Madden NFL 11 Review

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(More customer reviews)I, like most, have been a huge Madden fan throughout the history of the game but I learned a very valuable lesson early on; NEVER BUY BACK TO BACK YEARS!! NEVER!! I did. And I'm sorry for it.
Madden 10 was pretty good, I thought NCAA 10 was better and after playing the demo for 11 I was hooked. I wanted the updated rosters, I wanted gameflow and I was really getting use to the new running scheme. What I figured out after I bought the game was how much the hype failed. Gameflow is ask Madden without pushing buttons. You can always go in and make custom game plans, which I think is a really cool idea, but this takes forever. You're just as good off using the playbook during game play, at least then you have every play you want without forming habits. No complaints with the running game, I think it's pretty solid. If I had a complaint it would be that it is far to easy. I'm no Madden God but this running game makes me feel like one. Passing is hit and miss. I LOVE receivers staying in bounds for the catch or dragging their feet, but that is IF they catch the ball. So many times I've thrown a ball (from a highly rated QB) to an open, slant route running receiver (also highly rated) just to watch the ball bounce in front of him. How about a one handed catch? How about a dive? Where is my coach "give me more effort!!!" button?? The D pad option is just horid. Whoever in game development had that brain storm of an idea should be beaten. On offense it's barely "ok" and I only say that because you can control the clock. On defense it's almost impossible. Just trying to change out of a play is cutting it close, let alone pushing a d pad to cover a certain receiver, ball snaps before I'm ready every time.
Defense goes a little something like this. Open Madden 10, select all, copy, paste to Madden 11....ad D pad frustration. If a developer is reading this....you're an idiot. We don't pay this much money for cut and paste options, and as soon as EA sports stops buying out NFL rights I will never buy another Madden game again. I love defense and I hate that EA hasn't made defense a priority in years. Superstar is another cut and paste job. That portion of the game could be so much better and I've waited for so long to see it evolve. EA sports, I hate you. Franchise is also cut and paste, also another game option that could be amazing through and through.
Online. First off, I never play online. I can understand why some do, I'm honestly not good enough to play against the big boys. But this doesn't stop EA sports from driving me crazy. Nope, this year you must pay for the privilege of playing online, after already paying for the privilege from x-box. Nicely done EA, I loath you. So even though I do not play online, if I want future roster updates I sure will have to pay for it. But that's not all....want dumb coins to buy fake football cards? Better buy those too. Want to have an edge on your franchise? Better buy those options as well. Games are expensive enough. I love game addons like the next game junkie but c'mon man! No other game on the market does this. Fable 3 isn't going to put out a new game every year, make you pay for all the cool stuff while at the same time pushing out a crap product. There would be anarchy on the streets!!!! Madden does it year after year.
The graphics are great, as always, and the Superbowl finally got a face lift. All in all I think it would be a good game if I had gone a few years without purchasing a new Madden. If that sounds like you, or you're waiting for something to push you over the homicidal edge, I bet you'll love the game. If you see a used Madden 11 game on Amazon for $12....that's me.

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NHL 11 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)As I play more of the game, I'll have a more detailed review. As things stand now, if you want to play a hockey game, you've got no where else to turn, so in a way any review is a waste. However, if you are on the fence, this review will help determine which side you want to jump on.
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Update: 3/31/11
I've been playing season mode a lot, since I don't have internet currently, and I want to say this: the computer cheats.
I'm playing superstar, and there is a huge double standard that has caused my controller to get tossed more than 10 times. For example, if I knock the computer off the puck, it's irrelevant, as he'll get back to the puck 80% of the time (unless I knock him down, and then he's prone to flailing on the ice and sometimes knocking the puck away). The other way around, if he hits me, I can rarely get back to the puck; he nearly always beats me to it or he's got support to take the puck. You can't have it both ways. Also, the computer is awesome at skating through my body when I dive. It's really amazing, as if I'm not even there. And the computer also likes to poke check through my body too, so even when I think I have positioning, it's irrelevant, because he's got magic powers.
Finally, the goalies are not made equal. My goalie seems to let in really, really pathetic goals, whereas the computer makes ridiculous saves.
I want this game to be difficult on it's highest setting, but this isn't difficult, it's cheating. If I have 2 steps on someone to a loose puck, and I'm using speed burst, they should not be able to out race me 9 times out of 10 (as the 'hawks, Kane and Campbell seem to be able to skate as fast as Wade Brookbank. Sure, sure). I know you can edit the settings to make the superstars stand out, but why is that even a feature? Why bother rating the players if Daniel Winnick is going to score a hat trick on me?
Anyway, thanks for playing unfair computer.
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BE A PRO MODE:
The problems with Be A Pro mode that have been in previous NHL's is still there. Your AI teammates are useless. Their passes are garbage (sometimes they will ignore your passing request), they will lose nearly every board battle, are super good at turning the puck over, and the D will completely abandon the crease.
Essentially, Be A Pro mode will involve you playing 1 on 5. And why would you want to bother with that? Let's move on to the part of the NHL series which just keeps getting worse.
UNLOCKABLES:
For the EASHL (this is where you play as your own character) you either have to pay to improve your character or play a ton of games to do so. A lot of the unlockables involve playing 40+ games of Be a Pro, the major problem being that it's a nearly unbearable experience.
So, you will have to pay one way or another, either with money or with a lot of your time (and sanity). This is a problem, not just from a greed stand point, but in that players will always be artificially good. Everyone should be the same, and whoever is the better player should be the standard, not whoever spent more MS points than you.
HUT (New Addition, Needs Deletion):
I find Hockey Ultimate Team to be a gigantic waste. I have played 2 games online, only to unlock something for my EASHL player. Why would I want to play another game where the player I'm up against can just buy better players? Why would I want to play a game where my players are rated so low they can't make a pass, poke check, or skate?
NEW GAME = NEW ERRORS
The checking in this game with the "new" physics engine is cartoonish. I've been checked from behind on the rush and have gone flying. I've hit someone with a tip of my elbow and they are tossed ragdoll-style in the opposite direction.
Outside of that, goalies currently have a proclivity for pushing the puck in their own net. They will make a butterfly save and then proceed to bat the puck in the net. What a joke.
And again, the AI can stick lift you even when you are in front of them. If you even try to do that, you will get 2 minutes.
One funny addition to the EASHL is 10 minute majors. If your friend gets one, it's a riot b/c he's out of the game. However, for online team play, this means a computer team mate for the rest of the game (everyone usually quits, anyway), which can be a nuisance. So, Im unsure if I like this new penalty.
Summation:
Again, what choice do you have if you want to play a hockey game? As time goes on, I'll add to the review. It can be a very fun to play, but the mistakes in the game will also cause a lot of frustration as they are so incredibly stupid. Is is worth the agitation to you?
UPDATE -
Since the last tuner update, the goalies have become horrible. I've seen them get beat on simple, unscreened wrist shots, and on a 2 on 1 the goalie completely ignored the shooter, leaving the entire left side open (assuming a pass). Just great, EA.
Also, the Online Team Play rooms are still buggy (although it appears they finally learned to count -- it was Online Team Play Room #1, Online Team Play Room #1, and Online Team Play Room #1 as available rooms instead of 1,2,3). In NHL 10, the Xbox 360 would just freeze at random spots. So far, there's two spots where it will freeze, one of which is loading the game room in online team play. I was gently hoping that since EA now requires you to have a passcode to play online, that that would mean less problems.
Um, nope.
Finally, passing, while I'm sure I still need more time to get use to it, it definitely still needs refinement. It should not be THAT hard to send a pass and to receive one. And while I understand cross creases need to be toned down, some of the interceptions by the CPU are ridiculous.

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