Madden '09 demo is out

The demo for Madden 09 dropped a day early. I don't like the way the demo is set up: you get the virtual trainer and get to play as the Giants during their game winning drive in last year's Super Bowl. So your actual play time is very limited and you don't get to play defense at all. Hmm.

Now for the good. First, the game is drop-dead gorgeous. The visuals are just outta sight, looking like the cut scenes from past Madden games. The game plays quite a bit like NCAA only a bit tighter. Supposedly the obvious flaws in NCAA were corrected in Madden. The passing seems well done though drops are a common occurrence. I think EA wants to put more more of an onus on the users by making us hit the manual catch button. We'll see how that goes in the final version of the game. The offensive line doesn't create a real pocket, but it does a better job of protecting you than in the past. Also, if the QB drops back too far passing is no longer an option. This should help against the online cheesers.

The running game seems pretty nicely balanced as the ball carrier fights for extra yards if you use a special move while being tackled. These moves are not only effective but look nice as well. We'll have to hope this isn't too effective.

Defense is obviously a big question mark, as you aren't allowed to play that side of the ball. The CPU gets an effective push with their DL, but no one knows if the same will hold true when you play defense. I have not played enough (or been good enough) to notice if the pursuit angles are broken the way they are in NCAA.

My hopes are high for Madden, which is unusual since I have not enjoyed it in quite a while and I was pretty disappointed with NCAA 09 (pre-patch anyway). The Madden developers say that a patch should be available on release day, so game play should be even tighter than it is in the demo. If that's the case and the most glaring problems from NCAA are taken care of, Madden could be very special indeed. I find myself being skeptical but falling for the hype once again.

NCAA 09: Unfinished Business

Well, there are a TON of issues with NCAA 09 that have seriously taken away a lot of the fun factor for me. From brain-dead AI to things that simply don't work as they should, the game is a buggy mess. Bill Harris over at Dubious Quality has a list made up that sums up the problems beautifully. It reads:

"Game design:
--speed differences are greatly exaggerated (breaks basic gameplay)

Special teams:
--kickoff and punt coverage (horrendous)

Offense:
--CPU quarterback completion percentage (way too high)
--CPU quarterback pass selection (almost no deep passes)
--CPU quarterback response to blitz ("psychic" power)*
--CPU quarterback (ineffective as runner)
--CPU running game (ineffective)
--CPU running backs (overuse of jukes and special moves)*

Defense:
--CPU defensive line (unable to pressure quarterback)
--CPU defense (unable to play man-to-man coverage)
--CPU defense (pursuit angles totally broken)

Officiating:
--penalties (almost none called)

Please note the * by two items: QB response to blitz and RB overuse of special moves. These are subjective evaluations, and hence have a different designation than the other items, which are easy to objectively document.

It's not difficult to see all of these gameplay issues. It doesn't take an expert or a perfectionist. All it really takes is some basic familiarity with college football and an open pair of eyes, because these issues are very, very obvious. Bill Abner (the dean of sports game reviewers) was one of the earliest people in the country to have a final copy of the game, and he quickly documented many of these problems."

Bill could not be more right on the money. The gameplay is just plain broken in many important areas and the sliders that are there to tweak gameplay are ineffective at best. Why was this game shipped with so many problems? Well, that brings us to another brilliant post on another excellent blog, Shawn Drotar's 5WG. In an searing article, entitled EA's Bobbled The Ball, Will It Still Make The Catch? Shawn tells it like it is:

"NCAA Football 09, in particular, definitely feels like a potentially brilliant game got rushed; something that’s bound to happen with sports titles - it’s telling when Electronic Arts’ CEO, John Riccitiello, makes a clear point in an interview with VentureBeat, noting: “I don’t think the investors give a shit about our quality. They care about our earnings per share.” I appreciate Riccitiello’s candor here, because the truth is this: it’s the number of sales, not the quality of the titles, that matter to the multi-billion dollar business; that’s Capitalism 101."

Further, Shawn adds:

"Whether these games can be “patched” or not is only partially germane to the discussion. It’s simply not realistic or proper for EA - or any other developer, for that matter - to expect its customers to purchase essentially unfinished products and hold to the hopes that said company will eventually deliver the complete experience. Nobody went to see “The Dark Knight” last weekend hoping that the film’s climax would turn up in mid-September."


EA is aware of the problems and is working on a patch to address some (but not all) of them. They hope to have the patch released sometime in September. That's 2 months after the game's release. By then, Madden will be out and many people will have moved on from NCAA 09, perhaps even trading the game in for credit towards the purchase of Madden. Will EA care? No, because they will have already gotten your money twice.

Everyone knows games are bound to have a bug or 3 when they are released. But that's not what we are talking about here. We are talking about fundamental problems that keep this game from resembling anything close to a real football game. Is it still fun? In an arcadey way, yes. But this game is supposed to be representative of real college football. After all, by snatching up the exclusive rights to make an NCAA football game, EA has assured that they are the only game in town.

So the patch will eventually arrive and perhaps it will make the game play much better, perhaps not. I'll keep my fingers crossed because I love college football. But given EA's track record, the fact that they already have our money and that they have no competition in the market, I won't be expecting too much.

But boy, Madden sure does look good this year...

Just too damned busy

Sorry for the lack of recent posts, but things have just been insane with John and the other kids. Crazy busy. I have been neglecting the blog and I need to get an article in to BOM as well. Bear with me while I try to get things under control.

Good news today though; Barb is going to nursing school as we had hoped. Her boss has apparently agreed to pay her full salary so that will make it doable. She is extremely excited and I am so happy for her. Congrats, Sweetheart!

NCAA Football '09 is here!

I picked up NCAA '09 this A.M. and have been playing it all morning. So far I am having a blast. I started the Campus Legend mode, where my high school QB led his team to the state championship. He was highly recruited and it just so happened that Michigan offered me the starting job as a freshman! So I made my way to Ann Arbor where I hit he practice field running. In the first game, we blew out Utah and my QB had a great day passing and running and was named the national offensive player of the week. Game 2 was a hard fought battle against Miami (Ohio), but we pulled it out to go 2-0. My stats were down and I threw my first interception, but we got the win so that's what matters. Up next? $@#%&^*! NOTRE DAME. Oughta be a good one.

I'll have more impressions as I play more of the game. Right now I am really liking Campus Legend mode, so I may be there for a while. If anyone wants to play a game over Xbox Live, hit me up!

GTSM gets a big makeover

As you may already know, I write for GTSM (Gaming Theater And Sports Media). Well, that is gonna change, because GTSM is becoming Beyond Media Online! George and Ted, co-founders of GTSM have found us a better, more user-friendly home. Again, I am proud to work for these guys and the staff they have assembled is top notch. Right now we are in transition mode. The switch will be final in a couple of weeks. You can read all about the changes here.

You can be confident that BMO will have the same great writing and friendly forums to make your visits memorable. Please stop by soon!

Finished "Watchmen"

Excellent read. The ending caught me off guard but it was in line with what happened throughout the book. If you are looking to read a graphic novel, this is a great place to start. I need to figure out which one I want to read next.

Worked a double today (16 hrs) so I am tired and going to bed. Have to be back at work in the A.M. I will check back tomorrow (hopefully) with some big news about GTSM.

Goodnight!

Still on the NCAA '09 fence (and more football thoughts)

I am waiting to hear some impressions from someone who gets the PS3 retail version of NCAA Football '09 before the release date. I have read assurances that the PS3 version is identical to the 360 version, but the demos were not really close; the 360 version was much better. I have pre-ordered the PS3 version, but will be switching to the 360 unless I can get confirmation that the PS3 version is up to snuff. Decisions, decisions.

You can read early impressions on the 360 version at Bill Abner's website, The Nut And The Feisty Weasel. Don't be alarmed that Bill is a died-in-the-wool Buckeye's fan. At least it ain't Notre Dame.

Getting psyched as usual for the real football to begin. My beloved Wolverines are in rebuilding mode with a new coach and an entirely different offensive scheme, so it could be a lean year. I am thinking 7 or 8 wins. I do like the direction they are headed though. It was time for new blood and new leadership.

Mizzou has lots of promise this year and I will be following them closely as well, but I honestly think all the talk of an undefeated season is a bit much. I see them losing a couple games this year. Heck, the opener against Illinois should be a real dogfight. My wife and I are thinking about going to this one; it should be a helluva time at the dome.

As far as my St. Louis Rams are concerned, well, let's say I am eager to see what they have this year. I don't foresee more than 6-8 wins this season, but the offense should be exciting with new offensive coordinator Al Saunders, and I am really anxious to see what #1 pick Chris Long and #2 pick Donnie Avery bring to the table. I think Avery could surprise a lot of people, especially with Saunders calling the shots. Once again, the success (and health) of the offensive line will be the key.