OT - DeAngelo Hall not happy about his new Madden rating

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

As I mentioned earlier, cornerback DeAngelo Hall was practicing like a man possessed today.

I had seen the news late last week that Hall's rankings had taken the biggest drop of any player's in this year's edition of Electronic Arts' wildly successful Madden football videogame, plummeting 25 points from a 93 to a 68. And I had seen Hall's angry comments about that ratings hit on his Twitter feed.

So it didn't take a genius to put together the aggressive, enthusiastic display on the practice field with the Twittered frustration, and after practice Hall confirmed my suspicions.

"Ah, I'm feelin' good, man. We just keep trying to get better, but, yeah, I'm trying to blow off some steam with my Madden rating."

So I asked the obvious question: had he heard about Ethan Albright's legendarily horrible Madden rating?

"I heard that," Hall told me, "but it had kinda been in one in ear out the other. But as the release date gets closer, I'm starting to get a little bit more paranoid, I'm thinking about trying to get my name and likeness pulled off the game entirely. 'Cause this is bull."

Well, I suggested, maybe you could write a strongly-worded letter, like (LANGUAGE WARNING!) the one attributed to Ethan?

"I know that letter, but I don't need that letter. I don't think that letter's going to change anybody's opinion."

Well, what about EA making in-season improvements to the ranking?

"They do that as the season goes on, so hopefully if I grab ten or twelve [interceptions], and get my respect back, my dignity back ... we'll see."

By this point it was clear that Hall was legitimately bummed out by this turn of events, and I said so.

"Well, yeah," he said, and paused. "I'm a little disappointed in the system. Good thing I don't play the game for Madden ratings."

Speaking of DeAngelo Hall's Twitter feed, I also had to ask him about his report that he had met the US ambassador to London -- at the private third portion of Santana Moss's Multi-Phase Birthday Extravaganza, no less. Or, more specifically, I had to ask what he and the ambassador had found to talk about.

"The next [NFL] trip over there," he said. "He's trying to do something about that, so" -- he shrugged -- "shoot. He actually hasn't been appointed yet, but he said President Obama's set to appoint him this week, so soon-to-be-appointed.

"But now I got a connection so that whenever I go over there, I can walk around like I'm Michael Jackson with a little bit of security. That's why I'm always scared to go places like that."

And that's the life of DeAngelo Hall as of June 1, 2009: motivated by a video game and hobnobbing with ambassadors at private parties.

[PkrsBcksGphsMqt]

First heard about this on Rome. His take on the situation was pretty funny.

[MickeyDavis]

Every year a couple of whiny players complain about their Madden ratings. Hilarious.

[aaprigs311]

What's Rodgers rated this year?

[MikeIsGood]

I hate Madden. Miss 2k.

Raji is an 80
Matthews 75.

Rodgers isn't in the top 10 among QBs, and must be either at or below 87.
Ditto for GJ, who must be at or below 91.
No defenders of ours at in the top 10 among all defenders.

Here are the only rankings I could find for veterans:

http://sports.espn.go.com/videogames/ne ... id=4105161

[SteveScheffler]

I hate Madden. Miss 2k.

Blasphemy! Nail this man to the cross!

[an_also]

I hate Madden. Miss 2k.

YESS

[El_Lobo_3]

I hate Madden. Miss 2k.

2K...where players are all hunchbacks and they run like robots with sticks up their butts. How couldn't anyone miss that? haha

[ReasonablySober]

Yea, I'm not the biggest fan of Madden or EA in general by any means but I'll never get the love 2K gets/got.

[MikeIsGood]

2k5 was amazing. Haven't been able to play an NFL game extensively since. Groundbreaking simulation gameplay for its time. Madden still feels like an arcade-style game to me, which I can't stand. All the hollywood-type BS flair they add presentation-wise certainly doesn't help.

I don't think there's anything wrong with the player models. They certainly aren't hunched over funny. It was 2004 - as we've seen with NBA2k9, I think 2K sports would have made the transition to the next gen just fine.

[aaprigs311]

I'm EA all the way. Pretty much only play Madden and NBA Live. I've been disappointed with Madden the last couple years, but it's still leaps and bounds ahead of any 2k games. I seem to be a minority on the nba live front though. I just hate the game play on the other one. The grahpics are a lot better and more detailed, but live is a hell of a lot more fun to play.

[MikeIsGood]

For Madden being leaps-and-bounds better than 2K, apparently EA themselves weren't as convinced. After being out-reviewed for a couple years, then having their 05 sales numbers rivaled closely by 2K5, they felt the need to buy their competition out of the market with exclusivity rights. Fact is, NFL2K5 took a substantial amount of their market share and was the buzz among media.

Re: what DB said, I loved 2K5, but I do agree it's legend has grown bigger than it ever was. I think it's because of the mere fact that it was discontinued thereafter.

All of that said, I'm not disparaging Madden fans. People should play what they like. I just don't like Madden myself, and in general I do not like EA. Wish it hadn't played out the way that it did; a great sports series was taken off the market, and as a result of no competition, Madden grows staler by the year IMO.

[ReasonablySober]

My biggest thing with Madden is I don't think any of the GM stuff has improved in years. In some respects it's actually gotten worse since the days of the original XBOX and PS2. I know they made NFL Head Coach and this last edition was promising but it was almost unplayable with how long the seasons took to Sim. Then there was no importing of draft classes and that was a death blow.

But I look at a game like The Show '09. The front office features are staggering. The depth of the game is amazing. You're telling me that a company like EA couldn't produce the NFL equivalent?

I'm waiting for a next-gen Madden game to have

• Both kinds of Franchise tags
• Transition tags
• Roster bonuses and incentives
• A logical trading system
• A free agency system that doesn't leave guys like Tom Brady shopping around because they were released
• The Indy combine where you can play as prospects and have the drills actually mean something
• Training camps
• Holdouts
• Better player grading system
• A completely re-done player importing feature. The current system is absolutely boned. Include a 'Potential' rating in NCAA that effects player progression in madden. Keep the appearance consistent in both games. If a defensive tackle is massive like Terrance Cody at Alabama he shouldn't look like Mario Williams once he's imported into Madden.
• Unique playing styles. Steven Jackson shouldn't run like a slower version of DeAngleo Williams. Have a scat back category and have their movements be totally different than those of a power back. Same with WRs and TEs.
• Impact defensive players should stand out more. A guy like Albert Haynesworth should impact an entire defensive unit. Charles Woodson should be able to take away 95% of the NFL's WRs. Troy Polamalu should be a disruptive force all over the field.

Those are just a few of the things that would go a long way towards improving their product.

[wichmae]

I think they should mix NFL head coach with Madden for a start. Then improve from there. I also think the NBA games need a more front office oriented game play.

[WRau1]

For Madden being leaps-and-bounds better than 2K, apparently EA themselves weren't as convinced. After being out-reviewed for a couple years, then having their 05 sales numbers rivaled closely by 2K5

2k5 sold almost as much as Madden because 2k5 was only $20, lol.

The Dreamcast 2K bball series is the greatest of all time. Never has there been a more perfect bball game.

[MikeIsGood]

That was a move they needed to make to get people to play their game, because no one was giving anything but Madden a chance despite the reviews it had been getting becauseMadden had always been the king of the hill. It was a great marketing move that would have allowed them to raise prices back up on the next year's edition after people had already played their game and given it a chance. The numbers support this, and it was no doubt their intended plan.

But, as said, they got bought out of the market when the NFL went exclusive to EA. EA was most definitely threatned. It was a move made to assure their continued market share. In truth, though they've held their share, their growth took a hit in the following few years.

It was a great business move, it just sucks for the fans - both Madden and 2K fans IMO.

[MickeyDavis]

Anytime there is no competition iit sucks for the consumer. Madden makes a few tweaks every year but that's it. There is no one pushing them to develop a better game.

[Ayt]

Next-gen Madden has been horrific. I only bought last years version, but even that was a waste of money.

[Ill-yasova]

Anytime there is no competition iit sucks for the consumer. Madden makes a few tweaks every year but that's it. There is no one pushing them to develop a better game.

I remember the ESPN game that went for about $20 bucks a couple of years ago being pretty solid, but it must have pissed off John.

[Bucksfans1and2]

My biggest thing with Madden is I don't think any of the GM stuff has improved in years. In some respects it's actually gotten worse since the days of the original XBOX and PS2. I know they made NFL Head Coach and this last edition was promising but it was almost unplayable with how long the seasons took to Sim. Then there was no importing of draft classes and that was a death blow.

But I look at a game like The Show '09. The front office features are staggering. The depth of the game is amazing. You're telling me that a company like EA couldn't produce the NFL equivalent?

I'm waiting for a next-gen Madden game to have

• Both kinds of Franchise tags
• Transition tags
• Roster bonuses and incentives
• A logical trading system
• A free agency system that doesn't leave guys like Tom Brady shopping around because they were released
• The Indy combine where you can play as prospects and have the drills actually mean something
• Training camps
• Holdouts
• Better player grading system
• A completely re-done player importing feature. The current system is absolutely boned. Include a 'Potential' rating in NCAA that effects player progression in madden. Keep the appearance consistent in both games. If a defensive tackle is massive like Terrance Cody at Alabama he shouldn't look like Mario Williams once he's imported into Madden.
• Unique playing styles. Steven Jackson shouldn't run like a slower version of DeAngleo Williams. Have a scat back category and have their movements be totally different than those of a power back. Same with WRs and TEs.
• Impact defensive players should stand out more. A guy like Albert Haynesworth should impact an entire defensive unit. Charles Woodson should be able to take away 95% of the NFL's WRs. Troy Polamalu should be a disruptive force all over the field.

Those are just a few of the things that would go a long way towards improving their product.

Player progression in the weekly updates should be 50% production 25% age and 25% coaching. Players that are producing on the field are better than those that don't 99% of the time. Age progression should be based on position. RBs WRs DBs TEs should see large gains in their mid 20's and larger drop offs in their mid 30s. Lineman QBs and LBs should have bigger gains in their late 20s but should not have large drop offs until their late 30's. Coaches should affect each player differently. Jordie Nelson gets more out of working with coaches than Ahmad Carrol ever did, he should improve accordingly. Like wise certain coaches should help players more than others.

Make Free agency a lot like recruiting in the NCAA games. Teams get ranked in things like night life, media attention, tradition, coaching, Champoinship potential. TO obviously wants to go someplace with a lot of media attention and championship potential. Jared Allen might be attracted to someplace with outdoor activity so he can hunt/rodeo/whatever Jarred Allen does. Allow to teams to guarantee players things like playing time and playoff apearences. If you promise to make the playoffs you can attract someone but if they sign with you and you don't make it they are more likely to hold out or demand a trade. Money should obviously be the biggest factor by a wide margain.

Let me rebuild a stadium and stay in my city please also more options for building stadiums.

Make scouting different. You should know some attributes from film. Have certain stats filled out but others needing to be filled in based on scouting and personal visits.

Be able to scout opponents. Your scouts should tell you that you can run sweeps and screens on the Bears because their defense is old and slow but you can't run up the middle on them because their backers can all tackle very well.

If a player is traded or picked up by a team his ratings should drop based on his non familiarity with the system. Intelligence should determine how quick he gets his ratings back. As he learns the system his ratings should return back to what they normally are. If a player moves positions or systems their ratings should move accordingly. If a 4-3 defensive tackle is moved to nose their performance will suffer. Same with 4-3 ends moving to 3-4 backers.

Have a mock draft that tells you where your targets are likely going to be drafted. This gives your scouts the ability to know who to scout. Also opens up draft day trades. Knowing where the player you want is likely to be drafted gives you the oppurtunity to trade up and grab your guy.

Fix imported players the system is uber dumb.

Ability to control training camp. Chose whether you want to have a brutal camp to change the culture or if you want to take it easy and let your players rest up for January.

Build your own play book would be a cool feature.

Have hold outs by players that don't think their being payed enough and have lazy players come into camp out of shape with decreased stamina and injury.

Make the offensive line play more in depth. Allow me to shift the protection towards great outside pass rushers like a Williams or a Peppers.

Increase the Combine to more drills. Have the cone and L drills determine a players agility. Have a High and Long jump affect someone's explosiveness. Make your response to the coaches questions in interviews affect your influence on team chemistry.

Seperate Strength into upper body and lower body like they seperated Speed into agility, acceleration, and speed. Make upper body strength affect a players stiff arm, pass blocking, and finese rushing for the defense. Control this by the Bench Press Make lowerbody strength affect Bull Rush, Run blocking, Trucking and Big hits have it be controlled by a Squat or Power lift. Lift the bar to your waist like the bench then press X to lift it to your chest then bench again to get it above your head would be the way I would do it.

Have certain positions affect other positions. An offensive line should affect a running back based on how well they run block. An Offensive Line should affect a quarter back based on their pass blocking. A Quarter Back should affect his Recievers. Similarly the Defensive Line should affect the Line Backers by how well they stand their ground and Corner Backs by how well they pressure the QB.

Fix the stupidly easy Run blocking challenge. All Madden is 10,000 but I usually get 7,500 on the first try with two pancakes and a touchdown. The highest I've ever gotten one try out of ten rounds is 32,000. 3X the actual threshold. Way too easy.

BF2