Madden 21
Credit: EA
The next-gen version of Madden 21 released a day early for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S fans who already owned the game on current-gen consoles.
I’ve been playing the game since early on December 3, and one thing is pretty clear to me; it’s that this experience doesn’t warrant a full review because it’s not a brand new game.
I believe I’d be doing EA and fans a disservice by placing a score on what I consider more of a remastering than a new game.
That said, here’s the good, the bad and the bottom line.
If you’re looking for the kind of visual upgrade that gamers saw with NBA 2K21 and Spider-Man: Miles Morales, I’m sorry to disappoint you, but you won’t find that here. That said, there are some cutscenes between plays that will draw some admiration.
The best upgrade inthe next-gen version is in the PlayStation 5 controller. The haptic feedback comes through nicely on tackles and some of the ball-carrying situations. I adds a bit to the immersion and delivers an on-the-field quality.
The new play-calling menu has more options than before, like finding plays for specific targets, and even making a favorites list. The UI is very different than what most Madden fans are used to, so there is some adjustment necessary.
Still, I see it as a change that will be positive in the long run.
I usually call this the bad section, but instead, I’m going with “the underwhelming.”
It’s not necessarily bad–at least not in every instance–and as I mentioned, this is more of a remaster than a full new release.
Some users may like this, and I might ultimately join that group. However, at this point, the players mostly feel slow and sluggish with the exception of the most dynamic athletes like Tyreek Hill, Lamar Jackson and Christian McCaffrey.
I’m all for there being a differentiator in this vein, but at the moment, the defense seems to be at a major disadvantage in space against most any skill position player. In my experiences, this has led to a lot more big plays down the field caused by missed tackles.
The players definitely move more realistically than before, which was the major connection with Next-Gen Stats, but defensive players need a little bit of a buff to allow them to compete. I think this is fixable, or admittedly, it might be something I get used to over the next few weeks.
However, at this point, current-gen Madden is actually more fun to play. That’s probably a bit of death blow, but after further review, it’s how I’m feeling.
I was initially told weather would have no impact on gameplay.
Later, I was told the slipping and dropped passes from current-gen would still be in the game. I haven’t seen either as of yet, and quite honestly, I’m not sure they were ever quite as impacting as they should have been on PS4 or Xbox One.
While it is nice to see the footprints in the snow on parts of the field, this aspect of the presentation is the epitome of underwhelming.
I’ll keep this pretty short and plain: there are no new next-gen exclusive modes.
EA wanted to make sidelines more visibly appealing, and they accomplished their goal in some areas. However, there are some instances where the next-gen version becomes a visual downgrade. In some cutscenes, it appears the heads of linemen have simply been placed on the body of a wide receiver or defensive back.
The body types don’t match and this creates a very unfavorable looking model on the screen–especially considering this is a next-gen upgrade.
One of the biggest drivers for Madden 21 on next-gen was the use of Next-Gen Stats. A great usage of this tech would have been as an engine behind a new ratings system.
However, instead it’s more of a useless statistical overlay that really means nothing in the grand scheme of things. A number pops up on the screen during some pretty nice looking replays, but none of the speeds actually feel faster than the others, and it feels as though it’s all arbitrarily issued just for the sake of the graphic.
Hopefully EA builds this out into something with more meat on the bones in future versions of the game.
Madden 21 on next-gen was free to anyone who bought the game on PS4 or Xbox One X. Because of that, it’s hard to complain about it taking just a small bunny hop forward from the current-gen version.
That said, it’s impossible not to compare this to what 2K did with NBA 2K21. The difference is night and day. NBA 2K21 on next-gen still has some bugs to work out to reach its potential, but at least they tried to deliver a different experience.
At some point in the next couple of weeks, NBA 2K21 will have its act together, and it will have still delivered a true next-gen experience about eight months before Madden.
|
|
Leaving her elderly father on a basement floor for two days in a soiled adult diaper won’t mean jail for a Calgary woman.
Justice Indra Maharaj accepted a joint Crown and defence submission on Wednesday for a two-year-less-a-day conditional sentence order for Tara Picard to be followed by 12 months of probation.
Prosecutor Donna Spaner and defence counsel Shaun Leochko proposed a community-based term which will include eight months of 24-hour house arrest followed by a nightly curfew for the second eight months.
Maharaj also agreed with the lawyers to order Picard to commit 300 hours of community service over the length of the three-year sentence.
The Calgary Court of Justice noted that amount of community-service hours was “a lot” to commit to.
But Maharaj said it showed Picard, 52, was truly remorseful for her conduct towards her father, whom Postmedia is not identifying because of the embarrassing nature of the facts of the case.
“What that shows me is Ms. Picard does sincerely recognize what has happened here,” the judge said of her willingness to complete community service.
“What I interpret from that is Ms. Picard’s willingness to give back to the community.”
Picard pleaded guilty in January to charges of assault and failing to provide the necessaries of life to her 77-year-old father.
Court heard caregivers found the elderly Calgary man on the basement floor of his daughter’s southeast home wearing a soiled adult diaper.
At the time, Picard was responsible for her father’s day-to-day care after he was moved to her residence, Spaner, reading from a statement of agreed facts, told court at the time.
“He had a number of medical ailments, including non-insulin dependent diabetes, coronary artery disease, some early onset dementia-like symptoms and chronic alcoholism,” Spaner said.
“(He) had been living independently in a Calgary apartment building. Family members became concerned that he was not caring for himself safely.”
With the help of Alberta Health Services he was moved to a home where Picard resided.
A registered nurse assigned to his care attended the 38 Street S.E. home on Nov. 15, 2021, to drop off food bank supplies for him and was told he was sleeping downstairs.
When the nurse called about an hour and a half later and spoke to the man on the phone he said he was lying on the floor, had fallen and was unable to get up.
When she returned to the home with a co-worker she found the victim lying on his back on the floor.
“(He) said that he had been lying on the floor for two days,” Spaner said.
Leochko said Picard was overwhelmed by the situation she was thrust into.
“It really was more than she could handle,” he said.
|
|
@juanhall: I gotta say, this was the most interesting bike in this post….love that Intense is experimenting with gearboxes…I can see it have a huge effect on DH bikes….thank god there’s still people pushing things. Now, they need to make an Enduro bike with the Pinion MGU!
|
|
The City of Pointe-Claire would like to inform you that the Bob-Birnie arena will be closed for its annual maintenance as of Monday, April 29. The Annex rink will reopen to the public on Monday, May 13, and the arena’s Main rink will be accessible as of Monday, June 3.
Public skating will resume on May 13, and the summer public activities programming will begin on June 3 when both rinks have reopened to the public.
In addition to the annual maintenance of the facility, two renovation projects are also scheduled to start at the same time:
Installation of new sound systems
The City will be replacing its current sound systems in both the Main rink and Annex rink, to offer arena visitors a better overall experience, whether watching from the stands or participating in on-ice activities. This project is expected to be conducted throughout the month of May.
Renovation of locker rooms in the Main Rink
The City will also be renovating the five locker rooms located in the Main rink, to bring up to date the amenities currently available to participants. These renovations are expected to begin in early May and will be completed by mid-August.
For all information about the Bob-Birnie arena, visit the arena’s page on our website.
Remnants of bird flu virus found in pasteurized milk, FDA says
Amid concerns over ‘collateral damage’ Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Random: We’re In Awe of Metaphor: ReFantazio’s Box Art
The unmissable events taking place during London’s Digital Art Week
How Michael Cohen and Trump went from friends to foes
Surprise Apple Event Hints at First New iPads in Years
NASA hears from Voyager 1, the most distant spacecraft from Earth, after months of quiet
Vaughn Palmer: B.C. premier gives social media giants another chance
