A first look at the Madden Next-Gen commercial. Thoughts and impressions.
by Jon Robinson
April 21, 2005 - I never thought I would drive 30 minutes to watch a 60-second commercial.
Then again, I never thought after watching the commercial about ten times I would in turn race back home and write up my impressions of said commercial.
That's right, not of the game, of the commercial.
But judging by the fact that all week the only question anyone wanted to ask me was if I played Madden Next-Gen or saw a preview of the commercial, I figure Madden fans want to know what to expect this Saturday. So even though I have yet to play the game, I have seen an advanced screening of the commercial.
A commercial EA promised would blow my mind.
And it did…but with reservations.
First off, what you're about to see, and what you've been seeing in screenshots are not actual gameplay. It turns out that the commercial and all visuals released are actually an artist's interpretation of what Madden could look like on the Next-Gen systems.
Red flag.
But before you dismiss the commercial, the people at Tiburon say that some of the Madden team didn't want these visuals seen, not because they are setting the bar too high, but too low. Seriously, they say that these are the visuals they were shooting for originally, but that the team now feels that they will be easily surpassed. And if that's the case, NFL fans are in for an amazing display of visual impact.
The commercial shows a glimpse of action between the Giants and Eagles, with McNabb pumping up the crowd and running the show. The kickoff is fielded, and on the runback, Brian Westbrook is injured, bringing up a close-up of the joint and calling out a torn rotator cuff in a scene that looked something out of CSI.
As McNabb goes over to talk to the coach, you not only hear the coach's voice, you get a first look at what could be an all-new play calling system. There are now eight plays along the left side of the screen that you can scroll through as you get advice from the coach. And the Tiburon team confirmed that while this might not be the final play calling system, that fans are in for a change. "There will be more than three plays to choose from at a time."
After a big hit on the field, the camera zooms to the Jumbotron for a Sack Cam, and a close-up replay of the smashing defense. With two seconds left on the clock, the snow falling, Michael Strahan snarling, and McNabb dropping back to pass, Donovan spins out of an arm tackle from the hulking defensive end and heaves the ball deep to T.O., who keeps his eyes locked on the prize, catches the ball and slides on his knees to celebrate the game-winner.
The movement and graphics level reminded me a lot of the Nike commercial a few years ago where a digitized Vick and T.O. showed what they could do without the limits of gravity or pain…it was that good.
But again, it's my interpretation of an artist's interpretation.
All I know is what I saw and what was promised. That the game will look even better. That the innovations in gameplay like the Hit Stick and Precision Passing won't just be brought to the Next-Gen systems, but possible enhanced. That the jump from Xbox and PS2 to the Next-Gen consoles will reveal an even bigger jump in details and graphics than what was seen in the transition from the PlayStation to the PlayStation 2. That the gameplay in Madden Next-Gen is going to look like a cinematic that you're controlling.
Promises of the possibilities of what's to come.
Promises that, if true, will turn Madden Next-Gen into an instant system seller.
I just hope the promises turn out to be more than words.
