FrenchMovieTheme
Member
This is going to be a long, long post. Well maybe not that long. First I will say that I love both ESPN and madden. I think both have obvious problems, but Im enjoying them and I think they are both worth the money I paid for them (I got them for free btw). So Im going to get right into, going down both games feature by feature.
**GRAPHICS**
*ESPN
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+ Incredible animations
+ Stadiums are no doubt the best in the business. Their scope and size really reflects what it feels like to be in an NFL stadium.
+ Plenty of new animations
+ Great player models. Some say they are too lanky, but I like the look of the players this year.
- Players still run as if they have a stick up their ass; the running animation looks funny in a bad way
- There are still animations that should be more fluid, but arent because of the herky-jerky start and stop that take place
- Many animations cause your player to slow down while the rest of the game is going at full speed. A perfect example of this is a bullet pass to a WR: sometimes your DB will go into an interception animation, but his personal animation for that pick will be going to slow (while everything else is running at normal speed) it will take him completely out of the play
- Weather effects arent all that great, and there is a lot of slowdown when its raining/snowing.
- Why cant the Pro Bowl helmets be correct! In this game, you just have an A on each of the AFC players helmets, and an N on each of the NFC teams helmets.
ESPNs graphics are awesome, plain and simple. There are some problems here and there, but on the whole they are top notch.
*Madden
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+ Weather effects are awesome
+ Animations are very smooth and realistic. The momentum makes them very fluid.
+ Some nice new animations
+ Pro Bowl helmets are correct!
- Why are all the players looking like body builders?
- Generally looks the same as last year. It is definitely improved, but I dont see that many new animations
Not bad, but I dont feel they are as good as ESPNs.
**PRESENTATION**
*ESPN
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+ To be honest, the presentation is the best of any football game. I love the menu layouts, especially because they added the ability to pick your "favorite team" upon booting up the game for the first time, thus your background is your teams colors and logo.
Also, it may sound dumb, but I really like the size of the text size used for the menus/play calling (which I'll get into later).
+ This year, they added the halftime show, which is a pretty nice feature. It basically replays some of the key plays from the half.
+ One last cool little feature that I didn't notice until a few games ago is the end of the quarter cut scenes. I was playing a game in San Francisco, and at the end of the first quarter it posted the score and gave a panning shot of the Golden Gate Bridge. I thought that was a nice little touch.
+ GameCast is awesome. Basically, in any non-online game you can go back and watch EVERY single play from said game. It is a great feature and pretty funny to go back and watch a play with friends, or perhaps see where you screwed up in a franchise game.
- One thing I have noticed is that some of the plays they choose to show on the half time show aren't really important at all. It's not a big deal, but it does tarnish the feature a little bit.
-There is also a post-game show with Suzy Kolber, which has interviews with the player of the game. The dialog is very generic and I was never very high on this feature.
Overall, ESPN's presentation is top notch.
*Madden
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+ Nice full motion video of your team on the game menu screen.
+ Menus are a lot nicer and not so devoid of life. Last years madden had terrible drab menus.
- Not much else is improved to be honest with you. There is nothing like a half-time show, or any kind of wrap up.
Overall, Maddens' presentation is average at best. There's really nothing to get excited about when you're talking Madden presentation.
**FRANCHISE/OWNER MODE**
*ESPN
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+ Stat-tracking has improved.... but not enough (more on that later)
+ The draft has improved a lot
+ I like the amount of injuries. Some may think it's excessive, but to be honest there are a lot of injuries during an NFL season. I like having to play games without my best WR cause he's out for a few weeks or the year, so I give props to this.
+ CPU actually makes trades
+/- Weekly prep is a great idea. It can really give wannabe coaches a feeling that they're making a difference. You could literally spend an hour per "football week" in the game just spent on this one feature. You can give your players a break, dedicate more recovery time to your injured players to get them back on the field faster, storm out of a meeting to fire up your players, and so on. Now, even with that said, I'm not totally sold on the execution of Weekly Prep. Seems like it doesn't actually make THAT much of a difference at the end of the year (ratings wise). Also, it can seriously become tedious... to the point that you may just want to skip it.
- Even though the CPU trades, the trading they do is ridiculous. Most of you have seen this (if you have the game) but let me refresh your memory with some "great" trades I've seen in my various franchises: Brett Favre for Michael Strahan, Patrick Surtain for Randy Moss, Rod Smith for Reggie Wayne, etc. I know it "doesn't matter", because I'm not using those teams anyways and so on, but it just ruins the fantasy of the entire franchise mode. The worst part is that there is no way to turn CPU trading off. I've heard all kinds of "fixes" for this problem, from disabling Preseason/Weekly prep to controlling all 32 teams and just not trading, but whats the point? I shouldn't have to do that shit.
- The CPU also does some strange roster adjustments. I've seen high profile rookies (Sean Taylor, Kellen Winslow, Reggie Williams) be cut because their ratings dropped into the 60's. Wtf?
- Player progression once again makes little sense to me. I had an awesome year with Barlow, he ended with over 1,500 yards and I believe 15 combined touchdowns. Not only that, but I spent time with him every week in weekly prep. How many points did he gain? 6! A measly 6 points! You'd think if a guy had a breakout year, it'd catapult him into the top RB's in the NFL, but not so.
- Stat tracking is improved, like I said, but it's still kind of crappy. If you are a 3-4 team, and you sim your game, it will sim the stats as if you are a 4-3 team and your 4th LB acts as if he were "benched" because he records no stats. This bugs the shit out of me because I have 4 good linebackers, and one lost ratings points every year I simmed cause he wasn't getting playing time. I guess I could see how this was overlooked, because to be honest it's not a game breaker, but VC needs to work on the little things (like this).
- Depth Chart still isn't as I would want it. It's just a pain in the ass subbing people at off positions, and the CPU sometimes has inferior players starting. I don't mean inferior as in an 80 player starting over an 82 player. I mean you'll see 56 rated players starting over 89 rated players (as was the case with an offensive lineman of mine). It doesn't always happen, and I don't know what triggers it, but it sucks to have to readjust the depth chart all the time if I assign the assistant coach to do the work.
- Why can't VC program the Pro Bowl teams to have their teams respective helmets? Madden has done this since madden 2001. How fucking hard is it??
- Lots of slider work needs to be done to make the game realistic
Bottom line: If you've never played a madden franchise mode, you will probably enjoy ESPN. It has a lot of depth, a few bugs here and there, but it can be fun for someone who isn't anal (like me).
*Madden
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+ Great stat tracking
+ There is CPU trading, but so far I've only seen draft picks traded
+ Lots of little details abound: franchise tag, rfa tag, and a great salary cap system
+ Player morale is a great idea. IF a player is unhappy, you should either give him a new contract or trade him, because it can affect the morale rating. You can also look at each player and see whether he is happy or not and why (if not). As far as EA touting not being able to sign free agents at random and trade them because morale would dictate that highly regarded free agents wouldn't sign with you, it doesn't work that great. I was still able to pull off some pretty decent deals by dipping into the high rated FA's left in the list and trading for draft picks. It's only bad if you abuse it, but it shouldn't be there anyways.
+ Position battles are cool, as is the Tony Bruno show. At first I was annoyed with the radio show, but I've really started to enjoy it as it gives you some insight to things around the league, as well as NFL trivia.
+ Owner mode is back and even better. It's not much different than last year, but they just tightened up the fan logic a bit and give you a few more options. If you liked it last year, you'll love it this year, and if you didn't like it last year you probably won't like it again.
+ Draft is much improved! Last year, by the 4th round, there were hardly any WR's or RB's left in the draft, but this year every position is well represented, even later in the rounds. Top that with improved presentation during the draft, improved scouting, and CPU trading and you have what is easily the greatest draft system in any console football game ever.
+ In-game Saves and accelerated clock are awesome, of course they were in last years game but I still have to give them props
+ Depth chart issues seem to have been fixed from what Ive played. Last year, you'd see a rookie 70 rated WR starting over an 89 Vet. I haven't seen anything like that this year.
+ Pro Bowl teams have the correct helmets!
- For some reason they took out the ability to see detailed game stats from past weeks in the x-box version. Those who had madden 2004 know what Im talking about. It will let you see the past week only this year, but once you get 2 or more weeks past it they revert to "team ratings" stats instead of game stats.
+/- The newspaper articles are very good, but sometimes you will see duplicate articles. Kind of takes away from it a little, but I guess you can't have a gazillion articles in the game. Still a good feature, I'm enjoying it a lot.
- I wish there was a little more CPU trading between them
- Lots of slider work needs to be done to make the game realistic.
Overall Madden is cock of the walk when it comes to Franchise. There are small problems here and there, but it has incredible depth, it's very polished and could very easily be a game in itself.
**COMMENTARY**
*ESPN
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+ Dan and Peter interact well together. The dialog doesnt feel forced, and comes very naturally
+ They finally say rookie names instead of their numbers
- Not too many new lines of dialog to be honest with you most of this stuff I heard last year. They have some extra lines BEFORE the game and after, but during the game is pretty much all old
- They took out the unintentionally racist commentary from last year after dropped passes Tai Streets just dropped that pass! I guess hes been eating too much fried chicken lately Im not kidding about that line being in ESPN 2k4 either.
*Madden
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+ Jill Arrington is the sideline chick reporter? (Im stretching here dudes )
- Same commentary from last year
- Dude, does john madden even WORK on this games commentary? It doesnt sound like he is in sync with Michaels.
- Here is a sample of one of my favorite new commentary moments from john. That hit is like a bee in your helmet, you just cant get rid of it
To be honest, maddens commentary sucks nut sack. I actually dont think al Michaels is so bad, but when you add him and john together it sounds so lame and detached. I also dont care much about commentary, but hey its there so I have to comment on it
**OFFENSE**
*ESPN
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*Passing*
+ Maximum passing allows you to lead the receiver, and it works pretty well.
+ I love the drop back feature in ESPN. You can let the computer do the drop back for you while you read the defense. It will not force feed the ball for you at the end of the drop back.
+ If you throw off your back foot or on the run, odds are the pass is going to be off or incomplete
+ I believe bad throws are thrown periodically at random. I like this feature.
+ I like how the pockets form from time to time. Very realistically and lets you make your reads. But
- Pass blocking is VERY inconsistent. Sometimes a nice pocket forms, but more often than not the blockers simply watch d-linemen/linebackers get to the QB without doing a goddamned thing about it. If you are playing against a human opponent, this can be exploited on (Id estimate) 75% of passing downs.
- Receivers route running is very slopping. Often times even the smallest of bumps sends them off in a completely different direction.
- Receivers will dive for the ball at odd times. They COULD just run through the throw, and catch it in stride for a huge gain, but they go into a matrix-style slowdown animation dive that is never, ever successful.
- Passes are somewhat floaty, even when you try to bullet a pass.
- Receivers are as inconsistent as the blocking. Sometimes they will haul a pass down in triple coverage, other times the ball will hit them in the facemask and they will do nothing.
Overall I think ESPNs passing game is decent, but its not great. The blocking is mediocre, the routes are sloppy, and it is just very inconsistent. It shows signs of possibly being great, but as of now it is not.
*Running
+ Animations are awesome. You will never really be cause behind an offensive lineman running in place
+ You are given many offensive-rushing moves to combat the defense. The shoulder charge and charging up can give you a big advantage.
+ Holes open up nicely and you can run through them with some consistency this year.
+ Draw plays and delay runs are very effective and can catch people off guard with regularity.
- Fullback blocking is a crapshoot. I never know WHO he is going to block
- Run with the QB whenever you want! Every QB in the game is ridiculously fast, doesnt get hurt, and doesnt fumble. GO TEAM!
- Shoulder charge is overrated and turns the game into a blitz style hit fest.
- Again, run blocking by the offensive line is inconsistent.
- You can stop the run a little too easily with a dime/nickel defense
I think the ESPN running game is definitely serviceable, and at times enjoyable, but I feel that when the chips are down, this game goes downhill in the running department. They have definitely improved it from last year, but it needs to lose the gimmicks and get back to basics.
*Play calling
+ Each team generally has their own offensive and defensive playbooks
+ There are some creative plays this year that actually work (unlike last year). I have successfully run reverses, flea flickers and running back passes. They arent cheesy (you cant abuse them), but its nice to know that you can catch your opponent off-guard from time to time.
+ I like the fact that you can choose your line-stunts before you pick your play. Adds a bit of strategy to the defensive play calling.
- The playbooks are 100% identical to last year from what I can see. I have yet to see a new play
- They are severely lacking in up-to-date offensive/defensive sets that teams run. I play as the 49ers, and we dont run a west coast offense anymore. Also, we use a 3-4 defense. Neither of these facts is reflected in our playbook. Worst of all, I cant change playbooks online. So, I have 4 starting caliber linebackers, but I can only have 3 of them on the field at any given time online. Unacceptable.
ESPNs playbooks arent bad, but they arent great either. They are identical to last year. If you enjoyed last years playbooks, youll feel right at home here.
*Hot Routing/Audibles
+ Nice passing hot routes. You can easy run a post or slant to the inside or outside without much effort
+ Back again this year are the awesome ESPN offensive audibles. I like these a lot because when you audible, you SEE the play you are picking. In Madden its kind of a guessing game (unless you know your audibles by heart).
- Sometimes when I hot route for my TE/RB to stay into block, they run back towards the center and actually just add more congestion to the middle. I dont know why this happens, but its annoying.
ESPNs hot routes and audibles are top notch for the most part. There are a few small complaints I have, but overall its a strong point in the game.
**MADDEN**
*Passing
+ Nice differentiation between bullets and lobs. If you lob it, it feels like a lob. But you can really rifle the ball in there between defenders.
+ Blocking is excellent. If you have a high rated O-lineman, he will dominate his man for most of the game. I play with the Niners (how many times will I say that?), and in my franchise I never see pressure up the middle against Newberry. But I have Justin Smiley, who is a rookie, starting on the line as well and he gets abused from time to time.
+ The pocket forms nice and tight, and you can step up into it to buy a few extra seconds without because sucked in for the tackle.
+ Fullback blocking is the best in the business. Once in a while you will question where his blocking assignment is, but by in large the full back blocking is spot on and really highlights the running game.
+ Receivers run crisp, fluid routes. There is even a feature where you have option routes, which means the receiver has the option to break off his route and head in a different direction without instruction from you. Only the smart receivers will truly pick the best option, but its a great feature.
+ Lead-passing system is back, and works like a charm. Id say ESPN/Madden are even in the lead the receiver category.
+ No more jet packing from last year
- I still see people dropping back 10 yards and throwing. Their feet are set and everything, but the D should gobble that up.
- I still see passes completed in double coverage now and again, but to be honest it is MUCH improved from last year
- QBs still seem to be able to throw a competent pass even while being hit. I want it where if a QB gets hit, that ball is going to the ground or getting picked.
Its clear to me that Madden has a top notch passing game. The receivers route running is precise, the pocket is nice and consistent and its very easy to get everyone on the field involved. The dropping back too far is a problem, but taken for what it is I really enjoy the passing game in Madden.
*Running
+ You can really hit the hole with the speed burst and see that it makes a difference.
+ Nothing is free in this game. You have to earn your yards.
+ Fullback blocking is bar-none the best in sports videogames. Its awesome following your FB into the hole and watching him blow some poor sap LB up while you run away from the rest of the D.
+ Offensive line blocking is above average and consistent. You will see missed blocks from time to time, but I trust the blocking here, as it is very good the majority of the time.
+ Theyve changed the Y/Triangle button to become a hold onto the ball/Charge button, but unlike ESPN it cannot be easily abused. Once in a while it will cause a broken tackle, but even more important than that it covers the ball up so you wont fumble (try it when someone uses hit stick on you to prevent fumbles!)
+ Auto-hurdling (ala ESPN) is in the game.
+ If you run with the QB, you will get hurt or fumble.
- You still get stuck behind people and run in place
I have to say I love Maddens running game. Its very rewarding to actually follow your blocks and have the play work rather than the play breaking down and bailing yourself out with a shoulder charge. The Mario running is still there, but its not as bad.
*Play calling
+ Every team has their own individual plays
+ Very up-to-date playbooks. Niners have a new downfield playbook, as well as the 3-4.
+ Creative plays! Flea Flickers, double reverses, HB passes, WR Reverse passes, etc. Theyre all here and all effective at times.
+ You can no longer pull the ball down and run on RB/WR Pass plays. If you give the ball to the RB to throw it, he has to throw it, no cheesy running.
+ Create-a-play!
+ You can change playbooks online
- Id enjoy more defensive playbooks. There seem to be only 5 or 6, whereas the offense has about 38 different playbooks (one for each team, and some general books)
Maddens playbooks are awesome. You can change them up online, and they reflect each teams style.
*Hot Routing/Audibles
+ Playmaker is back and just as good as last year.
+ Package adjustments. This year, you can audible into the same play but in a different formation. For instance, lets say you are running up the middle, but want to throw the defense off, well you can audible to make it look like a 3 receiver set, but keep the same exact play. Its a useful tool.
- Why wont EA institute an audible system where you can see the play you are going to audible to before you do it? Come on! Its simple!
Defensive hot routing was touted by EA in the off-season, and it delivers. Finally, you can really run a unique defense out of any formation.
**DEFENSE**
ESPN
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*Passing
+ From time to time your DBs will play some awesome D
- But that rarely happens, and you never know when it will happen.
- Often times your DB will run around the receiver in circles as the ball is coming to him.
- Often times, your defenders sitting in a zone will simple watch the ball go by in front of him.
- Players in a zone will not pursue the QB until he officially crosses the line of scrimmage even if it is clear the QB is gaining an incredible angle on the defender by him not moving his feet.
- Double and triple teams dont work half the time
- Zone defense is pretty much worthless
- Blitzing is retarded because it seems as though the defender will take the scenic route to the quarterback. He will go ALLLL the way around the outside instead of heading straight for him. This doesnt happen always, but it happens at crucial points in the game.
- Sometimes my DBs wont even bump the receiver when I ask him to. The danger in this is two-fold: not only have I NOT knocked the receiver off his intended route, but now my DB is pretty much standing at the line of scrimmage doing nothing while the WR goes on a deep route for an eventual touchdown.
- You can easily abuse the stupid offensive line by simply bull rushing up the middle or speed rushing to the outside. Often times, the offensive linemen wont even block you.
As you can tell, I am NOT a fan of ESPNs pass defense. Its shoddy, buggy, and inconsistent.
*Rushing
+ You can get a tenacious rush against the run
+ You can choose line stunts, which can confuse the run blocking
+/- You can make goal line stands, but its a little TOO easy to do. I shouldnt be able to stop a team on multiple occasions inside the 5 with a first and goal, but I have.
- Horrible, horrible pursuit angles. Probably the worst I have seen in a few years in football games.
Better than the ESPN passing defense, but still not that great. It would actually be very good if it werent for the angles the D decided to take.
*Play calling
+ Every team has different playbooks
+ Nice mix of man and zone plays
+ Nice, clear diagrams
- Some teams (like the Niners for instance) have a very sparse defensive playbook. Only a few formations, and not many plays. This COULD be solved by allowing us to switch playbooks online, but because we cant, Im stuck giving my opponent pretty much the same look all game.
- Many times your defenders dont do what the play outlines
- Identical to last year
- Like I said above for offensive play calling, its not very up-to-date.
Not bad, but not great. Just average.
Hot routing/Audibles
+ One thing I love about the defensive hot routing is you can control all your defensive players without having to choose them. What I mean by this is, I can hold the R trigger to bring up an icon of all my DBs and set each one from that one button press. In Madden, you generally have to physically switch the cursor over to the player who you want hot-routed on defense.
+ They added an entire set of defensive audibles. You can not only shift your D-line, Linebackers and Cornerbacks, but you can double-team any offensive player, you can set any defensive player to blitz or play zone, and you can just mix up your defense very easily with a few taps of the button.
- QB spy doesnt work
- Not as many hot routes available as Madden
The defensive hot route features are nice. I wish I could praise them more, but being that the defensive AI is so inconsistent, I never know what Im going to get out of them.
MADDEN
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*Passing Defense
+ 110% improved over last year. Ive seen some people complain that passes are still completed in double coverage, and I have seen it too, but trust me last year was a lot worse with the jet-packing.
+ Zones work like a charm and you can truly confuse your opponent with them
+ No more glitch blitzing!
+ Ratings actually mean something
+ The players take excellent angles this year
- No pass interferences called
- Passing are still completed in double coverage now and again even when the DBs have excellent position
- Spider senses tingling! The DBs usually know where the ball is going, even if they arent covering the main receiver.
Aside from the psychic DBs (which they arent always btw), the pass defense is excellent.
*Rushing Defense
+ Was already good last year, gets even better with hot routes
+ Lots of nice run blitzing plays
+ Suction tackling is gone for the most part (you can run it up the gut and come out the other side)
+ Rarely can you play a Dime/Quarters package and stop the run easily (like you could last year)
- Suction tackling isnt completely gone, but you dont see it often.
Not much to complain about here. The run D is stout!
*Defensive Play calling
+ Lots of different formations and sub-formations (for instance, 4-3 and 4-3 over)
- No team-specific playbooks. There are about 5 or 6 (general) playbooks (i.e. 4-3, 3-4, cover 2, etc). With hot routing you can pretty much create the playbook you want, but still
- Plays are very small on the screen when you pick them. I can see them and all, but I wish they looked bigger and nicer.
Could be better. It looks like a lot of negatives, but to be honest I love the fact that zone defenses work and that in itself enhances the playbooks.
*Hot routing/Audibles
+ Defensive hot routing is incredible! You can assign each individual player to do whatever you want on defense. You can also do things like package blitz (all LBs blitz for instance), shift your defensive line crash direction without moving the line, and putting whoever you want to contain/spy the QB.
- Again, why cant I see my audibles!
As far as Im concerned, defensive hot routing is the best new feature in the game.
**ONLINE PLAY**
ESPN
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+ No lag at all on X-box live
+ Nice, easily manageable friends list
+ Nice messaging system
+ Online leagues, with a nice feature set
- No fair play
- That doesnt always report your games
- Servers will sometimes give you an invalid rosters error message
- Why cant I see my own personal stats with a click of the button? I have to go into leagues and then see myself on the leagues list to do it.
- Ive had people quit or disconnect on me and I dont get the victory. Infact, there has been a time when I got blamed for it!!
Online play would be excellent if the leagues were consistent. Perhaps that day will come, but as of now it is a real shame that there are so many errors. Hopefully the problem will be fixed soon.
MADDEN
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+ No lag on X-box live
+ Nice, easily manageable friends list
+ I love fair play
+ Nice messaging system
+ Keeps track of your detailed stats. You can also earn milestone trophies online and play mini-games.
+ Online leagues are supposed to be on the way
+ Very stable servers
- 4 minute quarters for ranked games? Wtf
- Lots of problems getting buddy lists to load
- When you see a friend online, and hes not in Madden, it just says Online. You dont know what game hes playing! Its a small complaint, but I like seeing which games my friends are playing.
Madden is great online. No complaints here, and 110% better than the NCAA online launch on X-box live. The jury is still out on how online leagues will turn out, but it sounds pretty good right now.
**CONTROLS**
ESPN
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+ Added momentum, so I feel the controls are more fluid
+ Its very difficult to cut on a dime with running backs now
+ Special Moves and charge-up moves add a little mini-game flare to the game.
+ The game in general has a very nice feel to it
+ There is a max-tackle system that allows you to either deliver a big hit, or wrap the runner up
- But it doesnt work very well. The wrapping up part works fine, but when trying a hard hit Ive had little success. I can hit a guy dead on, and often times he will go into this little spin animation and just get more yards. Whats the point of even power tackling someone??
- Like I said before, some of those Special Moves are ridiculously powerful and can be abused
Overall very nice and smooth. I still have a problem with the special moves being abused though.
Madden
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+ Reduced the momentum a bit
+ QB/Running controls feel a bit tighter
+ Runners will sometimes slide off of blockers in a pile
+ Receivers on buttonhooks react a little faster after they catch it now
+ Hit stick is a great addition
- Receivers on buttonhooks and RBs on screens still dont react fast enough to give you control of them. They sit there for about a second, and it can often times get you hit behind the line or prevent you from getting big yards
- RBs still get caught up causing the running game to feel sluggish at that point.
Theyve improved some things, but still need to work on nagging issues from the past. Above average, but plenty of room for improvement.
**ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE**
ESPN
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+ Improved from last year
- But not by much. DBs seriously are retarded in this game. You never know when they are going to play, and when they are going to run around in circles doing nothing. Its not a matter of if the correct AI is in the game, because its there. It is a matter of consistency. I dont know what dictates that my players will act like idiots or not make plays (it certainly has nothing to do with ratings, since Ive seen all players do it), but I dont like the fact that I cant depend on something. If you want to make crappy A.I. thats your business. But at least make it consistently crappy. What disappoints me here is that there are times when your teammates that are AI play brilliantly, but you just cant depend on them to do what you tell them to do. This goes for the entire team, not just DBs
Ive said it before Ill say it again: I am very unhappy with the inconsistency in A.I. this year in ESPN.
*Madden
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+ Excellent AI. All the way from the fullback to the DBs to the special teams, I really think EA did a top-notch job
- Defenders often have spider senses about them
I have to say I love the AI in Madden. There are lapses, but they are few and far between and the CPU is very dependable.
**SPECIAL TEAMS**
ESPN
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- Kick meter is unchallenging
- No fumbles, even on punts where you get hit right after catching it
- No big returns. I know VC wanted to tone down on the ridiculous returns from last year, but Jesus Christ it is a chore to even get to the 35-yard line. In 30+ games of ESPN, I think I have advanced it past the 35-yard line 3 times, and twice the ball was kicked incredibly short.
- Id estimate that on 30% of all field goals, the outside blocker on the right side will completely ignore any pass rush coming in from that side. I have blocked extra points and field goals this way.
Terrible, simply terrible. I dont like the kick coverage, punt coverage, any of the returns, the kicking or anything. I guess it could be worse, but I dont know how.
Madden
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+ Nice new numerical gauge letting you know how good your punt/kick was
+ Tough but fair kick/punt coverage/returns.
+ Pressure Kick feature is awesome. At the end of the game, if its an important kick, the camera will pan down to field level, and everything will go quiet and cause a pressure situation. Its very cool
+ The kicking game is challenging
+ Lots of fumbles if you are dumb enough to risk returning the ball with lots of guys around you.
Excellent. EA really hit the bulls eye this year with Special Teams.
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So, to recap the winner/loser according to me:
Offense Madden
Defense Madden
Special Teams Madden
Presentation ESPN
Commentary/Sound ESPN
Online Madden
Franchise Madden
Graphics ESPN
Audibles Draw
Overall Madden
At the end of the day, I feel Madden is the way videogame football should be. There is a lot of risk/reward game play involved. You want to run with your QB? Fine, suffer the consequences. ESPN has very little of this and it diminishes my enjoyment of the game.
I think both games are great and Im enjoying both, but if I had to pick one it would clearly be Madden 2005.
**GRAPHICS**
*ESPN
------
+ Incredible animations
+ Stadiums are no doubt the best in the business. Their scope and size really reflects what it feels like to be in an NFL stadium.
+ Plenty of new animations
+ Great player models. Some say they are too lanky, but I like the look of the players this year.
- Players still run as if they have a stick up their ass; the running animation looks funny in a bad way
- There are still animations that should be more fluid, but arent because of the herky-jerky start and stop that take place
- Many animations cause your player to slow down while the rest of the game is going at full speed. A perfect example of this is a bullet pass to a WR: sometimes your DB will go into an interception animation, but his personal animation for that pick will be going to slow (while everything else is running at normal speed) it will take him completely out of the play
- Weather effects arent all that great, and there is a lot of slowdown when its raining/snowing.
- Why cant the Pro Bowl helmets be correct! In this game, you just have an A on each of the AFC players helmets, and an N on each of the NFC teams helmets.
ESPNs graphics are awesome, plain and simple. There are some problems here and there, but on the whole they are top notch.
*Madden
----
+ Weather effects are awesome
+ Animations are very smooth and realistic. The momentum makes them very fluid.
+ Some nice new animations
+ Pro Bowl helmets are correct!
- Why are all the players looking like body builders?
- Generally looks the same as last year. It is definitely improved, but I dont see that many new animations
Not bad, but I dont feel they are as good as ESPNs.
**PRESENTATION**
*ESPN
-------
+ To be honest, the presentation is the best of any football game. I love the menu layouts, especially because they added the ability to pick your "favorite team" upon booting up the game for the first time, thus your background is your teams colors and logo.
Also, it may sound dumb, but I really like the size of the text size used for the menus/play calling (which I'll get into later).
+ This year, they added the halftime show, which is a pretty nice feature. It basically replays some of the key plays from the half.
+ One last cool little feature that I didn't notice until a few games ago is the end of the quarter cut scenes. I was playing a game in San Francisco, and at the end of the first quarter it posted the score and gave a panning shot of the Golden Gate Bridge. I thought that was a nice little touch.
+ GameCast is awesome. Basically, in any non-online game you can go back and watch EVERY single play from said game. It is a great feature and pretty funny to go back and watch a play with friends, or perhaps see where you screwed up in a franchise game.
- One thing I have noticed is that some of the plays they choose to show on the half time show aren't really important at all. It's not a big deal, but it does tarnish the feature a little bit.
-There is also a post-game show with Suzy Kolber, which has interviews with the player of the game. The dialog is very generic and I was never very high on this feature.
Overall, ESPN's presentation is top notch.
*Madden
---------
+ Nice full motion video of your team on the game menu screen.
+ Menus are a lot nicer and not so devoid of life. Last years madden had terrible drab menus.
- Not much else is improved to be honest with you. There is nothing like a half-time show, or any kind of wrap up.
Overall, Maddens' presentation is average at best. There's really nothing to get excited about when you're talking Madden presentation.
**FRANCHISE/OWNER MODE**
*ESPN
------------
+ Stat-tracking has improved.... but not enough (more on that later)
+ The draft has improved a lot
+ I like the amount of injuries. Some may think it's excessive, but to be honest there are a lot of injuries during an NFL season. I like having to play games without my best WR cause he's out for a few weeks or the year, so I give props to this.
+ CPU actually makes trades
+/- Weekly prep is a great idea. It can really give wannabe coaches a feeling that they're making a difference. You could literally spend an hour per "football week" in the game just spent on this one feature. You can give your players a break, dedicate more recovery time to your injured players to get them back on the field faster, storm out of a meeting to fire up your players, and so on. Now, even with that said, I'm not totally sold on the execution of Weekly Prep. Seems like it doesn't actually make THAT much of a difference at the end of the year (ratings wise). Also, it can seriously become tedious... to the point that you may just want to skip it.
- Even though the CPU trades, the trading they do is ridiculous. Most of you have seen this (if you have the game) but let me refresh your memory with some "great" trades I've seen in my various franchises: Brett Favre for Michael Strahan, Patrick Surtain for Randy Moss, Rod Smith for Reggie Wayne, etc. I know it "doesn't matter", because I'm not using those teams anyways and so on, but it just ruins the fantasy of the entire franchise mode. The worst part is that there is no way to turn CPU trading off. I've heard all kinds of "fixes" for this problem, from disabling Preseason/Weekly prep to controlling all 32 teams and just not trading, but whats the point? I shouldn't have to do that shit.
- The CPU also does some strange roster adjustments. I've seen high profile rookies (Sean Taylor, Kellen Winslow, Reggie Williams) be cut because their ratings dropped into the 60's. Wtf?
- Player progression once again makes little sense to me. I had an awesome year with Barlow, he ended with over 1,500 yards and I believe 15 combined touchdowns. Not only that, but I spent time with him every week in weekly prep. How many points did he gain? 6! A measly 6 points! You'd think if a guy had a breakout year, it'd catapult him into the top RB's in the NFL, but not so.
- Stat tracking is improved, like I said, but it's still kind of crappy. If you are a 3-4 team, and you sim your game, it will sim the stats as if you are a 4-3 team and your 4th LB acts as if he were "benched" because he records no stats. This bugs the shit out of me because I have 4 good linebackers, and one lost ratings points every year I simmed cause he wasn't getting playing time. I guess I could see how this was overlooked, because to be honest it's not a game breaker, but VC needs to work on the little things (like this).
- Depth Chart still isn't as I would want it. It's just a pain in the ass subbing people at off positions, and the CPU sometimes has inferior players starting. I don't mean inferior as in an 80 player starting over an 82 player. I mean you'll see 56 rated players starting over 89 rated players (as was the case with an offensive lineman of mine). It doesn't always happen, and I don't know what triggers it, but it sucks to have to readjust the depth chart all the time if I assign the assistant coach to do the work.
- Why can't VC program the Pro Bowl teams to have their teams respective helmets? Madden has done this since madden 2001. How fucking hard is it??
- Lots of slider work needs to be done to make the game realistic
Bottom line: If you've never played a madden franchise mode, you will probably enjoy ESPN. It has a lot of depth, a few bugs here and there, but it can be fun for someone who isn't anal (like me).
*Madden
----------------
+ Great stat tracking
+ There is CPU trading, but so far I've only seen draft picks traded
+ Lots of little details abound: franchise tag, rfa tag, and a great salary cap system
+ Player morale is a great idea. IF a player is unhappy, you should either give him a new contract or trade him, because it can affect the morale rating. You can also look at each player and see whether he is happy or not and why (if not). As far as EA touting not being able to sign free agents at random and trade them because morale would dictate that highly regarded free agents wouldn't sign with you, it doesn't work that great. I was still able to pull off some pretty decent deals by dipping into the high rated FA's left in the list and trading for draft picks. It's only bad if you abuse it, but it shouldn't be there anyways.
+ Position battles are cool, as is the Tony Bruno show. At first I was annoyed with the radio show, but I've really started to enjoy it as it gives you some insight to things around the league, as well as NFL trivia.
+ Owner mode is back and even better. It's not much different than last year, but they just tightened up the fan logic a bit and give you a few more options. If you liked it last year, you'll love it this year, and if you didn't like it last year you probably won't like it again.
+ Draft is much improved! Last year, by the 4th round, there were hardly any WR's or RB's left in the draft, but this year every position is well represented, even later in the rounds. Top that with improved presentation during the draft, improved scouting, and CPU trading and you have what is easily the greatest draft system in any console football game ever.
+ In-game Saves and accelerated clock are awesome, of course they were in last years game but I still have to give them props
+ Depth chart issues seem to have been fixed from what Ive played. Last year, you'd see a rookie 70 rated WR starting over an 89 Vet. I haven't seen anything like that this year.
+ Pro Bowl teams have the correct helmets!
- For some reason they took out the ability to see detailed game stats from past weeks in the x-box version. Those who had madden 2004 know what Im talking about. It will let you see the past week only this year, but once you get 2 or more weeks past it they revert to "team ratings" stats instead of game stats.
+/- The newspaper articles are very good, but sometimes you will see duplicate articles. Kind of takes away from it a little, but I guess you can't have a gazillion articles in the game. Still a good feature, I'm enjoying it a lot.
- I wish there was a little more CPU trading between them
- Lots of slider work needs to be done to make the game realistic.
Overall Madden is cock of the walk when it comes to Franchise. There are small problems here and there, but it has incredible depth, it's very polished and could very easily be a game in itself.
**COMMENTARY**
*ESPN
--------
+ Dan and Peter interact well together. The dialog doesnt feel forced, and comes very naturally
+ They finally say rookie names instead of their numbers
- Not too many new lines of dialog to be honest with you most of this stuff I heard last year. They have some extra lines BEFORE the game and after, but during the game is pretty much all old
- They took out the unintentionally racist commentary from last year after dropped passes Tai Streets just dropped that pass! I guess hes been eating too much fried chicken lately Im not kidding about that line being in ESPN 2k4 either.
*Madden
----------
+ Jill Arrington is the sideline chick reporter? (Im stretching here dudes )
- Same commentary from last year
- Dude, does john madden even WORK on this games commentary? It doesnt sound like he is in sync with Michaels.
- Here is a sample of one of my favorite new commentary moments from john. That hit is like a bee in your helmet, you just cant get rid of it
To be honest, maddens commentary sucks nut sack. I actually dont think al Michaels is so bad, but when you add him and john together it sounds so lame and detached. I also dont care much about commentary, but hey its there so I have to comment on it
**OFFENSE**
*ESPN
----
*Passing*
+ Maximum passing allows you to lead the receiver, and it works pretty well.
+ I love the drop back feature in ESPN. You can let the computer do the drop back for you while you read the defense. It will not force feed the ball for you at the end of the drop back.
+ If you throw off your back foot or on the run, odds are the pass is going to be off or incomplete
+ I believe bad throws are thrown periodically at random. I like this feature.
+ I like how the pockets form from time to time. Very realistically and lets you make your reads. But
- Pass blocking is VERY inconsistent. Sometimes a nice pocket forms, but more often than not the blockers simply watch d-linemen/linebackers get to the QB without doing a goddamned thing about it. If you are playing against a human opponent, this can be exploited on (Id estimate) 75% of passing downs.
- Receivers route running is very slopping. Often times even the smallest of bumps sends them off in a completely different direction.
- Receivers will dive for the ball at odd times. They COULD just run through the throw, and catch it in stride for a huge gain, but they go into a matrix-style slowdown animation dive that is never, ever successful.
- Passes are somewhat floaty, even when you try to bullet a pass.
- Receivers are as inconsistent as the blocking. Sometimes they will haul a pass down in triple coverage, other times the ball will hit them in the facemask and they will do nothing.
Overall I think ESPNs passing game is decent, but its not great. The blocking is mediocre, the routes are sloppy, and it is just very inconsistent. It shows signs of possibly being great, but as of now it is not.
*Running
+ Animations are awesome. You will never really be cause behind an offensive lineman running in place
+ You are given many offensive-rushing moves to combat the defense. The shoulder charge and charging up can give you a big advantage.
+ Holes open up nicely and you can run through them with some consistency this year.
+ Draw plays and delay runs are very effective and can catch people off guard with regularity.
- Fullback blocking is a crapshoot. I never know WHO he is going to block
- Run with the QB whenever you want! Every QB in the game is ridiculously fast, doesnt get hurt, and doesnt fumble. GO TEAM!
- Shoulder charge is overrated and turns the game into a blitz style hit fest.
- Again, run blocking by the offensive line is inconsistent.
- You can stop the run a little too easily with a dime/nickel defense
I think the ESPN running game is definitely serviceable, and at times enjoyable, but I feel that when the chips are down, this game goes downhill in the running department. They have definitely improved it from last year, but it needs to lose the gimmicks and get back to basics.
*Play calling
+ Each team generally has their own offensive and defensive playbooks
+ There are some creative plays this year that actually work (unlike last year). I have successfully run reverses, flea flickers and running back passes. They arent cheesy (you cant abuse them), but its nice to know that you can catch your opponent off-guard from time to time.
+ I like the fact that you can choose your line-stunts before you pick your play. Adds a bit of strategy to the defensive play calling.
- The playbooks are 100% identical to last year from what I can see. I have yet to see a new play
- They are severely lacking in up-to-date offensive/defensive sets that teams run. I play as the 49ers, and we dont run a west coast offense anymore. Also, we use a 3-4 defense. Neither of these facts is reflected in our playbook. Worst of all, I cant change playbooks online. So, I have 4 starting caliber linebackers, but I can only have 3 of them on the field at any given time online. Unacceptable.
ESPNs playbooks arent bad, but they arent great either. They are identical to last year. If you enjoyed last years playbooks, youll feel right at home here.
*Hot Routing/Audibles
+ Nice passing hot routes. You can easy run a post or slant to the inside or outside without much effort
+ Back again this year are the awesome ESPN offensive audibles. I like these a lot because when you audible, you SEE the play you are picking. In Madden its kind of a guessing game (unless you know your audibles by heart).
- Sometimes when I hot route for my TE/RB to stay into block, they run back towards the center and actually just add more congestion to the middle. I dont know why this happens, but its annoying.
ESPNs hot routes and audibles are top notch for the most part. There are a few small complaints I have, but overall its a strong point in the game.
**MADDEN**
*Passing
+ Nice differentiation between bullets and lobs. If you lob it, it feels like a lob. But you can really rifle the ball in there between defenders.
+ Blocking is excellent. If you have a high rated O-lineman, he will dominate his man for most of the game. I play with the Niners (how many times will I say that?), and in my franchise I never see pressure up the middle against Newberry. But I have Justin Smiley, who is a rookie, starting on the line as well and he gets abused from time to time.
+ The pocket forms nice and tight, and you can step up into it to buy a few extra seconds without because sucked in for the tackle.
+ Fullback blocking is the best in the business. Once in a while you will question where his blocking assignment is, but by in large the full back blocking is spot on and really highlights the running game.
+ Receivers run crisp, fluid routes. There is even a feature where you have option routes, which means the receiver has the option to break off his route and head in a different direction without instruction from you. Only the smart receivers will truly pick the best option, but its a great feature.
+ Lead-passing system is back, and works like a charm. Id say ESPN/Madden are even in the lead the receiver category.
+ No more jet packing from last year
- I still see people dropping back 10 yards and throwing. Their feet are set and everything, but the D should gobble that up.
- I still see passes completed in double coverage now and again, but to be honest it is MUCH improved from last year
- QBs still seem to be able to throw a competent pass even while being hit. I want it where if a QB gets hit, that ball is going to the ground or getting picked.
Its clear to me that Madden has a top notch passing game. The receivers route running is precise, the pocket is nice and consistent and its very easy to get everyone on the field involved. The dropping back too far is a problem, but taken for what it is I really enjoy the passing game in Madden.
*Running
+ You can really hit the hole with the speed burst and see that it makes a difference.
+ Nothing is free in this game. You have to earn your yards.
+ Fullback blocking is bar-none the best in sports videogames. Its awesome following your FB into the hole and watching him blow some poor sap LB up while you run away from the rest of the D.
+ Offensive line blocking is above average and consistent. You will see missed blocks from time to time, but I trust the blocking here, as it is very good the majority of the time.
+ Theyve changed the Y/Triangle button to become a hold onto the ball/Charge button, but unlike ESPN it cannot be easily abused. Once in a while it will cause a broken tackle, but even more important than that it covers the ball up so you wont fumble (try it when someone uses hit stick on you to prevent fumbles!)
+ Auto-hurdling (ala ESPN) is in the game.
+ If you run with the QB, you will get hurt or fumble.
- You still get stuck behind people and run in place
I have to say I love Maddens running game. Its very rewarding to actually follow your blocks and have the play work rather than the play breaking down and bailing yourself out with a shoulder charge. The Mario running is still there, but its not as bad.
*Play calling
+ Every team has their own individual plays
+ Very up-to-date playbooks. Niners have a new downfield playbook, as well as the 3-4.
+ Creative plays! Flea Flickers, double reverses, HB passes, WR Reverse passes, etc. Theyre all here and all effective at times.
+ You can no longer pull the ball down and run on RB/WR Pass plays. If you give the ball to the RB to throw it, he has to throw it, no cheesy running.
+ Create-a-play!
+ You can change playbooks online
- Id enjoy more defensive playbooks. There seem to be only 5 or 6, whereas the offense has about 38 different playbooks (one for each team, and some general books)
Maddens playbooks are awesome. You can change them up online, and they reflect each teams style.
*Hot Routing/Audibles
+ Playmaker is back and just as good as last year.
+ Package adjustments. This year, you can audible into the same play but in a different formation. For instance, lets say you are running up the middle, but want to throw the defense off, well you can audible to make it look like a 3 receiver set, but keep the same exact play. Its a useful tool.
- Why wont EA institute an audible system where you can see the play you are going to audible to before you do it? Come on! Its simple!
Defensive hot routing was touted by EA in the off-season, and it delivers. Finally, you can really run a unique defense out of any formation.
**DEFENSE**
ESPN
---
*Passing
+ From time to time your DBs will play some awesome D
- But that rarely happens, and you never know when it will happen.
- Often times your DB will run around the receiver in circles as the ball is coming to him.
- Often times, your defenders sitting in a zone will simple watch the ball go by in front of him.
- Players in a zone will not pursue the QB until he officially crosses the line of scrimmage even if it is clear the QB is gaining an incredible angle on the defender by him not moving his feet.
- Double and triple teams dont work half the time
- Zone defense is pretty much worthless
- Blitzing is retarded because it seems as though the defender will take the scenic route to the quarterback. He will go ALLLL the way around the outside instead of heading straight for him. This doesnt happen always, but it happens at crucial points in the game.
- Sometimes my DBs wont even bump the receiver when I ask him to. The danger in this is two-fold: not only have I NOT knocked the receiver off his intended route, but now my DB is pretty much standing at the line of scrimmage doing nothing while the WR goes on a deep route for an eventual touchdown.
- You can easily abuse the stupid offensive line by simply bull rushing up the middle or speed rushing to the outside. Often times, the offensive linemen wont even block you.
As you can tell, I am NOT a fan of ESPNs pass defense. Its shoddy, buggy, and inconsistent.
*Rushing
+ You can get a tenacious rush against the run
+ You can choose line stunts, which can confuse the run blocking
+/- You can make goal line stands, but its a little TOO easy to do. I shouldnt be able to stop a team on multiple occasions inside the 5 with a first and goal, but I have.
- Horrible, horrible pursuit angles. Probably the worst I have seen in a few years in football games.
Better than the ESPN passing defense, but still not that great. It would actually be very good if it werent for the angles the D decided to take.
*Play calling
+ Every team has different playbooks
+ Nice mix of man and zone plays
+ Nice, clear diagrams
- Some teams (like the Niners for instance) have a very sparse defensive playbook. Only a few formations, and not many plays. This COULD be solved by allowing us to switch playbooks online, but because we cant, Im stuck giving my opponent pretty much the same look all game.
- Many times your defenders dont do what the play outlines
- Identical to last year
- Like I said above for offensive play calling, its not very up-to-date.
Not bad, but not great. Just average.
Hot routing/Audibles
+ One thing I love about the defensive hot routing is you can control all your defensive players without having to choose them. What I mean by this is, I can hold the R trigger to bring up an icon of all my DBs and set each one from that one button press. In Madden, you generally have to physically switch the cursor over to the player who you want hot-routed on defense.
+ They added an entire set of defensive audibles. You can not only shift your D-line, Linebackers and Cornerbacks, but you can double-team any offensive player, you can set any defensive player to blitz or play zone, and you can just mix up your defense very easily with a few taps of the button.
- QB spy doesnt work
- Not as many hot routes available as Madden
The defensive hot route features are nice. I wish I could praise them more, but being that the defensive AI is so inconsistent, I never know what Im going to get out of them.
MADDEN
-----
*Passing Defense
+ 110% improved over last year. Ive seen some people complain that passes are still completed in double coverage, and I have seen it too, but trust me last year was a lot worse with the jet-packing.
+ Zones work like a charm and you can truly confuse your opponent with them
+ No more glitch blitzing!
+ Ratings actually mean something
+ The players take excellent angles this year
- No pass interferences called
- Passing are still completed in double coverage now and again even when the DBs have excellent position
- Spider senses tingling! The DBs usually know where the ball is going, even if they arent covering the main receiver.
Aside from the psychic DBs (which they arent always btw), the pass defense is excellent.
*Rushing Defense
+ Was already good last year, gets even better with hot routes
+ Lots of nice run blitzing plays
+ Suction tackling is gone for the most part (you can run it up the gut and come out the other side)
+ Rarely can you play a Dime/Quarters package and stop the run easily (like you could last year)
- Suction tackling isnt completely gone, but you dont see it often.
Not much to complain about here. The run D is stout!
*Defensive Play calling
+ Lots of different formations and sub-formations (for instance, 4-3 and 4-3 over)
- No team-specific playbooks. There are about 5 or 6 (general) playbooks (i.e. 4-3, 3-4, cover 2, etc). With hot routing you can pretty much create the playbook you want, but still
- Plays are very small on the screen when you pick them. I can see them and all, but I wish they looked bigger and nicer.
Could be better. It looks like a lot of negatives, but to be honest I love the fact that zone defenses work and that in itself enhances the playbooks.
*Hot routing/Audibles
+ Defensive hot routing is incredible! You can assign each individual player to do whatever you want on defense. You can also do things like package blitz (all LBs blitz for instance), shift your defensive line crash direction without moving the line, and putting whoever you want to contain/spy the QB.
- Again, why cant I see my audibles!
As far as Im concerned, defensive hot routing is the best new feature in the game.
**ONLINE PLAY**
ESPN
------
+ No lag at all on X-box live
+ Nice, easily manageable friends list
+ Nice messaging system
+ Online leagues, with a nice feature set
- No fair play
- That doesnt always report your games
- Servers will sometimes give you an invalid rosters error message
- Why cant I see my own personal stats with a click of the button? I have to go into leagues and then see myself on the leagues list to do it.
- Ive had people quit or disconnect on me and I dont get the victory. Infact, there has been a time when I got blamed for it!!
Online play would be excellent if the leagues were consistent. Perhaps that day will come, but as of now it is a real shame that there are so many errors. Hopefully the problem will be fixed soon.
MADDEN
----
+ No lag on X-box live
+ Nice, easily manageable friends list
+ I love fair play
+ Nice messaging system
+ Keeps track of your detailed stats. You can also earn milestone trophies online and play mini-games.
+ Online leagues are supposed to be on the way
+ Very stable servers
- 4 minute quarters for ranked games? Wtf
- Lots of problems getting buddy lists to load
- When you see a friend online, and hes not in Madden, it just says Online. You dont know what game hes playing! Its a small complaint, but I like seeing which games my friends are playing.
Madden is great online. No complaints here, and 110% better than the NCAA online launch on X-box live. The jury is still out on how online leagues will turn out, but it sounds pretty good right now.
**CONTROLS**
ESPN
---
+ Added momentum, so I feel the controls are more fluid
+ Its very difficult to cut on a dime with running backs now
+ Special Moves and charge-up moves add a little mini-game flare to the game.
+ The game in general has a very nice feel to it
+ There is a max-tackle system that allows you to either deliver a big hit, or wrap the runner up
- But it doesnt work very well. The wrapping up part works fine, but when trying a hard hit Ive had little success. I can hit a guy dead on, and often times he will go into this little spin animation and just get more yards. Whats the point of even power tackling someone??
- Like I said before, some of those Special Moves are ridiculously powerful and can be abused
Overall very nice and smooth. I still have a problem with the special moves being abused though.
Madden
----
+ Reduced the momentum a bit
+ QB/Running controls feel a bit tighter
+ Runners will sometimes slide off of blockers in a pile
+ Receivers on buttonhooks react a little faster after they catch it now
+ Hit stick is a great addition
- Receivers on buttonhooks and RBs on screens still dont react fast enough to give you control of them. They sit there for about a second, and it can often times get you hit behind the line or prevent you from getting big yards
- RBs still get caught up causing the running game to feel sluggish at that point.
Theyve improved some things, but still need to work on nagging issues from the past. Above average, but plenty of room for improvement.
**ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE**
ESPN
----
+ Improved from last year
- But not by much. DBs seriously are retarded in this game. You never know when they are going to play, and when they are going to run around in circles doing nothing. Its not a matter of if the correct AI is in the game, because its there. It is a matter of consistency. I dont know what dictates that my players will act like idiots or not make plays (it certainly has nothing to do with ratings, since Ive seen all players do it), but I dont like the fact that I cant depend on something. If you want to make crappy A.I. thats your business. But at least make it consistently crappy. What disappoints me here is that there are times when your teammates that are AI play brilliantly, but you just cant depend on them to do what you tell them to do. This goes for the entire team, not just DBs
Ive said it before Ill say it again: I am very unhappy with the inconsistency in A.I. this year in ESPN.
*Madden
---
+ Excellent AI. All the way from the fullback to the DBs to the special teams, I really think EA did a top-notch job
- Defenders often have spider senses about them
I have to say I love the AI in Madden. There are lapses, but they are few and far between and the CPU is very dependable.
**SPECIAL TEAMS**
ESPN
---
- Kick meter is unchallenging
- No fumbles, even on punts where you get hit right after catching it
- No big returns. I know VC wanted to tone down on the ridiculous returns from last year, but Jesus Christ it is a chore to even get to the 35-yard line. In 30+ games of ESPN, I think I have advanced it past the 35-yard line 3 times, and twice the ball was kicked incredibly short.
- Id estimate that on 30% of all field goals, the outside blocker on the right side will completely ignore any pass rush coming in from that side. I have blocked extra points and field goals this way.
Terrible, simply terrible. I dont like the kick coverage, punt coverage, any of the returns, the kicking or anything. I guess it could be worse, but I dont know how.
Madden
---
+ Nice new numerical gauge letting you know how good your punt/kick was
+ Tough but fair kick/punt coverage/returns.
+ Pressure Kick feature is awesome. At the end of the game, if its an important kick, the camera will pan down to field level, and everything will go quiet and cause a pressure situation. Its very cool
+ The kicking game is challenging
+ Lots of fumbles if you are dumb enough to risk returning the ball with lots of guys around you.
Excellent. EA really hit the bulls eye this year with Special Teams.
--------
So, to recap the winner/loser according to me:
Offense Madden
Defense Madden
Special Teams Madden
Presentation ESPN
Commentary/Sound ESPN
Online Madden
Franchise Madden
Graphics ESPN
Audibles Draw
Overall Madden
At the end of the day, I feel Madden is the way videogame football should be. There is a lot of risk/reward game play involved. You want to run with your QB? Fine, suffer the consequences. ESPN has very little of this and it diminishes my enjoyment of the game.
I think both games are great and Im enjoying both, but if I had to pick one it would clearly be Madden 2005.
