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EA Has Major Work to Do for Madden 08

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 19 / 24
Date: November 21, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I've bought every Madden game since 1992 and without question, I have never been as disappointed in the game as I am this year. In fact, I'd go so far as to say this game is a waste of your money. If you own a PS3, just keep your PS2 version of Madden 07 and don't bother with the PS3 version. There are so many problems with the game, I don't know where to start.

1) The most obvious problem is that there is no Madden commentary during the game. Hello? No Madden? That's lame.

2) In franchise mode, there is no fantasy draft feature. This MUST be fixed for 08.

3) The menus are not easy to navigate and are not at all intuitive compared to previous versions of Madden.

4) The graphics are an improvement, but still disappointing for a next-gen system. I hope there is a major improvement in this area for next year.

5) We don't know yet since NCAA 07 is not out yet for PS3, but I'm not sure we will be able to import rookies from the game - a key feature of Madden for the last several years.

Bottom line: If EA doesn't improve the product, they will lose business hand over fist when their exclusive license expires and other options are available for football fans.

WORST MADDEN I EVER PLAYED

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 18 / 24
Date: November 27, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I have been playing Madden since the genesis days and this is by far the worst disappointment i have ever felt with a football game period. I think that the game should have remained the same from the PS2 version just adding the motion sensitivity and better graphics.
Just to be fair lets start with the good,
1) Great graphics-
2) Smooth control
and now the bad-
1) NO MADDEN!!!!!!!!!
2) The play calling feature sucks and hard to see
3) cant make defensive formation changes
4) the commentary sucks
5) button configurations are horrible and when you try to change them it never comes out right.
6) no huddles have a video attached to them that kinda defeats the purpose of HURRY UP offense.
I think that i am so dissatisfied because i was so excited about the PS3 and the Madden, but EA put absolutely no thought into making this game. I think EA should stick to the formula of maddens of 'ol and if they dont at least put JOHN MADDEN commentary on it. REFUND!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Many Features Gone

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 13 / 18
Date: November 23, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Here are my biggest gripes:

What Disappoints me the most:
1. THERE ARE NO QUICK AUDIBLES ANYMORE! I thought that quick audibles (and the right stick individual player playmaker controls on defense) were the greatest...plus I loved being able to hold x and use the analog stick to change defensive player, now thats gone too ...and last, wheres the newly made slide protection that i love so much?
2. WHY DO THE CONTROLS KEEP CHANGING?! It took my a while to adapt to using X to sprint for both Defense and Offense..now its R2? Personally, after getting used to it, i loved being able to interchange sprint/pass with my QB just by pressing X...EA, please keep something constant for once!
3. THE PLAYBOOK LAYOUT I like that you can see more at once, but when playing offline vs. a real opponent, its a pain in the butt when they can see the play you're choosing
4. WHATS IS WITH THE NO HUDDLE MOVIE SCENE? Unless I'm wrong, the point of the no huddle is that your in a rush...someone please correct me if this isnt the case
5. IF I MISSED ANYTHING, OR YOU AGREE... Post after this, support the cause of Madden Gamers who have spent year after year playing basically the same game, and are now really ticked with the biggest overhaul EVER

2006 is better.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: February 01, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The title says it all. I have both a PS2 and PS3, and have enjoyed '06 for the PS2 for quite some time. I decided to finally take the plunge and pick up '07 for the PS3 this afternoon - and within an hour, I returned it to the store. This is, by far, the worst Madden I've ever played. The graphics are slightly nicer than '06 for the PS2, but that's about it. The gameplay moves at about half speed, stutters and framerate fluctuations are the norm, and the overall presentation makes this look like an awful beta version at best. The menus have been redesigned to make them "slicker", but they just look disorienting.

I cannot figure for the life of me how Gamepro gave this a 4.5 out of 5. Other review sites similarly place it in the B- to B+ range, and I am totally perplexed. Any Madden veteran will find this slop to be unplayable.

Seriously, I didn't heed all the warnings, I bought this game, and I regretted it. Bottom line.. 2006 for the PS2 is the best Madden available right now. I really hope EA will clean up their act for '08.

This Madden is NEW!

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: January 01, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I should have rented this title first before purchasing... I'm dissapointed with this new version of Madden. A lot of features found from 05 or 06 are not included. Here are some of the negatives I found so far.

* The controls are different. Audibles, hot routes, defensive adjustments are a bit different. You can't just pick up this new Madden and start playing with it - you need to check the manual first! I was so frustrated when I kept on getting encroachment penalties with my Dline player - I was trying to let my dbacks play bump; I later found out that I was supposed to press X now instead of triangle (old way). Swim/club moves are a bit awkward. Sprinting with R2 took a while to get used to but if you think about it, is a better compared to using X (can hold sprint while juking, spinning or doing stiff-arm) The most frustrating is the hot-route system... I don't know why they changed it... it was almost perfect with prior versions of Madden... it takes longer now to perform a hot-route because of all the button presses you have to perform. There's more stuff here and there that they changed - it's just different.

* The graphics while more detailed and crisp are somewhat weird. Every player looked as if they all took steroids... what's up with the insane muscles? The players' eyes are bulging out to the point where they are sticking out.. freaky! At one time, I had Gore run 50 yards uncontested towards the endzone - it was funny when I noticed that the only thing moving were his legs and arms, upper body movement was nonexistent - looks robotic. The players on the sidelines all look the same, fat, bulging and with syncronized clapping. When it's raining, you don't even see the rain drops running down their helmet or you don't see any of the fans on the seat wearing any raingear - although you don't see this on prior versions of Madden, I was hoping little things like this would be prevalent in this next-gen game.

* Some features are missing... one of them is that you can't save anymore in the middle of a game. With the wife and kids around, I'm really missing this feature. Play by play calling is worser with Al Michaels gone. No fantasy draft... although I don't use this much. Some of the "101" features are gone. I also like the menu's interface better from the prior versions instead of the hard to read text on this year's version. EA made this game geared towards HDTV units where you can see the tiniest detail. I was using a 27" low-def TV and I was having a hard time seeing the text on screen. I'm glad that my HDTV came just 3 days after getting my PS3. One thing that kinda bugs me too is that you can't download updated rosters - if you're into franchise mode and you want to start anew - you can't get the updated rosters to reflect that of your current teams'.

* And this cost $60?!

I'm selling my copy and will start playing with my 06 PS2 version which I think is superior. Now if I can only get my hands onto a memory card adapter and I'm good to go. Stay away from this game, instead spend your $$ on Resistance or Fight Night - those are titles I'm buying next.

John Madden is laughing at all of us...

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: February 24, 2007
Author: Amazon User

all the way to the bank! Ever since EA Sports bought the exclusive rights to the NFL License, Madden NFL hasn't changed much except for the usual roster updates, slightly more polished graphics, etc. I wish that Sega Sports could still make NFL games because the NFL 2K series was the best football sim around. I would even rather play an old NFL Gameday (Sony CEA) rather than this overrated pile. Back in 1997, Madden NFL 98 lost in sales to NFL Gameday 98 because it was inferior. The next year EA Sports improved and went back to being the #1 selling NFL game. Then in 1999, Sega Sports released the breakthrough NFL 2K which destroyed Madden NFL 2000 gameplay and graphics wise. EA Sports hasn't made a Madden NFL as good as NFL 2K EVER, although they have always out sold Sega Sports NFL 2K because of better name recognition/marketing. I hope that Electronic Arts exclusive NFL License ends soon in the next few years because Madden needs competition like NFL 2K and NFL Gameday to stay fresh!
Anyway about this game: EA Sports must have lost all inspiration for making a new Madden NFL game every year, because this game simply feels stale. The graphics are clean and smooth for the most part, but the gameplay feels really slow and the controls are stiff and unintuitive. Controls are the worst for kicking field goals/punt/kick offs. If you absolutely need to play a new football game then I guess you should buy this lame piece since Madden NFL is the only game in town these days... :(

I have to agree with the general opinion of this Madden

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: March 02, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I'll start by stating that I was a big fan of the Madden games until I played Sega's NFL 2K5 on the PS2. After EA bought the exclusive rights to the NFL games, I was rather peeved. Madden 2007 for the PS3 just enforces the reasons for my dismay.

Pros:

- NFL foolball
- Improved graphics from the previous generation of video game consoles (not by the leaps and bounds you'd expect though)
- That's about it

Cons:

- Graphics not up to the quality you'd expect from next gen technology.
- Controls feel 'off', especially on defense.
- change of the speed burst button from X to R2...this was very difficult to get used to.
- create-a-player was ruined. Yeah, it was kind of cheap to be able to build the perfect player. Now you have to participate in drills to set your created player's attributes. While fine in theory, the drills (think scounting combine...bench press, 40yd dash, etc) weren't well executed. I really noticed the 'off' feel of the controls while running through a tackling drill with a LB. It was the same setup as the Mini-Camp drill from previous games (which I normally ruled at), but I could barely make a tackle. The players just didn't feel responsive.

Bottom line, this game felt rushed. I had a feeling EA would let the quality of their NFL game slip now that there's no competition. I can't even recommend renting this game, let alone buying it. It really seems that all of EA Sports titles are slipping greatly in terms of quality.

Don't Buy It

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: February 09, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I know it is hard to beleive, but, this game is not worth purchasing. Please read all the other reviews and believe them - it is not a good game. I can't understand why in two player mode they would allow you to see the other players play call? That does not make any sense. Play is slow and much different from PS2 versions. Don't buy it.

A disappointing update

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 3 / 3
Date: January 14, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I've been playing Madden on a PS2 for about as long as the PS2 has existed and this is the only update to disappoint me. Here are my thoughts.

Gameplay

This is the good news. The graphics are great - probably not quite as good as you thought, but still great. There is some pretty stupid eye candy. For example, between plays you get artistic shots of various unseen parts of the stadium like between pillars, or looking out from the hallways or, my favorite, a close-up of speaker clusters. Players on the sideline clap together in rhythm like trained monkeys. I wouldn't miss these.

Players move in a much more natural fashion and tackling in particular is much more realistic. For example, instead of either getting tackled or shucking a tackler, you may have a running back slowed down by dragging a tackler before getting popped by another one. It's hard to describe but it has a much more realistic feel. I also feel like its easier to run through the middle which was also a short coming of prior games.

The controls have shifted dramatically so you need to read up before you play. In particular, the triangle button has shifted from "hot route" to "jump offsides" - that cost me about 100 yards my first game. The new controls probably make more sense, but will take some getting used to.

They removed one feature that I really liked which was the "accelerated clock". That used to run the clock down to fixed time after calling the play which made it harder to call a crazy amount of audibles at the line and also kept the game moving. Without, I find that I can run a play every 10 seconds which is pretty silly.

Strategy

This is a complete disaster. In a rush to get the product out they have removed a ton of features. You no longer have formation specific audibles, so you're back to the basic five. You can't have formations specific substitutions, so there's no resting specific players or having a formation with your possession receivers. You can't adjust individual defenders, so you can't decided to blitz a corner instead of have them play zone or switch match ups. You can't alter your defensive match up (man match vs. zone match), so it's impossible to disguise zone coverage.
This is probably sufficient to send me back to the PS2 version.

Summary

If you just like to play a game with your friend and you don't generally make adjustments at the line, this is a worthwhile upgrade. If you play in Franchise mode and like a more cerebral game, I'd wait for 2008 when they've put those features back.

Are you people crazy!?

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 12
Date: November 28, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is obviously next-gen Madden- The 360 version is worse, I don't see how it is rated higher here. But seriously, has Madden football ever been that great of a game?

First off, the graphics are great for a launch title. Compare this game to the PS2's first Madden game, then imagine how good it will be for PS3 in 5-6 years. :) Physics have also had an overhaul, the biggest feature is, of course, the gang-tackling feature, which adds to the realism of the game. The authenticity of the game is improved with the individual running styles of the Running Backs, including Tiki Barber's odd, no-fumble carry. The facial models of select players are great, but those that were left out of the hyper-accurate detailing are just ugly in comparison.

Those complaining about the absence of John Madden's voice need to get a clue: No one likes hearing him say, "The reason that run didn't work was because the defender ran right into him and tackled him." Really? Wow, I'm sure glad that I have someone to echo everything that I do on screen. "The reason the game stopped was because the player hit the pause button." Yes, it is nearly that ridiculous. I agree that the commentary of next-gen Madden isn't the best, but if we only had Al Michaels it would be a lot better.

I like the depth of the frachise mode, but it does need more of the existing features; current-gen Madden has everything.

Definitely buy this game if you are the football fan, buy it for the improvements over the current-gen, but play franchise on PS2.

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