Madden 08 and the PS3.. what the hell happened????

yes,  its true.  i broke down and bought Madden 08 for the PS3.  i've played Madden football since its first release back in the day on the Genesis; back before it even had a number behind it and they had the Championship Editions.  through the years i saw madden go from a pretty decent/basic football game to its current state.

the first playstation versions of madden were amazing in regards to graphics and gameplay.  however after a few years, each new year's version of madden really never expanded on the fundamentals of football and really just looked a little better and had updated rosters. 



the last version of madden i bought was prob Madden 01, after that version there were was not incentive (for me atleast) to buy the new one.  is an updated roster and a few graphic improvements (and even some degradation of quality of the gameplay) worth the $40?? hell no!

the xbox360's first version of Madden was a complete embarrassment.  i remember playing it and basically swearing off madden for the next gens.  seriously, how can you gimp a football game so bad?? why would the nextgen consoles version of Madden have LESS features and worst gameplay than the PS2/XBOX versions??   EA Sports really seemed to have lost its way in the football realm or so it seems but at that point it really didn't seem to matter since they had already secured exclusive rights to the NFL players/teams (which imo was the worst thing possible for both us fans/players and for the NFL).  so really, EA could get away with making a pure shit game and still sell millions because it was the only game w/real players and teams. 

now lets flash forward to august 2007.  EA released Madden 07 for the PS3 last year and it was mmeeeeh.. nothing great; pretty graphics, subpar gameplay, lack of features that prev generation console versions had yet a more powerful ps3 didn't have. 

so yesterday they released Madden 08 for basically all consoles in existence (X360, PS3, Wii, XBOX, PS2, PSP).  after reading about the updates and reviews of the game (however, the reviews were mainly X360 versions that were reviewed), i thought that this may be the year EA would get it right and give us a REAL madden. 

boy, i was a bit disappointed. the features and gameplay is much better than last years but the graphics and game itself really need some work.  first, the PS3 version ONLY runs at 30fps while the X360 runs at 60fps and only maxes out at 720p vs 1080p for the x360 version.  sure, most people when looking at the stats/specs would say that it shouldn't make that much of a difference.  but after you play the PS3 version, you will notice it.

i've noticed a ton of stuttering w/player animations (before the snap) and also some major lagging when i switch players or choose plays, very annoying.  the graphics at times do not look very crisp or smooth but show signs of jaggys. 

the worst part, i can't return it.  i paid $60 for this game and feel i got ripped off. the QC or testers for this game obviously failed and really when it comes to it; EA LITERALLY DROPPED THE BALL! FUMBLE!!!

i expect to see a ton of posts from angry madden hardcores on the PS3 version's flaw.  the funny or sad (depends on how you look at it) thing is that EA blames only having a year to work on it as an excuse.  Ummm.. wait a second, what the hell was Madden 07; just a pure port of the x360?

i'm sorry but for a game developer as big as EA; this is no excuse at all.  this seems to show that EA really doesn't care about us PS3ers and in turn does not deserve any more of my gaming business. i plan to BAN madden on my PS3 and any other crap port that EA puts out (minus their racing games, i do still enjoy them even though NFS: Carbon was basically just another port).

 screw you EA; you just want my money and could care less on how good of a product you produce.

to the NFL, take away that exclusive deal w/EA and let another developer make an actual good football game (ie 2k Sports).

ok, i'm done and will get off of my soapbox now.

btw, do you feel like me about EA and Madden?? let them know on their forum boards! we need to be heard and they need to either patch madden 08 for the PS3 or let me return it for my money back.

http://forums.ea.com/mboards/