NCAA Football – Page 2

Madden 13 – Why Connected Careers Could Be A Great Direction For Madden

While there have been a lot of detractors (yours truly included) coming out against EA’s decision to keep roster editing out of Madden 13’s Connected Careers Mode, there are some things to consider before you decide to hate it entirely.

There is something behind not having control of every aspect of rosters once you start a franchise mode or dynasty. The biggest (most obvious) downfall is if the coding for progression and regression is bad (see Madden 09, 10, 11, etc.). However, if the coding and player development is good (see the possibilities for Madden 13’s new XP system) you might have one heck of a deep career mode that will allow you to truly develop players and teams as you feel they should.

Dawson Edited — If you edit Phil Dawson to have 99 Kick Power and Accuracy you should have to pay for it. In Madden 13 you have to earn it rather than change it.

In Madden 12, they opened up player editing during Franchise Mode and it was/is awesome. However, the downfall is that you have to really find a way to be honest about your edits and then make sure that you do the same thing for other players and teams across the board. If your player did well but didn’t progress as you feel he should have, you had the ability to make sure his ratings went up as they’should have’. The problem with this is that it can ruin the longevity of a Franchise Mode when you have a team that becomes too good either because you edited them that way or you are just great at using the fastest players in the game.

It is nice to develop a great team, but it is even nicer when you have to spend points and be honest with how you go about it. If you want to make Brandon Weeden have 99 SPD, you will have to spend a ton of points to do so. While this seems unrealistic, ask yourself how much more realistic it would be if you simply went in and edited him to be that way. It wouldn’t be realistic at all and you are now stuck looking at Madden 13’s lack of player editing from a more honest perspective.

The main problem with Madden’s Franchise Mode in-particular has never really been in progression/regression anyway. The issue that is the most obvious is the way players and draft picks are valued. A player might come in and do an amazing job out of the blue (Matt Cassel for Tom Brady in 2009 is one example). He then went on to get a big contract offer from the Chiefs where he has been average/above average at best. The moral of the story is that Madden hasn’t ever really taken this into account. The player’s value has always been based around his ratings (OVR mostly) and that isn’t how business is always done in the NFL (unless your name is Al Davis (RIP)).

For Connected Careers to work as it should, there needs to be a better value system for players that forces teams to have to make decisions on whether or not the player will work in their Franchise and system.

This is the next aspect that has never been in Madden…. Do players FIT THE SYSTEM?

TooFatForTheTeam — Stop wondering why the Browns seem so slow, even on the line. Granted, they are supposed to fit the system… although, they don’t seem to know what system it is. (Go Browns!)

More goes into how a player is chosen for a team other than ‘Is he qualified?’

The Patriots and Bill Belichick drafted a player out of Ohio State that played more rugby than football. They also picked up Danny Woodhead and made him into a valuable part of their team (and he is only 5’8″ 195lbs).

There are other examples such as different defensive schemes such as the 3-4 and 4-3 that require different styles, sizes and speeds for defensive linemen and linebackers. There are certain offensive schemes that don’t require a receiver to be fast as long as he can run good routes and catch the ball (West Coast).

Do you think someone like Tim Tebow would succeed outside of Denver if he had to take every snap from the center rather than playing college-style?

If you run a 3-4 offense and need fast, athletic linebackers the last person you want to look for is going to be an average speed 6’5″ 270 lbs… you will most likely want to look for a fast and lean 6’3″ 240 lb mean S.O.B. that doesn’t care about anything other than ripping faces off of QBs.

Every position is important, but in Madden that doesn’t seem to be the case. Again, say what you want about real-time physics and other improvements. Those are needed and extremely valuable, but when it comes down to longevity for their most vaunted mode and biggest overhaul in years EA needs to make sure that more than just ratings truly matter.

If you aren’t football savvy here is a quick example:

Two people are applying for a car sales job.

The first person is fresh out of college with a degree in marketing and experience working a retail sales job part-time. They have a good, confident attitude to eventually work at the corporate level and maybe someday head up a department or possibly their own company.

The second person graduated from high school and then spent two years at a community college. They have a strong personality and make you feel like you have known them forever. They are also from the region and have strong ties to the area.

Who gets the job? The second person gets the job. Why? Because they fit the system.

E3 Recap – Games To Keep An Eye On and Games To Give The Stink Eye

It was a great week for game fans of all ages last week, but that doesn’t mean that some announcements didn’t disappoint us.

There are some games that have great demos out there right now and there are also some games that shouldn’t have demos (because they are that terrible).

Keep and Eye On:

Spec Ops: The Line (Respawn Entertainment/2K) – This game plays smoothly and feels like a modern military version of Gears of War (executions and all). In playing the demo there is something left to be desired from gameplay that seems slightly uninspired. There isn’t a lot of holding your breath in worry that an army of baddies is coming to put you down. However, the multiplayer gameplay looks like it could prove to be enjoyable, if not at least something different from Call of Duty’s first person syndication every year.

Madden 13 (EA Sports) – Finally, Madden has come out of the E3 gates with something to talk about other than their yearly subjective roster update. Real-time physics, connected careers and a new XP system of progressing your players in career modes is a breath of fresh air that every football gaming fan will appreciate. There are some tuning issues they are still working on for much of connected careers (which is to be expected); but hopefully they can use the next month or so before the game goes ‘gold’ to fix these things. Don’t expect perfection off the bat, but you should expect some new joy in how Madden actually plays this year.

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance (Konami) – Finally, something playable was present at E3 and did it ever live up to the hopes and dreams of Metal Gear fans! Raiden was a character that upset many of the Metal Gear ‘purists’ (elitists…myself included) but when Kojima decided to make Raiden into an awesome Cyborg Ninja from Hell in Metal Gear Solid 4?… I was convinced that Raiden was cool enough to be a desireable character. At this point, MGSRR is looking more and more like Ninja Gaiden put into the shoes of Metal Gear and it looks amazing.

Hitman: Absolution (Square Enix) – One of the favorites to make people gush over the wonders of Agent 47’s ability to silently make enemies hunker down in fear. This is proving to be a game that you should be very excited about. The gameplay is solid and the story of Agent 47 is usually an intriguing one. Let’s face it, Hitman is a game that really has its set of fanatics and then the rest of the gamers that want to get their fill of digital violence. The beauty of Absolution is that it seems to have a better feel and look than Blood Money. There is a fine line for the Hitman series to walk right now but it is avoiding our list of stink eye games… for now.

Give the Stink Eye To:

NCAA Football 13 (EA Sports) – Talk about giving a game a fresh coat of paint and sending it out for the user to beta test. NCAA Football 12 was decent, but with major flaws on release day that weren’t patched for over a month and a half (player tendencies after re-naming rosters, etc.). NCAA Football 13 changed throwing trajectories but didn’t implement real-time physics like Madden 13. They have the same button schemes this year, but after that similarity NCAA falls to the field with a thud. The menu interface hasn’t changed and the game doesn’t seem to look different at all. The demo is out there for you to give it a try – but it could be a 1GB file you regret downloading in the first place.

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 (Treyarch/Activision) – This series has been played out. The fact that they are going to the year 2025 isn’t as impressive as some people want to make it out to be. Not to mention the fact that they are ‘bringing back’ zombie mode. What is going to be different from Black Ops or even Modern Warfare 3? Nothing really.

You already know what to expect if you are a COD fan and that can be a good thing if you love COD games. Black Ops 2 is like the third Transformers movie at this point –

All of the explosions, the hot girl that replaces another hot girl (albeit, with an accent) and our typical ~~schlubs~~ ‘heroes’ to save the world from bad foreigners (Insert xenophobia here) and you have yourself a “Brand New” Call of Duty Game.

Halo 4 (343/Microsoft) – Did you know that another Halo game was coming out? Of course you did. What better way to milk this cash cow of a franchise than to continue the saga of Master Chief from a ‘whole new perspective’?

Much like Call of Duty and even Gears of War, Halo 4 is a game that has many people excited because they worship the Halo universe and think Master Chief is the greatest thing since sliced bread. Say what you want about the books and everything else… if you love Halo you will buy this game. After that what is there? One of the ‘features’ listed for this game on Amazon is telling –

“The Master Chief returns to battle an ancient evil bent on vengeance and annihilation. Humanity and the universe will never be the same again.”

If you pay attention to the last sentence of their description, it is one of the most hilarious marketing ploys ever. Consider what has happened over the course of Halo, Halo 2 and then Halo 3. Then consider what happened with Halo 3: ODST and then the prequel Halo: Reach. It is something of a guess, but after 5 games that gave us a great trilogy a prequel and even the perspective of a different soldier (ODST) there isn’t much more to care about is there?

It is always a funny argument to hear when a Halo fanboy and a Call of Duty fanboy come into a game store or game department… or God forbid – forums. Both sides love to present their game as being superior in some way shape or form. However, in the end they are both arguing over something that they both share in… being duped into buying the same game every year or two.

Gears of War: Judgement (Epic/Microsoft) – Say what you want about the story of Gears of War, it was original and the voice acting was impressive all the way through. However, the latest announcement is bringing up the same old argument we just made about Halo and Call of Duty. The most insulting thing you can do to a gamer is try and squeeze out more money for a prequel. George Lucas was able to fool some people into thinking the new Star Wars prequel trilogy would be worth the excitement. However, in the end… people still prefer to go back and watch the movies that are now nearing 40 years in age.

This announcement of a new Gears of War game is exciting for people that enjoy the Gears story and gameplay. Unfortunately, outside of that group of people there are many other gamers that would prefer to see something original come out and blow our minds. Maybe this is the last Epic game that will grace the 360 before they move on and develop a new series for the XBox 720. We can only hope that this game is a final conclusion… or pre-clusion?

NCAA Football 13 – The Lame Duck Term

The first day for E3 was an amazing one for Madden fans (more on that to come). However, the same cannot be said for NCAA Football fans.

ncaa-football-13-20120416092255969-000 — You have heard of lame duck terms in politics… get ready to see one in sports gaming (again).

It was announced that NCAA Football 13 will not have Real Time Physics like it’s pro counter-part. On top of that, you have bigger issues facing NCAA Football (the game and the actual real-life money hungry institution). There will also be no way to import draft classes between the two games. Granted, this ‘feature’ has been broken for years and with the new intensely improved rookie classes and draft for Madden… who really needs to import the same broken logic players?

If you consider the issues of an impending Playoff format and everything else with teams flip-flopping, this could be a lame duck year for NCAA Football 13. This is going to render NCAA Football into a bit of a dead-zone for gamers that aren’t die hard fans of the series. How much fun or longevity will there be for your Dynasty Mode if you aren’t able to institute the coming Playoff Format? What about the idea of 20-Team Super Conferences? Right now you are limited to 16 teams per conference.

It isn’t really a game killer, but EA really needs to step it up next season on the college football front if they hope to have sales even close to what they were for NCAA 11 and 12.

NCAA Football and Madden will have the same control scheme this year (for the first time ever in this generation of gaming consoles) but that is where the similarities seem to die. Much like NCAA 10, NCAA 13 is going to be a game that many people will skip because it won’t have the same advances that people were/are hoping for that will make the game more realistic in the actual guts of moving players around the field. Now with the news that NCAA Football doesn’t have the same Real Time Physics Engine that Madden 13 has… it could be a rough year for college football gaming fans.

Are you passing on NCAA Football this season? Post your comments below!

Temple of Dooming The Ball – Madden 12 and Bad Ball Physics

If you have played Madden football on the 360 or PS3 over the past few years there is one thing that you may have scratched your head about… or maybe thrown a controller over.

The Ball.

Somehow the ball goes through hands, legs, heads and chests. This is one of the problems that faces all sports games, not just Madden. Madden suffers from two big problems outside of the game itself.

Problem 1 – The hardcore audience (like myself) are/is such big football fans and play the game so much that we pick this game apart like a wine connoisseur picks apart a glass of wine. The problem that EA Tiburon faces with this is that instead of one drink that lasts a few moments, their game is something that people play 365 days a year. Not only that, but it costs $60+ and comes out every year. EA has made a lot of improvements over the years but the ball is the one part of this game that suffers from more graphical clipping and ‘magnetism’ than any other aspect every single year.

Problem 2 -Exclusive Rights have killed this game on the current generation of consoles. While this discussion would get you banned from certain websites and forums it is truly one of the biggest problems facing sports games. Pay attention to what has happened to Madden since they got exclusive rights. The last truly great Madden game was Madden 2005. Since that game, their focus has changed to jerseys and how to pick the guy on the cover.

Please focus on the most important part of the game first and move on from there.

This game focuses on the ball. In real life and in the video games – it is all about the ball. Naturally, if the focus is in one spot for the majority of the game you are going to notice these things. If EA were to focus less on where the ball is and more on what the ball is and how it moves this game would improve drastically.

Ask yourself how many times you have punted in Madden and the ball bounced backwards? I bet you have seen the ball bounce 25 yards downfield or a few yards sideways, but you haven’t seen it go backwards. The ball is a living creature on the field and it has a mind of its own. The ball is a solid part of the game that you can’t put your hand through. One finger on the ball can change the outcome of a pass play in real life.

I realize that I am not in developer’s studio and they put a lot of work into the miniscule details of this game, but from an outside perspective – I don’t think that matters. Neither do the 5-7 million people that buy Madden every year… and that includes the few hardcore guys that get upset about the wrong chinstrap on the backup punter for the Patriots. Focus on the name of the game… football. I don’t care about what dance someone does, what color shoelaces they have or how they come out onto the field if the football itself doesn’t matter.

This isn’t a rant as much as it is a plea for gamers to notice and demand a better game from the most simple existence of the game – the football itself.

Gamer Etiquette and the Tragedy of Assumed Anonymity

In a world full of wonderful people that are pleasant and well-meaning there is always that one jerk that seems to poke his/her/its head out and ruin what might have been a great day. The problem is that while this is a mere possibility in the everyday existence of humanity outside in what some people think of as the ‘real world’ it is a more than common occurrence in the world of online gaming.

Don't Get Angry — Don't Go On A Rampage - Just Mute, Avoid and Report

The problem with this starts with the assumption that many people have once they go online – the assumption of anonymity.

You aren’t anonymous online and in the world of online gaming, you are surrounding yourself with a lot of socially maladjusted kids that have grown up on Sponge Bob and Crack (Mountain Dew). So, when you start hearing that kid on your headset say something about your gamertag being gay or stupid just do the smart thing. Mute, avoid and report the rugrat.

This also goes for any of the typical punks you come across – Mute, Avoid and Report. (Think Wash, Rinse, Repeat)

I will be posting some videos to show exactly how to do this as the week progresses.

Share your favorite interactions in our comments section!

My personal favorite so far was when I was teamed up with my friend Wonky Britches <—- Real Gamer Tag!!!!

and some guy’s (I am assuming a minority) trash talk was – “You’re just some white guys with good credit!!!!”

I am still trying to figure out if this was meant to offend us or simply imply that he admired our credit scores. Either way, keep your language clean when you are online because all it takes to find out your name or other stuff is a simple google search of your gamertag.

The Best Time To Be A Noob = Quarter #1

For those that are new to gaming it is vital that you learn a few things about how the schedule of a hardcore gamer works. This will allow you to understand much more in gaming than simply how to play a certain game, but when to play a certain game.

The first quarter of a new year is usually the most dead time of the year for any game to be released. It is easily observed that most of the biggest titles to be released come some time in the months leading up to the celebration of commerce we commonly know as Christmas. Skyrim, Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield 3, Arkham City…the list goes on. However, there is a nice part about this for people that are casual gamers or maybe even what we (super-nerdy, ‘hardcore’ gamers) call Christmas Noobs (people that just got the game for Commerce Day and still don’t fully know some of the important factors of the game —– aka, NoobTubeTV’s Target Audience)

With the lacking amount of top-tier (popular) titles being released during the worst retail months of the year (January-April) you will have a lot of time to learn how to fine-tune your skills in games like Call of Duty. Not to mention the fact that these are typically the worst weather months of the year as well and you may have some other reasons to hang out in the recliner, couch or sticky bean bag chair in your dorm room.

Just remember, it isn’t a crime to be a noob and like Will Hunting – it’s not your fault… it’s not your fault… it’s not your fault.

If you aren’t crying like Matt Damon right now, please keep your attention on NoobTubeTV.com for more updates on games and what we are referring to as Gamer Etiquette – the one thing lacking so much online that it is a pandemic that has infected 85% of online gamers.

Happy Hunting

Trading Draft Picks In Madden 12 – A Broken System For A Broken Mode In A Broken Game

Now that the regular season is over and my Browns are set to get a Top-5 pick that they will use on Tim Couch, Courtney Brown or William Green it is time to focus on fake, digital, monopolized football gaming from EA Sports. The issue of trade logic has been a contentious one to say the least. While we will be covering more Madden issues in the coming weeks we will start with what kicks off the football season for most NFL fanatics – the NFL Draft.

The Draft is one of the most popular parts of the NFL (minus the Super Bowl). Draft picks are often held at a premium, even more than superstar players… okay, maybe not all teams feel that way (The Oakland Raiders). The issue with Madden’s trade logic is on-going and has been since the game came to PS3/360.

One issue that has been in Madden’s trade system since Madden 2002 is the ability to milk teams for draft picks or players based on faulty logic and a broken system. This is covered in the video below.

There are many issues with this game that seem cosmetic to most people. However, if you pay attention to sports gaming like some of the people of that niche community do (myself included) you will see that EA has put out an inferior product ever since they got the sole license to create NFL videogames. Back in 2004 they had to compete with 2KSports and NFL2K. While I was never a big fan of 2K’s games, they noticeably pushed EA to put out a quality product every year.

Now that that time has passed, we are stuck with Madden and the only growth that comes year after year is cosmetic. While this may ~~seem like~~ is a rant, there is a sincere hope that EA Tiburon makes the needed improvements we will cover in the coming weeks.

On a personal note, I have to say that this iteration of Madden has given me a lot of confidence that they MIGHT be going in the right direction. I am now in my 5th season of Franchise Mode and it is going strong. Here’s hoping that 2012 brings a fresh face to football gaming – and maybe a fix to a pathetically simple exploit in the trading system. (Watch the video) 😉

Sports Games – The Most Complicated Controls In Console Gaming

To effectively run the ball in Madden or NCAA Football you have to move the left stick in the direction you want to run, cover the ball with the RB shoulder button. Then you have to make sure you get through the hole formed in the correct gap and press the sprint button (Right Trigger/RT). However, you don’t want to press it too soon because the defense is programmed to move faster once you press the sprint button (RT). Once you have broken away you might have to juke with the Right Stick or Stiff Arm with the ‘A’ button, maybe follow that up with a spin move (‘B’ button) and then jump a defender (‘Y’ button).

[sarcasm]That isn’t complicated at all! [/sarcasm]

In the coming days we will be covering the basics (which are inherently advanced) controls in Madden and NCAA football. The problem with this being that as simple as one video would be there is the problem that each game has different control schemes and handles differently. However, it must also be said that these controls are necessary for these games to continue growing in the way they have. Is that a good thing? No… but that is a different discussion and it can be had right here in our forums.

If you haven’t noticed, sports games are rather disposable at this point. New versions have a new year plastered on them and that is usually about all you need to worry about (at least in Madden and NCAA Football) from the control perspective. The developer, EA Tiburon tried (and failed) to effectively simplify their games with “One Button Mode”. Sorry, but that just rings of short-bus controls for what Robin Williams would refer to as ‘damaged people’.

We will be making a concerted effort to show you how these controls work on the most basic level and work up to the more complicated parts of these games. You truly have to learn to walk before you can run in gaming (sports games especially) and we are here to walk you through the process.