Madden franchise mode crashing PSPs; what'll EA do?

by Dan Choi { Sep 26th 2005 at 10:30PM }

Madden NFL 06 for the PSP Reports are emerging left and right that Madden NFL 06 is crashing PSPs in franchise mode for a large number of the game's owners.

Franchise-mode play is leading to random(?) system shutdowns for the PSP, forcing those who attempt some semblance of a season mode to save every quarter, if not sooner, to avoid losing a game's worth of progress. EA has been made aware of the situation, but it will still take some time to produce any sort of quick fix (with the hope that one is eventually made).

We've seen some hilarious player-size issues with Madden (and NCAA) on home consoles, but these latest issues with the portable version of EA's popular series are really making some people angry. Can EA manage some sort of downloadable fix, or will the company be forced to issue a costly recall to replace defective copies of the game? In the meantime, game owners are waiting (and fuming).

[Thanks, Pure Platinum, court, and Dave, for sending this in!]

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

jason @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

Now I dont feel to bad about jonesing for the PSP madden game over my DS so bad. When that game first hit, it was the only reason I felt bad for selling the psp. With the long load on the play picking screen now this I can wait for next year or a fix. We will see. Most likely a downloadable fix soon.

James @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

I love that its only the 1st year of EA's "monopoly" and they have released a turd. Cant wait for 2007!!! What's next? 8 men per side? One play on offense and defense?

jason maxwell @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

This is why maybe mine crashed, or now it will not pickup(read) any umds???? Had no prob. until i started to play madden 06 so i hope there is a fix. and have one fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!anyone else have the prob.

John Bennet Ramsey @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

uh..... ha ha..... I guess..... I am just glad I didn't get a copy of this. Did you'r PSP really stop readin UMDs. I mean a crash is one thing but to break your system, now thats messed up.

jrock @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

I have this for PSP, and in 20+ hours of gameplay, it has not frozen once. And my other UMD's work just fine. So settle down.

Zachary @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

What does EA care? They are the only game in town, expect a press release to read something like "Oh well, get over it and go buy NFL 2KX for your PSP, oh wait you can't hahahahahaha.(very evil laughter)"

Rody @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

Has there ever been a game recall? I guess EA got our money, again! Man, now that they have the monopoly on football, they can make sure their products really suck. I hope they can at least do something.

Vagabond Arts @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

This should be considered a warning cry to future Xbox 360 Madden owners.

dont. expect. a. betatested. game.

this is unbelievable.
it's such a fun game to play, yet sooooo frustrating that it crashes and turns off the psp I mean seriously!?!?!

was there ANY betatesting done to this game???

fnord @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

I still don't understand why so many people buy this game. From the numbers it just can't be new people each year, there must be a vast crowd who buys those games each year anew. And considering that it at best provides small graphics updates, minimal gameplay changes and an updated player list I really don't see the appeal. Still the same field game, nothing new there compared to last years release.

Rody @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

Well fnord, the reason some of us bought the game was not becuase of its fanboy appeal, but was because it is the only football game for the PSP. And with that, it is the only one made for the PSP as of today. If there would have been an alternative -- ala 989 or 2k -- I would have seen which to go with. But with this being only one, well I settled for a broken piece of crap.

So, yes the console is bought over and over again by its religious following, but for the PSP, some of us purchased it to enjoy the first football title on this new console.

Well, fnord, nothing personal, just sick of people who are either EA haters or EA fanboys. I am just a football fan.

Dave @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

Guys,

This is definitely a real problem. It only seems to happen in franchise mode, so you can certainly log 20+ hours of gameplay and not have the shut-down happen. But once you start a franchise, you will not be able to get past game #2 of the regular season without at least one shut-down. And it seems as the season progresses, shut-downs get worse.

It is really unbelievable that EA could actually release this with such a major bug. There's no way they couldn't have known about it unless they really are as incompetent (and/or uncaring of quality) as people like to say they are.

djSyndrome @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

EA cannot "patch" this unless the UMD is designed to specifically look at the Memory Stick for code and fixes. Which, since no other PSP game does this yet, I'm willing to bet is not the case.

BigCrazy @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

As a professional Quality Tester, I'm personally appalled at EA's QA methods. They choose not to hire any professional QA Analysts, instead they hire High School graduates on 6 months contracts to test their games. This is why year after year, their games are loaded with bugs. I stopped buying Madden because I kept getting freezes and bugs. EA is going to come crashing down, people are starting to realise their sloppy quality and will stop buying their games.

Dave @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

You'll love some of the "tips" they've given so far on how to avoid the shut-down (none of which, by the way, actually end up working):

(1) Skip the first two regular season games by simulating through them

(2) Sign a "highly rated" free fgent like Ty Law (before you say he's not a free agent, need I even remind you about how out-of-date EA rosters are...), and make sure he plays "the entire game" [LOL!]

(3) Turn off all the songs

(4) Turn on both the first down line AND the line of scrimmage in the display settings

Yes, these are all real tips from EA.

Nice QA department there.

-dave

paul @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

I actually made it to week 6 before having a problem. Then like clockwork, after my week 6 game the system crashed.

For those of you who are not familiar, let me tell you it's kind of scary. This is not the "freezes" you used to get on your PS2. I mean, the whole system powers itself down. Honestly, I thought my PSP was broken until I started to read about the problem on EA's message boards.

Oh and last night, a new friend showed up. The dreaded frozen screen. Action just stopped, and no buttons would work. I had to shutdown the system myself. Maybe that's better than the game shutting it down for me, though. ;)

Jason @ Insomnia Radio @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

Poster #5: Clearly, you're the only person in the world that matters right? Idiot.

I haven't experience this problem YET, but what I want to know is what is going on with online play??? I've tried 10 games straight with a good connection on both ends, and get disconnected before the 1st quarter ends....

Any word on how EA is treating this problem also?

Dan @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

I've had this problem too. No freeze but the system just goes dark and requires a flip of the power switch to get the green light and a system restart.

Sucks a bunch! Thanks EA!

White Rose Duelist @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

"Any word on how EA is treating this problem also?"

Probably by expecting you to buy Madden 2007.

murph @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

Madden 06 for PSP is really a $50 beta for Madden 07.

Wille Moore @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

Has anyone even considered that Sony may be to blame?

mike @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

As a professional Quality Tester,

---

*shudder

Jefrey @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

I had crashes in Week #2 of the Vikings Franchise. I tried to finish that 2nd week game three times only to have it shut-down on me each time. I keep my equipment in pristine condition and my other UMD's work just fine. It's really frustrating. I tried to get help from EA and was left empty handed. I even left it at just wanting to know if anything was being worked on, troubleshooting, patch, etc. and got no response from EA. I've been buying EA games for the last 13 years and the PSP Madden game was my final EA purchase. Never again after this horrific customer service.

Vagabond Arts @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

I cant take it anymore... I have to save EVERY QUARTER of franchise games... sometimes replaying the third or fourth quarters MULTIPLE TIMES in order for the game not to SHUT DOWN the PSP.

To the guy above that suggested Sony is to blame, I doubt it... none of my other PSP games have problems like this... just EA's Madden.

I'm going to attempt to get my money back...
This is not worth 50 dollars at all.

How dare they charge full price for this garbage... I'm furious.

Ross Stites @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

I have had the same problem with my system crashing during game 2 of the franchise mode. I called EA and they tried to blame the problem on Sony....what a surprise. All of my other games work perfectly. The only help they could give me was to exchange the game because it may be defective, so I did....and had the same problems. I guess they were right....it was defective....they are all defective....all this hype for nothing.

Wille Moore @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

The reason Sony was mention was due to all the firmware hacking going on and games of recent requiring upgrades to the new software. That particular upgrade could be causing problems to other games including Madden. Just a thought....

groovemaster303 @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

Well i picked up madden today and i can't save every time i try to save my franchise the memory indicator just flashes constantly and then the psp just shuts off.
i guess people were right when they say EA just rehash a game for the new season, maddens been around so long they don't even bother to test it.
if EA dont fix this they will lose a lot of custom and respect

ulisesgaldamez@aol.com @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

here are all the problems im having with my madden psp.
1. once after the coin toss my psp just shut down.
2. in the "player of the game" screen my psp shuts down every time so i have to save the game before that screen.
3. loading times are just ridiculous
4. when im about to kick a field goal the arrow wont show up unless i press start.
5. It takes about 3 minutes from the moment u turn on ur psp to getting a play going.
6. it takes about 2 minutes to save my franchise.
7. theres no way to get through a season without having ur game crash, so u have to save it during halftime and a few seconds before the game ends.
EA needs to do something about this soon or they could lose a lot of fans.

Stu @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

The "freeze" glich in this game is SO UNACCEPTABLE! How could EA release a game like this? Not to mention the kicking game in which I have missed more extra points than I have in the past 15 years of Madden combined! My friend also cannot make fair catches, and his pause menu doesn't have the "save" feature. Is it perhaps EA's monopoly on the NFL license that makes them not give a rip if us loyal Madden fans are upset? "Hey, why don't we just buy out the exclusive NFL license, that way we don't have to spend as much money on development of the game." We have to contact EA and complain if we want results. Contact them at http://techsupport.ea.com or (650) 628-4322. The website conveniently has no e-mail to contact. Don't let EA get away with this piece of crap thay call a game we bought for $50! EA makes HUGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY! And they try to sell this crap to us?! Contact them and voice your complaints.

Randy Magruder @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

I'll just chime in and say it DOES happen only in Franchise mode, but it's far from my only gripe against this game, only the most severe.

Here's my laundry list of Madden PSP Hell:

1. The shutting-off PSP trick after spending 1-1.5 hours playing a Franchise game.
2. The constant freezes at the end of each play. If you turn off commentary and music, it's better ,but you still get regular pauses
3. The 'missing' kick meter (it shows up almost completely transparent. Pausing and unpausing it brings it up.
4. The fact that in total control simulation mode, my offense fumbled the ball, and the tackle eventually was made by my linebacker (!!) Shouldn't he have been ON THE BENCH!?
5. No instant replay at all!
6. Useless network play. in all my attempts, I've finished, I think, one game, and it isn't my Internet connection ( a 15Mbps Fiber connection with superb 'net play experience so far on everything else).

Basically, Madden '06 is NOT right now worth paying full price for. I could see grabbing it for < $20, but no more, at least until the game gets patched somehow to make it less hair pulling :(

Adam @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

I want to thank all of you for your comments about Madden for the PSP. I was jonesing for it today, and then I read a number of reviews that commented on the freezing and locking problems. As has been mentioned, it's not a complete surprise. Now that EA has locked up the NFL franchise there's no reason for them to go the extra mile. Although beta testing isn't exactly the "extra" mile, isn't it?

Davey @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

Hey i seem to be having the same problem sort of. I have it for the P.C. and i can get about 3 years into Franchise mode and then i go to the offseason and it freezes up and wont load. I just thought the first time it did it that it was a mistake but i started a whole new franchise and it did it all over again. what could be the problem? If anyone has an ideas could you please email me. I would go ask ea but there site is effed up. I go to create a login name and it tells me that the url doesnt exist! I am starting to hate Ea. How come when Ea sports had people to compete with these things never happened. Thanks for all your help.

Robert Gniech @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

I never got to the second game. I turned on the franchise draft, saved and went back in to find no franchise listed. I tried it 3 times and am ready to smash the effing umd. What a rip off. The problem is that the saved franchise is not recognized by the umd.

Robert Gniech @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

odog @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

Well guys, after hours of being on the phone and complaining I finally got EA to admitt it was a problem with there game. They assured me the problem was not widespread and they would replace mine, I got the new one and I get the same old crap. I called back again and they admitted that ALL Madden '06 games for the PSP are flawed. They suggested running the game from the team schedule in franchise mode, and save games frequently, this is ridiculous, they lost my business for LIFE!

David Hayes @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

I just bought madden o6 and having the same problems with the franchise mode. Thats the only thing worth playing in madden football for me. I would like to know what you are going to do for me about this problem. I only have played madden football but as of wright now i am very unhappy.

mark comorosky @ Dec 18th 2005 9:36PM

statement on ea sports page

Oct. 18, 2005

Franchise Mode Issue Update
We know that the below workaround for Madden 06 PSP Franchise mode bug is working. At the same time, we're developing a longer-term solution to address the issue and make it right for our consumers. We appreciate everyone's support and will release more information as soon as we have it.

what about a refund for this crap?