VGRC

I've been playing Madden for over a decade. Some years are better than others, and mostly since the exclusive license deal Madden has been viewed as being on a downward trend. I have to say that I disagree, but before getting too deep into it, lets get right into the 8 team ratings released so far. Two divisions will be released each week of july, and this past week it was the AFC East and AFC West.

The best team of the bunch, rating wise, are the New York Jets. They chime in at 89 overall, which is 4th in the entire game. Jets fans should be pretty happy about it and it is to be expected. They have a top notch offensive line, a great RB, a young up and coming QB with playoff experience, a potential stud at TE, and some alright WR's. All that and I haven't even gotten to their defense yet, which should be poised to be #1 in the league. We do not know all the players individual ratings yet, but by all indications the jets are a force to be reckoned with this year in Madden 2011.

Rounding out the rest of the AFC East is the New England Patriots at 86, Miami Dolphins at 79, and the Buffalo Bills at 67. Some may feel the Patriots are a tad underrated, but you can't forget they have an aging team. Still, even at 86, they are the 8th best rated team in the game. So, they are still in the top percentile of "elite" teams. I don't really think Tom Brady is as good as his super bowl rings and "one" break out season state, but he is still one of the best in the league.

The best team in the AFC West, rating wise, are the San Diego Chargers at 85 overall. No big surprise there, all things considered. A new RB tandem, an average WR core with a top flight TE, a great QB, and a defense that is either really good or really average. This team is tough to figure out every year, but there is no doubt heading in they are the best in the division. Still makes me happy, because I am a big Philip Rivers lover.

The rest of the AFC West rounds out with the Denver Broncos at 78, Oakland Raiders at 71, and the Kansas City Chiefs also at 71. One thing that is odd is the Oakland Raiders have been rated exactly 71 three years straight. I understand that Al Davis has made some poor moves, but the Raiders appear to better this year than last, and last better than the year before. It is pretty odd to see the same rating, but I think most wont complain. As long as their stud CB stays rated that way, I think most will be content.


Naturally, Madden only appeals to people who are fan of American Football, the NFL, CFL, or any entities that are of similar style. That being said, Madden is criticized as adding extremely gimmicky features and being nothing other than an roster update each season, especially since they nabbed the exclusive NFL contract. Some criticism is warranted of course. No game is perfect, and there are definitely things Madden could and should borrow from the 2K series or Backbreaker (may not be that great of a game, but it's physics engine has created much more realistic tackling, blocking, and running responses). Still, is Madden really as bad as people make it out to be?

Nitpicking aside (such as the infamous ghost ball) Madden is a pretty solid experience, and I think it has been showing enough improvements to nab 50 to 60$ from me every year. While it went in a small decline after 2005, that decline was due to one "failed" idea - the passing cone. Honestly, it's hard to really gauge how good of an idea it was because there was no competitor to compare it too. The passing cone was rather intuitive, giving a real reason for the awareness rating on a QB. Since you generally control the QB every play, awareness has never meant much, but the cone made it mean a lot. It also made it much harder to be a passing god with say, Tarvaris Jackson, then it was with Peyton Manning. Of course, thats the way it is in real life and for many, that was just too much of a change. It was "realistic" in the best way madden could compensate.

The passing game has always been unrealistic in Madden. No QB can see the entire field at the same time, it just isn't humanly possible. They can see the pressure from all angles, while looking at every single WR. The passing cone rectified that by making you have to move your field of vision to make accurate passes. Honestly, I wish the system stayed around and was further refined, but I digress, this marked what is considered the downfall of Madden.

Never mind that by the time the 2009 edition of the game came out it was making a turn around, Madden is viewed as the same game every year. At heart, that is exactly what it is. Just like any other sports game really. However, the 2011 edition is worth my time even if it is the only NFL licensed game. Outside of the fact that Backbreaker has great physics and poor gameplay, and that 2k Football is all but dead, but even with the All-Pro football it really lacked what made 2k5 so great. Fact remains that madden is the best football simulator on the market. They are making changes in 2011 that will hopefully be viewed as improvements. The hardest thing Madden has to deal with is being alone. It has no true comparison, and thus any changes are questioned.

In truth, I love the NFL, so I love Madden. It's not perfect, but it provides me everything I could really ask for in a sports title. They are slowly getting things right and making it much more of a true simulation. The real issue? The only way to "simulate" sports is to get up off the couch, go outside, and actually play them. Unless your willing to do that, I would stop complaining so much about Madden 2011.