Does this have anything about how they sell the same game with a few minor tweaks to the same idiots every single year?

That's not a video game.

It's a way for jocks to think they're playing a video game.

Take last years build, update the rosters, "Tighten up the graphics in level 3", dive into swimming pool of cash.

If you ever wanted to know why Madden sucks you only need to look at the studio where it's made. EA Tiburon. I farking hate those guys so very much. I worked for EA for around two years (EAX/Black Box and EAC) and we had the misfortune of having some of the Tiburon guys help out with some QA testing on a Need for Speed title. Oh man, that was terrible, we spent more time trying to figure out what the hell they were talking about than actually working. They were so behind the times they had testers writing down their bugs on scrap pieces of paper and the 'guy with the computer' would send them in.

One of the funniest moments I had working there was reading one of the first bugs they sent in: EA Tiburon staff is not in the credits.

Also one of the funniest, reading through an external test team's bug list. These guys are some of the best testers the company has. One bug read:

Chickens still cluck when stepped on after shot.

If the user shoots a chicken several times and then steps on them the chicken will still cluck, this may confuse the user as they would expect the chicken to be dead.

Senior Producer's reply: Chicken may not be dead, just very badly injured.

scottydoesntknow: change1211: If you ever wanted to know why Madden sucks you only need to look at the studio where it's made. EA Tiburon. I farking hate those guys so very much. I worked for EA for around two years (EAX/Black Box and EAC) and we had the misfortune of having some of the Tiburon guys help out with some QA testing on a Need for Speed title. Oh man, that was terrible, we spent more time trying to figure out what the hell they were talking about than actually working. They were so behind the times they had testers writing down their bugs on scrap pieces of paper and the 'guy with the computer' would send them in.

One of the funniest moments I had working there was reading one of the first bugs they sent in: EA Tiburon staff is not in the credits.

Also one of the funniest, reading through an external test team's bug list. These guys are some of the best testers the company has. One bug read:

Chickens still cluck when stepped on after shot.

If the user shoots a chicken several times and then steps on them the chicken will still cluck, this may confuse the user as they would expect the chicken to be dead.

Senior Producer's reply: Chicken may not be dead, just very badly injured.

Ummm when do you shoot chickens in Need for Speed?

Sorry, should have been more clear. The external team was testing Crysis.

Awesome basement is awesome.

Funny this was greenlit, because I just sent the following email to Grantland editors about this story:

I love reading Grantland, but I was dissapointed by his failure to mention that it's been 7 years since EA monopolized the football video game genre and in those 7 years has given little to no innovation despite continual promise they will improve the game. Even the so called revolutionary tackling system they developed wasn't very good. Yes it was better than the "magnet" tackling problems of the past, but it still fell short of the old 2K sports football games.

After playing Madden 2012 I have to say it was one of the worst iterations of the past 10 years I have played. NCAA football was even worse, but by now everyone knows NCAA is just a beta tested for Madden. Yeah you get a few different features, but overall it's just an unpolished, shiattier Madden. It has been since they started making it and nothing has changed. All the tutoring from Madden can't help the programmers make a better game (unless John Madden is as good at coding as he is at coaching football).

The bigger story may be a followup about the dedicated following that still plays the PS2 and original XBOX versions of NFL2k5 and posts and edits the rosters to update them with current teams. There is a cult following of 2K5 and it is still called the best football game ever made now 7 years later. They implemented gang tackling into the game (a feature that took Madden until last year to even attempt with laughable results) that puts even the most recent Madden iterations to shame. The tackling animations and interference modeling are first rate, blocking dynamics and controls were excelent (still better than Madden). The graphics were light years better (and until Madden 2010 still were). Then they cut the feet out from under EA by offering the game for $20 new while madden was $50.

All this drove EA to sign the exclusivity deal with the NFL essentially eliminating competition. They knew they couldn't compete with 2k studios so they didn't bother, they used thier deeper pockets to buy the market. In a ruling I still don't understand, 2k Studios lost the monopolization lawsuits against EA, and we have been stuck with the shiat sandwich EA keeps feeding us every year at now $60 a pop. I admit I'm one of the suckers who usually buys one or the other of EA's games every year hoping something changes. But every year I'm dissapointed and I've finally given up listening to their promises and lies. This year I bought NCAA 2012 because they promised it was no longer a buggy beta of Madden. It was, I traded it in on Madden hoping the polish would help. It didn't. As I said before, Madden has been dissapointing me since I first played NFL 2k4, then purchased 2k5. EA did what they had to do to keep the goose laying golden eggs, because 2k was eating their lunch, but that doesn't excuse them from the pathetic claims that they have revolutionary innovations every year.

We don't need vision cones (Madden 06), or cell phones, or agent interactions to make the game good. They need to just focus on the actual football action. Until they can get rid of the poor playing aspects of the actual football, they should forget all the extra shiat they try to distract you with. I'm done being fooled out of my $60 every year ($100 plus tax this year!). EA can come up with elaborate additions, and have watching parties with Madden all they want. They still can't compete with a 7 year old game produced for last gen platforms and it makes me sad to read stories praising the approach they are taking and how elaborate the process is, when it still doesn't make anything better. There are plenty of these stories kissing EA's ass about how elaborate their design process is, I would like to see a story that catches up with some of the people that made 2k5 such a success and what they think of EA's latest offering. Plus maybe delve into the devoted following 2k5 still has today and the efforts people go through to keep it up to date. That would be much more interesting.

Thanks,
k4mi

1. CTRL-C
2. CTRL-V
3. Profit.

tl;dr

I don't play sports games. Rather, I either watch sports on TV or play them in real life. I don't combine my playing of sports with my TV watching.

I'm not entirely sure, but I don't think I've played a video football game since Unnecessary Roughness from Accolade.

My barrier to entry on any given game is if I can make my own team w/uniforms, so that may be part of the problem - not sure anyone does that anymore?

/I miss Accolade.
//Not sure why I like to redress all my dudes
///Was talked into playing LOTRO a few months back and I now am obsessed with getting cool hats and cloaks
////hey, is that Narnia back there?

I enjoyed Madden '10 for all of about ten minutes--the exact amount of time to realize I was being overrun with advertisements. "The Old Spice Replay?" SRSLY? I couldn't mentally justifying paying more than $20 for a game that is already making tons of money just on the in-game advertising.

/yes I bought it used
//took advantage of the seven day return policy
///this post brought to you by Coca-Cola

pute kisses like a man: a look at the best Madden ever:

[videogamecritic.net image 230x201]

/ pretty much the same game, just different graphics.
// 94 in case you're wondering


Not sure which year I played initially, either 92 or 94 (whichever had the ambulance on the field). Emmitt Smith HB pitch right. Worked every time.

I found it fascinating that John Madden is so heavily involved in the game. I thought for sure he had forgotten that it exists years ago.

I just wish they'd change the "Be an NFL Superstar" mode so that it was a little more engaging and fun. So far, it's pretty damn dull. Which is sad because it's the mode I want to play the most. But it sucks.

Also, the commentary is far too repetitive. I farking hate that.

mark.jms: My barrier to entry on any given game is if I can make my own team w/uniforms, so that may be part of the problem - not sure anyone does that anymore?

One of my favorite things to do in any sports game is to make my own custom team with players that resemble my gaming buddies. So yeah, you're not alone out there.

Magorn: CravenMorehead: Does this have anything about how they sell the same game with a few minor tweaks to the same idiots every single year?

Gotta say I love this business model, mostly because I'm a cheap motherfarker who knows that the minute this year's Madden comes out, last year's becomes $10 at gamestop and any previous year is like $2


You're the reason EA is so mean to everyone. You're not paying top dollar for their products and you're killing THE ENTIRE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY!!!1!

I'm still playing 08, the last year they will release on PC. Just the same to me anyway, my gaming laptop died and I'm on a desktop that has about 20kb of video memory.

Fark buying a $350 machine just to play Madden and have to move and swing my arms like crazy.

k4mi: Funny this was greenlit, because I just sent the following email to Grantland editors about this story:

I love reading Grantland, but I was dissapointed by his failure to mention that it's been 7 years since EA monopolized the football video game genre and in those 7 years has given little to no innovation despite continual promise they will improve the game. Even the so called revolutionary tackling system they developed wasn't very good. Yes it was better than the "magnet" tackling problems of the past, but it still fell short of the old 2K sports football games.

After playing Madden 2012 I have to say it was one of the worst iterations of the past 10 years I have played. NCAA football was even worse, but by now everyone knows NCAA is just a beta tested for Madden. Yeah you get a few different features, but overall it's just an unpolished, shiattier Madden. It has been since they started making it and nothing has changed. All the tutoring from Madden can't help the programmers make a better game (unless John Madden is as good at coding as he is at coaching football).

The bigger story may be a followup about the dedicated following that still plays the PS2 and original XBOX versions of NFL2k5 and posts and edits the rosters to update them with current teams. There is a cult following of 2K5 and it is still called the best football game ever made now 7 years later. They implemented gang tackling into the game (a feature that took Madden until last year to even attempt with laughable results) that puts even the most recent Madden iterations to shame. The tackling animations and interference modeling are first rate, blocking dynamics and controls were excelent (still better than Madden). The graphics were light years better (and until Madden 2010 still were). Then they cut the feet out from under EA by offering the game for $20 new while madden was $50.

All this drove EA to sign the exclusivity deal with the NFL essentially eliminating competition. The ...

This really needs to be said more. No one puts EA's feet to the fire outside of the consumer. I would love to see an NFL player come out and say Madden sucks, even if it means they're avatar gets shiatty stats.

Oddly enough, the best sports game out there is made by a first-party developer. I love the RPG elements in The Show in addition to the game, and I would love to see something like that for a football game, especially for college (Road to Glory is a farking joke). I don't think it's easily implemented in a football game, though.

what a horribly written article. I couldn't get past the third paragraph.