Our most loyal of readers know we have been very harsh—and rightfully so—on EA Sports and the Madden franchise. They are already behind the ball in 2017, as NBA 2K18 info was released yesterday, and EA Sports has released nothing other than empty promises and false hope, which they have done for years now. 2K Sports releases their NBA 2K games almost a month later than Madden is released, so EA better have a pretty good excuse (i.e. they are actually working hard) for not giving the fans some information on Madden 18. Nonetheless, let’s take a look at the top ten things we most want to see in a hopefully-improved Madden this August.
1. Story Mode
A quality story mode could honestly fix a lot of issues with Madden, as it would add a sense of realism to a game that has unrealistic gameplay. It gets pretty repetitive to play career mode with a character that has no personality or emotions and simply goes through the motions each week until you get bored and realize you wasted a lot of time for nothing. What the fans want is some cinematic elements and decisions that actually have an impact on the mode.
What we don’t want is something like FIFA 17’s “The Journey,” which forces the user to be an already-created character and playing out a mostly linear storyline, which is the main issue with NBA 2K’s MyCareer mode. Something like MLB The Show 17’s RTTS mode would be a step in the right direction, as there are cut-scenes and decisions to be made, but the user is still themselves.
2. CFM overhaul
Going right along with a more in-depth career mode as a player would be a complete overhaul of the Connected Franchise Mode to create a more accurate, realistic, and in-depth experience. This description could go on forever, but to keep it brief, some things that would improve CFM are GM contracts, the ability to hire offensive and defensive coordinators and coaches, a better relocation process, more personality for the players on and off the field, and improved draft, trade, and free agency logic, among many, many others things.
3. Dynamic weather
There is simply no excuse for this to not be in Madden 18, as EA switching to the Frostbite engine gives them the ability to have weather like they have in Battlefield 1. More often than not, NFL games that have rain or snow do not have consistent rain or snow, as it may start/stop throughout the game or be present for the beginning of the game and not the end, etc. If EA cares at all about loyal consumers, they will have dynamic weather in Madden 18 for a more realistic experience.
4. Pass trajectory
There is a plethora of gameplay issues that need to be fixed in the game, but probably none more so than passing. Right now, users simply press the button for a lob, normal, or bullet pass; there is little to no anticipation involved, and when users try to make a throw with anticipation like in real life, things usually turn out bad for them.
5. Dynamic ratings in MUT
Admittedly, Madden Ultimate Team is a pretty solid mode. For a few months, that is. The promotions are always great, with Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas cards, but very soon after the game’s release, most cards become weakened versions that aren’t worth the fake coins they were bought with. Dynamic ratings like in MLB The Show’s Diamond Dynasty would allow users to play the “market,” treating players like stocks and giving those who know the game of football an advantage (instead of those good at the video game). The promo cards could then be reserved for flashbacks and prime cards that have a static rating.
6. Accurate equipment
Most of the wishlist items are meant to create a more realistic game, and accurate equipment is crucial in achieving that. It is pretty lazy to not have forearm bands like Antonio Brown and Philip Rivers wear, but Madden 17 didn’t have them. For comparison, ESPN NFL 2K5, did! Giving all the players equipment in alignment with their real-life counterparts from head-to-toe needs to get done eventually, and that includes mouthpieces, which somehow have not been in recent editions of Madden.
7. Offensive line cohesiveness
Another gameplay improvement that needs to be made is the offensive line play. The virtual players have seemingly zero football intelligence in their assignments, including identifying and picking up blitzes. It is not just limited to the passing game, though, as run blocking, especially in the second and third levels, needs huge improvements.
8. Limiting the power of user-controlled players on defense
Literally the reason many people get too frustrated to even play the game anymore, the days of the opponent user-controlling the middle linebacker to run-like-a-madman-all-over-the field-and-intercept-passes-with-his-back-turned needs to end. It was aggravating just typing that.
9. Create-a-team
This was briefly mentioned in CFM overhaul, but it would be great if users had more expansive create-a-team options, particularly for franchise mode relocation. In NBA 2K’s MyGM mode, users pick a location (Vancouver, Seattle, etc.), but are able to change the name to whatever they want. So, the Winterfell Wolves (our commonly-used example) are able to exist in NBA 2K, but in Madden, you’ll have to stick with the pre-set locations, names, logos, uniforms, and stadiums. That’s just dumb.
10. Online team play
A fan-favorite for years, EA Sports does not seem to care about those who loved online team play. Hopefully they are somehow creating a gigantic mode similar to NBA 2K’s Pro-Am, but it seems unlikely with the exclusive license in hand and mediocrity being acceptable for the company to make money off kids playing Ultimate Team.
yea they definitely need to make some big changes
omg i’d pay so much for these changes.
Until they make changes like these, I’ll stick with 2K.