RAC Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 As a lot of you guys know, I run a site called www.maddennation.com that is a forum similar to ES where we discuss Madden. I was invited by EA to come out to their headquarters which is located in Redwood City, CA to play some Madden 2005 and take a tour of the place. I am going to post some info about the game and my trip over at my site but I thought I'd mention some things about the Skins over here. Portis is an absolute beast. I do not remember his exact rating but I think it was something like a 95 OVR. Ramsey and Brunell's overall ratings were in the mid 80's and they both played very well.. there wasn't a huge difference between the two. Sean Taylor is an 85 OVR rating and is the reason the "hit stick" feature was made. I had quite a few user picks with Taylor and layed some serious shots on guys as well... you are going to love playing with the Skins this year. Shawn Springs was an 89 I believe and I want to say Smoot was actually rated a little lower than Springs. I think Lavar was rated something like 97. There were a variety of uniforms including the all white ones that were worn last year. I wish I could remember a little more about Gibbs playbook, but honestly I didn't like it and switched to Tampa's book after my first game. There were a fair amount of multiple TE sets, but also a number of spread sets as well. I liked the running plays in TB's book much better. There is one really cool play there the QB fakes a hand off to the fb and then pitches the ball to the hb who is going on the opposite direction. There are also some trick plays... finally got the flea flicker in there this year. Alright, that's most of what I remember about the Skins. Sorry I didn't have a chance to get more of their ratings for you but I was more focused on the details of the gameplay. I will be posting a lot of that stuff at Madden Nation, not sure I'll have a chance to stop by here and answer questions because it's crazy for me this time of year but if I do get some time I'll come on over. Hope you guys enjoy the game. :point2sky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TMat184 Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 Thats awesome! Thanks alot for the info and I love the site. You guys do a wonderful job over there :notworthy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin101 Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 Thanks for the news!! Its great to hear Sean Taylor was the reason for big hit control. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makaveli Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 Was Lavar actually in the game? or was he LOLB #51? hopefully not the latter.:puke: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DUSTINMFOX Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 Should I write the check directly to you or to John.....Buying both now....thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arsenic Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 Here's why Madden is better than ESPN: "Be part of a dynasty -- the biggest dyntasty in sports video game history. Now in its 15th year, Madden is the standard by which all other sports games are measured. It's the players' choice -- NFL athletes fight for a spot in the Madden Bowl each year, and who knows authenticity better than the guys that actually play the sport? Gear up for the Madden Challenge -- the only national tournament that gives you the chance to win $50,000 for playing a video game. Show your fandom -- with new Create-a-Fan, you can put yourself in the stands to support your favorite team, or create other rabid crazies that will rock the home stadium. Hone your skills -- in Training Camp mode, you can learn more about strategy and practice the plays and moves that will lead you to victory. Live the Storyline -- added depth to Franchise Mode includes Tony Bruno on EA SPORTS radio, talking about your squad and taking calls from fans, NFL coaches and players to make you and your favorite team the center of attention. It’s a work of art – all new player models, environments, sidelines, cut-scenes and momentous celebrations make this the best-looking Madden ever. Go online and play -- for the first time ever, Madden comes to Xbox LIVE, giving both PlayStation 2 and Xbox gamers the chance to go online and find the best competition from around the country. What other football game can you play online 24/7 and NEVER have trouble finding someone to play? Play both sides of the ball -- new defensive features make defensive play an equal part of the game, and now you can make the big game-changing hit with the all-new Hit Stick. Cover athlete Ray Lewis says you need to play Madden -- isn't that enough?" Hmm, sounds like the exact same game as last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bizkiteer Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 Originally posted by Redskin11 Was Lavar actually in the game? or was he LOLB #51? hopefully not the latter.:puke: It really doesn't matter if it is or not. All you have to do is go to the roster, highlight him and hit "x" to edit the player. Thus, you can make him Lavar Arrington and change his jersey number to 56. This can be done for any player. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 Originally posted by Arsenic Here's why Madden is better than ESPN: "Be part of a dynasty -- the biggest dyntasty in sports video game history. Now in its 15th year, Madden is the standard by which all other sports games are measured. It's the players' choice -- NFL athletes fight for a spot in the Madden Bowl each year, and who knows authenticity better than the guys that actually play the sport? Gear up for the Madden Challenge -- the only national tournament that gives you the chance to win $50,000 for playing a video game. Show your fandom -- with new Create-a-Fan, you can put yourself in the stands to support your favorite team, or create other rabid crazies that will rock the home stadium. Hone your skills -- in Training Camp mode, you can learn more about strategy and practice the plays and moves that will lead you to victory. Live the Storyline -- added depth to Franchise Mode includes Tony Bruno on EA SPORTS radio, talking about your squad and taking calls from fans, NFL coaches and players to make you and your favorite team the center of attention. It’s a work of art – all new player models, environments, sidelines, cut-scenes and momentous celebrations make this the best-looking Madden ever. Go online and play -- for the first time ever, Madden comes to Xbox LIVE, giving both PlayStation 2 and Xbox gamers the chance to go online and find the best competition from around the country. What other football game can you play online 24/7 and NEVER have trouble finding someone to play? Play both sides of the ball -- new defensive features make defensive play an equal part of the game, and now you can make the big game-changing hit with the all-new Hit Stick. Cover athlete Ray Lewis says you need to play Madden -- isn't that enough?" Hmm, sounds like the exact same game as last year. Not to create a war or anything.... But does madden have online leagues with living rosters? How about jaw dropping graphics with premier announcing and presentation? Is madden going to be available by midweek? Just a few quetions I have. I am going to buy madden for the 10th year in a row, but I can't wait for ESPN this week. This is the first time ever that this has happened. For $20, how can you go wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TODD Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 Yes. You play a different game than the one being spoke of on the thread. That means you should sabotage it and make negative of a very interesting thread. If you don't have anything to add to what was written, please don't post, it's rude. This happens everytime a thread is written about Madden games, and it's rather frustrating. Anyway... Thanks for the info, it makes me even more excited about the game. I just hope EA doesn't have a little glitch that f'ks us xbox people over again (see: NCAA 2003, 2005... Madden 2004, MVP 2004). I'll be checking out MaddenNation now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 Originally posted by TODD Yes. You play a different game than the one being spoke of on the thread. That means you should sabotage it and make negative of a very interesting thread. If you don't have anything to add to what was written, please don't post, it's rude. This happens everytime a thread is written about Madden games, and it's rather frustrating. Anyway... Thanks for the info, it makes me even more excited about the game. I just hope EA doesn't have a little glitch that f'ks us xbox people over again (see: NCAA 2003, 2005... Madden 2004, MVP 2004). I'll be checking out MaddenNation now. Sorry, But when the poster states: "This is why Madden is better than ESPN" I feel the need to defend the better game. Call me crazy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kappaluvacee Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 Originally posted by Ken Sorry, But when the poster states: "This is why Madden is better than ESPN" I feel the need to defend the better game. Call me crazy. Ken I concur. The original poster gets on his fanboy soapbox, then gets pissed at you when you ask very valid points about the game. Additionally, each thread that is started about ESPN gets swamped with Madden poster and vice versa so why should this one be any different. Here is an undisputed fact. ESPN will be in our hands this week and many former strictly Madden fans will be playing it. IF they like it they will continue. I never understood the fanboy mentality. All fanboys do is provide free promotion for EA and SEGA. For all the objective posters out there that post your experiences playing either or both games, this does not include you. For those "this is why Madden/ESPN is better posters, this directed to you." You're not going to make :2cents: for your efforts. Play whatever game you like and be happy with that.." Now I hope all the Madden fans enjoy this thread from here on out, and I hope the ESPN threads that will begin in the coming days can be enjoyed by those who enjoy the respective game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arsenic Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 Originally posted by Ken Not to create a war or anything.... But does madden have online leagues with living rosters? How about jaw dropping graphics with premier announcing and presentation? Is madden going to be available by midweek? Just a few quetions I have. I am going to buy madden for the 10th year in a row, but I can't wait for ESPN this week. This is the first time ever that this has happened. For $20, how can you go wrong. I was being sarcastic at the beginning of my post. I actually checked out many videos of Madden, however, the graphics look ausome. Unfortionatley the gameplay still looks stiff, and the sounds were a bit of a holdover. I have seen no mentioning of Madden leagues, but they do have a mini run game you can play online! Alot of the franchise options are really cool in Madden. ESPN is my choice though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Makaveli Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 Originally posted by Bizkiteer It really doesn't matter if it is or not. All you have to do is go to the roster, highlight him and hit "x" to edit the player. Thus, you can make him Lavar Arrington and change his jersey number to 56. This can be done for any player. i know. But it just doesnt feel the same Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
freakofthesouth Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 Originally posted by Redskin11 i know. But it just doesnt feel the same Lavar signed the agreement in his last contract that he could finally be merchandized... That's great that Taylor is an 85. His awareness is most likely low, but his other stats should be strong, which could make for spurradic fantastic hits and pics... But....WHITE ON WHITE UNIS! I LOVE IT!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
panel Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 oyw, I ws thinkin of just getting one of the games, but with ESPN bein cheap, and Madden being beast, I may need to get both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbooma Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 all the madden fans will see the truth in 2 weeks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arsenic Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 Originally posted by jbooma all the madden fans will see the truth in 2 weeks JBooma, checkout their online feature videos of ESPN on the developers site http://www.espnvideogames.com. They have added an automated online season, and online tournaments. Man that should be pretty fun on Xboxlive as long as alot of people are playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 Originally posted by Arsenic I was being sarcastic at the beginning of my post. I actually checked out many videos of Madden, however, the graphics look ausome. Unfortionatley the gameplay still looks stiff, and the sounds were a bit of a holdover. I have seen no mentioning of Madden leagues, but they do have a mini run game you can play online! Alot of the franchise options are really cool in Madden. ESPN is my choice though. OH, I totally missed the sarchasm. Sorry about that. On a different note, did anyone see the screens of the league pages for online? They look like your looking at the fantasy site to espn.com. I have to look twice to see that it is the game and not the actual site. Check them out if you haven't at espnvideogames.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TODD Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 I have a question for those who are familiar with the ESPN series: 1. Is the running feature still a hold down "A" and release to get a boost? 2. Are the commentators still the same guys that they've always been? I haven't played the series since 2K2 so I'm curious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arsenic Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 Originally posted by TODD I have a question for those who are familiar with the ESPN series: 1. Is the running feature still a hold down "A" and release to get a boost? 2. Are the commentators still the same guys that they've always been? I haven't played the series since 2K2 so I'm curious. You now tap A for short length speed bursts and hold A down+the button for a move to perform more effective version of a Juke, spin, dive etc. They have the same commentators. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sweet Sassy Molassy Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 I am a huge fan of ESPN, but I will say that Madden does seem worth the shot. I'll give both a try and then decide although as of right now ESPN has my vote, and I don't see that changing. I will say that I don't think there is a need to argue about which is better, since this was just meant as an informative thread about the game. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAC Posted July 17, 2004 Author Share Posted July 17, 2004 Here are som egeneral impressions I posted at MN about Madden... First of all I just want to say that I really loved the game. After E3 when all of the videos and such came out I really wasn't super impressed with the gameplay. I thought it looked very similar to last year so I was skeptical about how much I'd like it when we went out to EA. But after spending much of this past Thursday I think I am more impressed with this year's game than I have been with any new version of Madden since the first one that hit the PS2. When EA said they were going to improve the defense they weren't kidding. There were a lot of low scores and the DB AI that has plagued the game for a number of years has been cleaned up considerably. That's not to say that you can't still score points, in one 5 min quarters game I had scored 24 at the half... it's just not the norm this year is all. We played all of our games at EA on All Madden and I must say that All Madden felt a lot different than in years past. Rather than have the defense compensate for poor AI by making ridiculous plays for INTs, the D actually played their assignments well the whole game. It didn't even feel like playing on All Madden because you didn't see the plays where the LB jumps 5 ft off the ground to pick off the ball, it just felt a lot more like real NFL football. Good defenses like Dallas's D were hard to move the ball on and Ds that were somewhat suspect allowed my halfback to gain consistent yardage. I'll admit it, I thought the hit stick was going to be a gimmick, but by the time I left that was one of my favorite features in the game. It's something that you really have to practice to get it down but once you do there is no better feeling than nailing a WR going over the middle or obliterating a running back who is trying to turn the corner on an outside run. I think that there will be a lot of missed tackles initially by people who are trying to use the hit stick but that those with the best stick skills will be able to master it to perfection. The individual defensive coverage audibles were a little more difficult to get used to and I wasn't able to figure them out completely in the short time I was there. But the guys from VG sports who were a little more familiar with the game were using them on almost any play... very successfully I might add. I know some people have had concerns that they will not have time at the line to use those audibles but when I played the VG fellas I would try and hurry to the line and they were still able to cycle through all of the players and make adjustments before I could get the play off. As much as defense was improved this year I think the offense was improved just as well. The running game is much like NCAA, so if you like what you are seeing with the NCAA running game then you will love it in Madden. There have also been a lot of improvements to the passing game. One of my favorite things on offense are he "option routes" they have added. Option routes are designated by their orange color on the play call screen. The option routes allow the AI controlled receivers to make a decision during the play based on what kind of coverage they see. For example there are plays that might be an 8 yard curl, but that also give the option for the WR to run a post if they see zone. I don't know if the WR's ability to make these decisions is something that has to do with the AWR rating but I did notice that better receivers did seem to make smarter decisions. Another thing that is great for the passing game is how they have set up the hot routes this year. Rather than having 7-8 hot routes that you are normally stuck with you are now able to set your hot routes before the game just like you would set your audibles. So now instead of the 7-8 they had before there are more like 15-20 to choose from and you can customize them to your liking. Another thing I saw that I liked was that there were more trick plays. The flea flicker is in the game this year as wel las a number of other plays to try out. The biggest feeling I got from playing the game was that EA has really focused on the X's and O's elements of football. They have given you almost unlimited options on both offense and defense so that "chess match" that takes place between the great NFL coaches each Sunday has been very well replicated for the online portion of the game. A few months after people have had a chance to learn all of the nuances of the game I think that this year people with extensive knowledge of football strategy will be the best players, rather than someone who is just good on the sticks. There is a lot of room for creativity with all of the defensive audibling and offensive hot routes so die hard football strategists are going to be pleased. One more thing I loved about the game was the animations. The past couple of versions of Madden they have added a fair amount of new animations but I didn't really feel that what they were adding was necessarily something I wanted to see. This year they got it right. The tackle animations are very impressive. When all of us were playing there were a number of times when the room went nuts and people yelled out "ouuuuuch" or "daaaayum" after someone got creamed with the hit stick. Some of the running animations are also pretty cool. One animation in particular that a lot of people seemed to like was one where the ball carrier would spin off a defender and it looked like he might get away, but would then lose balance and fall to the ground. I only got to play for a few hours but I think you guys are going to like this game. It's much harder to score on offense, but probably not as hard as NCAA. Madden doesn't have the problems with dropped passes and that sort of thing like NCAA does. I think the biggest question about the game this year will be about glitches. It seems to me that EA has added so many options on defense that they have given you a lot of different weapons to use against people who try to play shady. If there are any exploits or glitches in this year's game I think it will take a long time for people to find them, but I have a good feeling that EA has done their absolute best to eliminate a lot of that nonsense from the game in 2005. Bottom line on Madden 2005 is this... I played the game all day this past Thursday and I loved it. Madden impressed me more than it has in a long time and I think you guys will be impressed as well when you get to play. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAC Posted July 17, 2004 Author Share Posted July 17, 2004 I'm also a big fan of the ESPN series. I have bought it every year since it came out on Dreamcast. I haven't had the opportunity to play ESPN this year yet but when it comes out this week I will try and post a fwe comparisons between Madden and ESPN for those who are trying to decide which one is the best game for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TODD Posted July 17, 2004 Share Posted July 17, 2004 Awesome, RAC. I can't wait! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAC Posted July 17, 2004 Author Share Posted July 17, 2004 Here are a couple more tidbits I posted at MN from the notes that I took. - The kicking meter on All Madden is much slower and easier to use than last year. The meter also shows a number from 1-99 for both kicking accuracy and power.- There are some cool new animations with regards to bump and run. There was one play where Laveranues Coles was being jammed by a Dallas player and lead him to the right before cutting to the left and blowing past him. Bump and Run was a big issue in the game last year and I am happy with how it has been addressed. - The game winning pressure kick sequence is awesome. At the end of a game when you are kicking a field goal for a tie or win the camera is zoomed in for more of a dramatic feel. There were a number of games decided on such kicks at EA and it definitely enhanced the experience. - There is a new defensive playbook called QB contain for those of you who don't like the QB scramble addicts. Overall though the defense reacts much better to running QBs so you won't see people taking off with Vick as much as in the past. - The outside running game is great. I was able to run pitches and sweeps effectively with Clinton Portis. Guards pull better and wide receivers block a lot more relistically than they have in the past. - The are a bajillion uniforms in this year's game. Each team seems to have about 6-8 alternates and some of the alternates in the game are ones that haven't even been worn in NFL games by their teams. - There are no gimmes in short yardage running. It used to be that on 3rd and 1 or 4th and inches that you could just come out in goalline and select FB dive for a guaranteed first down. Those days are over... I even saw an impressive goalline stance where the Browns couldn't get in on Dallas from inside the 1 on three plays in a row. - There are a couple of new pass plays in the goalline formation. Nothing terribly special, but they are much better than the useless 1-2 playaction pass that was in goalline in last year's game. - They show the challenge replays from different camera angles this year. The cinematic replays for the challenges were much improved in my opinion... although I did once see the ref make a call on a challenge that looked like it was wrong. -There are custom personnel packages in this year's game. I didn't have as much time as I would have liked to mess with them so I could see if there were limitations with regards to substitutions, but the custom packages should allow for more realism when it comes to trying to duplicate your favorite coaches' offensive formations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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