We Told You So (re: Madden 2006)

[Drewbacca]

You've just described what it's like to play MLB2K5. I've had players hit home runs, when I've pitched to a spot they are supposed to be weak at. Yet, because they knew what pitch was coming, they could manage a home run. Player's uniforms would show the dirt on them, after sliding in 2 second base or during a bad weather game. You should give MLB2K5 a rental at least.

I think it works a little different. If you guess which pitch I'm about to toss to you (you get 1 guess before the round begins) it's as though the ball is being pitched to one of your strong zones.

If I pitched to a cold spot on the plate with the fastest ball I can throw you'll probably pop out or hide a grounder right to the short. It's a GREAT balance added to the game that really makes it a dream to play. It also encourages you to mix things up. Most people would be able to guess a change-up following two fastballs. It's almost a game of cat and mouse with the way you stack your pitches.

Multiplayer is where the game really shines. I'm having more fun playing this with friends than any game as of late (including wrestling). It's really, really enjoyable.

[Saint of Killers]

How's this for hyperbole? Madden's running game is still a joke, and the best way to get yards on the ground is still to rush the ball outside, which is completely unrealistic. In the actual NFL, defenses are too quick from sideline to sideline for that type of rushing attack. That's why bullshit like the option offense only works in college, where the players are smaller and slower. In Madden though, running between the tackles is executed so terribly that you have no choice but to try and rush the ball outside.

What the fuck are you talking about? I run between the tackles successfully in Madden all the time.

It's woefully unrealistic, and the ESPN Football series has always been light years ahead of Madden in this regard.

Yes, that sim like bastion of reality 2k series has always dusted the arcardey junk Madden in the realistic ruinning game department, despite only adding a realistic momentum model last year. Why I've always said there's nothing more realistic than Jerome Bettis executing perfect 90 degree cuts without experiencing any loss of momentum.

If things were going so great, why did EA feel the need break out the checkbook for the exclusive NFL license? Obviously, selling millions of copies of Madden and having an extra few hundred million dollars in the bank is better than selling millions of copies of Madden and having to spend that cash. Companies don't spend that type of money on whim, so they must have been feeling threatened by something.

I think they did it because whiny 2k fans didn't have enough to bitch about on message boards.

Doesn't the same apply to the other side?

Why yes, yes it does!

Um, John? Yeah, I hate to be the one to inform you, but it turns out Sl1p's a troll. I know, I know, I felt the same way when I found out.

On Xbox, NFL 2K5 actually outsold Madden 05.

I require proof.

No longer could I get away with 50 yard money plays, when my opposition put up a defense to stop the pass.

Yeah, I have 2K, 2k1, 2k2, and 2k5. I played 2k1 and 2k2 online, and my main strategy was to throw deep pretty much all the time if I fell behind. Won more than I lost. I can beat my friends in 2k5 doing the same thing. I'm not that good or anything, but seriously, some of the shit you guys are posting is just silly.

[Six]

Blah blah blah isn't it out now?

Where are the impressions? What about Franchise mode? How customizable is your team? I hope they included it this year - seems all they talk about is OMG QB Vision and OMG SUperSTAR!!!

I'll get it after work tonight most likely. Provided I can find it somewhere.

[AstroBlue]

Gridiron is for fags.

No scrum?

Padding?

Coach tells everybody what to do?

Fags.

[Yoshi]

GameSpot's review is up. It's even worse than IGN's.

[TobalRox]

I can't really compare it to much because I haven't played many others. Sorry. A lot of Bestbuys have it up at kiosks. Check it out. Definitely a worthy purchase.

Well, I already have MLB2k5, and it was only $20... so getting another game isn't really worthwhile to me unless it's REALLY good. Plus, Xbox>PS2.

[PKBMax]

Unbelievable (from Gamespot review)...

"The online play comes across similarly unmolested. Apart from an egregiously long sign-up process on the PlayStation 2 that forces you to make the best of a no-win situation by making you choose to either pay $2 via credit card or agree to get spammed by ESPN mailings to register your account, the online works just as it did last year."

EA says "I want my two dollars!"

[Cowutopia]

EA wins for its EA Traxx.

[Saint of Killers]

GameSpot's review is up. It's even worse than IGN's.

Getting your facts straight should be a prerequisite for any journalistic job, even if it is writing for an online gaming publication. Apparently, GameSpot, like IGN, has no such standards. A fantastic example is the idiocy contained in their Star Wars Galaxies: Episode III: Rage of the Wookiees preview:
...
Anyone with a clue about popular culture at all knows that without even thinking. I expect this shit from IGN, but I thought GameSpot was better. I guess I was wrong.

Remember, Gamepost has no standards, but we can implicitly trust their reviews as long as they fall in line with our preconceived notions.

Unbelievable (from Gamespot review)...

"The online play comes across similarly unmolested. Apart from an egregiously long sign-up process on the PlayStation 2 that forces you to make the best of a no-win situation by making you choose to either pay $2 via credit card or agree to get spammed by ESPN mailings to register your account, the online works just as it did last year."

EA says "I want my two dollars!"

What the fuck are they trying to pull? It's already been established that only Sega is allowed to charge for online play on console games that don't have persistent worlds, and it's supposed to be a monthly fee that's there's no way to opt out of. This is fucking bullshit.

[gamevet]

Yeah, I have 2K, 2k1, 2k2, and 2k5. I played 2k1 and 2k2 online, and my main strategy was to throw deep pretty much all the time if I fell behind. Won more than I lost. I can beat my friends in 2k5 doing the same thing. I'm not that good or anything, but seriously, some of the shit you guys are posting is just silly.

Okay, so somebody didn't know how to play a prevent defense. In Madden, you could hang in a prevent and this shit would still happen.