Re: Madden 08 Preview!! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>April 27, 2007 - Let's get it out of the way now. Madden NFL 07 was a disappointment, pure and simple. With an exclusive NFL license as well as the power of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, there's no reason why this "next-gen" Madden shouldn't have blown football fans away as one of the greatest sports gaming experiences of all time. That's what we expect when we fork over the dough for high-priced consoles and a $59.99 game. As the only NFL sim on the market, that's what we deserve.With Madden NFL 08, that's what we're going to get. Or at least that's the lofty goal that developer EA Tiburon has set for its flagship franchise, set to release this summer. With a difficult console transition finally out of the way, Tiburon head man Steve Chiang said there are no more excuses with Madden. There will only be results. After visiting Tiburon to take an early peek at Madden 08, we're starting to believe him.The major focus, as it should be, is on gameplay. Remember that old "If it's in the game, it's in the game" line? Tiburon is taking that to heart. If it's on the field -- laterals, gang tackles, diving catches, strips, shutdown corners, hurdles -- it's in Madden, said producer Ian Cummings. His vision? Pure dynamic gameplay. You control the animations -- the animations don't control you. You can see what Cummings has to say in our exclusive video interview.In short, EA is bringing sexy back. Here are a few examples we saw on some early in-engine videos of Madden 08.# Midair CollisionsA quarterback lofts a pass to a streaking receiver that is well covered. The receiver jumps and extends his arms to receive the ball just as the corner buries his helmet into his ribcage. The receiver is upended and falls on his back while the ball bounces into the hands of the safety creeping over to help. If you're going to expose yourself in traffic, expect to get hit. We can see the alligator arms growing now.# Big Time CatchesTo balance these big hits in the secondary, EA has made star receivers play like, you know, stars. Guys like Larry Fitzgerald are going to go up and get the ball and they're going to take the hit. What's more, you'll see them reaching out for one-handed grabs and leaping into the end zone for six. That's not to say a good corner isn't going to shut down some of these plays. But a scrub DB? "He's toast," Cummings said.To do this, EA had to better emphasize the roles receivers play by looking at situational awareness and catch-in-traffic ratings. So expect to see a big difference with possession guys like Keyshawn Johnson and showboats like Terrell Owens. Johnson won't stretch the D, but he will do the little things -- in the end zone on a timing patter, he'll catch the ball with his hands and fall right to the turf to avoid the hit and secure the football. Along with highlight catches, you can also trigger possession catches that ensure you catch the ball, get the feet down and tuck it away safely at the expense of some speed running after the catch.# HurdlesA few years ago, players were able to cheat with the hurdle button to escape tackles. The easy solution was simply to remove hurdles. They're back in 08, and a great tool for ball carriers looking to evade tacklers going for the knees. On the flip side of that coin, you are exposed in the air, as we saw in this video:LaDainian Tomlinson takes a pitch and sweeps right. As a linebacker bears down, LT hurdles. Bad move. In the air, LT is unprotected. The LB takes his legs out from under him and LT flips over, fumbling the ball toward the sideline. "If a guy is running at you and you jump at him, you're dead," said Cummings. "We emulated that."# Hitstick 2.0If LT is going to hurdle to avoid a tackle, you have to be able to answer on the defensive side of the ball. Enter Hitstick 2.0. This will allow you to tackle high or low by flicking up or down on the right stick, respectively. This opens the door for all kinds of possibilities.If you're an undersized corner and Lorenzo Neal is barreling toward you, you better take out his knees at risk of getting trucked. If it's Warrick Dunn dancing toward you, on the other hand, you may want to hold off on the hit stick altogether at the risk of losing your shoes. But if you're Zach Thomas and the situation is right, a high tackle is going to ring some bells.# Gang TacklesWe saw a bit of gang tackling last year on the PS3, but this year the feature looks to be fully fleshed out. Cummings said with confidence that it's "the best gang-tackling engine ever created," a bold statement considering the old 2K franchise. But consider this:You can stand a guy up and come in with a linebacker to clean house. Yeah, it's been done before. But from here, Cummings said you can add on dynamically at any point. So maybe it takes two, three, four guys to haul Larry Johnson to the ground. Or if you're running in with a linebacker, you can actually knock the other defenders off the ball carrier with a poorly-aimed hit. Or blockers can come in and try to knock defenders off. Or you can try to strip the ball. A runner can cover it up. The list just keeps going. # The Line of ScrimmageEA enlisted an engineer that played offensive line in college and the Canadian Football League to design a new blocking scheme. This season you'll see double teams, stretch blocking and linemen extending to the second level. A lot more holes will open up this year and you'll need to follow the game plan to take advantage.For running backs, that means reading and following blocks. Of course, a few gargantuan defensive tackles can ruin your trap play faster than you can say Corey Simon, so it's important to be able to improvise. Last season if a hole didn't open up, a back would simply run in place behind a lineman-- ice skating as it's known in the biz. This year, big backs will push the pile and force their blockers forward. Smaller backs like Reggie Bush will hesitate behind the line, waiting for an opening to develop before bouncing outside. Both moves are context-sensitive and automatic when you run into a blocker.# FatigueGuess what? Temperature and location play a factor in a football game. If you're a Green Bay Packer playing at Dolphin Stadium in September, you're going to feel the heat while the Dolphins are well-adjusted. And don't start on the Dolphins playing in Foxborough in December. Weather will play into the home-field advantage next season.But fatigue is caused by a lot more than a hot day. Consider this: If Reggie Bush scampers left, then right, then backward, then left and right again and finally into the end zone as only Reggie Bush can, he's going to be tired at the end of the run. In Madden, you'll notice him slowing and, with a different set of running animations, you will see that Bush is gassed. But really, does that guy ever get tired?For those of you that enjoy sprinting from sideline to sideline with Michael Vick, it's time to get a new strategy. Then again, the defense will tire too...After a play, you won't see the same canned animations of 11 players jogging back to a huddle in unison. Players will huff and puff with their hands on their hips, longing for the oxygen tank on the sidelines. This will add a new dimension to clock management as you can't simply run Hail Mary after Hail Mary with a no-huddle offense. Those long patterns (and the jog back to the line) take a heavy toll. Instead, you'll need to complete a pass and -- dare I say it -- spike the ball to stop the clock. Just waiting a few extra seconds to snap the ball will have an effect.Celebrate Good Times, C'mon!After all these amazing plays, you have to leave a little room for some player celebrations. Forget about those sluggish cutscenes and shots of the stands from last year. If you blow up a play on defense, a teammate will run over, pick you up off the ground, give you a slap on the helmet and a quick, "Hell yeah!" and jog back to the huddle. This all runs within the game engine and helps keep the action flowing smoothly -- a natural problem in football games.After scores, keep your eyes peeled for signature celebrations like Chad Johnson's river dance, Donte Hall's X and Rex Grossman's gator chomp. EA already has at least 60 celebrations in the game, although we don't know yet if you'll be able to choose one for yourself after a score.Madden's new moves are made possible to a new animation system borrowed from the FIFA franchise and NBA Street Homecourt. The goal is to make players move as realistically as possible. Instead of turning in a lazy arc, players are going to plant their feet, drop their shoulder and make cuts. We watched as LT hit a hole hard and made decisive cuts through the second level to rip off a big gain. It's also important to note that these cuts are quick -- in FIFA, players would often step in the bucket and a foot plant would slow players down.# As LT spun around a defender, cut left, broke a leg tackle and was finally dragged down by a neck tackle, the animations blended smoothly together, inspired by the Homecourt system. Cummings has pushed his team to ensure that players can break out of animations and pull off another move or change direction at any time. When a receiver runs and out and catches a pass near the sideline, he doesn't have to let his momentum carry him out of bounds during the catch animation. Now he can haul the ball in, do a quick chop step and cut 90 degrees up field. It doesn't look like much by itself, but when you compare all these movements to Madden 07, the improvements stand out like Orlando Pace in a buffet line.As for AI, EA wants star players to play like star players. Peyton Manning is going to pick a part a defense, call audibles and shift his team at the line. On the flip side, a QB like Rex Grossman is going to be inconsistent. Cornerbacks like Champ Bailey are going to shut down an entire side of the football field. You've never feared a cornerback before in Madden, but that's about to change. EA is also rewriting the defensive zone AI to eliminate money plays, especially deep balls and corner routes.As such, look for matchups to play a more important factor in 08. Taller receivers will take advantage of small DBs on fade routes. A tight end like Antonio Gates split out wide will burn a slow linebacker trying to play man coverage. EA is trying to emphasize the chess match that is the gridiron on any given Sunday. And don't forget about the defensive side of the ball. If you think you can roll out with a QB right toward a healthy Jevon Kearse without throwing out a double team, you got another thing coming.And finally, EA is bringing back the features that never made the jump from current-gen Madden like owner mode, defensive hot routes and classic rosters. The stellar Superstar mode returns, as well as the Hall of Fame, although EA is missing a few notable players like Montana, Marino and Rice that make appearances in All Pro Football 2K8. Is it a coincidence that Madden 08 will be so feature-rich now that 2K is back in the game? Probably not, and that's a good thing as EA has yet another incentive to make the best football game on the market.Whatever the motivation, it's clear that Cummings and the rest of the development team care about Madden 08, gushing that this year will be the biggest jump in quality over the previous version that we've ever seen. But as the only NFL sim out there, that's what we deserve.Click the video link below for an exclusive video interview with Cummings and stay tuned for more Madden coverage as we check out player ratings, Superstar mode and Owner mode.</div>
Re: Madden 08 Preview!! Sounds pretty good, I'm interested to see what else they add though with VY as the Coverboy...probably going to re-vamp the QB scrambleing system or something, or 'clutch plays'
Re: Madden 08 Preview!! As long as they stop adding stuff to gay franchise and superstar modes and focus on the gameplay (including more attributes), which is the point of the game, I'm fine with it. They better make 08 for PS2... because current gen > next gen when it comes to Madden.
Re: Madden 08 Preview!! The only reason current gen was better is because they had a lot more time to refine it while next gen had to released very quickly.
Re: Madden 08 Preview!! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (AdropOFvenom @ Apr 29 2007, 03:13 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Sounds pretty good, I'm interested to see what else they add though with VY as the Coverboy...probably going to re-vamp the QB scrambleing system or something, or 'clutch plays'</div>Yeah, they need to add Clutch as an attribute. And kind of like what they had on the current-gen systems (I think they had it in 06, but I haven't played 07 on a current-gen) with the field goals in the final minute or so where the camera view changes, and the controller vibrates and what not. They need to have something like that, but not for just field goals but just clutch plays in general. And have players attributes change as the game becomes close down the stretch (IE Vince Young isn't very accurate through the first 3 quarters, but in the final quarter as the game is close coming to an end his attributes go up since he's 'clutch.'). That'd be pretty sweet.
Re: Madden 08 Preview!! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (The Punisher @ Apr 29 2007, 01:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>As long as they stop adding stuff to gay franchise and superstar modes and focus on the gameplay (including more attributes), which is the point of the game, I'm fine with it. They better make 08 for PS2... because current gen > next gen when it comes to Madden.</div>Franchise mode = the reason to buy Madden
Re: Madden 08 Preview!! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Jon_Vilma @ Apr 29 2007, 01:58 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (The Punisher @ Apr 29 2007, 01:41 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>As long as they stop adding stuff to gay franchise and superstar modes and focus on the gameplay (including more attributes), which is the point of the game, I'm fine with it. They better make 08 for PS2... because current gen > next gen when it comes to Madden.</div>Franchise mode = the reason to buy Madden</div> :yeahthat:
Re: Madden 08 Preview!! Don't tell me you guys play against the CPU and are happy when you beat it and you won the Super Bowl...
Re: Madden 08 Preview!! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (The Punisher @ Apr 29 2007, 02:21 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Don't tell me you guys play against the CPU and are happy when you beat it and you won the Super Bowl...</div>1. You cna have as many humans as you want in your Franchise mode.2. You can make it hard to win against the computer, it gets easier after a bit so you up the ante and challenge yourself. If you puss out and play on Pro the whole time, then yeah it's boring.3. Loving Franchise mode doesn't mean you can't play other people online. Just that you like the aspects of running an entire franchise.
Re: Madden 08 Preview!! All-Madden isn't fun either. Not because I win 50-3, but because it's the CPU... I'd much rather lose 3-50 to a human than playing a CPU no matter what. Franchise would only be fun if it was online.
Re: Madden 08 Preview!! I kinda want to see "impact players" like in NCAA football. i.e., if you have Ray Lewis and Ed Reed on defense or Chad Johnson, LaDanian Tomlinson on offense, at times they'll have the ability to make an amazing play.Or "gamebreakers" where you have one huge play and the team struggles to recover from it. I think in general, the momentum/home field have to be re-done. And also the ability to rattle players by completing big plays on them.Although, all of these changes would detract from the college game.
Re: Madden 08 Preview!! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (The Punisher @ Apr 29 2007, 02:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>All-Madden isn't fun either. Not because I win 50-3, but because it's the CPU... I'd much rather lose 3-50 to a human than playing a CPU no matter what. Franchise would only be fun if it was online.</div>human vs human are more fun, yes, which is why I usually try and do a franchise with 3 or 4 other guys because we can play the CPU and then play each other and playing each other is the "big" games we get pumped for like you would get pumped for certain games during the season. Plus we usually all make the playoffs which makes it fun. And on All-Madden with adjusted sliders it gets hard. All Maden itself can still be easy, but put the sliders in the ocmputer's favor and it gets tough.
Re: Madden 08 Preview!! I want them to fix the franchise NFL Combine scouting. I want to be able to scout players without having to do stupid, pointless drills in which are sometimes impossible to suceed in.Anyways, any one know if those features will be available for the XBox current gens? Because that's what I play with. I bought the PS2 version of Madden 07, but the graphics suck, and it always lags.
Re: Madden 08 Preview!! They're only about 70% sure that this game will even be made for current gen But hey, we just won a HD TV and sold it, so I can always buy a 360 or something.
Re: Madden 08 Preview!! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (The Punisher @ Apr 29 2007, 04:46 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>All-Madden isn't fun either. Not because I win 50-3, but because it's the CPU... I'd much rather lose 3-50 to a human than playing a CPU no matter what. Franchise would only be fun if it was online.</div>On the 360 you can play your franchise games online.
Re: Madden 08 Preview!! He doesn't know that because he lives with his head up his ass with his little PS2
Re: Madden 08 Preview!! I like the more midair hits. That's a big annoyance when you hit stick someone but you just brush against them because they are in the air and then they score on you. Hit stick should bring them down hard.
Re: Madden 08 Preview!! Brooks, can you actually start a franchise online, where you draft players, trade, etc.?<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Jon_Vilma @ Apr 29 2007, 11:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I like the more midair hits. That's a big annoyance when you hit stick someone but you just brush against them because they are in the air and then they score on you. Hit stick should bring them down hard.</div>They better make it so that little dudes like Ryan Clark can't hit as hard as Rodney Harrison...
Re: Madden 08 Preview!! <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (The Punisher @ May 1 2007, 01:52 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Brooks, can you actually start a franchise online, where you draft players, trade, etc.?<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (Jon_Vilma @ Apr 29 2007, 11:14 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>I like the more midair hits. That's a big annoyance when you hit stick someone but you just brush against them because they are in the air and then they score on you. Hit stick should bring them down hard.</div>They better make it so that little dudes like Ryan Clark can't hit as hard as Rodney Harrison...</div>No, you can't do that. But you can play the games against other people.
