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EA sports has been making Madden football annually since 1990. 27 years in the making and eventually we’ve all got tired of playing at some point or another. Between awkward QB visions, the more complex juke moves have become, and the often too glitchy nature of the game it just became too much. However, for some reason, we keep buying it. How can EA change Madden ’18 to bring back the less than die-hard fans?

Madden has done little to improve the actual overall game experience and challenge the user. Sure they add a couple new features that change the gameplay minimally. Unfortunately, they’ve been packaging the same game with new graphics and different athletes each year. So how does EA stop the madness of Madden?

EA for the longest time had the phrase “If it’s in the game, it’s in the game.” So why has there not been real time game situations? Can’t Madden take it a step further and build on a team’s strengths and weaknesses in certain situations? With all the data they crunch to figure out a players overall attributes, can’t they spend more time breaking down teams to match their NFL counterparts?

[Rick]

For instance, all too often quarterbacks in the NFL get into a groove and complete 10 passes in a row or march a team down field lighting up the stat sheet. Add that to the game. Make a quarterback harder to take down on a roll out in those situations. Make a running back like Jay Ajayi who had multiple 200-yard games this season, break off large chunks in the 4th quarter like he often did. Have a receiver pull a nasty juke move when he’s in the zone to shake coverage and get open. NFL players get into rhythms in a game. Bring that aspect in.

Speaking of challenging us. So much of the game is bragging rights amongst friends. We play against each other. More online these days than in the past. Gone are the days of split screen or playing on multiple tvs. So bring the coaching aspect on the field. The quarterback and offensive/defensive quarterbacks see the whole field. Let’s see a coach’s avatar pop up in big situations “Hey coach, here’s what their tendencies are on 3rd and 3.” and challenge players to really face their opponents on both sides of the ball.

“If it’s in the game, it’s in the game” is gone but the challenge doesn’t need to be. Why not scheduled matches. If you and your friends agree to an online game, how about 5-10 minutes before you play you get game footage. Teams see game film of opponents all the time. Why not an option to either see a highlight reel from previous games? If not from previous games than videos they’ve shared to their Xbox and PlayStation streams.

EA, please stop coming up with new ways to juke and catch the football and focus on the game in Madden ’18. Challenge the player to not only be a student of the game but a student of yours as well. I don’t need a bunch of legends who take too long to unlock. I don’t want a truck stick when I should have a player who runs hard. I want the ability to stack 4-5 plays in a two-minute drill instead of audible each time. Give me a game that’s more like the game and stop bogging us down with minor features that barely enhance the experience.

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