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Adobe Photoshop CC. VirtualDJ Avast Free Security. WhatsApp Messenger. Talking Tom Cat. Clash of Clans. Subway Surfers. TubeMate 3. Google Play. Biden to send military medical teams to help hospitals. N95, KN95, KF94 masks. GameStop PS5 in-store restock. Well, the developers have done just that. The kicking game has received a complete overhaul, replacing the left-right, up-down meters with a circular arc, similar to the kind used for most golf games.
I'm not quite sure if most gamers will prefer this to the traditional interface. What I do know, however, is that with a little practice, all gamers will eventually feel right at home with the new mechanics. I personally think it represents a huge improvement, as it now requires more skill to put the ball between the uprights. There are no significant changes in player control -- if you've played previous versions of the game, you'll feel right at home. There has been some concern in the past about player movement being too 'floaty.
Once again, it's a matter of preference; it's never been an issue for me. You will, however, find significant changes in the overall speed of the game, the running game, the passing game and the defensive AI. The overall speed of the game has increased to a point where player movements are nowhere near as sluggish as in last year's version.
This has made a direct impact on the running game. Whether you're running up the middle or going outside, your back will get there much quicker, resulting in more chances for positive yardage. The line blocking has also improved, especially on traps and dives up the middle.
You'll need to find the openings quickly, however, because like real football the holes close as fast as they open. I have a minor complaint about the line blocking, the same one I've had for years. In the real game of football, offensive linemen do not run-block standing straight up as is portrayed here. During and after run plays, linemen usually end up on the turf, buried somewhere in the middle of a massive pileup.
Likewise on defense, while there are new wrap-tackle animations, there should be more gang tackling with three or four players hitting the ball carrier at once. The absence of these animations doesn't hurt the game in any way; however, they would make the game much more realistic. Perhaps the biggest improvement in the game is in defensive pass coverage. The developers have made strides in this area. During nickel and dime packages, your cornerbacks and safeties will cover the receivers with a new sense of smarts.
On the whole, this will enable you to play a better level of defense with those bogus sixty to eighty-yard touchdown passes occurring much less frequently. On the offensive side of the ball, this makes finding the open man more challenging than ever before. However, I have noticed that at least your receivers don't seem to drop the ball as often as in the past doh!
All of this makes the passing game more of an exercise in skill and less of an exercise in frustration. In terms of gameplay AI, the Madden series has always been the best, and this year's game is positioned to keep that streak going.
For those of us who play solo, the CPU consistently plays with a level of intelligence that is, to date, unmatched by any other game. The computer opponent will call plays and use time-outs in an appropriate manner.
If the CPU has no more time-outs, it will use the sidelines to stop the clock. The more you play the game and the more different game situations you find yourself in, the more you begin to appreciate this level of AI. Heck, I even had one situation when right at the end of the third quarter with the wind going against me, I purposely called a running play so that the clock would keep moving. It was fourth down and my plan was to run out the clock so that I could punt the ball with the wind at my back.
Well, it seems the CPU had ideas of its own. It proceeded to call a time-out, forcing me to punt against the wind outfoxed by a computer chip I love it!
Needless to say, I was both shocked and pleased at the same time. Unfortunately, the dreaded money plays are back again. To be honest, by virtue of my own experiences I haven't been able to determine to what extent. But I have noticed daily updated money plays that are provided by competing websites for each and every NFL team. If you don't already own a multitap, this game gives you reason enough to go out and buy one. Madden supports up to eight players simultaneously -- so gather your friends and get ready for some serious trash talking.
Even if you can't spring for the multitap, as mentioned earlier, the Franchise mode enables human ownership for each of the 31 NFL teams. If you own a PS2 and love football video games as much as I do, I need not go on and on about the graphical splendor that EA Sports bestowed upon us in the form last year's Madden game. Sure, there were areas that needed some work do I hear 'bug eyes,' anyone? So in regard to this year's game, the obvious question becomes how much if any have they improved?
At first glance, the answer might be, well, not much -- but upon closer inspection and additional hours of gameplay I think you'll find this year's version offers a substantial visual upgrade. The first thing you'll notice is the improvement in the facial features of our gridiron combatants.
Yup, the infamous 'bug eyes'? Don't get me wrong, the player's faces are still not the real deal by any stretch -- you won't recognize your favorite quarterback anytime soon -- but at least they do look more human.
The facial features of the sideline coaches, however, are modeled quite nicely. Chances are you just might recognize your favorite head coach isn't that nice? As a matter of fact, the player models themselves have been upgraded with an apparent increase in polygons, cleaner and more detailed textures and thankfully, fewer 'jaggies. Overall, the players look less chunky and more like real football players. In direct comparison to last year's game, you'll also find a more convincing variety of player sizes.
Running backs look more like running backs and linemen look more like linemen. Additionally, the various team uniforms are conveyed with a never-before-seen level of detail -- a close-up view of the players reveals more realistic helmet logos, jersey mesh and an assortment of other player accoutrements, such as elbow pads and finger tape. The various stadiums are once again modeled to near perfection, displaying an impressive likeness to their real-life counterparts.
Sidelines are populated with fully animated and interactive 3D players, referees, coaches, cheerleaders and cameramen. Trust me, I've knocked over a member of the chain gang more than once oops! The sidelines are not nearly as populated as in a real-life game, but they offer a nice touch nonetheless.
Because of this, the gameplay in Madden almost completely revolves around your ability to pass the ball and defend against the computer's passing attack. For the better or worse, most users will find that at least on the offensive side of things that this isn't a complex of a task.
Whether you're playing with an average quarterback like Jay Fiedler throwing to the likes of McDuffie, Gadsden, and Goodwin or with a more potent passing attack with a Kurt Warner at the helm with weapons like Faulk, Bruce or Holt to throw to, you can expect to pass for more than yards per game without much of a problem against any defense that you're thrown up against. There are simply way too many holes open in both the long and short range passing attacks and most can be exploited at will on every difficulty except for the Madden level.
The most notable are the deep corner patterns by the tight ends or slot receivers, most outs by the wide outs or just about any pass to a running back coming out of the backfield. And if you want to see even more wide open players try motioning a back to the trips side of a formation as there will always be at least one player left completely wide open in one of these situations.
To even things out a bit, actually stopping the computer's passing attack can be a mighty fine chore on the game's top two difficulty settings. The reason for this, though, isn't a sophisticated passing attack by the computer as much as it is a result of somewhat shoddy player control.
When in control of a defense back going trying to defend a pass, you'll often find that trying to deflect or intercept a pass will put you into an animation that takes you out of the play if you don't knock down or catch the ball, creating a big play for the computer. This often makes playing defense more of a crapshoot than anything else.
Some of the AI and balance problems with the running and passing games can be fixed a bit if you mess around with the overall difficulty and tweak the game's AI sliders, but finding a perfect balance isn't going to happen regardless of how much time you spend fine-tuning these options. Furthermore, the CPU's play calling can be somewhat idiotic at times. The computer will pass more than it should when it has a lead and should be trying to run out the clock and it rarely runs an efficient two-minute offense when trying to mount a late game comeback.
Outside of these AI and play balance issues, there are also some other minor problems with the gameplay that are worth mentioning. For one, receivers don't react realistically to being close to the sidelines or the back of the end zone. If you're throwing an out to a receiver close to the sideline, he won't adjust his route to compensate being close to the side of the field, so if you throw the ball too late, he'll just run his pattern out of bounds.
This also happens when throwing to receivers running towards the back of the end zone. Even with all of these niggling problems, the game can still be played with a bit of realism as long as you choose not to over-exploit the holes. If you call a realistic game and try and play the game as the team you're using would really play, you're going to get a more lifelike gaming experience. Even still, striking this balance should've been something left up to the way the game was designed and not a choice by the user.
Online Play One of the biggest complaints that people had with last year's Madden was that the online play seemed a bit slow and a little too buggy. For the most part, these problems have been addressed and are no longer serious issues.
There is some lag to deal with, though, so trying to get a good running game going will be much more effort than it's worth because the timing of jukes and stiff arms will be a bit off, but the game is still highly playable if you can deal with the fact that you're going to be passing the ball a lot more than you'll be running it.
It's pretty easy to jump onto EA's online chat room for the game and finding someone to go up against won't be too hard as there are usually anywhere from 20 to 30 players hanging around the main room at any one time.
The biggest issue will be finding someone that'll keep on playing for a whole game as most will quit once they start losing, which means that you won't get the "W" on your record or the complete satisfaction of beating down another human controlled opponent. The online competition will generally be a bit more satisfying and well rounded than you're going to get from the CPU, so this is probably one of the game's strongest assets.
It's just too bad that the running game is a bit disadvantaged or this could've brought the game's score up a few points. For those looking for more than just a single game competition either in scrimmage or league play, Madden also allows for franchise mode play online. With this, players can setup an online franchise that can be played with up to a total of 31 players with one person designated as the commissioner to setup specific rules, regulations and play times.
I honestly haven't been able to check out this in depth because a combination of time restraints and the fact that I didn't want to jump into someone's franchise just to bail out before its completion, but it seems like a worthwhile option for those that want to make use of it.
Graphics Based on last year's PlayStation 2 engine with some improvements, this year's Madden on PC is without a doubt the best looking football game, or better yet, the best looking sports game that you're going to find on a computer gaming platform.
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