their uniforms shouldn’t look like they’re greased up for a WWE match.
Commentary is still lacking as well, and that’s being kind of nice about it. There’s a noticeable difference in sound between lines that were in Madden 11 and lines that are new for Madden 12. Commentary also lags behind the action on the field, which ruins the attempt to portray games like television broadcasts. There’s also no excuse for the commentators not to refer to more players by their real names and the things that are known about them.
This isn’t NCAA, where players aren’t named and their histories can’t be discussed because of NCAA rules. If Darrelle Revis jumps a route to pick off a pass, I don’t want to hear Chris Collinsworth talk about the need for ‘that corner’ to be careful because he might get burned, especially when the pass was successfully picked off and went back the other way for six. He’s the best damn cornerback in football, and the commentators should be talking about him during plays in that context. The same goes for any other player that’s a star at their position. There’s no reason that Madden, as big as it is, can’t manage that.
But that’s ultimately the moral of the story, regardless of any complaints I may have about the game, or about how much things have stagnated: Madden is big, and if you want to play an NFL football game it’s your only option. While it’s not a bad game, the days have long gone by when Madden could settle for being average. When you’re the only game in town representing something like the NFL, you have to bring your ‘A’ game on every outing. This type of effort isn’t cutting it, and more iterations like it (and 11) will do more to damage Madden than a lockout ever could. Status can only carry a game so far, and no matter how big they get, even titans can fall.
