After tremendous amounts of success EA Tiburon earned through Madden '10, the big question among "Maddenites" (Equate this term to Trekkies) this year is, how can Madden go bigger? Given the pre-release date hype, there is every reason to believe Madden '11 will match her predecessors' success.
However, this is not always the case. In the past, new Madden titles have not always met the quality or value of previous Madden titles. So to celebrate Madden's Eve, I have compiled a top five list of what I believe to be the best Madden titles, ever.
No. 5, Madden 2003
Madden 2003 was one of the most revolutionary titles EA Tiburon has produced. In this particular game, we were introduced to Mini-Camp games that proved to be a nice little break from the tension/repetitiveness of actual games. The gameplay was no different from previous Maddens, but it certainly did not suffer from horrid gameplay.
One of the more fun things to do in the game was create a bunch of teams just for the hell of it. The game didn't give players ridiculous ratings nor did it have many bugs that ruined the enjoyment of the game. All in all this was a solid Madden title that I fondly remember spending hours in front of my computer playing.
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| Brett back in the day |
The 20th anniversary title of Madden football comes in strongly at number four on my list. I feel like it was better, but I have to take into account that a couple of the reasons I appreciated this title so much, had nothing to do with the actual gameplay for it. Number one, it flourished because of just how awful Madden 07 and Madden 08 were. Easily the two worst Madden games ever made. Playing a great game like Madden '09 was a God-send for Maddenites. Number two, Brett Favre was on the cover.
Gameplay wise, this game was outstanding. The player models are still the most accurate to date. The pads, the jerseys, the fields, it all looked so real. The game had it's flaws, things like rocket-catches, and the incredibly dumb idea of "weapons." Which made an already amazing player, more amazing. For those of you unfamiliar with this term, what a "weapon" is, is an icon that is under a player whose skill attributes are higher than most, usually the lower 90's. This icon allows that player to make ridiculous plays, at anytime in the game, making it simple for a six year old to take Tom Brady and throw it deep to Randy Moss, every, single, play.
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| Brett the Jet... |
Madden 09 also saw the introduction of Online Leagues. Madden was taken to a whole different level with this. While it was rough and generally annoying to run, the idea would be applied in later Maddens, and it has since become one of the most played game modes. I painfully remember choking in two Super Bowls.
No. 3, Madden 2004
Madden 2004 featured fun gameplay, opposed to completely realistic gameplay. That is not always a good thing, but in this case, it fit the game just right. Players would fly around the field, quarterbacks rarely missed throws, it was almost like every player was good. Which of course is incredibly unrealistic, but at least it was balanced.
No revolutionary game modes came from Madden 2004, but it was just an awesome, solid, game that deserves a lot of recognition.
No. 2, Madden 2010
First and foremost to mention is the elimination of the weapon icons, and the return of fairness and fun the the game. Ok, maybe not the last bit.
Madden '10 featured a new Online Franchise mode that took the Online League's from Madden 09, and just made everything BETTER. Up to 32 users, fantasy drafts, rookie drafts, it was awesome. The only thing that brought it down were things that the game has no control over. Like flakey owners and slacking commissioners.
I genuinely enjoyed this game, and it's simple beauty.
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| Just. Why? |
I am particularly interested in how the Ultimate Team mode will be changed for Madden '11.
No. 1, Madden 06
Brilliant and simple. Madden 06 heads my list for these two words. No fancy changes to the graphics or play mechanics. Deep game modes, and a franchise mode that never got boring. I played through 13 seasons without simulating one game.
The gameplay was realistic and fun at the same time, while somehow remaining balanced. Mini-games were still a focus, as you were able to improve your players' attributes in the Franchise modes for the first time. The A.I. kept records of your accomplishments and statistics, which was perfect for people like me who like to see how much they dominate.
Madden 06 was released for the original Xbox, but when the Xbox 360 was released, EA Sports released a skeleton version of Madden 06 to the Xbox 360. I played it once, and I'm glad that is all I have to forget.
What really made this game special to me, was the memories I still have from it. From a perfect 236-0 record in the game, to the 13 point comeback in the final 0:55 seconds of my last game, the night before Madden 07 came out. To my first time playing on Xbox Live at Evan's house, and pulling off three consecutive, dirty, comebacks.
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| New to Franchise Mode, newspaper articles that give Brett Favre the ability to fly! |
Sunday, August 8, 2010
i've been playing the demo pretty much everyday. i might pick this up in a few weeks. the last madden i had was 08
Both EA and Activision can rot.
I usually don't buy sports games in back-to-back years, but now that I know Gus Johnson is doing commentary, I may reconsider. OOOOOOHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!! STOOOOOOKKKLEEEEYYYYYYYYY!!!!!!!! WOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!
Am I the only one not seeing the new run blocking? I never see a damn hole to hit on all pro.
Tokutatsu,
I have noticed the lessened hype around this year's Madden. I can't lay my finger on any particular reason, but that's just how it is.
And yes, I've heard great things about the NHL series, im just not a big hockey fan. FIFA is much better than Madden, too.
Do you really think the commentary will be colorful??? Come on man, this is madden.......
Online Franchise hasn't been improved? What the what? So there's still no salary cap? C'mon....
So basically...besides the online co-op and a feature that PICS PLAYS FOR YOU, the game is near identical to last year, and is in fact missing some features. (A.K.A halftime cutscenes and weekly show). Wow. And I'm supposed to shell over 60.00 for this garbage? A roster update and a dumbed down play-calling scheme? Cool, a few new cutscenes. Cool, a new announcer. Big deal. I bought NCAA for the first time in years because it actually LOOKED and PLAYED DIFFERENT, and because it had a slew of new stuff. Hello?!? Online Franchise!! NCAA did it, why not Madden? Jesus!
the blockings terrible.your line never is able to hold a block and the d line always surges through...and all the modes are IDENTICAL to madden 10..seriously.. even the menu is the same
@ DISGFIGUR3D
Amen to this!!! I know for a fact that I'm not the best rusher, or the best player in general, but so far every game I've played, about 6-8, Adai has gotten embarrased. I may have gotten two or three plays of more than three yards in those eight games.
I know the Jets D is pretty damn good but cmon. I rarely get to see those amazing blocks by my fullback cause someone marched through my Oline untouched and stuffed me.
I dunno...I'm not a Madden veteran. Maybe I just need a few seasons of concentrating on rushing. Problem is my team is Chicago. Can't wait to see how bad I perform with Forte.
I don't think Madden 11 is the game for me. They take out their halftime/weekly "show" after 1 year? They replace the old system for calling line shifts/coverage audibles with some stupid ass "strategy pad". They rework a kicking system that needed absolutely no work needed. EA claims they've added locomotion when I see literally no trace of it. There's no variety in cutscenes and animations.
I'm changing my mind. I'm not forking over 60 bucks for this game.
Why is it Madden games always look last gen?
Have any of the flamers who have been trashing EA (which they do deserve it, honestly) actually played the demo? it's actually a lot of fun and it's a much more solid Madden than the past 3 Maddens. It's not a bad game at all. And I'm sure the new GameFlow mode took a lot of work to add into the game. Yeah, EA has made some pretty ridiculous business moves over the years and the Maddens have pretty much stayed the same over the years, but this is the best one that's been released in 5 years hands down. Plus, it's based on a single sport, you really can't expect it to change all that much. If you want to play a realistic game of football, get off your couches and actually pick up a ball. Talk about lazy.
Can't wait for this game, or this season. Go Eagles!
The haters like to complain every year but the fact remains that most of the same people still buy the game. I like the demo and will be purchasing this year.
Harrington,
Dude, I understand completely. I was so blown away by NCAA that I decided to keep it instead of trading it in for Madden.
If Madden doesn't seem to be going the way I like it, say hello to trade in value for Halo: Reach!!