Another NFL season is starting, and EA Sports has released another version of “Madden NFL.” The latest iteration, “Madden NFL 11,” is a good football game, although it isn’t especially deep.
The graphics have the typical touch-ups that come around every year, although the game’s presentation has undergone a significant overhaul. EA has made it clear that it’s trying to make the game seem as close to the actual Sunday experience as possible. Gus Johnson joins Cris Collinsworth in the booth, and does well as a commentator.
Some of the commentary sounds canned, but this is normal in the “Madden” series; it’s nearly impossible to come up with commentary unique to every situation in the game.
Most of the gameplay is as it always has been, with the exception of gameflow mode. By default, if you press “A” (for the Xbox 360) before the play starts, the game will pick what it thinks is the best play for you. This is helpful in obvious situations (i.e. punts on fourth and long, kicking extra points, kneeling the ball down), but any seasoned player may take issue with some of the calls. If you want to just pick the play yourself, you can just hit “X” and do so.
Another new mechanic is “Fight For The Fumble,” which is a fairly easy button-mashing mini game during a fumble scrum to try and come up with the ball.
Franchise mode is probably the main offline mode, as always. It’s not incredibly deep this year, compared to previous installments, but it still allows you to make trades, sign free agents, make adjustments to your stadium in the off-season — the ability to build valet teleporters and food replicators made me chuckle — and of course, lead your favorite team to multiple Super Bowls. This is always fun to do as the Bucs, my favorite team.
One of the better changes they’ve made is how they view a Super Bowl victory. Unlike in previous installments where the final victory just feels like every other game, the commentators comment specifically about your team and its background. The game goes on to show a post-game trophy presentation, a parade back home and eventually a trip to the White House to meet the President. They’re very small changes, but it adds to the gravity of winning a championship.
Superstar mode is a huge weakness of this version of “Madden.” Your player is basically randomly assigned to a team, and you’re locked into playing as this player, like always, but there’s nothing of interest to do outside of the games themselves aside from going to your agent and saying things to the media.
Madden moments return again in this game, chronicling some of the big moments from the last NFL season, and allowing you to play through them and relive history — or change critical moments.
Online play is pretty well represented in this edition, again requiring EA’s Online Pass. I played two head-to-head games online, managing to win both against players the server selected near my skill level.
The option for “Team Play” also exists, where you lead one set of players each on offense and defense, while other players control your teammates. This can be very amusing if done right, although it can be hard to get a game of Team Play going. Online franchise mode also is here, so you can lead your favorite team to a Super Bowl against your friends.
I lost interest in the “Madden” series recently, with every game feeling like just a roster update, but I actually enjoyed this one. If they can bring superstar mode back to glory and iron out some other kinks, “Madden 12” could be really enjoyable.