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[Ramirez]

I swear Ive had no trouble getting a game started the past 3 days,doesn't matter if its friends or strangers...

 

[DMczaf]

Does Madden 2005 have Online Leagues? As of now, EA has made no official announcement.

Madden Mania got their copy today and this is from the Q&A thread.

WTF kind of answer is that? If they were not there he would have just said No. Something smells fishy...

 

[DMczaf]

Madden Mania got their copy today and this is from the Q&A thread.

WTF kind of answer is that? If they were not there he would have just said No. Something smells fishy...

EA have informed us that there is to be a big announcement regarding online play for Madden 2005. That announcement which has been speculated for some time is expected next week. Stand by for more on that when we get it.

Bingo.

 

[Ramirez]

Im not gettin my hopes up,the EA Live guy said no online leagues this year in an interview last issue in OXM...

 

[Matrix]

Watch it be online leagues for ps2 and only ps2

 

[DMczaf]

Im not gettin my hopes up,the EA Live guy said no online leagues this year in an interview last issue in OXM...

But what else would there be for a "big announcement for online play"? I mean really, I cant think of anything other then the web-based leagues FMT was told.

 

[DMczaf]

Question about passing game

It's tougher than last year but it's different than NCAA. You don't really see a lot of dropped balls unless the guy gets creamed.

 

[Ramirez]

Watch it be online leagues for ps2 and only ps2

Then we must make a visit to EA's Studios...and burn them to the ground!!

 

[DMczaf]

More stuff from Maddennation

The position battles seem to be decided statistically more than anything else. During Ramsey's battle with Brunell he put up better numbers during the preseason and that was the deciding factor.

Benching a player doesn't seem to affect the team morale but definitely pisses that player off if they are rated high. The one thing that seems to affect the team as a whole morale wise is if you start losing regularly.

Yes, there is in season progression.

Madden Cards are back. I have not unlocked any historic players but it looked like there was a Barry one there.

On default slider on all madden, can you beat up CPU still?

Yeah.. but it's a little harder. This year tough teams really are tough. I played the Panthers and their D line was just sick. Teams this year play more like their real NFL counterparts.. they seem to have more of an identity.

The hit stick is awesome.. you can flatten someone. The CB play is one of the biggest improvemets in the game.

Can a team relocate and keep their jerseys?


I haven't tried ti but I believe J. Strauser said that was not possible because of some sort of legalities.

though im 99% sure they, do rookies and CAP use the player personality feature? Do they have there own set of things that are important to them

One they are on your team they do but if I am not mistaken after I drafted my rookies.. when I went to go and sign them they did not have the preference categories like the rest of the players. I'll have to double check that.

1.Can moved teams/new uniforms have logos on the helmets?

2.Does the radio show have enough material to not get old?

3.Do rookies still start over much higher rated vets?

4.Any new additions to owner mode?

Thanks.

1. Not sure.. I have yet to move a team.

2. So far it has a ton of material. I think you'd have to play franchise for a long time before you start hearing stuff repeating. I believe EA said that nothing is repeated in the show for the first 5 years.

3. So far no. The higher rated players are typically starting. When there is a position battle though in the preseason, it seems like every once in a while the lower rated player will come out on top.

4. The basic stuff during the season is the same and the offseason tasks of hiring coaches and improving the stadium seem to have the same options. I haven't moved a team and built a stadium yet though so I'll hold off before I say no.

- The radio show plays most of the time while you're navigating through the menus during the season and it's not half bad. Tony Bruno gives some general impressions about the NFL and then takes calls from fans. It seems that most of the talk is not specific to the season you are running but rather just general NFL talk. He does say what week it is in the season but does not go into specifics. He also talks to NFL coaches and players. I liked it. It wasn't teh least bit repetitive and it beats the hell out of listening to the soundtrack over and over again.

- Storyline Central. I think this is probably my favorite thing so far. There are local and national newspapers that have info about whatever is going on at the time. If it's preseason the papers are talking about position battles and which teams are poised to do well. Once the preseason is over the papers announce who won starting jobs. In my chise Ramsey outperformed Brunell and was named the starter.

During the season the papers tell about what happened in the game and if you lose a few games in a row players start to lose morale. During my season DE Phillips Daniels started complaining after a loss about not getting enough playing time. When the playoffs come around there is talk about who will be MVP and go to the Pro Bowl and there are updates about the playoff games.

The other part of Storyline central is the radio (which i already talked about) and your email. The email thing has a palm pilot interface and is wher eyou access your rosters and depth charts.. it's also a quick way to check out team stats and the status of preseason position battles.

- The owners box is more or less the same. I have not noticed anything new here. it looks to me like the same setup as far as changing prices and that sort of thing.

- When you go to "play week" there is a section that says "weekly gameplan." It tells you who your next opponent is and give a couple of tips on how to be successful against them. There is a part that shows your palm pilot where you can quickly flip through such details as the other teams place in the NFL standings, their top players, injuries, & philosophy ( e.g. west coast offense).

- Keeping players happy. It seems that for the most part my team was happy because they were winning. The guys who got upset were ones who didn't get much playing time. When you look at your rosters there is a little comment next to each player that says how they are feeling. They would say stuff like "I am commited to winning a championship, I am doing ok, don't worry about me, or I am not getting enough playing time." When Ramsey beat out Brunell for the starting job he seemed ok at first but by the end of the season he said "I demand to be traded." I didn't trade him yet but he's still demanding it.

-Super Bowl. I played a few minutes of the Super Bowl. I did not notice much of a difference in atmosphere from the regular games but the overall atmosphere of the game is improved period so I wasn't disappointed. I did not finish the game so I don't know about how the celebration was

-Retirements were exactly the same as in the past.

- After retirements you address restricted free agents. I only had 3 and none of them were any good. I signed all three back and no other teams made them offers.

- Re-sign players. This was similar to last year's game but there is an option to put a franchise tag on a player. Because my team went to the NFC championship game most of my players were very happy and wanted to come back. I don't think I was unable to sign anyone I wanted to.

- Draft. The draft was better this year. There were a few trades between CPU teams but nothing ridiculous. The Vikes traded their first rounder for the Texans first and third.. there were maybe 4-5 CPU trades total in the draft. The draft itself is not too much different. There is a voice that says "so and so is on the clock." I had heard rumors that some players names were read off when they weer picked but as far as I could tell that wasn't the case. I used the generic draft class.

The one other thing I noticed is they had another palm pilot sort of thing where you could flick through info relaly quickly. You draft board, team breakdown, and a part where you'd get advice on what position or player to pick next. I did not see a timer during the draft so I guess you have as much time as possible to make picks.

- Free Agency. This area was pretty similar to last year. A lot of players had great interest in signing with my team because they had a good record the previous year. I'll have to check later and see how hard it is to sign someone when you're a bad team. The contracts are not too much different this year but there are about 20 different categories that show the factors that decide how a player makes a decision about where they want to go. It was a little more difficult to sign guys, but not super difficult... probably because me team had a successful year.


Overall I like the franchise mode so far. I only had a short time to look at it but I really enjoy the storyline central and the fact that players can be moody. I took a couple of picture swith my digital camera.. I'll post them in a minute and then get to answering your questions. Thanks.

 

[DMczaf]

NFC East ratings

http://sports.ign.com/articles/534/534185p1.html

 

[DMczaf]

http://sigdepot.nhldepot.org/SensRule/SuperBowlFRWebVid4_hi.mov

Madden 2005's Super Bowl celebration

 

[Matrix]

Not watching that vid...dont want to spoil it.

 

[Ramirez]

Jerseys look really good in that vid

 

[Miguel]

Saint Madden 'round my neck
Saint Madden 'round my neck
He never gets respect
Saint Madden 'round my neck

(I only Pass...never Run)
Saint Madden 'round my neck
(I Pass the ball on 3rd and 1)
He never gets respect
(On 4th and long, I call Shotgun!)
Saint Madden 'round my neck
(Turnover? I'm fucking DONE)
He never gets respect

Fuck it all and no regrets,
I throw into triple coverage.
I need a pass to let Lelie...
To let Lelie go free.
Fuck it all and fuckin' no regrets,
I try to pass to McCaffrey off balance
INT...to Aaron Glenn...
Saint Madden 'round my neck

I see my QB shake
Like he's Jeff Blake
Hard to see clear
Up against...the Buccaneers

John Madden, I'm angry with you!
John Madden, I'm angry with you!
John Madden, I'm angry with you!
John Madden, I'm angry with you!

 

[Miguel]

BAH, he's banned. >:O

 

[Miguel]

Anyways, I'll be picking this up august 10th, I'll probably have broadband by about the 20th, and I'll be ready to go.

 

[Maverick]

Does anyone know what the packaging is like for the SE version of Madden? Is it a slipcase, or a metalic one like the Halo 2 SE?

 

[DMczaf]

http://www.maddennation.com/forums/showthread.php?p=118432#post118432

No news of leagues as of right now. All of EA's online features are not in place yet.. so we can't tell just by going online. They will make a big online announcement next week so until then sit tight.

 

[human5892]

Question: Are any of you Madden fans not interested in sports in real life? Or even other sports videogames?

I ask because the only Madden game I ever had -- Madden '94 on the SNES -- is a fun game in a way, despite the fact that I'm not at all interested in football (I had to learn some of the rules just to play the videogame) or other sports videogames. I started playing '94 again the other day and had a fun time, so I was wondering if I should get back into the series, but I'm worried about my lack of enthusiasm for the genre -- and sports -- as a whole. Also, I realize that there are obviously great differences between this year's Madden and the one I play from 10 years ago.

Any advice?

 

[Ristamar]

Question: Are any of you Madden fans not interested in sports in real life? Or even other sports videogames?

I ask because the only Madden game I ever had -- Madden '94 on the SNES -- is a fun game in a way, despite the fact that I'm not at all interested in football (I had to learn some of the rules just to play the videogame) or other sports videogames. I started playing '94 again the other day and had a fun time, so I was wondering if I should get back into the series, but I'm worried about my lack of enthusiasm for the genre -- and sports -- as a whole. Also, I realize that there are obviously great differences between this year's Madden and the one I play from 10 years ago.

Any advice?

I don't watch much football, but I enjoy the videogames, especially now that they're incorporating much more management, customization, and strategy off the field. I'm not sure if my tastes changed, the gameplay has notably improved, or if it's a bit of both.

That being said, I didn't care much for Madden or NCAA back in the 16-bit or 32-bit era. I didn't own a realistic football game before purchasing NCAA 2003 for 20 bucks in January of 2003.

 

[human5892]

I don't watch much football, but I enjoy the videogames, especially now that they're incorporating much more management, customization, and strategy off the field. I'm not sure if my tastes changed, the gameplay has notably improved, or if it's a bit of both.

That being said, I didn't care much for Madden or NCAA back in the 16-bit or 32-bit era. I didn't own a realistic football game before purchasing NCAA 2003 for 20 bucks in January of 2003.

Hmm, thanks. Maybe a rental is the way to go for me initially.

I think the constant annual Madden hype has finally gotten to me, and now I'm asking myself, "Maybe these games really are a big deal."

 

[DJ Demon J]

OK, so I know jack shit about football (well, I know the general rules and a few positions, but otherwise I have no fucking clue what Nickel, Dime or any of that shit means). Does Madden 2005 have a complete introductory mode that teaches you everything about the game? Also, can you hand create an entire team from scratch? Not just stats and names, but actual Create-A-Player?

 

[dskillzhtown]

OK, so I know jack shit about football (well, I know the general rules and a few positions, but otherwise I have no fucking clue what Nickel, Dime or any of that shit means). Does Madden 2005 have a complete introductory mode that teaches you everything about the game? Also, can you hand create an entire team from scratch? Not just stats and names, but actual Create-A-Player?

Madden includes a tutorial, and this year it is supposed to be robust enough to fill the needs you describe.

 

[WasabiKing]

Each formation has plays for running and pass plays, just some formations are better at countering offensive plays. If you play online, you should let your opponent choose their offense before you choose your defensive play.

Of course, different defensive playbooks affect the choices you can make. If you want to be good at defense, you'll have to learn the different formations...

 

[FrenchMovieTheme]

madden actually has an awesome tutorial for newbies, and has had it for a couple years. i tried it out once and said to myself "what the fuck? you have to be kidding me, why would they put this shit in here?" but now thinking about it, i guess some people truly don't understand football terms and so on. you guys should give it a rent, i think you will enjoy the game.

 

[DMczaf]

Seems like the huge online secret was leaked.

ITs


ITs



















Online create-a-fan! OMG!!!!!!!

:|

 

[Fifty]

That's the lamest feature since VC's Celebrity VIP mode.

 

[Matrix]

Online create a fan!? wtf is that stupid shit.

Oh well guess it will be tourneys like usual,maybe its for the best.

 

[DMczaf]

That's the lamest feature since VC's Celebrity VIP mode.

No, nothing is lamer then Celebrity VIP mode. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Jamie Kennedy is the DEVIL!

 

[Fifty]

Fine, it's not as lame. But if that's their much-hyped secret, then we just got served.

Oh well, at least it's easier to get people to sign into tournys, and they finish quicker. I really was excited about the stat tracking that leagues offer.

 

[Matrix]

No, nothing is lamer then Celebrity VIP mode. Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

Jamie Kennedy is the DEVIL!

Carmen Electra was hot to play with.

 

[FrenchMovieTheme]

no way dudes, it's not going to be create-a-fan. it's going to be online leagues. DM is a sega fanboy, he WANTS EA to look stupid. online leagues are coming! i guarantee it!


sorry dm, but you and VC lose this round.

 

[Fifty]

online leagues are coming! i guarantee it!

Ok, fine. If they aren't in the game you aren't allowed to play any NFL games for a year.

 

[FrenchMovieTheme]

if madden doesn't have leagues it looks like i wont be playing in leagues anyways, sega saw to that by having a shitty league server

 

[Ramirez]

LMAO,so true!

 

[FrenchMovieTheme]

i guarantee madden will have online leagues. infact, i'm so sure that if madden DOESNT have online leagues, i will have this as my avatar for the entire football season:

that is how confident i am that online leagues are coming. don't let me be favre'd EA! don't let me down

 

[DMczaf]

Ok, if Madden DOES have online leagues I will use this as my avatar

The game is on, FMT! Who ever wins, we all lose!

 

[Fifty]

i guarantee madden will have online leagues. infact, i'm so sure that if madden DOESNT have online leagues, i will have this as my avatar for the entire football season:

that is how confident i am that online leagues are coming. don't let me be favre'd EA! don't let me down

We will remember that.

 

[alejob]

Anyone see an interview espn had with Madden today, I think it was on ESPNews but maybe it was sportscenter, they asked him if he was worried that the EA curse would strike Ray Lewis after last years Mike Vick thing, jeje.

 

[Miguel]

Twelve.....twelve days is how long we'll wait...
Now...now we're twelve days away...
What...what will we all do today....?
Madden...2005, brought to you by EA.

 

[BlackClouds]

I will definetly get Madden this year, no rentals or playing over other people's houses. Has nothing to do with ESPN's quality, but more of the popularity of Madden and I want to get into the action.

 

[Ramirez]

Was you bein serious bout the Online Create a Fan DM?

 

[WasabiKing]

Was you bein serious bout the Online Create a Fan DM?

He would put his avatar on the line if he wasn't serious. But if BOTH of these items are true, i think BOTH of you must keep those avatars of shame.

 

[DMczaf]

My friend, who just came back from the Madden Nationals, has told me today that the EA Reps that were there told them that shorly they would be revelaing that Madden Online will support Online Leagues this year!

Oh crap...

Im not changing my avatar til its OFFICIAL...O.F.F.I.C.I.A.L.

 

[LuckyBrand]

because i love espn 2k5 so muhc and it was $20, I kinda feel like i should try out madden 2k5 and just take the average price as the cost for both (ie: $35) and then it wouldnt feel like i was being dumb..

but in reality, it would be $50 i dont need to spend..

however, i have NEVER bought a madden game, and this might be the year I try it out.. *if* I have the $50... or maybe Ill wait til its $30 and then I can have BOTH football games for $50.. nice.

 

[Ramirez]

Where did that quote come from DM

 

[FrenchMovieTheme]

or maybe Ill wait til its $30 and then I can have BOTH football games for $50.. nice.

so you're going to wait until this time next year? that's when madden drops price.

i suppose its feasible you could get it at frys or some other place on sale for $35-45, but i doubt you'd ever see it for $29.99 before june of next year.

 

[DJ_Tet]

Ok, if Madden DOES have online leagues I will use this as my avatar

The game is on, FMT! Who ever wins, we all lose!

What a beautiful avatar. How dare you claim that as a "punishment." You should be so lucky!

 

[DMczaf]

What a beautiful avatar. How dare you claim that as a "punishment." You should be so lucky!

I piss on the Panthers and I spit on YOU for liking them!

 

[DMczaf]

New Video

http://files.ea.com/downloads/sports_videos/madden2005/e3_b_hi.mov

Im pumped! Because Ray Lewis told me to be pumped...