NCAA/Madden 2013

[Mik]

Getting to be about that time. NCAA out Tuesday - people with the EA season pass got it today. Lots of big improvements to recruiting, including preseason scouting, being able to get number scores on prospects prior to the offseason, improved calls, a postseason NFL draft, amongst many other things. This is good because recruiting is the reason I still play this game.

As for Madden,
http://www.easports.com/madden-nfl/feature/connected-careers

The addition of connected careers is like bringing RPGs in to a sports game, for real hopefully this time. Too much to explain in this post, so may be best to click through and check the videos if you aren't caught up on it. I have some friends who are counting down the days to Madden just for this and I myself will probably pick it up this year for the first time in a few years. I've been NCAA only for the last 2-3 years.

Also, a new engine that from looking at it adds some of the Backbreaker physics, so that should be cool.

FOOTBAW.

 

[Mazto]

They fixed linebackers being Superman jumpy knock down my pass to a guy who is wide open yet?

 

[Mik]

On NCAA they have totally revamped pass defense. No more superman plays. I'm guessing that applies to Madden as well, but not 100% sure.

 

[Baby Shoes]

Haven't bought on release in a few years but Best Buy's current pre-order promos got me to place an order. If you pre-order these and in their gamer club, you get a $20 gift card. On top of that, they have Buy 2, Get 1 during NCAA launch, so I figure I can pick up some other stuff too.

In my recent score-whoring, I've gone back to finish achievements on some of the old ones lately, so I created a mini-build up pf anticipation unintentionally for this year.

 

[Aero]

They fixed linebackers being Superman jumpy knock down my pass to a guy who is wide open yet?

I think I read a few weeks ago that it was fixed. Pass defense is supposed to be improved as a whole to be more realistic, with defenders actually needing to see the ball in the air before they defend/intercept it, as opposed to often having their backs turned and knowing when to knock it away.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Also wide receivers will have their icons turned off until they're "open" now so you can still attempt 'blind' throws but the odds of completing them are much lower than in year's past.

Pre-ordered NCAA 13 but may be skipping Madden 13. Due to the Connected Careers feature, you can't take edited rosters into Madden 13's CC mode so you'll have to accept/play with the officially released ones.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

As a heads up for anybody who purchases it/pre-ordered it for Tuesday's release...

Apparently playing on Heisman guarantees the best experience and that AA or lower needs a lot of slider tweaking to be comparable. This is more notable in relation to Option oriented teams e.g. Air Force, Army, Navy, or GT in getting them to run their offense with effective precision.

 

[AlaskanHero]

I skipped the last two Maddens, but it looks like I'll have to buy this one. I'm sold on the fake Twitter and RPG-like upgrades.

 

[oldskool]

Really interested in where they took Madden this year, but I have a feeling introducing two major new features in one year is going to lead to a shitton of bugs so I'm probably going to end up sticking with just NCAA for the third straight year.

 

[Mik]

Been playing the NCAA pre-release all day - sprung for the EA Season Pass. Loving the scouting aspect of recruiting. Seen a few busts and gems already and I'm only in week 4. The "Studio Updates" feature they have been hyping was insta-skipped by second quarter of week 1.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

I'm already geeked at testing out Army's "Wingbone" formation too. For those who want an early look at formations/plays... Just change from NCAA 2012 to NCAA 2013 in your profile.

http://www.playbooks2012.com

 

[Mik]

For people planning on playing both - word on the street is that once you play Madden it's really tough to go back to NCAA because the new engine on Madden makes NCAA feel old. So, I plan on playing NCAA in to the ground before I switch.

 

[Mazto]

Didn't... 07 have scouting in it? At least to a degree, I recall I could spend recruiting points to scout a player and get their "real" stats.

 

[Mik]

Played a whole season with a lot of simming. Wish they had an actual draft so you can see where your guys go (first round at least!)... instead you just find out what round they were drafted in. Now to convince players to stay - you make promises. No burning recruiting time. You can offer they win a position award (Outland for OL, etc.), go in a higher round in next year's draft, win national championship etc. I like that new wrinkle.

 

[oldskool]

Heisman mode so far about as pointless as Road to Glory was. Three games in as Herschel Walker & I have over 1000 all-purpose yards (over 750 rushing, I'm an OK return man and a terrible receiver!) and 10 rushing TDs, so I'm past halfway to the goals set for me at the start of the season. Maybe it's tougher as a Barry Sanders who set more absurd records, but I doubt it. Playcalling is heavily slanted towards your player, so in a theoretical game of 50 plays I'd have 37 carries, 3 targets in the passing game, 3 more pass plays where I run a route and it isn't thrown to me, 2 play-action passes where I get tackled at the line and taken out of the play, 1 pass play where I stay in to block, 4 field goals/punts/fatigue-related incidents where I'm not on the field, a couple kick returns and a half-dozen punt returns.

If you wanted RTG: Give Me The Ball I'm Rated 99 it's the mode for you!

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Playing in a Dynasty as UMass and I LOVE the scouting feature, including the gems/busts aspect. Especially being a lower tier school, it's much more fun "stumbling" over a hidden gem in your backyard and trying valiantly to get them over say Connecticut, Rutgers, or Temple.

 

[oldskool]

Toughest Places To Play finally expanded to show all the teams and not just the top 25. Championship Contender ranks all 123 teams by how good they "should" be in the next three years based on personnel. Nice touches.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

One neat aspect of taking on an existing 3rd/4th stringer is that you can "practice" the playbooks of upcoming opponents (e.g. QB Baylor's O against the D of SMU) and really earn your way up that way.

There are also position battles now in order to move up from say 3rd String to 2nd String.

 

[oldskool]

Idaho upset Boise State (led wire-to-wire, messed with sliders at halftime) and went to 3 overtimes to get by Bowling Green before pulling out another comeback against Wyoming. I'm having a load of fun and I haven't even touched recruiting yet.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Madden 13 is coming out on the 18th. Just pre-ordered it (more for the fact that it's the NFL, being a coach in CC mode sounds cool, and the "legend" coaching playbooks look like they kick ass).

Vince Lombardi's PB - Starts at 0:28

E3 2012 - MADDEN 13 - VINCE LOMBARDI OFFENSIVE PLAYBOOK

 

[Brooklyn Zoo]

The halfback sweep is unstoppable!!!!

 

[Broward83]

Madden is out on the 28th Harley, not the 18th.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

That's what I get for having the date of the Cabin in the Woods movie in my head (which is 9/18).

 

[Kageho]

I'm not sure I'll pick up Madden again this year. Not being able to play with my own tweaks to the roster is kind of infuriating.

 

[Mik]

This looks like the best and biggest Madden update possibly ever. New engine, the RPG like career mode. So, in contrast, this is the first time I'm picking it up in about three years.

 

[The Amazing Rando]

It's so depressing that one of the biggest selling points for this Madden for my group of friends is the ability to do Ultimate Team on the web. I also am a little intrigued by the Kinect stuff, though I have a feeling the first time it fucks something up for me that shit is gone and for good.

 

[KingPK]

The demo is out. I honestly had no idea Nance and Simms were taking over commentary, so that was a nice surprise. The game plays pretty ok, though some of the tackling animations seem weird with the new engine. I had a player get BOTH legs pinned under himself after a tackle and he just popped up like nothing.

 

[fazzle]

I find it really odd when Nantz talks about "15 minutes down, 45 minutes to go" after the end of the first quarter. On one hand, I get it cause that makes it more like a real NFL broadcast, but on the other hand, who the hell actually plays 15 minute quarters in Madden?



Edit: Hahaha, what the fuck? In the general Madden hype video in the game, when they talk about connected careers, they highlight a news story about Hines Ward getting traded to the "Baltimore Raves." Wasn't that a failed XFL team?

 

[Aero]

Only played a few minutes earlier, but I like what I've seen so far. I can't say I've noticed great differences up this point with the new physics engine, but it definitely feels a bit more realistic. It looks prettier, particularly with the motion blur between plays.

Just a few minor thoughts/notes:

- It's always a huge shock when you play with the game speed on the default fast after playing the previous year's game on very slow for so long.
- The kicking meter has been changed again, back to the analog being pushed down/up.
- There always seems to be some small and insignificant change they make to the play selection screen that makes it weird to look at compared to the previous game. This year, the title of the play is at the bottom of the graphics.
- Play action seems improved, as outside of boot legs in last year's game, PA passes were useless. I did notice that the automatic boot leg motion seems to be removed in favor of just the handoff, though.

 

[HarleyQuinn]

Some thoughts on the demo...

- Everything looks very polished and professional. Little details (such as the temperature, listing EVERY player on O/D on the lineup overlays, and doing the stats ala Marshawn Lynch - 2 rushes, 6 yards after a 3 yard run) are nice touches. Feels like a broadcast finally in that aspect.
- The infinity engine really shows up in the gang tackling. Some of the animations are awkward (as is the players tripping over others post play) but I like the fluidity of gang tackling now.
- Passing looked and felt really smooth. Had a TE deep with Washington but the ball got knocked out when the defender hit him. Called the same play and waited a few seconds longer and hit an absolute DART for a 25 yard TD to Fred Davis. Beautiful ball placement (right between the two converging safeties) and catch.
- Crowd definitely gets loud on big plays. Got a sack on a Flynn scramble and actually winced at how loud the crowd was. Touchdown was even louder. OW.
- If you motion a WR right and motion him back left, the initial defender covering him will not follow him back, which is a nice change as it can "screw" up on the offense if you lead a defender right to a spot you don't want him to be.
- Here's how weird it is to play with the physics. Had a run outside and Roy Helu bounced off tackles and actually stayed on his feet! I had "stopped" playing b/c in the past it would have meant automatic tackles and only got a 3 yard gain instead after I realized he was still on his feet and not down
- If you're controlling a defender and run after a RB who's been tackled to the ground, your defender will actually fly on top of the RB as an additional tackling animation, which is nice.
- If you hit the back of your OL, your RB will stumble as a result. A little annoying on Draws trying to squeeze through tight holes.