Madden 11: EA Sports Officially Sells Out

Like many other people, I eagerly awaited the release of Madden 11. I went to the midnight release with all my football loving friends and many other madden fans. I got home and looked through all the player stats and looked through all the play books to see what I wanted to use and get back to my usual punishing/high-scoring madden self. To my dismay, I was truly disappointed.

EA Sports has sold out in my opinion. From adding a "swagger" stat to get money form Old Spice to making the Online Pass, EA Sports has turned Madden into just making money, making the game all about scoring- never about defense, and appealing to a new audience at the cost of the happiness of the old one.   

The bad qualities of the game cast an infuriating shadow over the good qualities for anyone who likes to play madden competitively. I don't play many video games, but I play Madden and I "play to win the game." Some who play the game casually may not agree with me, but if you're like I am, EA Sports needs to do some work. I am going to break down the good and the bad of Madden 11 in hopes that maybe someone at EA will see how they have cheated every Madden fan.

The Disaster That is Auto Strafe

I can see why EA made this. Far too many times do you encounter a person who doesn't know when to strafe and misses a tackle or finds themselves out of position when trying to break up a pass. For the inexperienced player who does this, auto-strafe is good for you.

I however, do not buy a game to let the computer do the work for me. I buy the game so I can play it. This takes far too much control away from the player. When in coverage, it works well until the receiver gets too far from the defender. Now the AI realized that the defender needs to sprint to catch up and it leads to a complete momentary stopping of motion and then a sprint which gives the receiver ample time to get extremely open especially on deep routes. It looks choppy and when auto strafe is turned off, all is fixed.

The Disaster that is Auto Sprint

Onto what I started to mention in the last slide. The auto sprint may have seemed like a good idea on paper, but translated horribly into the game.

I will give this some credit. It allows for the player to focus more on the game and delivers a nice burst in the open field

Aside from that, I don't like this at all. Again, I don't play a game to let the computer do everything that requires some skill. If you're a player who cannot lay off the turbo, that is totally your problem. There is skill required to wait for your blockers to get out in front in the run game. Also, you need to know when to slow down to juke someone easier. It takes all control away from the player which no one should like.

I cannot begin to tell you how many times I have full speed sprinted past the player with the ball in the open field because there is no more slowing down completely missing the tackle. If you can't slow down, than you'd have to strafe. But, like previously mentioned, that isn't up to the user anymore.

Online Play

Some people who own the game may be saying,"JUST TURN OFF ALL THAT AUTO CRAP!" I have done so. When I play my friends with all the Auto junk turned off, the game is something I could spend all night playing. 

The true problem is that there is no way to turn the auto sprint or strafe off for online play. Why is this EA? If there is an option to turn it off in the game options, why can't it be turned off for online play? I don't want to play competitively with the computer determining what I will and won't do. Players should have the option to turn off the Auto crap for ranked games.

EA still has horrible servers. The amount of lag from some games makes the experience completely horrid and no fun what so ever. My internet connection wired and always green. Some nights there is just no way to escape the lag other than to quit the game. Additionally, there are times when I can't find a game no matter what I do. How is there no one looking to play within 98 levels of me?

The Strategy Pad

I think EA Sports changes things that were fine just for the sake of making things new. There was nothing wrong with the hot routes and defensive assignments and how they were controlled. No one wants to use the D-pad in madden. EA has supposedly realized their major error here and I have heard there is a patch being made to allow players to use the old controls. I only hope it translated it online play. 

Gameflow

Gameflow is supposed to cut playing time in half! Who cares? It is a waste of time in itself. Again, why would I want the computer to randomly pick a play that may work for that situation? I want to pick my plays. I want to know what I'm doing and not be surprised when my team takes the field. Mismatches and looking at the personal on the field is how the defense succeeds. This is just another thing made to appeal to people who apparently can only play madden for 15 minutes at a time and only want to throw the deep ball.

Kickoffs and the New Kick Meter

I actually don't mind the new kick meter. It adds a new element of skill to the game and doesn't make every kick easy to execute. The only problem this causes is when there is just the smallest amount of lag (which there is always lag) the meter is extremely hard to use and it has lead to countless missed extra points and kickoffs that are out of bounds. This is infuriating. The old kick meter was better for online play because accuracy wouldn't be lost in lag. 

The Kickoffs are very unrealistic. It is nearly impossible to get the ball past the 20 yard-line before 6-8 guys swarm the returner. 

Play Action

Play action is a huge part of my offense in madden. I like to run and use play action to frustrate the opposing defense. In Madden 11, there is no time to throw the ball when using play action. It seems like the rush is never fooled and the play tends to end in a sack nearly every play. 

Rushing

This is an area of the game that has been improved. The blockers know who they have to block and don't look like they are lost on the field. It is much easier to run between the tackles and gives the game two dimensions.

Passing

I like what has been done in the passing game. Players will make sure their toes are in bounds when they are by the sidelines or back of the end zone. It is easier to pass in this game and there are far fewer picks. 

This game has opened up the secondary and allows for the deep ball. It used to be nearly impossible to throw over a player in a deep zone. Madden 11 can be more exciting now that the deep ball is back in the game.

Defense

Some people who play Madden only play to score and throw deep passes for touchdowns. To me, nothing was better than completely shutting down someone on defense and making them quit. 

Madden 11 has made it much harder to play defense. With the deep ball in effect and a much more advanced running game, the defense is always on it's heels. 

With all the Auto crap on, it is extremely hard to tackle a player in the open field or flats leading to extra yards nearly every play. Tackling has gotten worse and the game feels much more like offense must be your defense. It would be much easier to defend the pass, run, and yac if the auto sprint and strafe were turned off. It is truly easier to let the computer do all the work and to simply pick the plays. It is another aspect of the game that makes the player feel like a spectator.

Conclusion

There are many more things I don't like about this game, but I covered the major elements that I felt made this game inferior to Madden 10. I really hope EA Sports fixes many of these things and lets the players have control back. It is enough to make me want to return my game and hope that everyone joins me. 

Maybe you don't agree with me, but this is my view as a veteran Madden player and someone who plays for fun, but likes that it should take skill and be competitive. If all the Auto controls were removed, I would take this game over madden 10 and go from there. Since they are not I felt I should write this article and see what the rest of you think. 

I just hope EA Sports will listen to its customers and give us what we want. I have read numerous threads online and I know I am not the only one to feel this way. Until that time, I will be playing madden 10.