Review: Madden NFL 11

Coming off the heels of what I thought was the best Madden of our current generation of consoles; Madden NFL 11 looks to yet again impress football fans across the nation. However EA Sports decided to go in a new direction this year by creating a game that simplifies the formula for newcomers or for those returning to the franchise after a long break. To accomplish this they’ve introduced a few new features, one of which is called GameFlow that not only simplifies the play calling but also cuts the play time in half. Although casual football fans will love this feature, the hardcore fans will not and they might also feel like this year’s Madden wasn’t made for them at all.

Every year the first thing I look for when I fire up the new Madden is the realism, and this year’s title has gotten much closer to the real thing than in the previous years’, at least on one side of the ball. AI is much improved, moreso for the running and passing game than for defensive backs but players act much more realistic than last year. Wide receivers will now do a much better job staying in bounds when catching a ball close to the sidelines. Run blocking is also much improved because the linemen actually block. Occasionally you’ll see them stand there and not block or double up on a linebacker but it’s rare. Because of this though, those used to the running game in prior years will have no problem getting 200 yard games, even with weaker teams.

Making the running game that much easier is the exclusion of the speed button, which means that it’s easier for you to pick and choose the blocker you want to follow and which hole to burst through. For the passing game this seems to put a bigger emphasis on speed. Without the speed button speedy wide receivers can break open some huge plays. This could also be because the AI since wide receivers have greatly improved while the defensive backs have had only small tweaks to their AI. Slant routes still work more often than they should, along with wide receiver screens. One on one plays, even against big-time backs like Darrelle Revis, more often than not will be a touchdown. Safeties still are incredibly unreliable and continue to stand there watching a wide receiver catch a ball that he could have picked off or at least tipped away. Defensive backs also drop too many easy interceptions, especially ones thrown directly to them. Linemen and Linebackers have seen great improvements and now react realistically to halfback flat routes, blitzes and zone coverage.

Improvements made to the animation and physics makes the game a little more realistic compared to last year’s title but there are moments in Madden 11 that will make you scratch your head. The dual stick controls allow the player to contort the ball carrier’s body much like in real life so now the new animations for shedding a tackle or juking looks much more realistic. Smaller improvements like players having more momentum when making cuts and specific animations for various player types really bring the game closer to the real thing. Tackling, though no longer as violent as years past, is more accurate. Gone are the magnets that usually bring the tackler right to the ball carrier. Gang tackling isn’t as prevalent but that’s just because it’s more realistic, though I still would like it if the player I’m controlling would run up to join the gang tackle instead of getting there and falling over.

One of the biggest changes to this year’s Madden is the addition of GameFlow. This new mechanic lets you cruise through the game with the AI choosing the plays for you based on the situation. You also have the option to go to the Game Planning mode to assign up to 20 different plays for various situations on offense or defense. Although this is really good for the more casual fans and newcomers, this is practically useless to Madden vets. The AI will often times pick the wrong play, especially on defense. So veterans should only use this when they don’t particularly care about the outcome of the game or when they want to save time. GameFlow will cut down the time it takes to play a game by half, but only if you have the accelerated clock on. If you don’t it will take even longer and that’s because as soon as you hit the GameFlow button you’ll go right to the line. This is a big problem when playing online because you can run an unrealistic amount of plays in a short amount of time, so at the end of a game, using GameFlow you can march down the field and score in less than a minute. GameFlow is definitely better for offense than defense.

This year’s Madden really didn’t come packed with that many new modes but the one mode that has me excited about Madden 11 and also for future titles is Online Team Play. This is where you can go online and play a 3v3 co-op game while only controlling certain players on the field. Although many people like controlling the quarterback and defensive linebacker, I found it incredibly challenging and fun to play as the running back and a defensive back. Working together is the key and when you get some good chemistry going with your teammates you can become unstoppable. Things like poor camera angles make it hard to play certain positions especially when you need to switch players. As much fun as this mode is, I really wanted them to allow people to make teams like you can in NHL and FIFA. That way there’s a reason to play the game other than the fact that it’s a new way to play Madden.

Speaking of which, the Franchise mode (online and offline), Madden Moments, Ultimate Team, Be an NFL Superstar have seen little to no improvements. This is probably the most disappointing part of the Madden NFL 11 experience. I loved Madden’s Franchise and Owner modes in the past and would spent so much time taking a fantasy team or a weak team to the promise land, but now it’s not that fun anymore. Franchise mode is a shell of its former self. Sure they made improvements to simulation stats and retuned free agency but it’s as bare bones of a Franchise mode as you can get. The same goes for online franchise which at this point is nothing compared to similar modes in other sports titles. Be an NFL Superstar is a complete joke, especially when you see what other EA titles can do. The rest of the modes are a nice distraction from the normal gameplay but it by no means will keep your attention for longer than an hour.

Online head-to-head hasn’t changed much either other than the new Coin and Scouting feature. Basically you can earn coins by playing online games, ranked and unranked, which can be used in the Madden Shop. You can purchase scouting reports which you can use to see what the player likes to run in certain situations. You still get the lag every now and then and unless you are looking forward to the online events, there really isn’t much here.

Visually the graphics have improved, but again, when you compare it to other EA titles, Madden is lagging behind. Some players look like their real life counterparts but not enough of them. The coaches are even worse and when the players aren’t in uniform they look like action figures with broad shoulders and tiny heads. Presentation-wise the game has improved quite a bit. The broadcast presentation is very close to what you will see on Sunday. New this year is an actual Super Bowl celebration that brings you from the on-field celebration all the way to the White House. Commentary is always a sore spot for me in Madden titles simply because of how good MLB: The Show is but with the addition of Gus Johnson the commentary is much better than it has been in years. He brings excitement to plays in the same way he does on television. Though there are too many moments where he isn’t excited and doesn’t even say anything at all which I can only blame that more on the technical side than I do his commentary skills.

EA worked on bringing life back to the stadium by adding some licensed music you might hear when you go to the games like Thunderstruck and Welcome to the Jungle, but the crowd is once again too silent. They don’t respond correctly to certain situations and although they’ve added some chants for certain teams, I feel like I’m playing an arena football game as opposed to an NFL game. They get it right with the college atmosphere in NCAA, I don’t understand why they can’t get it right in Madden. You never get the home field sensation that you get when playing other games like The Show, NHL or FIFA.

Madden NFL 11 looks and plays much better than 10, but for someone like me who is dying for a football game that has a Be a Pro mode, an in-depth Franchise mode and extensive online play, this title really wasn’t for me. I felt that EA Tiburon had a great opportunity this year to blow us away with improved gameplay but they spent so much time on trying to cut down on the game time that they forgot about the other modes. Other sports titles from EA and 2K have begun to advance into the next generation of sports games but it seems like Madden NFL is taking baby steps, putting a lot of effort into pleasing casual and hardcore fans alike. Last year Madden NFL 10 was the first time I felt the franchise created a real next-gen title and then instead of moving forward they essentially moved backwards. This is great for the casual fan but for us Madden vets, Madden NFL 11 can be a bit of a disappointment.

Doin’ It RIGHT: - Excellent improvements made to the running game. - Online Team Play is a welcome addition. - Great animation and physics. - GameFlow actually cuts down on game time by half.	Doin’ It RONG: - No change to most modes like Franchise, Superstar and Madden Moments. - The crowd needs to wake up, this is NFL football! - GameFlow is good for newcomers but not so great for the vets. - Too many players can break out of tackles. - New hot route system is terrible for defense, takes way too long.
FINAL SCORE: 7 / 10