I didn't hate Madden 18, but there were still a number of issues with the game that need to be addressed in Madden 19.
Now that the game has an official release date (August 10), the anticipation for this year's release is ramping up. No sports game will ever be perfect. It's impossible to completely simulate reality in a way that will please everyone who is familiar with that the real sport. However, the following things are strong need-to-haves.
Smoother Animations and Better Collisions
New senior producer Carlos Guerrero perfectly described the visual discombobulation many Madden gamers felt with last year's game in a recent interview with Zac "Zan" Neal on Muthead. He talked about how the beautifully-rendered visuals were far and away better than the animations.
That's something that became even more apparent when you upscaled the game to 4K. Collisions are the biggest aspect of football and we're still not at an optimal place with this crucial piece of the game. The ragdoll physics concept only worked as advertised on some of the physical interactions. A better match between renders and character interaction is needed.
More CFM Depth
We've already learned we'll be getting custom draft classes that are shareable in Madden Connected Franchise. For hardcore CFM fans, that alone is a reason to rejoice. However, that won't bring Madden's franchise concept even with NBA 2K's MyGM and MyLeague.
Historical stat tracking, a hall of fame, weekly wrap-up show, custom teams including stadiums and jerseys are all additions that would make Madden's CFM experience much better. NBA 2K's franchise modes have all but one of those features already.
An Expansive Create-A-Player Tool
The ability to create and share custom draft classes is nice, but it'll only reach its potential if there is some variance in the create-a-player tool. It would be great to see the number of faces, hairstyles and body types expanded. Also, the ability to add tattoos would be great as well.
New Chapter In Longshot
I loved Longshot and fully expect a new chapter of it in this year's game. This time, it would be a plus to see a new character with perhaps some cameos from the stars in the first version. I'd also welcome some variation in the timed-response segments. As I've been playing through Detroit: Become Human, I'm recognizing the best ways to weave a story in with this kind of gaming interaction.
Transparency With Info Delivery
Another thing Guerrero mentioned in the interview above is intentional transparency with the community about the updates, patches and the future of the franchise. This is an excellent concept. Consumers are more tolerant of delays when it is offered to them upfront and the company is forthcoming with its plan for resolution.
Better Overall A.I.
The A.I. needs to improve in a variety of ways. Quarterback intelligence took an appropriate leap and decline from Madden 17 to 18, though some tweaking is still in order to that end. Offensive line play is perhaps the biggest area of concern, and this is primarily the case when guards are pulling or when tackles are slightly removed from their starting spot.
EA still hasn't found its happy place with opportunity recognition. They clearly don't want to overpower offensive lineman by making them above mental errors, but there are times when they miss blocks that NFL players simply wouldn't. On the other side of the ball, zone integrity still slips at times, especially over the middle of the field.
Again, the developers shouldn't seek to create such intelligent players that the game does all the work for you, but there is another level of balance that can be attained.
Injury Presentation in CFM
I've been mentioning this for at least the past three years. I've asked EA devs about it and most I've spoken to seem to agree it makes sense. In CFM, when an injury occurs, we shouldn't find out the full extent of the injury until we come out of the game we're playing. How many times do we know the severity of an injury during the game? Almost never. It's customary to wait for the MRI. That element should be in CFM.
We saw off-ball injuries added to Madden 18, but in actuality, it was only simmed injuries that took place during your games. It was as if it was predetermined and had nothing to do with contact on the field. If you looked at a replay of some of these injuries, you would oftentimes notice that the player never even went to the ground.
That is not ideal. Contact should cause injuries or if its one of those dreaded non-contact casualties, we should see the player pull up lame. Some sort of visual event should accompany the injury.
Improved Overall Presentation
The previous section is partly related to presentation, but this ask goes beyond that. The weekly wrap-up show and an improved halftime show are still elements missing from CFM and the game overall.
Custom Uniforms in MUT
As good as MUT is and as consistent as the team is with pumping out new content, the mode could still use an element of customization. The inability to customize uniforms and logos is what keeps it behind the industry's other top collector modes.
MUT Mobile App
Lastly, MUT could gain a lot from a dedicated mobile app. Fans could manage their team, open packs and more on the go. That would seemingly be something EA would be interested in as it could also be another revenue source if it featured ad placement when users logged in to the app.
