We have been focusing a lot of attention on some of the primary gameplay and AI interactions in Madden 13 over the last 24 hours. Now it is time for a couple quick reasons for you to look at Madden from the stand point of it simply being a great experience.
Don’t Skip The Intro Video
The first thing you usually do in a sports game is skip the introduction. Usually it is some sort of random highlight collection from the sport you are waiting to play digitally. You won’t want to skip over the one in Madden 13 when you first boot it up and maybe not ever. It is that good and with that said, here it is for your enjoyment.
Connected Careers Storylines Don’t Just Involve Current NFL Players
As I started into the regular season with my Browns Coaching Connected Career I decided right away that Brandon Weeden wouldn’t be the starter for the long term and set my sights on the #1 Prospect out of Weeden’s alma mater – Oklahoma State’s Stephen Diaz. I was excited about the prospect of going after what some were calling the next Andrew Luck, but then something happened when I advanced to Week 4. There was a headline that said “Violation Issues” and I was thinking that I had misread the headline. I hadn’t misread anything and now all of a sudden Diaz was no longer on scouting list and I was left wondering what the hell I could do to get the scouting points back that I had spent on him.
It was a great feeling from the perspective of having a real living league… for the first time ever you will really have some stories to pay attention to in Madden and trust me, you will want to make sure you diversify your scouting points to multiple players. Just in case someone has an issue with violations.
It plays like Madden. Don’t come into Madden 13 and expect the new infinity engine to blow your mind with some sort of interaction that would make you mistake it for real-life. It won’t do that – yet, but it is on the right path.
GAMEPLAY
Madden 13 feels a lot like Madden 12 in regards to overall player movement and feel. You will notice a bit more momentum for players as you try to change directions in Madden 13, but it isn’t enough to make anyone notice. EA has always had to keep the crisp controls in Madden for people that want immediate player movement rather than some sort of true momentum (like 2K football) – again, Madden 13 still feels like Madden from the ‘controlling players’ perspective.
The infinity engine is obviously in a very early stage in its retail life as Madden 13 is the first game it has come out for. There are still some weird looking rag-doll effects that happen on occasion and it often seems like players don’t really have arms as they just collide into eachother for an apparent tackle. This is something that I expected with the new physics engine this year and I will let some of it slide, but there needs to be a bit of clean-up in the upcoming patch.
In terms of in-game injuries you will most likely want to turn the injury slider up to around 60 as it gives you just enough to make it realistic and keep you on your toes (I lost Brandon Weeden to a dislocated knee in Week 1 but also managed to smack DeSean Jackson and break his ribs for a nice 2 Week absense). You will notice that many of these injuries don’t really follow the physics, so keep in mind that many of them are random.
It is still relatively easy to stop the CPU running game as they just seem over-matched at the line and a little too easy to bring down if they do get past the line of scrimmage. The CPU passing game is better than Madden 12 but it could use some help from an AI logic perspective as the CPU still throws short passes when it needs 8+ yards, etc.
Penalties are still a crapshoot. It seems that EA doesn’t really know how to implement them in the game without them either being too touchy or non-existent. Roughing the Passer (when turned up to 65) will give you some of the worst Roughing the Passer flags ever. Outside of that you will also rarely see pass interference, offsides or false starts.
CONNECTED CAREERS (COACH MODE)
Coach Mode feels a lot like NFL Head Coach. If you never played Head Coach you should simply think of it as a much deeper Franchise Mode that gives you a more personal feel for the game. Some of the trade logic is still a little wonky as I was able to Trade Colt McCoy and a 4th Rd Pick to the Raiders for Terrelle Pryor. Whether that was an even trade or not I don’t know but it felt suspect when they accepted it.
Another nice touch is putting players on the Trade Block. You will see offers on the front page of your tasks and get to weigh the options you have as far as trades go. When it comes down to logic with the CPU there aren’t nearly as many strange cuts during the pre-season and you will see some surprises by the time you get halfway through the pre-season as far as who gets cut from CPU teams.
Scouting for the draft is a much more intricate experience as you will really need to develop a knowledge of the players rather than picking them randomly throughout the year. You have a certain amount of points and depending on what type of information you want on the designated player it could cost you a bit of points. This is by far one of the more interesting and fun aspects of Madden’s Connected Careers (Coach Mode).
THE EARLY VERDICT
This is probably the biggest jump Madden has made in the past seven years. The Infinity Engine is nice enough, but where this game really gets its mojo is in Connected Careers and the depth that hasn’t been in a Madden game – maybe ever.
This game falls just short of a ‘must buy’ at this moment but if the correct fixes are put in for a patch it will be a serious contender for best sports game of the year.
By The Numbers
Gameplay – 7.5/10 – There is still a lot to be desired from the infinity engine as you will see in some of our videos. The game still plays much like its predecessors in almost every regard, but it is still lacking in player interactions. This is something that must be addressed in Madden 14. On top of direct gameplay and controller interaction – it is vital that penalties get overhauled as well.
CCM (Coach) – 9/10 – Almost everything you could want in this mode. The only thing that is really missing?… player morale. While players will refuse to sign a contract with your team there still isn’t a decent interaction going on between the players and coaches. You will however be pleased with the depth in this mode as it truly opens up player development with the XP System and then the new draft interface… it is safe to say that you will be happy if you love Franchise Mode and decide to buy Madden 13.
OVERALL – 8.5/10
There are still many facets of this game that we need to look at more in-depth, but it is a safe bet that if you need a football fix this year and you love the NFL – get this game. It is hands down, the best Madden ever, but that doesn’t mean we don’t expect more. I could easily see this game finishing close to 9/10 if it proves to be a somewhat enjoyable experience online.
Keep checking back with NoobTubeTV for more updates on Madden 13!
RPGs are typically the types of games and genres that will earn you a swirlie in the school bathroom from your typical jock/bully swine. Now it seems that they will finally have a chance to see what they have been missing. As well, it might be time for some of my fellow nerds to step out of their realms of wizardry and into the arena that we sports nuts also call – The Gridiron.
Madden 13’s Connected Careers Mode is something we have been featuring on NoobTubeTV quite a bit over the past few months. While this is no doubt because it is one of the biggest parts of the game – it is also one of the biggest changes to how gamers will be approaching career modes in sports games. While some games have done a great job (see MLB: The Show) with bringing gamers into a more centralized experience of actually ‘being’ a player in the game, football has been missing out for years – until now.
An example of how they are implementing story and background into this mode can be found in the Connected Careers Manual from EA (Although, they could use a lot of help on the editing front) – We will use the Cleveland Browns as an example.
Cleveland Browns Scheme: West Coast / Base 4-3
Salary Cap Room: $9.62M
Strengths: HB, LT, DT, MLB
Weaknesses: QB, WR, LG, RT, FS
Playing as a Coach
The Cleveland Browns are a tough franchise to play with in Connected Careers. The roster is in need of improvements in multiple areas and they play in arguably the toughest division in football. The Browns are hoping they got on the right track with the drafting of Trent Richardson and Brandon Weeden and addressing an offense that did not strike fear in its opponents. The defense will be the key in determining how well your season turns out. The Browns have a young defense that is only going to get better. MLB D’Qwell Jackson is the leader and Joe Haden and T.J. Ward provide playmakers in the secondary. Prepare to go out each Sunday knowing you need to bring your A game.
Playing as a Player
Pat Shurmur is searching for a West Coast QB and that’s exactly what you can do to step right in and start from day 1. Trent Richardson will be tough to overtake in the backfield, but a Red Zone Threat WR should see significant playing time, if not the number 1 spot on the depth chart. The same could be said with a Receiver TE. Your best chance of starting right away on defense will be as a Run Supporting FS or SS. Get on the field and help turn this franchise around!
A New Hope?
It seems like we finally have a reason to hope for Madden NFLs career modes to take off and maybe even bring in a new audience. Get your twenty-sided dice ready all you nerdy football fans! It is time to build XP and level up into one of the most fearsome players or respected coaches in the NFL!
It is important to understand the scheme in which your team runs and what player type they look for at a specific position. Since each NFL team evaluates players differently, it’ll be essential to know what peaks their interest and in turn, value you even higher. For example, if you’re a receiving back looking to crack into the Arizona Cardinals starting lineup, you may find yourself buried on the depth chart. The Cardinals are a Power Run offense, looking for a Power HB. Your overall rating will be lower in that system than it will be in Miami, who is looking for a Receiving HB.
Player Types Explained (By Position)
Quarterbacks Strong Arm QB: Elite Arm Strength West Coast QB: Short Accuracy and Mobility Field General QB: High Awareness, Throw on the Run, Play Action Balanced QB: Decent Arm Strength, Speed and Acceleration Pocket Passer QB: High Accuracy and Arm Strength Halfbacks Balanced HB: Decent Speed and Acceleration Power Back HB: Strength and Trucking Speed Back HB: Speed and Acceleration Receiving Back HB: Elusiveness and Catching One Cut HB: Acceleration and Ball Carrier Vision Fullbacks Runner Receiver FB: Catching, Speed, and Ball Carrier Vision Blocking FB: Strength, Run and Impact Blocking Balanced FB: Decent Speed, Agility, and Run Blocking
Wide Receivers Possession WR: Catch in Traffic Red Zone Threat: Spectacular Catch and Catch in Traffic Route Runner: Agility and Route Running Balanced WR: Decent Speed Acceleration and Agility Speed WR: Speed and Acceleration Tight Ends Balanced TE: Decent Speed Acceleration and Agility Blocking TE: Impact, Run and Pass Blocking Vertical Threat: Speed, Agility, and Route Running Receiver TE: Catching and Route Running Offensive Linemen Run Blocker OL: Run Blocking, Strength, and Acceleration Big Mauler OL: Run Blocking, Strength, and Impact Blocking Zone Blocking OL: Run Blocking, Agility, and Acceleration Balanced: Decent Strength, Awareness, Pass and Run Blocking Pass Blocker: Pass Blocking, Strength, and Awareness
Defensive Ends Balanced 4-3 DE: Decent Speed, Power and Finesse Moves 4-3 Run Stopper: Strength, Block Shedding and Tackling 3-4 Run Stopper: Strength, Pursuit and Tackling 3-4 Versatile: Decent Physical and Intangible Ratings Speed Rusher: Speed Acceleration and Pass Rushing Defensive Tackles Pass Rusher DT: Acceleration and Pass Rushing Prototype DT: Agility, Strength, and Acceleration Nose Tackle DT: Strength and Tackling Run Stopper: Strength, Block Shedding, and Tackling Balanced DT: Decent Physical and Intangible Ratings Line Backers Cover 2 LB: Zone Coverage Decent Speed and Agility Run Stopper LB: Block Shedding Pursuit and Tackling 3-4 Pass Rusher LB: Acceleration and Pass Rushing Prototype LB: Speed Agility, and Acceleration Balanced LB: Decent Speed, Acceleration, and Agility
Corner Backs Man to Man CB: Man Coverage, Speed, Acceleration, and Agility Run Support: Press Coverage, Tackling, Decent Speed and Agility Balanced CB: Decent Speed, Agility, Man and Zone Coverage Prototype CB: Speed, Strength, and Acceleration Zone CB: Zone Coverage and Play Recognition Safeties Zone Safety: Zone Coverage and Play Recognition Playmaker: Pursuit, Play Recognition, and Awareness Balanced Safety: Speed, Agility, Coverage and Tackling Prototype Safety: Speed, Agility, and Acceleration Run Support Safety: Block Shedding Pursuit and Tackling Kickers Clutch Kicker: Kicking Accuracy and Awareness Accurate: Kicking Accuracy Balanced: Decent Kicking Power and Accuracy Power: Kicking Power
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Schemes
OFFENSE
Balanced Offense
A 50/50 mix of running and passing. Offense is build around having players who can do multiple things well. (Balanced Players for a Balanced Offense…makes sense)
Power Run
Offense is built upon running the ball right at the defense. The scheme values a Power HB and offensive linemen who excel at run blocking.
Spread
Offense is built on having a deep WR core and players who excel at making plays in space. Speed and acceleration is much needed in this scheme.
Vertical Offense
Offense is built around a Strong Arm QB who can get the ball down the field. There is a premium placed on players who are tall and can jump up to make plays on the football.
West Coast
Offense is built on a quick, short passing game to complement the run game. Getting a West Coast QB who excels at accuracy and throwing on the run is vital.
Zone Run
Offense is built on running the ball and attacking the edge of a defense. Getting smaller, athletic offensive linemen is key as well as having multiple, One Cut HB’s.
DEFENSE
Attacking 4-3
Defense is built around four down linemen and linebackers and
defensive backs who can blitz to pressure the opposing offense.
Base 4-3
Defense is built around getting pressure from the four down
linemen and having linebackers and safeties that excel in
coverage.
Attacking 3-4
Defense is built around three down linemen and having two
outside linebackers who can rush the quarterback. The secondary
must excel at coverage.
Base 3-4
Defense is built around three down linemen, especially the nose
tackle. The rest of the defense must be versatile enough to cover
as well as making the occasional blitz.
Hybrid Multiple Front
Defense is built around giving the offense multiple looks. This
includes both three and four down linemen alignments so having
versatile players is key.
Tampa 2
Defense is built around getting a good pass rush from the front
four linemen and having linebackers and secondary players who
excel at zone coverage.
Zone Blitz 3-4
Defense is built around three down linemen and two outside linebackers
that can rush the quarterback. Both middle linebackers
and secondary players must excel at zone coverage.
You can choose to startup a Connected Career as a player or coach. In both cases, you then select whether or not you want to take over a current NFL player or coach, create a player, create yourself using EA SPORTS Game Face, or as a NFL Legend.
Coach Backstories
When creating a player or coach in Connected Careers, you’ll also select a backstory in order to distinguish them. This backstory will affect your character during your career so it’s important to understand what each one does.
Create your ‘GameFace’ for Madden on EASports.com… This is how they see me digitally… Looking at becoming an undrafted QB for the Browns. Looks like they will be as good as they already are at this point!
Motivator
You’ll be cut from the same cloth as John Madden and Vince Lombardi. Your players will lay it all on the line for you and you’ll attract free agents as well. Being a motivator will also give you a 25% discount on packages that increase a free agent’s interest in signing with your team as well as 25% off packages to decrease the odds of a player retiring.
Strategist
You’re one of the smartest men in football when it comes to the X’s and O’s, perhaps the next Bill Walsh. Being a strategist will give you a 25% discount on XP boost packages, the Coach XP package, discount packages which reduces the XP cost for your players, and the Predictability Package.
Team Builder
Being the head coach is only one of the hats you wear. Scouting and roster management are also key components of your abilities. Being a team builder will give you a 25% discount in packages that increase the interest of a player re-signing with you, the Expert Scout Package, and Trade Influence Package.
Coach Progression
Each coach in Madden NFL 13 will have a Coach Level. It begins at Level 1 and will go up to Level 4. If you create a coach, you’ll enter the league as a Level 1. This will give you easier team goals, but you’ll be paying full price for packages. As you begin to have success, you’ll begin to level up. A Level 4 coach will have extremely high team goals but will be able to purchase packages at a discounted price.
Player Backstories
High Draft Pick (We don’t know if you will get bonus points for naming your player ‘Ricky Williams’)
You’re essentially a first round draft pick. You’ll come in with the highest ratings but will also have lofty goals that will be tougher to meet. Choosing this backstory gives you the quickest way to crack the starting lineup and contribute right away.
Low Draft
You’ve been drafted near the end of the draft. You’ll have mediocre ratings and will have to really excel in practice and in the preseason just to earn a few snaps in your first year. However, your
goals will not be set quite as high. Choosing this backstory makes it less likely to see significant playing time in year one, but has the chance to develop later on
Undrafted
You’ve been completely ignored and were not selected in the draft. Your ratings will be much lower than the other backstories and you’ll have to scratch and claw for every piece of XP you can get. Choosing the backstory will provide the toughest grind and you can expect to not see much playing time in the first season.
20 years ago I was a nine year-old sports fanatic. I was lucky enough to get a Sega Genesis for Christmas in 1992. After playing many great games like Sonic the Hedgehog 2 I was still hoping to have a chance to play a sports game. Eventually, my mom and dad came home with a copy of John Madden Football ’93. It was a gift for my 10th birthday and I cherished it. I had played the same game while visiting my cousins in Georgia on a trip to the Citrus Bowl where I saw Garrison Hearst run over my beloved Buckeyes in Orlando. It had hooked me from the first snap.
After years of asking for Tecmo Bowl for Christmas I had found a game of ‘real’ football. You had to run ‘up’ the screen and call all sorts of different plays. There was a manual that seemed to be 1000 pages long with player ratings and explanations of how to play every facet of the game. I digress, my play-style was far from what many in the hardcore community would call ‘sim’… but dammit, I had a blast! I could circle the field 3 times with Thurman Thomas before either getting tackled or scoring a touchdown. So yes, before we get into the nitty gritty of this reflection – there are some incredibly arcade-like things about JMF93.
During my most recent visit with my parents we started going through some of the things I had packed away in the garage after getting married seven years ago (August 27). In the process, I uncovered a bunch of old memorabilia and video games – including my Sega Collection with JMF93. As I opened it up after years of storage and checked out the manual and case I was floored with how advanced this game was back in 1992 and perhaps more-so… how unimpressive the title has been in its growth during this generation of consoles. That is where we will pick up the remainder of this article.
Why John Madden Football ’93 Is Better Than This Generation of Madden
Back Cover Game Features
Anytime you get a new game, the first thing you do is look at the back cover. In this case, it is no different. Upon finding JMF93 I took a look at some of the features in this game… and I was impressed.
Back Cover Features – How A Game Puffs Its Chest
“Buffalo’s No Huddle offense makes Washington scramble in the snow.”After seeing this quote, I started to think about some of the things the Madden development team has been championing over the last couple of years. Teams playing like their real life counterparts and other such pursuits that sound great to anyone looking to have a great experience against their teams rival or the like. Yet, how does this get so much coverage when almost 20 years ago – it was already in the game. Granted, this is a small version of what we have now but the fact is that this is nothing new and even what we have tends to be broken from a logic perspective.
“Which four-time champion will dominate?”The next part of our back cover reveal is focusing on something similar to what we have this year – All Time Players and Teams. This is one of those interesting things we commented in July when relating the inclusion of ‘Legendary Players’ for Madden 13 to All Pro Football 2K8. In fact, if you want to go back 20 years, you will see that there are “8 Greatest-Ever Teams”that include teams such as the ’85 Bears, ’78 Steelers, ’84 49ers and more. It tends to make us scratch our heads and wonder how original some of these ideas are or consider the notion that they have a tendency to recycle some of these old features as the games find new audiences. It is a fine idea, but it seems somewhat off-base to call the inclusion of legendary teams or players anything but an expected inclusion at this point – rather than a ‘new feature’.
“Head butts, Clothesline Tackles and Shoestring catches”You would think that some of the animations from old games would make their way into future games with ease. Well, clothesline tackles haven’t been included in Madden in almost a decade. Head butts have gone the way of the Dodo with the NFL becoming more of a police-force trying to censor away the natural violence of their televised sport so Madden can stay rated-E… for the children.
Did You Know You Could Challenge Rulings In John Madden Football ’93?
There are a lot of things that Madden has that don’t really work well when it comes to actual in-game performance. One of the things that people complain about almost every year is challenging calls on the field. In JMF93 you could actually overturn penalties (see the picture to the right). While this was limited to Head-to-Head games, it is still something to look back and snicker about because it probably worked better than the current system ‘works’.
Player Ratings Were Better 20 Years Ago, Kind of.
Another thing I noticed when browsing through the 79 PAGE manual was the listing of player ratings. When you take a look at some of the ratings you might laugh, but most of the ratings when taken into further consideration come across as pretty fair and downright decent. If you take a look at the pages we scanned you will see two teams with drastically different talent levels – Cleveland and Dallas.
Ratings have become some of the more contentious sticking points in Madden over the past 12+ years. If you take a closer look at the ratings in JMF93 you will notice a few things.
– They are simplistic
– They are smaller (on a scale of 0-15 rather than 0-99)
– They are brutally honest
– They are somewhat wonky
For instance, Cleveland’s starting QB (Bernie Kosar) was given a Passing Range rating of 11 and a Passing Accuracy rating of 12. He was a very slow QB when it came to running and scrambling and he was given a Speed Rating of only 4. The interesting rating that is included is a Scrambling Rating… Kosar also had a 4. His back-up on the other hand was given some rather strange ratings. He was given a Passing Range rating of 0… yes… ZERO and then a Pass Accuracy rating of only 4 with SPD and Scrambling of 3.
If you look at the other page you will see one of the greatest running backs of all time has almost top ratings in every meaningful category. Emmitt Smith was given 15s in Speed, Agility and Break Tackle with a 4 in Hands or ‘Catching’. If you take a look at the ratings given to the running backs for the Browns you would think that their players were taken out of a tar pit with Speed Ratings of 7 and 8. Kevin Mack (#34) was actually a FB and had a 12 SPD rating. So, it wasn’t a complete loss for the Browns.
This Article Isn’t Meant To Trash On Madden Football
Before any Madden fanboys (see our earlier post if you don’t know what that means) read this article, please take into account that we are giving honest opinions based on evidence from actual games. Also, it should be considered that we do realize that Madden 93 is clearly graphically inferior and definitely has issues with player movement when compared to current Madden games. Again, this article isn’t stating that people will enjoy Madden 93 more than Madden 10, 11, 12 or even 13, but it does put current Madden games ‘on the spot’ when it comes to pursuing greatness and innovation.
We want Madden to be great. We want it to be able to make us turn off a game on Sunday because our digital experience on a console is more enjoyable. We want to see pass interference and hard hits across the middle. We want to see head butts, shoe string catches and even an ambulance come onto the field as Colt McCoy asks where he is. We want better football on our consoles and hope that this can invigorate people to be more critical while still being professional. You are allowed to be upset, but please remember that this is all in an effort to make people think about the past so we can improve the future. Even if it means looking into the past and wondering what the hell is going on with current game development.
It has been just over a month sense E3 and there are still people waiting to hear more details about Franchise Mode/Connected Careers in Madden 13. There are a few things we can deduce from details that have either been given to the community straight up or through videos that leave you to draw some conclusions. Not to mention the fact that some of the good people that were invited to Community Day at EA Tiburon have given a lot of great feedback.
This is one of the biggest changes for Madden in years. The issue we are facing is that the details have become rather muddled.
Here is a list of answers and a few thoughts (after the facts) so you can have your questions answered.
Is Franchise Mode dead?
In name, yes. In practice, no. Franchise Mode still exists and it will be under the selection of being a ‘Coach’ – you will still have the same control over your team, etc. Also, you will have the ability to get fired as a coach. Everything you have been able to do in Franchise Mode in the past – you can still do in Madden 13.
What about Superstar Mode?
Superstar Mode is still around. You will ‘Be A Player’ and in the process you will only control yourself. You will get to choose plays as a QB, etc.
Legends, what’s the deal?
Legends (Coaches and Players like John Madden and Barry Sanders) are not coming into Connected Careers as 99 OVR versions of themselves. Their presence in Connected Careers is also up to you as the main user to turn them on or off (off is default as of E3).
How does XP work for Connected Careers?
XP is a two tier process –
1– You have to earn it through performance and milestones. However, you won’t be able to earn more XP if you cheat or run up the score on the CPU. (IE – If your goal is a 300 yard passing game in week three for 1000 XP and you pass for 900 yards, you still only get 1000 XP)
2– Leveling up costs increase as your ratings get higher. You will earn XP as you accomplish certain goals, but as you try to make your player either faster, stronger or simply better all-around you will see ratings cost more as you go. (IE – The cost to go from 85 to 86 SPD as a QB could cost you 6000 XP, but the cost to go from 86 to 87 SPD could cost you 7000 XP, etc.)
Do Coaches Matter?
Not really. Coaches simply get put into one of four levels. You can grow your created coach into a ‘Level 4’ but it really doesn’t mean anything. (Unfortunate)
Do player ratings change depending on a team’s scheme?
Yes, there are finally ratings that dynamically change to reflect the player’s overall value to your team or coach and what type of offense or defense you run. A 6’3″ 349 lb DE won’t be valued highly by a 4-3 Defensive Team, etc. This doesn’t mean his ability ratings ‘change’ but his displayed OVR and value to your team will be.
Can I make existing players retire if I control them?
No, you technically ‘stop’ using them. However, if you have a created player and retire they will be removed from the game.
Can I still control all 32 teams?
No, you can only control one team or player at a time.
Is Connected Careers Online or Offline?
It is both. If you hate playing against people online you don’t have to worry about it.
Can more than one person play a Connected Career on the same console?
No.
Can Commissioners kick people out of the league?
Yes
Is there online Auto-Pilot?
Yes.
Can Online Connected Careers have different roles?
Depending on your settings, you can make it so everyone has to be a QB, Coach RB, etc. It is totally up to the commissioner.
Can I play on the same team as a friend in Online CC?
No.
More to come! Stay tuned to NoobTubeTV as Madden gets closer.
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A few quick thoughts…
Madden 13 is really depending on Connected Careers being a high quality experience. There are a few things that it seems EA still needs to figure out for coaches especially.
In NFL Head Coach you would be able to say one of a few different things to your players at key moments. This added immersion and actually made coaches important. As well, the idea of a player fitting into a team’s scheme… it should be a coach’s scheme, nota team’s scheme. The Browns have switched coaches so many times in the last decade that the players change as often because they don’t fit what the coach wants to do and how his staff prefers to approach the game.
Making people earn XP to increase abilities is a great attempt to make the game a bit more involved and honest. By removing the ‘Potential’ rating you are now pretty much in charge of proving that a player is as good as you think and they will have to earn every bit of that OVR Rating you think they deserve. The nice part is that it is all on you to do this.
The overall closed nature of Connected Careers is a good thing for this year, but next year it needs to be opened up. There is a danger in allowing people to mess with time paradoxes, true simulation and that little thing called the game’s actual coding. This is something that can be improved upon with a more open approach in the future. Let the beta testers gamers mess with all sorts of things so EA can figure out the issues and fix them rather than avoid them because they are scared of problems with freezing and system crashes, etc.
All things said, Connected Careers is starting to look like a great mode for Madden fans that want to have a nice experience in growing a team or a player as they see fit. Even with some limitations that make you scratch your head.
Scheme: West Coast / Base 4-3
NoobTubeTV 