Red Zone Redemption- Madden NFL 11 Review

As the release date for the longest-running franchise in gaming looms closer, you can almost quantify the mounting excitement by listening to ‘Madden stories’. These enthusiast-told narratives frequently dwell on a seemingly insurmountable underdog victory, or the duration of an extraordinarily long play session. My story centers on a friend- Shane Francis, who during the early 90’s, became  unusually absorbed  in release-day euphoria.  Shane was so spellbound that after filling up his truck on his rush home from the store, he drive off with the gas pump still attached, transforming the season opener into a particularly expensive endeavor. The fact that so many gamers have a Madden story illustrates the cultural impact the series has had on our lives. With the release of the latest iteration- Madden NFL 11, a myriad of new anecdotes will undoubtedly be formed from the game’s skillful additions. 

While previous years have offered a rousing ground game, Madden NFL 11‘s integration of a revamped locomotion engine allows running the ball to feel truly exhilarating. Now, gamers use both thumbsticks to direct on-screen athletes, with the left stick controlling the direction and speed of the player, while the right managing leaning and twisting. After years of relying on a boost button to ignite the afterburners of the ball carrier, the new system came with an adjustment period (although stubborn players can toggle turbo from the menu system). Yet after a half a season,  I was juking, spinning and charging like DeAngelo Williams- making every attempt at ground yardage a thrilling event.

Advantageously, the game’s GameFlow system allows players to spend more time trying to rack up yardage, rather than being embedded in the game’s play calling menus. As someone who traditionally avoided the “Ask Madden” option, I was worried about allowing the CPU to dictate my field strategy. Yet, GameFlow allows budding offensive/defensive coordinators to craft their playbook on a game-by-game basis, giving players a greater amount of control. Players can even rank plays on a multi-starred scale, allowing for a specific plan on ‘third and long’ or ‘second and short’ situations. Before the ball is hiked, players are given both a route map and some helpful advice by the coach, verbal and aurally. While gamers may still use the traditional play-calling methods, the use of GameFlow allows matches to be completed in about half the time.

Madden‘s new online team mode is likely to garner the interest of series aficionados. Three allied players can form position-specific squads in an effort to take on an equal number of competitors. Naturally, hitting a friend with a perfect pass is significantly more rewarding than throwing  the ball to an AI-controlled wide receiver. Online Team Play complements Madden 11‘s returning components, which range from head-to head and franchise competitions, as well as Ultimate Team- a mode which tasks players to assemble the definitive team by collecting player card packs. New sets of cards are available with Madden coins, the in-game currency which is distributed after every win or loss, maintaining a players interest in the title. While the final build of NFL 11 displayed some serious lag during  head-to-head matches, we expect that fault to be remedied after the game’s official release.

Although Madden 11‘s visual aren’t leaps and bounds over last year’s version, there are a number of small details which elevated the game’s presentation. Arguably, the best enhancements have been made to the game’s audiences, player faces, and coach models, each has been improved to match the title’s ambitions of photorealism.  Less successful are the game’s sweeping graphical overlays, which habitually obscured replays, or cut-scenes which showing curiously convulsing trainers huddled over injured players.

One of the nagging complaints of many Madden fans has been the game’s ineffective blocking, which often failed to duplicate professional football. Like NCAA Football 11, this failing been reworked, so that linesmen do what they’re paid to do. The sole new blemish that’s been introduced in the title’s wonky ball physics; I’ve sporadically seen the pigskin bounce unrealistically between two players.

With a handful of noteworthy improvements, Madden NFL 11 is overwhelmingly successful in its efforts to offer a “simpler, quicker [and] deeper” game of football. From the revitalization of the running game to streamlined playcalling, each of the title’s refinements will be welcome to both neophytes as well as series veterans. Although skeptical gamers may question if these advancements warrant a sixty dollar admission price, savvy players will be enjoying the game long after the next Super Bowl. Consider the endearing tales that will inevitably arise a modest dividend.