Critical Reception: EA's Madden NFL 11

This week's edition of Critical Reception examines online reaction to EA's football franchise sequel Madden NFL 11, which reviews describe as "a couple yards short of greatness." Madden NFL 11 currently earns a score of 85 out of 100 at Metacritic.com. Destructoid's Samit Sarkar scores Madden NFL 11 at 9.5 out of 10. "In a gaming landscape that has grown increasingly splintered, EA Sports' Madden NFL franchise remains one of the select few names that not only attracts a massive annual audience, but can rightly be called a mainstream cultural touchstone," he explains. "Yet Madden's die-hard following -- the people who line up to grab the game at midnight on launch day, year after year -- has been shrinking." "Perhaps the most significant factor in Madden's flagging sales is that the series has tended to become only more complex," Sarkar continues. "By 2009, playing the game competently required more than a knowledge of the sport of football; players also needed to have an awareness of the franchise's characteristic quirks, nigh-arcane controls, and often-confusing interface." Sarkar finds that Madden NFL 11 makes an impressive effort to bridge the gap between casual and hardcore players, thanks in large part to its new GameFlow mechanic. "Instead of scrolling through a playbook filled with hundreds of options, you can press one button and have the game select a play on your behalf," Sarkar says. "Considering that playcalling in football videogames has hardly changed in two decades, GameFlow is a drastic departure from the norm -- and it's magnificent." In particular: "GameFlow shines for one major reason that's easily overlooked: it frees you up to focus on playing a good game as opposed to worrying about calling one, too. Instead of wasting precious play-clock seconds finding the perfect play, you can concern yourself with reading the defense -- like a real quarterback -- and making the appropriate pre-snap adjustments (for which you'll have more time)." "Dancing on the fine line of making an eminently accessible game that's still deep enough for the hardcore fanbase is a tightrope-balancing act that often sinks lesser developers," Sarkar admits. "But EA Tiburon has demonstrated that they're clearly up to the challenge. "As a longtime Madden player, I was worried that this year's major changes would alienate me, but I've managed to get some of the muscle memory for the Strategy Pad down pat -- even in spite of the Xbox 360's terrible D-pad. Madden NFL 11 may not suck me in for the long haul like the Be A Pro modes in other EA Sports titles, but damn, do I enjoy playing this game." Matthew Kato at Game Informer rates Madden NFL 11 at 8.75 out of 10. "I like a lot of the new additions to this year's game," he says, "but the lack of progress in some areas is unfortunate." "Madden NFL 11 features a new motion engine that makes running with the ball a dream," Kato praises. "Subtle cuts, bursts of speed (without the turbo button), sheer physical power, and other characteristics are layered on and make NFL players come alive and showcase the abilities that make some of them stand out from the crowd. "The game makes you feel like you've got unprecedented control over the runner, and every run feels a little different – particularly in the tackles or the lack thereof. Because of all the different factors that go into a player's running and tackling, you've got to watch that your defenders wrap up the ball carrier, otherwise it's common for a guy to get loose after a couple of sloppy tackles." Other areas aren't as polished, however. "Running with the ball is one of the highlights of the game, but the passing game shows some flaws," Kato notes. "Players can be shockingly unaware of the ball as it sails by within their grasp. You also see players standing around without a clue of who to block or tackle. This is conspicuous when such great work has been done to highlight receivers' tracking of the ball for sideline catches and grabs in the back of the endzone." Other features are also disappointing. "Online Team Play (OTP), the new three-vs.-three co-op feature that lets each of your team members control a specific unit like linebackers or wide receivers, is fun, but the fact that this new feature lacks any overall structure like persistent teams means that the games you play in this mode are more or less one-offs," Kato says. "OTP doesn't fill the void of the gimped Online Franchise mode, which still lacks free agency. Finally, I love the concept of the card-based Ultimate Team mode, even if your starting team is so bad – and no, I don't feel I should have to spend real money to get good card packs." "Madden NFL 11 is a clear step forward for the franchise," Kato admits, "but as fun as the additions are, the fact that some of its glaring mistakes remain is like getting a new stud quarterback even though the offensive line still needs an upgrade. You're going to score, but you're still a team with weaknesses." Richard Grisham at Games Radar gives Madden NFL 11 a score of 7 out of 10. "Madden 11 delivers another solid gridiron experience, stuffed with new features, old favorites, and some serious work under the hood," he begins. "All that heavy lifting leaves the final presentation feeling a little unpolished, though, and a couple yards short of greatness." "Madden feels pretty different on the field this year, due mostly to the long-overdue removal of the Turbo button," Grisham explains. "Because of this – and some seriously improved blocking - the running game is a delight. Ballcarriers are greatly rewarded for being patient and letting their blockers do their work." Grisham feels that Madden NFL 11's defensive game could use some work, however. "More often than not, though, the defensive side of the ball feels gimped," he writes. "Our linemen consistently got overpowered by their counterparts, while defensive backs seemed incapable of making many open field tackles. More than ever, playing defense is an exercise of trying not to screw things up too badly instead of a way to dominate an opponent." "Our biggest problem with Madden 11 is the less-than-stellar presentation, which is worse than last year," Grisham says. "We love watching our heroes get filthy during rain-soaked games, but that'll never happen in Madden 11. We played multiple games in different grass stadiums in torrential rainstorms, and not once did the players get a speck of mud on their uniforms. "The new audio commentary doesn't sound quite right, either, as if newcomer Gus Johnson and holdover Cris Collinsworth were calling the same game from different locations. All of these little things add up to a game that just doesn't look and feel how one of the biggest titles of the year should." "Ultimately, Madden 11 is a good effort, and one that'll keep most sports fans happy this season," Grisham concludes. "Having said that, it's not a standout season, unlike some past hallmark Maddens that hold up well today. The guts are there for greatness, but there's still some work to be done until it reaches that high level."