BLOL NOT REALLY

Not even if I played sports games would I ever, ever buy a Madden title.

Yes! I love Naive Mainstream Gamer Exploitation Roster Update 2007!

Give EA credit, though. It's $10 less on the GameCube.

Only because they will have a Wii version that will cost $10 more.

Double post accident

Meh, Vrgin X Does NOT play sports games!

I picked up Madden 2007 Hall of Fame edition at Walmart last night, and I have been pleased with my purchase. It runs circles around the bare-bones version of last year in both graphics and gameplay. Definately is worth my 70$, the game is a blast and it is the best Madden I've played yet, even with it lacking some features still (not many though). BTW there were around 20 people in line when I got it.

I'm not sure why people hate on Madden so much (aside from using Madden to hate on EA by proxy). Maybe it's because it's become so mainstream. Heck, I was listening to a morning show here in Atlanta (The Bert Show, the most non-gamer media outlet possible) and they were having "Madden widows" phone in and give their stories. That's pretty crazy when you think about it. When's the last time you heard a radio morning show even MENTION a video game, let alone devote an entire segment to one? I gotta admit, EA has shown the industry how to market a game. Madden is the US equivalent of Dragon Quest these days.

Fact is, it's a solid football game. Maybe not the best ever, and yeah it'd be nice to have some competition, but I'd rather have Madden be the public face of gaming than Grand Theft Auto, just like I'd rather have Kanye West be the public face of hip-hop as opposed to 2 Live Crew.

I kind of agree Silks. I hate EA's monopolization of football, but I only hate Madden as much as I'd hate any other football game out there.

Madden is the symbol of what's wrong with the industry (besides BMXXX ).

Supposedly there are Madden-at-Midnight sales parties, just heard about it on the radio (106.3 nj). Why the crap can't people get excited for GAMES THAT ARE FUN, NOT REHASHED FOOTBALL SIMS! GRRRRRRRRRRR. I don't even care that EA has the monopoly on this stuff. At least NFL Street (what little I played of it at a kiosk like a yr or two ago) was fun...

Now, Madden Wii, that might get me back into this...

And as for the price being cheaper on GC...given the fact that it's probably castrated feature-wise (in terms of online, at the very least), then the $10 off is the LEAST they could do. Oh wait, we're talking about EA...never mind...

Maybe I can shed some light into the anti-EA/Madden demographic.

Alright, I was watching Mike and Mike in the morning (on ESPN2 rediculously early) and they went off on their own shpiel about Madden. Problem is, they used the exact same verbiage as everyone else in the media that discusses it, especially Sportcenter from the night before, announcing its arrival in the same way, e.g., "Maddenoliday," "Its a Pop-Culture Phenomenon," etc., etc. Problem with THAT is that in the meantime on the commercial breaks, they were steadily cycling pretty heavily thru the Shaun Alexander commercial (which made me lol, admittedly).

Furthermore, check out the retardation on G4 (I know thats a LOT to ask, sorry). If theres football being played, reguardless of the season, its Madden. Well, thats obvious as to why NOW, but its always been the same. And ALL the players they (and any media outlet, for that matter) talk to about it all have the same speech about Madden - some guys even slip up and say they're not gamers and haven't played it, and then stumble back to how much of a thrill it is to see themselves in a game. Its pathetic, how transparent they are about being "coached" into what to say.

I've gotta say, the moneyhats for players don't apply only to EA/Madden, and its one of the reasons why I'll never let go of college football/basketball.

But thats the thing - its all about the scrilla, and EA has TONS to throw around. And while I couldn't say that EA pays for "Madden Widow" airtime, its not unforseeable with the kind of capitol they swing around behind this game in particular. Its really - REALLY - hard to tell whats manstream coverage, and whats purchased airtime, because there is definately a TON of it around.

I know that none of this has to do with the game itself, but it does have to do with the perception of it. If a homegrown NFL game has anything wrong with it, one could overlook it for its otherwise preferrable controls and quirks. But when a game is constantly thrown in my face, on sheer will of profit alone, it had DAMN well better be astonishingly good. Especially when they laid down enough money to kill any competition for the next - how many years was it? Was it 5 years, meaning 4 more to go?
So I don't really connect that its the public face of gaming, any more so than Tom Cruise being the public face of acting. His omnipresence is based solely on his history, which promises to unimaginative, big studio producers that he'll bring in the big bucks.

On a level of taste, in spite of the 2K series' short tenure, I've always heavily preferred it over Madden, which always felt "stiffer" and less forgiving in a kind of "Hey, I wasn't programmed to do THAT!" kind of way. In 2K, I could create some REAL havoc in being way out of position or calling hotroutes, and it was nice to be able to mix it up. But I digress.

In other words, its partly the face, that madden is madden that partly turns me off, but its the massive hemmoraging of the moolah that make them very unattractive to me. I AM however, eagerly waiting to see if they really can pull off Madden Wii. I don't have to like the company if the game is fun, but I've got a close, critical eye on it, and they've got an uphill climb to convince me to plop down 60 bucks on it.

In other news, is it obvious I've got nothing better to do with my time, or what?

I was a 2K gamer for 3 years until I finally got my hands on Madden and I loved it. Sega lost EA support with the Dreamcast, and when the PS2, XBox, and GCN came out, I bought the GameCube because it was cheaper and had Madden. Madden is an excellent football game, Tiburon does an excellent job and it wouldn't be as popular as it is today if it sucked. People look forward to it, not simply because of good marketing, but through word of mouth. Madden has had many years to build its reputation, and, like the NFL, has become an institution of casual gaming.

EA may have a shakey reputation due to their dominance of the industry, but they publish some damn good games.

People who hate Madden should be shot dead.

At least have a legit reason.

I have a legit reason: The competition-crushing monopoly EA bought with the NFL because Madden games couldn't compete with quality. I don't even PLAY sports games (hell, I find sports to be tearfully boring, to be honest), and that made me mad.
The fact that it's basically a roster update with maybe 5% new code each year and they charge 40-60 bucks for it (depending on the system), essentially charging new game price for an expansion pack, only adds to the scorn they so richly deserve.
Plus, they built their empire on Sega systems, then turned around and shafted them on the Dreamcast. For that ALONE I shall hate them eternally.

Quote

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Originally posted by: Shin Gallon
I have a legit reason: The competition-crushing monopoly EA bought with the NFL because Madden games couldn't compete with quality.

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If you want to keep buying the exact same game year after year and further increasing EA's stranglehold on the industry until they eventually buy everything out and we're left with nothing but crappy sports games and even more crappy movie tie-in games, be my guest. I'll have no part of it.

EA can rot in hell for all I care, and the entire industry would be better off for it.

You fail at understanding economics, industry, and capitalism.

Alright, fine, I have a legit reason not to like Madden:

Its fans.
Alright, I'm kidding. But seriously, call me out on BS if your don't like my reason for not liking Madden, but anybody that defends EA or tries to explain them out of looking like corporate evil manifest needs to backtrack the news stories a bit to read about their employee treatment. Theres no names to call anyone or anything, but seriously, educate yourself. EA is one company that definately doesn't deserve anybody in their corner, reguardless of if you enjoy their games.

Sega has (and Nintendo to some extent) had some horrible stories about employee treatment (their infamous "empty room.") The difference to me is that their shrewd practices point to an actual direction that supports creativity. An asshat can still be a good artist.

I'll give you that Tiburon definately knows what the heck its doing, but Westwood did too, remember them? Its not GOOD that EA looks for, its MONEY MONEY MONEY. Nor is it talent, its productivity, and the only reason why Tiburon is still around is because they've bent in EA's direction in production. Their employees haven't peeped about being crushed into the ground at crunch time, and they can maintain size and still release a new game, I.E., "update." I'm not picking on them for being the only ones - what was once Maxis has become a sad extention of EA's "philosophy", putting out one game and then six or more expansions. Nintendo isn't innocent either, but for them, Mario Party is an exception rather than the example.

Also, anybody remember when EA made an attempt to literally "steal" ubisoft? The french government is the only party to thank for that to have not gone thru. Seriously, their rap sheet reads like Enrons right before they tanked.

Among other reasons, their reprehensible treatment of their own employees is a perfect example of why I refuse to buy any game with the EA logo on it. I own exactly 1, and that's Burnout 3, and that I bought used so EA didn't get any of my money anyway.
They treat their own employees with the same utter contempt that they do anyone that dares try to compete against them.

Geez guys, what's with the anti-Madden venom? I think what the NFL did with selling monopoly status was pretty sleazy too, but it's not as though this game doesn't stand on its own two feet.

You don't have to buy a new version every single year, some do, some don't. Personally, I usually try for "Every other year". But they really do have to come out with an annual version for the sake of the roster update, otherwise they'd never sell them in off-years (especially on a non-online version). If I went out to buy a football game, I would be willing to pay a little extra for the one with the updated rosters, stadiums, etc. I can't imagine being enough into the franchise to buy every single one, but there's a sensible reason for them to exist.

Personally, I bought the 2004 version for the Gamecube, and it was 'decent', had some pretty major holes though in terms of accuracy. Like I said, I normally get every other version, so I got the 06 version for the DS, which was dreadful and unplayable. And so I ended up playing the 2004 version for another year, and now 2007 rolls around, and with the very reasonable price (Circuit City had it for $27) I went out and got it.

The monopoly hasn't been near the damaging thing I expected it to be. Between 2004 and 2007 the franchise hasn't stagnated, as I feared. The game has made some impressive advances in physics, control, and accuracy. Its also got some fun new modes that the old version lacked. And EA hasn't used its monopoly status to jack up the price, it's cheaper than ever.

I think it's more anti-EA in general, it's just that Madden is their most high-profile title.
Copule that with the fact that I honestly think that Madden sucks compared to the ESPN/Sega games, and well...there you go.