My Madden 08 for the 360 impressions:
Pros:
- The entire speed of the game is definitely faster than any other Madden game to date. It apparent that it's even faster than NCAA 08. This makes the learning curve a bit steeper than usual, because not only do you have to be quicker in reaction time, but you have to relearn your timings. This is a good thing, I love the increased speed.
- 60fps on the 360 is just a good as NCAA 08 was, and it helps the game tremendously. The animations are smooth as can be.
- The new "branching" animations look as good as they do on NCAA 08, and are more fluid than year's past. Gang tackles are here in full force, and personally I think they look a bit better than on NCAA 08. I actually saw a guy kinda, sorta stood up at the line, but instead of the play being blown dead, a couple more defensive guys joined in and took down the ball carrier.
- The new "weapons" system they have in place is actually kind of helpful in indentifying the players you need to look out for. These icons are typically visible during pre-play, and disappear after the hike, but they can be fully customized to be turned on or off in a variety of situations.
- I love the new defensive feature to pay special attention to a receiver. If a particular receiver keeps burning you, you can single them out to to get more attention in zone formations. It helps to cover that #1 receiver on a team, but might you leave other receivers open more in one-on-one coverage. Definitely adds a nice element to the strategy on defense.
- I haven't played much to really get a feel for the gameplay over all, but the defensive side of the ball seems improved. DB's AI seems most improved.
Cons:
- Once again this year, there is no TV-style commentary, only the stupid radio announcer.
- Blocking seems to be horrid...on the o-line, on screens, on ANY run play, on punt returns....you name it. I'm pleased with the blocking in NCAA, but in Madden, it's almost non-existant. You have to rely on jukes and spins much more because it seems like you can never get good enough blocking just to turbo past.
- I cannot seem to fool the computer on offense....they line up according to whatever play I call. If I'm looking for a deep ball, they spread out and put only 3 guys on the line, if I'm running it, they throw guys to the side I'm running, and I can never get out of the backfield. I've tried audibling, calling hot routes, switching running sides, I can't seem to get anything to work. And this is against the weaker defensive teams in the league.
- I haven't seen hardly any TD celebrations. Most all the time, they just stand there and look around, which really detracts me from the game. I just played a game in which there were 7 touchdowns, and on 6 of them, the player either stopped at the goal line (in a * and goal situation from the 2) or just stood up, tossed the ball away, and walked towards the bench. In one instance, the other team did catch a TD pass in the back of the endzone, after which the player kept his momentum running off the backend of the field while pumping his fist. Usually not a problem, right? Well, he just kept running, and disappeared into the stands....clipped right through the side while the camera kept trying to follow him.
- While simming a season, I found that there is really nothing special for the Super Bowl.....again. Why EA can't do something about this is beyond me. They have a freaking year and dozens of guys....why can't they add some damn presentation to this game? The Super Bowl stadium is decked out in Super Bowl attire, but they treat intros just like it was a regular home and away game. The "away" team gets a quick intro, with no crowd into it. The "home" team gets the big helmet, fireworks, and the crowd goes nuts for them. All this on a neutral field.
- On default sliders, there seem to be too many interceptions. My first game had 5, my second had 5, and my third had 6....all these were typically split evenly. Only two of the many were returned for a TD, though.
- The CPU absolutely refuses to run out of the endzone on a kickoff. If it's anywhere behind 1-2 yards deep, they won't take it out. Add that to the ball easily going to the back of the endzone every time, and you either have to deal with it, or kick it softer to force a more realistic kick return game.
- There are no referees. I absolutely hate this. Also, when a flag is thrown, you have no idea it was thrown until a few seconds later when you finally figure out it's not letting you skip post-play player cam shots.
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I'll add more as I think of any.