Ant is absolutely right here. The majority of our tips, and prima tips are for the consumer who doesn't necessarily know football but wants to succeed in the game whether it be online or offline.
Gibs is a stand up guy that fights for simulation football, but also values responsiveness and user control....the epic battle between two very different ideologies of Madden.
I wouldn't have the problem of it possibly being called cheese to me because I am one that likes to blitz on 2nd down more than 3rd. There is much more risk of blitzing on 3rd
I see absolutely nothing wrong with what is being displayed by SGibs in the video. He is displaying an effective defense that does not require any adjustments. There are ways to counter the blitz just as there are ways to beat it. If my opponent calls a blitz that is effective without taking advantage of the game itself and takes me down, good for him. If I figure out how to counter it with an extra blocker or beat it with a called play or a hot route against the single coverage then good for me. As long as my opponent is using appropriate formations for each situation (down, yardage to attain the first down, offensive personnel on the field), mixing up his defensive play calling, and using different coverage throughout the game I see absolutely no problem with using an effective defense that suits my opponent's scheme and personnel. It isn't like SGibs was showing how to take advantage of the AI, but rather, he was showing how to put legitimate pressure on an opponent by overloading in some passing situations.
To add to this, don't forget about the pre-snap adjustments that the offense can make to the O-line to counter the blitz that is coming.
I call it like I see it, and TSO needs more of that. I know you weren't happy with how I reviewed the game, but I stand by what I said and shake my head at anyone who thinks it's complaining. For years, I was the one defending Madden to the haters on this site - I even went so far as to tell them all they were missing out on Madden 12 because it was a substantially better on the field product than its collegiate counterpart. I took tons of shit for it, and can probably go back and dig up evidence. There's a reason I was so invested in TMFL, even before Shaun came on board - I believed in the game and the direction it was going. They laid an egg this year, it's as simple as that. Relative to last year, there was as many steps backwards as there was forward. They scaled back TV/boadcast presentation a year after making it an emphasis, they implement owner mode but contract negotiations and free agency are still awful, and they installed new movement mechanics that tilt the balance even more in the offense's favor. It's as simple as this: instead of tightening the screws on a solid game, they were overly ambitious and implemented tons of new features without smoothing out some very basic issues like contract negotiations. I mean, wind direction is still backwards in online franchise mode? That's inexcusable. I found it incredibly interesting that Ian Cummings echoed the same concerns in a recent podcast, and he detailed the pressure from corporate to put bullet points on the back of the box (a phrase I used word for word in my review). Now I'm certain Clint knows 10000% more about OL/DL interaction than I could hope to learn in 3 lifetimes (shit even Baron does), but I understand coverages as well as most people, having played and studied the safety and cornerback positions pretty closely. I can tell you that coverages in this game are completely and utterly broken, and would be happy to detail that in another post. A few other things that Cummings noted that I had discussed in the review (mind you his podcast came after the review), was that suction blocking was worse than last year and you have less control over defenders. Suction blocking is bad, and I constantly see DL beat their OL and re-engage for no reason. As for user control? I actually love the foot planting, but players seem so much less explosive on defense, even elite athletes, that it's impossible to keep up. Offensive players should have an inherent advantage in the open field, no doubt - I just think the game lacks a realistic amount of balance in this regard. I don't blame the developers, truly. They have such a limited window and face so many external pressures, it's got to be total hell. I'm just frustrated to see the game regress in certain areas, because it has the potential to be the sports game on the market. Some of the new animations are mind-bogglingly cool, and owner mode has limitless potential.
I read your review, mostly just the gameplay and pretty much agreed to most of what was being said. One thing i disagree one is how you said the engine was cleaned up, i dont think it is, i think it is worse and seems more canned than RTP. Runners seem to look more like having a seizure than actually getting hit. My opinion was that 12 was a good improvement from 11 which i thought was horrible. 13 was a much better improvement from 12 i thought and was overall a good game. Other than zigzagging in 13, the defense i thought was good on zone and also good on man, didn't seem overpowered either way, but also didn't seem under matched either. This year, i have no idea what EA was thinking. They killed the dive button where it is useless unless you are behind the ball carrier, the defenders do not react to the ball carrier and runs by them, and the AI leaves huge holes wide open in the zone. Even in man which people seem to thnk is overpowered, run an out or comeback, the defenders can't make the cut properly on any difficulty or slider. Defenders warp into Ol and can't get off which leaves your defense one on one with the ball carrier all the time. Watch NFL games, you will see multiple defenders around the ball carrier at any given time, in madden, you really just beat one guy and off to the races since nobody there to backup. Why at this point in this gen there is no gang tackling is beyond me, i find it odd that one defender has to release a ball carrier for another tackling animation from another defender to trigger. Its kinda of liek the old pin ball effects in like ps2 maddens. RTP? seems more canned than anything else. EA spends too much time putting in features just to take them out. As far as presentation/commentating, not really a person that finds those things important, but I do find it distracting when the cut scene to coaches talking into the call sheet as if they are calling in a play to the QB, yet they have no headset lulz!. Just makes me cringe for some reason. To me this year, the excitement in madden is way down from last year. I think a lot of people are turned off by the game. With nextgen coming out, im not too positive that Xbox One version will be any better.
It's a shame that 2k lost out on the NFL license back years ago. With what they do with the gameplay and presentation in their NBA title I believe they'd put out a kick-ass football game, but without the license rights no one would buy it.
You can call it like you see it for sure. But when there is negative connotation attached it tends to resonate or influence leagues into complaining. I love TSO and have been on staff and a member/commish of the top leagues on this site. When the negativity permeates from the top it kills the fun. I personally could care less about your review, I just don't want to see this turn into an all out complain fest, especially when there is zero insight into how hard it is to make these games. We are talking 70-90 hour work weeks. On top of that Farls, Gibbs, and other GCs put in a ton of time to help make this game better. You can say I'm half full on it, I actually appreciate that you do. I'm not going to sit here and nitpick a game. That will ultimately result in me shutting down and not wanting to play. All I am saying is let's not make the site we love turn into an operation sports. If you are going to give a game a bad review then why even play it or buy it?
I Peench Not singling you out either and not saying you don't understand what is put into it. I just think across the board there is a ton of complaining, even down to GS.
I see where you are coming from, but I Peench is part of the content team. One of his roles is to write reviews for games. Is he only supposed to write reviews for games that will be positive and just ignore the rest? I think if he's going to be the "review guy" then his opinion should be shown whether it's positive or negative.
I think there is a different way to approach the review. Trust me I appreciate his honesty. But look at this thread Drifterbub post. It's a tip for users that aren't top notch and it gets blasted about cheese We get guys that talk about throwing to the TE too much or too many Playactions and things like that. But opinions are like assholes and elbows, everyone has them.
It wasn't a horrible review, as I made it clear that sliders clean up a lot of the mess and that owner mode was a lot of fun. Easy answer? I love the league I'm in, and that can make a game worthwhile. I emailed the review to Shaun, Drifter and company and made it clear I wanted it to come across as constructive. It's the TSO way and is what distinguishes us from the OS's of the world. The general consensus that it was a very fair review. If I compromise that tone in any way, I jeopardize my credibility for further reviews. Again, I point to my glowing NCAA review... As for this article? I think the title of the post was off-putting - I took it as "Stop bitching about how bad defense is, see how it can work". I'm sure that wasn't Drifter's intentions, but that's how it came across. Again, I think it's important to note that Drifter is more closely associated with the NCAA stuff, so I can't really blame him for any of this. He was simply trying to help us out, I recognize that.
I took it the same way I Peench I am to the tendency of pretty much anything can be stopped if you know what to do. Not that I know everything in the game, or that I am anywhere close to being good. Different eyes see different things. We will leave it at that. No point in going on. Keep up the hardwork my friend
Absolutely, and I do appreciate your perspective. It's a difficult line to walk, and I really want to make sure the reviews reflect the constructive tone of TSO. For future reference, don't hesitate at all to shoot me any feedback on that stuff.
If you can't answer the question why bother responding? I forgot, part of being "TSO" these days is being an EA fanboy.
