Madden 12 Review
The year after year Madden franchise would seemingly have to be very addictive. However, this year, the series seemed to have taken a turn for the worst. Madden 12 houses more problems and bugs than improvement and innovation. The game is one giant step backwards, when I expected them to be moving the opposite.
The problem with Madden 12 is that can’t seem to execute the plan originally mapped out. As last year, franchise mode is just as bad. EA Tiburon did make some changes, adding an all-new scouting system where you can build info on players through multiple regular season and off-season scouting stages. This better allows you to better prepare for draft day on whom you want and don’t want.
I loved the idea of it, but when it comes down to actually scouting the player, it is one jumbled and confusing mess. Finding info on players is a hassle, no matter how many times you scout them. Even basic info on how well they perform when running different drills is blocked out. What kind of NFL scouting staff doesn’t know how fast a wide-receiver can run a 40? For some, draft day will be déjà vu all over again, just you blindly recruiting players hoping they’re good.
Other areas of the franchise mode have seen adjustments as well, such as the free agency part. A new timer-based system has been implemented that sees you bidding on different players. Still, no special contract options are available which is something I was really hoping for this time around.
Another feature that has been upgraded, much to the fans request, is the roster size, which now holds a maximum of 75 players. The annoying part is that if you do not have a full team, the CPU will automatically sign free agents for you. Other dreams of maybe even having a practice squad have been squashed too.
Other areas that are in need of a fix are the GameFlow playcalling system. Somehow, EA Tiburon managed to make the simple feature in need of a simple update confusing and annoying to use. For instance, when I cycled through the different playstyles, the formations would be different the next time I cycled through. I couldn’t cycle through to pass, then back to run for that one play I had been antsy on before.
The Superstar mode has also received a few tweaks thanks to a new experience system that gives you points for different activities performed in a game. The entire experience though just doesn’t feel complete. Some of the things you are awarded for don’t make sense either like tackling points for a QB! The bottom line is that I just didn’t feel like a superstar…
The core gameplay of the game hasn’t seen much improvement either. A QB scrambling around the pocket is a hideous sight to see and screen passes are carried out like a rocket pass downfield. I know Rex Grossman isn’t that great, but I’m pretty sure he can through an accurate screen pass every now and then. He isn’t going to throw a bullet ten yards of the receiver in a game situation.
Other dilemmas that will occur over and over again are dropped gimme INTs, easy tackles being missed, many players seem to be oblivious to the ball, WRs won’t show he slightest act of aggression for the ball, and to top it off, blocking a punt or field goal seems to be all but extinct in the game. I’ve yet to see one. Probably the dumbest thing I’ve seen in the game is a linebacker jumping ten feet into the air to knock down a pass. Really?
Perhaps the biggest mishap of the entire game was its presentation. Many of the pre game shows are cool, but many of them are missing untouched features. When players are individually called out of the tunnel, they’re addressed by position rather than name. I thought that to be outright dumb and laziness of the developer’s part.
Also, in past Madden games, commentary was always one if the game’s strong suits. The commentary was simply a huge boost to the overall experience. In Madden 12, it is one of the obvious weak links. About 7 lines were recorded for the game and they’re all repeated dozens of times throughout a single game. 90% of what the commentators say is utterly pointless.
The one innovation I did like was the new player hot/cold streaks. The feature dynamically effects how a player performs based on how well he is doing. If a RB fumbles, his skill level for the time being will drop. However, if he consistently rushes for six or so yards, his skill level will rise, thus improving performance. I like how player roles will also change in Franchise mode from year to year, giving a player a career progression arc!
The online component of Madden has been tweaked as well. Online communities are now available to help deal with players abruptly quitting from games or doing something completely unorthodox like going for it on 4th and 15. Other neat components like the online franchise are pretty neat as well. You and up to 31 other friends can join a league and play through one of the 32 teams schedule’s, but against another person rather than the CPU.
Closing Comments
In the past, the next Madden always brought either loads of old fixes, or heaps of new content. However, this year, Madden 12 brought neither. The presentation was dull, it is littered with gameplay malfunctions, and the Franchise mode is once again left in the dust. I can’t remember a Madden game in a worst state!
