Madden 2004 Impressions

[Guest Flyboy]

I stole this from Football-Gaming.com:

 

-Madden 2004 felt like the least improved of all the football games.  Granted, Madden already was the best, if glowing reviews and almost four million copies sold are to be trusted.  Franchise/Owner Mode was unplayable, and that is supposed to be the major improvement.  Playmaker control was in the E3 version, and it works as advertised.  But the important, subtle improvements Tiburon made to NCAA 2004 either have not or will not be implemented in Madden 2004.

 

-Lots of people who played Madden 2004 said they noticed a difference in momentum and speed.  I can not say I did.  If anything, it seemed a teensy bit faster, and momentum is slightly toned down.  NCAA 2004 felt faster, and Madden's engine still does not differentiate very well between the 200lb RB and the 300lb DT.  Hopefully this will improve.

 

-Blocking with suction: it lives on.  The blocking AI did seem more intelligent, and playmaker control gives you more control with blocking too.  The hardcore know this was not the problem, however.  The problem was that in Madden 2003 defensive linemen were useless once the QB broke containment and began to head up field.  Furthermore, LB's could be conned in to running in to a block, which always meant that LB was out of the play. Defenders seemed to attach to blockers.  Guess what, they still do.

 

I grabbed two QB's, Matt Hassellback and Drew Bledsoe, and took them running.  I ran once with Hassellback, fumbling after 9 yards.  With Bledsoe, I was able to average over 8 yards on 4 carries--the shortest scramble was for 4 yards.  DEs were bound to my tackles, and I did not even need to use playmaker control because my receivers just ran in to defenders and held on for dear life.  The only thing stopping my QBs was their tendency to fumble.

 

-Madden's package system seemed a bit different from 2k4's. Simply press a button and you can substitute a TE for a FB, or put your top RB in the slot.  This could add a cool wrinkle to gameplay.

 

-Playbooks use team specific plays, and there are new plays, but the terminology is the same.  Nothing revolutionary, but it's kind of cool. If you're expecting totally new playbooks, you might be a little underwhelmed.

 

-The play-calling interface is cooler, I really like the decision to open up the top half of the screen while playcalling.  I don't remember seeing replays up top, but supposedly they are there.  The new play-calling layout design wins for efficiency and immersion, and is defnitely better then what we saw in years past.

 

-I could not hear the crowds, but according to video and other reports, they sound responsive.

 

-It wasn't usable, but I do recall seeing a "Mass Substitution" option on the pause screen.  Don't quote me, it could have been in NCAA 2004 that I saw this, but at least one Tiburon football game has this feature.

 

-Playmaker control works as advertised, and you can do some pretty cool stuff with it.  It isn't the cat's meow, but it does help overcome some of the gameplay/AI flaws.  Sweeps should be more effective, as should screens.  I agree with Kobra when he said that the way playmaker control allows the defensive player to adjust coverage depth is the best part of the new feature.  At least against humans, those corner routes ain't gonna be so effective no more.  Darn tootin'.

 

-As mentioned in the NCAA notes, Tiburon's new play action camera is excellent.  It is effective and balanced, making both draws and play action realistically effective versus the AI and human opponents.  Not to mention, it makes using PA and draws fun.

 

-A video showed Owners mode and a revamped player editing interface.  Both looked extremely cool.  The options for customizing your new stadium appear infinite.  Yes, you really can change the price you charge for cheese curds.  Not only that, but it matters how expensive those cheese curds are, because it matters how happy your fans are.  Charge too little, and you could go out of business, or not afford to sign top players.  Charge too much, and say goodbye to ticket sales.  You can also give players signing bonuses.  If you run a deficit with your team for too long, you'll get "fired" and have to leave town.  How cool is that?  The player editor now allows users to give a player dreadlocks, amongst other options.

 

Once again, there's more, but these were the features which stood out.  I think owner mode will offer enough to players to keep those of us who love playing a franchise reason to consider buying Madden 2004.  However, Madden's graphics engine and gameplay show their age.  Both Fever 2004 and NFL 2k4 looked better than Madden 2004.

 

Put it this way: on the way to the first day of E3, I rode in the back of an SUV and played Madden 2003.  I played the hell out of Madden 2002, and definitely played a good deal of Madden 2003 the past two years.  Because of this, I can't play a full game anymore before getting bored.  Madden 2003 just isn't complex enough--it's a fun but simple game. 

 

I stood in front of Madden 2004, played 1 min quarters, and could barely tell the difference between the game presented at E3 and the game I'd played in the back of a car.  By the same token, I put in hundreds of hours playing NCAA 2003, and the difference between the 03 and 04 versions were immediately obvious and welcome.

 

Take this with a grain of salt.  Madden has more development time ahead than NCAA, and the team at Tiburon has an excellent track record.  Also, if Madden 2002 and 2003 did not exist, my tone would be significantly different.  Madden 2004 will be a very good game, it is just that this hyper-critical hardcore fan wanted more change in specific areas than the E3 version of Madden 2004 showed.

 

Discuss and such.

[Guest El Satanico]

I'm not a hardcore gamer, so major gameplay changes aren't important to me. I like Madden's gameplay(except for the mentioned blocking problem) and that's all I care about.

 

I mainly buy the new games just for the updated rosters, but I'm interested in the new Owner Mode.

 

I'll have to try out NCAA 2004 to see the changes made to it.

[Guest El Psycho Diablo]

Still no Live play? Pfft. EA can go fuck themselves.

[Guest DrTom]

Madden is resting on its laurels.

 

NFL2k keeps improving.

 

The choice is obvious.

[Guest MrRant]

Plus 2K is Live

[Guest Big McLargeHuge]

I'll rent it and then buy it when its price reduces.

 

It's pretty much the only football I enjoy these days. I hated NFL Fever and Sega's games just leave me cold.

[Guest PencilJobber]

The 3 biggest problems i had with Madden 2003 was the D-line getting stuck to the O-line players no matter how different there stats were,Tackles never were a respectable number you were lucky to get 5 tackles a game with anyone other than the Safeties and the O-line pancake problem have to wait to see if they have really fixed these problems but the Owner mode looks like fun and a few other modes look cool but they haven't really made any huge leaps unlike NFL 2k series which looks like a massive leap but i've bought every Madden since the Mega Drive don't know if i'm ready for a change yet but i'm gonna wait until i see reviews from people for both games to make up my mind but i'll still probably get Madden.

[Guest DrTom]

^ Longest. Sentence. Ever.

 

I agree, though: Madden 03 definitely had some issues. It's become more of an arcade pick-up-and-play game, IMO, as opposed to a real football sim, which is where Sega's 2k series shines. As usual, I'll probably buy both games again this year, but if I decide to get only one, it will be Sega's.

[Guest Flyboy]

Still no Live play? Pfft. EA can go fuck themselves.

That's why I always get it for PC.

[Guest Eagan469]

2K4 > Madden

[Guest Flyboy]

2K4 > Madden

I know it will (probably except Franchise Mode and Owner Mode, but the overall gameplay).

 

*cries about 2K4 not being on Gamecube anymore*

[Guest Flyboy]

A new interview about Madden 2004:

 

MaddenMania recently had the opportunity to submit some questions, garnered from the site's forum users, to EA Sports' Jeremy Strauser, producer of the Madden series:

 

MaddenMania: Was the issue with the pancake statistic been fixed? I.E., will players garnish pancakes in played games as they do in simulated ones?

 

Yes, this has been fixed.

 

MM: How has the defensive DB A.I. been improved and/or modified if at all?

 

JS: We made a lot of changes in the DB A.I. this year. For one, we added brand new cut moves to allow them to stay with their receiver more closely. Secondly, we took attributes more into account on making plays on the ball. And lastly, when they just can’t make a play on the ball for whatever reason, we added in a dynamic system that calculates the chance of the ball getting knocked out. For example, if a receiver is coming across the middle and gets hit right after the catch, he will be much more susceptible to dropping it than if he is dragged down from behind on an out route.

 

MM: Have the Super bowl/playoff atmosphere and celebrations been redone?

 

JS: We’ve added a lot of celebrations and emotion throughout and you will see a lot more of them during the game now with the new play-calling system in one player. We’ve tweaked the Super Bowl celebration, but didn’t spend too much time on that. We did rework the commentary and crowd audio in the playoffs and Super Bowl to emphasize the importance of those games.

 

MM: Has the rookie scouting feature been improved? If so, how has it changed?

 

JS: This year we focused on making the scout’s comments more specific. In 2003 they were a bit vague, so the comments this year address every individual position’s attributes. Quarterback comments will only apply to quarterbacks, etc. No more “He’s pretty fast for his position.” We also have comments that compare players to a player that’s already in the league, so you’ll know when the next Ricky Williams is coming into the NFL.

 

MM: How exactly will the online fair play feature work? Will issues like pausing, pulling, "waiting out" an opponent be addressed?

 

JS: Yes, we addressed as many problems as we knew about or could find on the boards dealing with plug pulling, pausing or waiting. We have timers on chances for user inputs, so even kickoff will go without you if you wait too long online. You can only pause a certain number of times and if you pull the plug, we now know who pulled and that person gets a loss & disconnect, the other guy can finish against the computer to get a win, or not finish and not have the game count at all.

 

MM: What features have been added with the new "Owner" mode?

 

JS: Owner mode has an almost endless list of features. Starting with money management, you can set your ticket, concession, and merchandise prices, as well as spend money on advertising to put more fans into the seats. In the off-season you hire a full coaching staff, as well as training staff. You can also relocate your team or rebuild your stadium with our new stadium designer tool. There are so many little hidden things in owner mode, I just can’t list them all. You will have to see it all

for yourselves to take it all in.

 

MM: Are career stats in the Gamecube version this year?

 

JS: Yes, we require the larger memory card on Gamecube for franchise mode now, and due to that we can include the player career stats.

 

MM: Will madden 2004 have a global playbook?

 

JS: No, this is a memory limitation of the systems, we can’t have every play we have in memory at one time, we have too many.

 

MM: Have any new throwback uniforms been added, like the 1930's-style 1994 75th

Anniversary uniforms the Bears, Steelers, Cardinals, Lions, Packers, and

Redskins wore that year?

 

JS: We do have a few new historic uniforms and all the alternates worn last

season, but no we don’t have the 1994 throwbacks.

 

MM: Will there FINALLY be an accelerated clock option?

 

JS: Yes, as in the PC version, we have an accelerated clock option. If accelerated clock is ON, when both plays are chosen, the play clock will ALWAYS run down to 20 seconds, regardless of whether the clock is running or not. The game clock will also be counted down in turn with the play clock until the final 2:30 of each half, where the option no longer has an effect. This only applies to games with quarter length of 4 or higher.

 

MM: In NASCAR Thunder, the night races go from daylight to darkness...any plans for something similar for Madden?

 

JS: This effect is definitely nice in NASCAR however we weren’t able to include it into Madden this year.

 

MM: Will weather change during the game? Will condensation accumulate?

 

JS: Weather will change during the game. During a rainy game, you will see the severity of the rain increase or decrease at various points of the game. The same thing happens in snow. As far as accumulation, we do support this in snowy games. The effect is subtle but there will be more snow on the ground at the end of the game than there was at the beginning. It very gradually builds throughout the game.

 

MM: Has "cloudy" been added (sans rain) as a weather possibility?

 

JS: Cloudy was not added as an actual option. You can see cloudy weather in rain or snow situations where the precipitation isn’t high. In addition to that, you can adjust the fog level to help get a more cloudy feel.

 

MM: Will the classic teams have classic facemasks like what the NCAA classic teams have this year?

 

JS: No, that was a specific feature for the NCAA team this year.

 

MM: Owner Mode: can I build a new stadium for a current team? Is there expansion option? Is relocation of existing teams a possibility, and if so, how does that work?

 

JS: Yes, you can build a new stadium for a current team, no we don’t have expansion, and yes you can relocate teams. Relocation is an involved process, we have over 100 cities to choose from, each with their own demographics and desire for a team. You pick your city for relocation (hint: pay attention to factors like population and average income, they affect your franchise’s success) and then finance and build a new stadium in the new city. You then decide on your uniform and team name and announce your move 1 year in advance, so you have yo play out a lame-duck season in your old city.

 

MM: Is there a Hall of Fame? Along with this, can you talk about any features being added relating to statistics, award tracking, etc?

 

JS: We have the Hall of Fame in our PC version. It’s also being mentioned as an idea for next year on the consoles. We added a ton of new player information this year, also. You guys have been asking for this feature for years, so we made sure to add it. We’ll keep track of awards for all of the players throughout their careers (Pro Bowls, MVPs, Other yearly awards) and we keep track of their career stats by the team they played for.

 

MM: Can we create our own playbook of existing plays that is the same size as other playbooks?

 

JS: Due to memory restrictions and how the created playbooks are handled there is a limit on the number of plays, 80 I believe.

 

MM: Has draft day been improved for franchise mode? If so, how?

 

JS: Definitely. We added fan reaction to draft picks this year and our logic is the best there is in our opinion. CPU teams actually draft appropriately in our draft. Each coach has a preference regarding the type of player they want at each position and they draft that player.

 

MM: Have sideline pass catching animations been improved this year?

 

JS: Yes, we captured many brand new sideline catches along with many other catches. We also added new tip toe animations that can play separately from other catch animations.

 

MM: Will there be footprints on the field in the snow? Field deterioration? Come and go weather? (Starts out cloudy rain or snow moves in)

 

JS: We did not add footprints in the snow this year. While it is a cool effect, adding it would sacrifice our goal of playing at a constant 60 frames per second. We do support field deterioration. Much like snow accumulation, this takes place over the duration of the game. You won’t see it in the first quarter and is most noticeable in a rainy game. Come and go weather is also supported. If the game starts out as a rainy game, the severity of the rain changes throughout the game. This is most noticeable in snow games.

 

MM: As far as the new "gamestory mode", what kinds of things can we expect to hear from the play by play this year?? What kinds of situations will they talk about? Can you give some examples? Also, what has been done to enhance crowd noise and crowd cheering at the right time?? Any info on how Madden’s "atmosphere" has been improved would be appreciated!! Thanks!!

 

JS: Gamestory is an exciting new addition to our commentary system. Gamestory talks about various things throughout the game mostly involving: weather, turnovers, low-scoring games, high-scoring games, defensive struggles, close games, offensive & defensive mismatches, good QB match-ups, good HB match-ups, classic rivalries, key offensive & defensive match-ups, coach match-ups, time of possession, and penalties. In addition to gamestory our biggest improvements are commentary based on ratings, play call commentary based on actual plays called, commentary on scoring momentum, and general improvements to stitching. We’re always trying to improve our crowd audio and this year is no exception. We’ve

tweaked the samples so they sound better overall as well as performed heavy tuning on the situations and reactions.

 

MM: Has the injury model been changed or improved?

 

JS: The injury animations are all new this year. In terms of the model, we are very happy with the number of minor/major injuries that now happen in a game.

 

MM: I.R.! When you place a player on the I.R. you gain cap room but not a roster spot. The roster spot should be open with some cap room. Has this been fixed?

 

JS: Not this year, but this is rarely a problem with the number of players we allow you to have on your team. That’s a good idea for next year, though. We did make sure to increase the minimum requirements for each team’s roster so that CPU teams will carry the same amount of players into games as they do in real life.

 

MM: Have exclusive, restricted and unrestricted free agents been added to franchise mode?

 

JS: No, sorry, we have unrestricted free agents only, no franchise, transition or restricted free agents.

 

MM: How realistic is the salary cap? a. Will Players refuse to re-sign during unrestricted free agency? b. Will you as the gm/owner have to make tough decisions on veteran/big money contract players? c. Will the signing bonuses stop the trading of just signed high priced free agents? A move to gather high 1st rd. picks.

 

JS: It doesn’t get much more realistic than the financial aspects of our franchise. We make it a priority to make sure that our cap mirrors the behavior of the real NFL salary cap. With the addition of signing bonuses this year we are getting close to having a perfect working model of the business aspect of the NFL. Regarding the other questions…No, players won’t refuse to re-sign with you this year unless you don’t offer them an appropriate amount of money. Obviously, the addition of signing

bonuses and backloaded contracts will present a unique challenge to your franchise. When one of your players is in the last year of his contract and he’s scheduled to count eight million against the cap, do you keep him? Or do you cut him, absorb the hit on the signing bonus and sign some cheaper players? And yes, signing bonuses will hopefully stop the trading of high priced veterans for draft picks. This year, just like in the NFL, once you pay a player a signing bonus, you are responsible for that bonus. If you turn around and trade him immediately, you’ll have his signing bonus count against your available cap room. If you trade him for a 1st round pick, you’ll have to pay the rookie’s salary and the traded player’s remaining bonus.

 

MM: At some point, will there be any documentation on exactly how sliders work?

 

JS: This is something we likely will always keep somewhat private, our manuals are somewhat limited in pages and this doesn’t make the cut. We try to make the names of the sliders very descriptive and really like including the sliders as it encourages community interaction and gives people the ability to fine tune the game to their liking.

 

MM: I like to add historical players to my franchise, but I don't like the fact that they come in at 30-years of age. Will this be changed so they come into the league at an earlier age?

 

JS: You can edit historical team rosters, but due to legal reasons the players are generic.

 

MM: At some point, will we be able to save substitutions in a profile? This would save a lot of time during person to person games.

 

JS: Well subs are saved in the roster file, and in online mode for PS2 this year the subs are saved into your online profile, if that’s what you were asking. Offline, we didn’t separate subs into a profile since it is already in the roster file.

 

MM: Have any new player attributes been added to this year's game?

 

JS: If you mean have the players been re-rated, yes. If you mean do we have new ratings categories, no.

 

MM: Assists and Half-Sacks, are they in the game?

 

JS: No, sorry.

 

MM: Online Franchises - any plans for this year or in the near future? If no, can you discuss what issues stand in the way of such an endeavor?

 

JS: We have online leagues in PC and online tournaments on PS2 with some in-depth options. We do not have online franchise this year. We will evaluate this every year of course, but the factors we consider on something like this are things like overall use, cost to implement and maintain and the complexity of the feature so that it is useable. I’m sure there are quite a few people who like this concept, but in practice we are concerned if it can be reasonably implemented in a scope that a lot of people will want to use.

 

MM: How has the lob play been addressed? Will it be easier for defensive players to bat down a pass to a double or triple-teamed offensive player a little more often?

 

JS: Good luck with that tactic this year.

 

MM: Pass Rush - Has this been tweaked? Will defensive ends be able to have more of an impact on the game?

 

JS: Yes, your time to throw is shorter this year and my advice is to stay in the pocket if you can. If you drop back 10-15 yards, you are in for a world of hurt.

 

MM: I read that owner mode is only 10 years is that true?

 

JS: No, that is incorrect. Owner mode is integrated within franchise mode, which goes for 30 years.

 

MM: What makes Madden 2004 better than 2003?

 

JS: That is a broad question, but the big things are Playmaker Control, Dramatically improved PS2 online play and options, Owner Mode, all-new playbooks, massive in-game rework on DB AI and other issues mentioned here. We honestly feel like this is the biggest one year upgrade for Madden ever and the best version of Madden ever.

 

MM: Has QB fumbling (while scrambling) been toned down at all? Was this so prevalent because it's difficult for the AI to stop?

 

JS: We’ve looked at this and found that QB’s (not surprisingly) lead the league in fumbles compared to other positions, so their fumble rating is worse, especially if your QB is making moves downfield and gets crushed by a SS.

 

MM: If I play the CPU in a 15 minute quarter game, will he still hike the ball above 25 seconds every time? Why can't they run the clock like a real NFL team would?

 

JS: We’ve reworked that. Also, see the note on accelerated clock above.

 

MM: Will the HB screen work against the blitz this year? As it’s supposed to? Or will it only work when the defense drops their LB back into coverage? More generally, will halfback routes be improved?

 

JS: Yes, the screens have vastly been improved and will work on blitzes. It’s tricky to pull off a screen in real life, as well as in our game, because guys will be in your face right off the bat. This year your non-blocking tackle will even attempt to cut the end on the screen-side of the play. And yes, every single half back route has been tweaked, and many more of the “blue routes”, or block and release routes, have also been added.

 

MM: Will guards pull more efficiently? Will centers be able to pull in some plays this year?

 

JS: Yes we tuned pulling and lead blocking logic. In our talks with the NFL assistants this year, guards and tackles are primarily the only pulling players on sweeps and counters.

 

MM: Will stunts and other defensive line gimmicks be included? Hard to believe these were in Madden '93 and not Madden '03.

 

JS: Head over to your favorite console and boot up Madden 2003 (or 2002 or 2001 for that matter) – go in game and run Sweet Blitz, Fire Man, or a multitude of other defenses and check for stunts. We’ve had these all along, but, we did add even more stunts and “gimmicks” in Madden 2004, especially in the new 46.

 

MM: Can playmaker control be used from the start of a play or is it only after the play has started?

 

JS: Playmaker can be used to alter routes and assignments both pre-play and after the snap.

 

MM: What has improved specifically about zone coverage this year? We notice that the play diagrams are different, for one... Was this changed for a reason?

 

JS: There were many small improvements to list in zone coverage, but in a nutshell DB’s will play much more aggressive, especially against scrambling QB’s and corner routes.

 

MM: Has the reverse play been improved? You usually see this play run once or twice effectively during an NFL game.

 

JS: Yes the reverse has been improved both in design and in blocking schemes. Guards will pull, and moving tackles will attempt cut blocks. We added quite a few other trick plays this year other than the reverse, including fake reverses, counter passes, counter fake reverse passes, etc.

 

MM: What defensive additions have been implemented to help stop these offensive playmaker controls?

 

JS: Playmaker is on defense too. You can shift zones left and right, as well as cheat deep or short and flow your tacklers into the right position to make the hit.

 

MM: I'd like to know if the defense will react more realistically to motion by the offense. The defense seems to rarely react to motion by RBs out of the backfield, and usually have to be moved manually to be in position. People using mobile QBs can kill you by making you pick your poison - cover one, leaves the other option wide open

 

JS: Yes this year all man coverage acts intelligently and will follow their assigned player in motion. We also did a lot of work with the Triangle-Right coverage audible, which will place all your man-coverage players in a better position. Unfortunately, having to choose between a scrambling QB and a motioning receiver is a poison every NFL db has to pick as well.

 

MM: Now that we know Coaches Staffs and assistant coaches have been added, do they also have something similar to ratings which effect your team if playing or simulating games?

 

JS: Yes, all coaches have a unique set of ratings and yes, they affect played and simulated games, as well as the strategy of CPU opponents.

 

MM: 2003 seemed to be harsh on players (w/ end of the year progression) that played in every game in specific positions (3rd WR, fullback, special team returner. Any corrections there?

 

JS: We completely re-worked progression this year. Young players are given more of a “window” to develop, which addresses the problem with rookies and players with 1-2 years of experience dropping in progression last year. You may see some young players progress in this year’s game that may not have the best of seasons. Think of Joey Harrington last year. He ended up with a 59.9 QB rating, but I wouldn’t say that he got any worse as a player. I would even say that he improved as a QB by getting game experience. When he’s 27, a season like that probably won’t cut it. Since there is always a trade off, that means that players that are older should be performing at the level expected of them. We made progression decidedly friendlier towards fullbacks and slot receivers this year, but the problem is alleviated with the emphasis toward younger players receiving their “window” of opportunity. If you have a 31 year old wider receiver in the NFL who is playing the slot, should he really

progress? Obviously he’s not what the team has in mind when it comes to being a top receiver.

 

MM: Will imported NCAA drafts be more similar to "created" draft classes in

terms of talent?

 

JS: Yes. One of the major problems with imported draft classes is that because so many players are imported with high ratings, you’ll very rarely have any bad players in an NCAA imported draft class. This is the trade-off with our created classes. You’ll have a mix of good players, fringe players, future stars and hidden gems. In the imported class, you get the best players at every position imported from NCAA. So instead of getting a couple of really good players, you get dozens of potential

starters. You will see an increase in the ratings, but you have to keep these factors in mind when it comes to comparing the two.

 

MM: I'd like to know if we still can use our franchise teams in exhibition play.

 

JS: Certainly. That’s one of our favorite features.

 

MM: I heard the challenge system will be unavailable online, and I think this would be a big omission, any chance of it being included?

 

JS: This wasn’t included last year and isn’t this year. This is for two reasons…the first is stalling tactics and the second is more of play balance, to have the challenge system we had to program in blown calls, in online games blown calls, if left unchallenged could affect the outcome of the game. We debated this one a few times and may change our thought on this next year depending on how online goes this year.

 

MM: Bump and Run: Has this been revamped? Receivers seemed to have little defense against this last year.

 

JS: I can’t say I would agree with that statement. I got stomped online quite a few times last year when I tried to bump good receivers.

 

MM: Will Madden be more realistic and have plays that are PREDETERMINED to have motion. The way they have it now, you can motion on every single play, and that's just not right. It gets annoying.

 

JS: I have to disagree here too. While our CPU plays do have some predetermined motion patterns, human controlled plays should be able to motion whenever they can. While yes, some plays may work better with motion, that is an option that you have on every play, why would we take that away?

 

MM: Is FieldTurf in the game?

 

JS: We have an artificial grass surface, but it isn’t FieldTurf by name.

 

Credit: MaddenMania.com

[Guest El Satanico]

Well that gives me hope about Madden, which we haven't recieved concerning it yet.

 

Of course you have to take official stances with a grain of salt, but it's still promising.

[Guest redbaron51]

Pfft.

 

Lately Madden has been trying to throw in more additions than fix the actual gameplay

[Guest bps "The Truth" 21]

I think it's 2K4 for me this year.

 

MAinly because I'm not dustin off the PS2 to play one game online

[Guest redbaron51]

gotta stick with X-Box for their 2K4 Online game

[Guest kkktookmybabyaway]

I'll still be getting Madden but I don't know if I'll get it the day it comes out.

 

That pancake glitch better be fixed...

[Guest Flyboy]

I'll probably get Madden for PC and ESPN NFL Football for XBox (if I get one).

[Guest redbaron51]

I'll probably get Madden for PC and ESPN NFL Football for XBox (if I get one).

 

don't you hate X-Box flyboy?

[Guest Flyboy]

I was being biased.

[Guest redbaron51]

you've seen the light then.

[Guest NoCalMike]

I'm still going with Madden 2004.