Madden 12's roster of updates includes custom playbooks, new collision system
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Even if you don't know who that guy is on the Madden 12 box, you've still probably got a pretty good idea of what's inside. No surprises here -- it's still a football video game. But, true to tradition, this year's iteration will include some new features.
On the field, Madden 12 players will be equipped with "the #1 most requested feature by fans in recent years" -- go on, guess! ... Wrong. It's custom playbooks, which can be modifications of existing playbooks or your own concoction of up to 400 offensive or defensive plays handpicked from the piles of X's and O's. Custom playbooks can also be integrated into the "improved" GameFlow system (last Madden's much ballyhooed feature).
Once you actually call a play (or GameFlow calls one for you), EA would have you take notice of the "all-new collision system" -- we're talking "over 100 new tackle animations, including 40 gang tackles" (ouch!) -- and the now more "advanced" defensive AI, a.k.a. "the smartest Madden defense ever." And be sure to give props to the "completely overhauled presentation," which includes "innovative 'real' on-field cameras shot by expert NFL Films cameramen." And, really, how else could you experience the "hundreds of visual improvements" (including really detailed blades of grass!), if not through the innovative "real" on-field cameras shot by expert NFL Films cameramen?
But the roster of updates doesn't end there -- we just have to. Stay tuned in the coming weeks and months as EA reveals more about the revamped Franchise and Superstar modes; the new "Dynamic Player Performance" feature (it's "just like the real NFL," only still pretty much a video game); what's in store for the "Madden NFL Ultimate Team" add-on this year; and the proper etiquette for joining one of the new "Online Communities." And by then, it should be football season! Fingers crossed.
On the field, Madden 12 players will be equipped with "the #1 most requested feature by fans in recent years" -- go on, guess! ... Wrong. It's custom playbooks, which can be modifications of existing playbooks or your own concoction of up to 400 offensive or defensive plays handpicked from the piles of X's and O's. Custom playbooks can also be integrated into the "improved" GameFlow system (last Madden's much ballyhooed feature).
Once you actually call a play (or GameFlow calls one for you), EA would have you take notice of the "all-new collision system" -- we're talking "over 100 new tackle animations, including 40 gang tackles" (ouch!) -- and the now more "advanced" defensive AI, a.k.a. "the smartest Madden defense ever." And be sure to give props to the "completely overhauled presentation," which includes "innovative 'real' on-field cameras shot by expert NFL Films cameramen." And, really, how else could you experience the "hundreds of visual improvements" (including really detailed blades of grass!), if not through the innovative "real" on-field cameras shot by expert NFL Films cameramen?
But the roster of updates doesn't end there -- we just have to. Stay tuned in the coming weeks and months as EA reveals more about the revamped Franchise and Superstar modes; the new "Dynamic Player Performance" feature (it's "just like the real NFL," only still pretty much a video game); what's in store for the "Madden NFL Ultimate Team" add-on this year; and the proper etiquette for joining one of the new "Online Communities." And by then, it should be football season! Fingers crossed.
Reader Comments (50)
Posted: Apr 29th 2011 9:26AM Cap Morgan said
Damn you EA. You slightly change things so I feel like I must buy to retain my man card.
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Posted: Apr 29th 2011 8:56PM Cap Morgan said
Posted: Apr 29th 2011 11:11PM Spartan117458 said
@Cap Morgan
They should add in a lockout simulator, too. "Pick the lock as Cam Newton to get into the team facility and take the playbook!" "Sit on the couch at home and watch CFL games!" "Sue the league to make more millions of dollars!"
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They should add in a lockout simulator, too. "Pick the lock as Cam Newton to get into the team facility and take the playbook!" "Sit on the couch at home and watch CFL games!" "Sue the league to make more millions of dollars!"
Posted: Apr 30th 2011 11:53AM MDizzy said
@Spartan117458 Oooh you know what they should add...an eff over the fans mode. You can make decisions like give an exclusive license to Sadden Football allowing them to continue to charge 60 dollars a year, burying the competition who was charging 20 dollars for an on par game.
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Posted: Apr 29th 2011 10:37AM Miranda Lawson said
@216 They switchin' some names and movin' some sliders lol.
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Posted: Apr 29th 2011 2:42PM Miranda Lawson said
@Negatron My dad's been making me play it since I was a kid, since then I became a fan in my own right.
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Posted: Apr 29th 2011 9:42AM Negatron said
SWEET! Custom playbooks, on which i'll spend hours creating ingenious designs of offensive and defensive strategies.
Only to be ripped apart online by some young freak who ONLY plays sports titles. Wide receivers and tight ends running slants/ screens out of the games view; ready for touchdowns, over & over & ove-*shuts power off*
Reply
Only to be ripped apart online by some young freak who ONLY plays sports titles. Wide receivers and tight ends running slants/ screens out of the games view; ready for touchdowns, over & over & ove-*shuts power off*
Posted: Apr 29th 2011 11:12PM Spartan117458 said
@Negatron
Get a widescreen TV. Fixes the off-screen problem.
Reply
Get a widescreen TV. Fixes the off-screen problem.
Posted: Apr 29th 2011 9:44AM Dashx747 said
I wish there was a improved online mode. It's good, but I wish it had a bit more of a "real" feeling to it, with improved championship/tourneys, drafts, divisions, stat tracking, etc. I really like the system of Sega's Football Manager Live, something similar would be nice.
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Posted: Apr 29th 2011 9:48AM Papsky said
I am still perfectly content on buying a new Madden (or any sports game) every 4-5 years or so. Nothing on this list really makes It a MUST upgrade from the last one I bought (2009).... unless you really haven't bought a football game in a few years or you are a hardcore football gamer.
madden 13 or 14 will be the next one I pick up.
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madden 13 or 14 will be the next one I pick up.
Posted: Apr 29th 2011 10:05AM ChaseHammerJ said
@Papsky
im with you on that. i only buy a football game about every 2 years and im always a year behind lol. I wait for gamestop to go under $15 then i pick it up. I enjoy madden 09 with Favre in the Jets huddle :) I guess when madden 12 comes out and about 6 months pass buy ill pick up madden 11.
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im with you on that. i only buy a football game about every 2 years and im always a year behind lol. I wait for gamestop to go under $15 then i pick it up. I enjoy madden 09 with Favre in the Jets huddle :) I guess when madden 12 comes out and about 6 months pass buy ill pick up madden 11.
Posted: Apr 29th 2011 10:58AM TraceurRyuk Part III said
@Papsky
I haven't bought one since Madden '05, the last one I played was Madden '10 though. I really didn't notice that much of a difference besides improved graphics, and that's only because it was on the next generation.
Reply
I haven't bought one since Madden '05, the last one I played was Madden '10 though. I really didn't notice that much of a difference besides improved graphics, and that's only because it was on the next generation.
Posted: Apr 29th 2011 11:39AM DarkSonata said
@Shockwave and on-the-field camera shots of grass!!!
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Posted: Apr 29th 2011 9:55AM xboxxlosion said
It had to come sooner or later custom playbooks as I have Madden 11 is custom playbooks that good reason for buying 12 not sure
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Posted: Apr 29th 2011 10:06AM LENSconcept said
as a Packer fan, i'd like to thank the person responsible for this screen.
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Posted: Apr 29th 2011 10:16AM SolidSnake7735 said
@LENSconcept i got to meet Ryan Grant last summer as part of a sweepstakes. he's such a cool guy
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Posted: Apr 29th 2011 10:23AM CobraClutch said
@LENSconcept
It's funny that both Packers in the screenshot missed the majority of the (SUPERBOWL) season due to injury.
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It's funny that both Packers in the screenshot missed the majority of the (SUPERBOWL) season due to injury.
Posted: Apr 29th 2011 10:12AM Shockwave said
Actually, out of all those, I think I'm most excited about the grass. Those other features are fine and dandy, but the flat plane with a texture on it has always kinda bothered me. Can't wait for the next gen consoles taking advantage of the processing power to better render the crowd.
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Posted: Apr 29th 2011 10:18AM SolidSnake7735 said
yes, grass is definitely a proper step in capturing that look and feel of live football.
as for the online feature? idk, never really play sports games online. i happen to have a lotta friends that are real. and even though they have madden online at home, nothing beats playing on the same couch lol
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as for the online feature? idk, never really play sports games online. i happen to have a lotta friends that are real. and even though they have madden online at home, nothing beats playing on the same couch lol
Posted: Apr 29th 2011 10:52AM Jacob P Galvatron said
YAWWWWWNNN.... im still not buying it...
EA SPORTS: IT'S STILL THE SAME!!!!!!!
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EA SPORTS: IT'S STILL THE SAME!!!!!!!
Posted: Apr 29th 2011 12:23PM DenebSwift said
@Jacob P Galvatron
It's still a game about football. What do you expect? New guns? A new story? Cover-based mechanics? A new, non-human faction?
The custom playbook should have been in it for a while and will be a nice addition if you're more than a super casual fan. (still want a draft your own play option). Visual improvements are 'meh'.
Really though, if you don't like the genre, ok - don't buy it. But sports game fans rarely qvetch about how every CoD or Street Fighter is the same.
Reply
It's still a game about football. What do you expect? New guns? A new story? Cover-based mechanics? A new, non-human faction?
The custom playbook should have been in it for a while and will be a nice addition if you're more than a super casual fan. (still want a draft your own play option). Visual improvements are 'meh'.
Really though, if you don't like the genre, ok - don't buy it. But sports game fans rarely qvetch about how every CoD or Street Fighter is the same.
Posted: Apr 29th 2011 1:19PM Jacob P Galvatron said
@DenebSwift
im not buying the same game EA has been selling since 2006.
i agree with you on the COD thing though....
Reply
im not buying the same game EA has been selling since 2006.
i agree with you on the COD thing though....
Posted: Apr 29th 2011 11:40AM Clemalum07 said
still canned animation still will not buy. Lipstick on a pig is all this is.
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Posted: Apr 29th 2011 2:08PM OnToGloryReturns said
@Clemalum07
OMG, LAST YEARS' NFL SEASON WAS SO MUCH LIKE THE YEAR BEFORE
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OMG, LAST YEARS' NFL SEASON WAS SO MUCH LIKE THE YEAR BEFORE
Posted: Apr 29th 2011 3:52PM Clemalum07 said
@OnToGloryReturns
Actually it wasnt but nice try. Each game didnt look exactly the same with the same few tackle animations being shown over and over. I dont remember seeing that on my HD TV last football season. Madden isnt realistic it is a joke. Nice to see you are a sheep for Madden. They could crap in a box and people like you would still buy it and call it the greatest thing ever.
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Actually it wasnt but nice try. Each game didnt look exactly the same with the same few tackle animations being shown over and over. I dont remember seeing that on my HD TV last football season. Madden isnt realistic it is a joke. Nice to see you are a sheep for Madden. They could crap in a box and people like you would still buy it and call it the greatest thing ever.
Posted: Apr 29th 2011 12:07PM The Commenter Formerly Known as said
I love how everyone is quick to point out this is the same game. If these comments where made in an intelligent fashion, you know actually do some research about the game before saying something, I would give it some credit. But I didn't buy madden 11 not because it was same game madden 10 but because they tried to take it in a different direction but failed.
If you look at any sports game, they will all feel very similar year to year because you know what football is still the same football. But if anybody would actually pay attention to this years madden you will see that the are actually trying to give the community what they want. Bigger rosters, custom playbook, better play control, extended rosters and so on. But their execution on this features are yet to be seen. But please make some intelligent comments about sports games and if you don't play sports games why are even reading this article.
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If you look at any sports game, they will all feel very similar year to year because you know what football is still the same football. But if anybody would actually pay attention to this years madden you will see that the are actually trying to give the community what they want. Bigger rosters, custom playbook, better play control, extended rosters and so on. But their execution on this features are yet to be seen. But please make some intelligent comments about sports games and if you don't play sports games why are even reading this article.
Posted: Apr 29th 2011 4:07PM Johnnynumber5 is powered by cell said
@kbomb
Yup. Hopefully they don't dumb down next years NCAA 12 like the most recent Madden. Sports games should be about subtle changes not sweeping overhauls like Madden 11. Talk about a letdown.
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Yup. Hopefully they don't dumb down next years NCAA 12 like the most recent Madden. Sports games should be about subtle changes not sweeping overhauls like Madden 11. Talk about a letdown.
Posted: Apr 29th 2011 11:13PM Spartan117458 said
@The Commenter Formerly Known as
Yeah, I was really disappointed in Madden 11. I'm still playing 10 but haven't picked up 11 in months.
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Yeah, I was really disappointed in Madden 11. I'm still playing 10 but haven't picked up 11 in months.
Posted: Apr 29th 2011 11:13PM Spartan117458 said
@Negatron
I'm pretty sure the exclusivity deal is actually more to do with the NFL and less with EA.
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I'm pretty sure the exclusivity deal is actually more to do with the NFL and less with EA.
Posted: Apr 30th 2011 1:29AM US 447 said
@Negatron Ea didnt have anything to do with this "journalists" article. He was very unprofessional, this isnt how you do any type of review. This is why Kotaku sucks, now it seems those writers are trying to come to Joystiq. I dont think you know what your talking about.
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Posted: Apr 29th 2011 2:09PM OnToGloryReturns said
Custom playbooks has online exploits written all over it.
I don't understand why they don't use the realtime physics engine from NHL 11.
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I don't understand why they don't use the realtime physics engine from NHL 11.
Posted: Apr 29th 2011 2:34PM Riley Freeman said
What happened to the weapon system? and the disintegrating grass?
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Posted: Apr 29th 2011 3:00PM Mechazawa Prime said
I still want real physics like in Backbreaker. Canned animations can suck it.
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Posted: Apr 29th 2011 3:50PM Clemalum07 said
@Mechazawa Prime
Agreed! Backbreaker AI was terrible but the physics and player interactions looked much better than Madden.
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Agreed! Backbreaker AI was terrible but the physics and player interactions looked much better than Madden.
Posted: Apr 29th 2011 4:15PM Johnnynumber5 is powered by cell said
@Ch1d0r1
Seriously. Everyone is saying that Madden is the same game every year but those of us who actually play them know that Madden 11 was a huge step back from Madden 10 because it changed too much. They made it so much slower and it felt more like NFL Street than Madden. For my money NCAA 11 is the best football game ever made. I could play it for years to come ... and probably will as our online dynasty nears the end of the 2nd season (stoopid PSN outages) ... I like the idea of custom playbooks in theory so long as the computer AI follows suit. We don't need another singleback>slot strong> wr screen exploit like Madden 10 has/had.
The real improvements needs to come in fine tuning the NCAA 11 in game experience and more options / features in online dynasty mode. Interacting with fellow league members needs to be streamlined as well as player progression. Progression is so hit or miss in online dynasties that even if a player with an A or B potential has a breakout year they won't always gain those actual points. This is why I say that NCAA 11 has it down. Recruiting makes sense and is logical. If I get a 5 star recruit they will have a good rating and can be as high as a 90 after a redshirt freshman year.
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Seriously. Everyone is saying that Madden is the same game every year but those of us who actually play them know that Madden 11 was a huge step back from Madden 10 because it changed too much. They made it so much slower and it felt more like NFL Street than Madden. For my money NCAA 11 is the best football game ever made. I could play it for years to come ... and probably will as our online dynasty nears the end of the 2nd season (stoopid PSN outages) ... I like the idea of custom playbooks in theory so long as the computer AI follows suit. We don't need another singleback>slot strong> wr screen exploit like Madden 10 has/had.
The real improvements needs to come in fine tuning the NCAA 11 in game experience and more options / features in online dynasty mode. Interacting with fellow league members needs to be streamlined as well as player progression. Progression is so hit or miss in online dynasties that even if a player with an A or B potential has a breakout year they won't always gain those actual points. This is why I say that NCAA 11 has it down. Recruiting makes sense and is logical. If I get a 5 star recruit they will have a good rating and can be as high as a 90 after a redshirt freshman year.
Posted: Apr 30th 2011 12:16AM Ch1d0r1 said
@Johnnynumber5 is powered by cell
right on brother. Haven't played NCAA 11 myself but i do hear people praise it all the time. I do agree Madden 11 was a big step forward. I recommend you check out MyLeagueManager.net for madden 11. Its a 3rd party site that integrates salary cap, free agent bidding... and many more features, id love to see these features built into the game.
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right on brother. Haven't played NCAA 11 myself but i do hear people praise it all the time. I do agree Madden 11 was a big step forward. I recommend you check out MyLeagueManager.net for madden 11. Its a 3rd party site that integrates salary cap, free agent bidding... and many more features, id love to see these features built into the game.
Posted: Apr 29th 2011 3:39PM Ch1d0r1 said
Gameflow again?? Worst madden feature ever, Ask Madden is probably used more often, and you only use that when your up by 3-4 td's. "100 new tackle animations, including 40 gang tackles", really??
How about they provide roster updates for life? I play madden all the time, and thats the only feature besides Online Franchise salary cap that we truly want.
Reply
How about they provide roster updates for life? I play madden all the time, and thats the only feature besides Online Franchise salary cap that we truly want.
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