Had no problem buying the game at Best Buy on the way home last night, plenty of copies in stock.
Let me preface by saying that while I’ve been playing Madden since the 90’s I am not an elite player. I’ve never been the best among my friends or the guys in my dorm. I guess I just don’t play enough to get to that level. However I am a huge NFL fan and a decent enough video game player that I have always enjoyed the Madden games. I generally play against the computer at home, or 1-on-1 with friends in person and online.
Got about 4 hours in on the game last night. I skipped the “Madden Test” and jumped right into the game. I played a number of halves so I could sample different players and play styles. (Pats. Eagles, Raiders, Vikes, Colts, Chiefs, Texans, Falcons)
I was having a hell of a time running with my beloved Pat’s but the passing game with that team is just sick. I was a much better runner with better RB’s not surprisingly (Purple Jesus, McFadden, LT, LJ)
First off, the GRAPHICS are just phenomenal. The variation in player sizes, faces, and details is excellent. Animations are very smooth and the game seems to run at a consistent frame rate this year. Details while players are on the run and in the pile are much better this year.
The only place where it gets wonky is the sidelines. While the sideline guys look a lot better, I found my players were walking through them frequently.
Running is tough but seems consistent with good variation from player to player, just as it should be. You’ll need to be more patient this year for sure.
Passing seems harder but again, more “realistic.” Your QB needs to be planted and needs proper time to get a throw off. It’s much tougher to beat corners and safeties deep now as well.
I had read about there being “no interceptions” but I managed to make 2 and throw 2.
A few small issues: I was unable to enter the online lobby to find a game and that is being widely reported.
Also, it took me about 30 tries to get the first update/patch to load, it would hang up after a variety of different percentages. Finally, at the end of the night I got it to go through and update all the way. So all of my play last night was before the first patch was applied.
Seems like server overload for sure and hopefully EA gets that addressed asap.
I’ll have more as I dig deeper and play more.
