Thought I'd post my response to the Escapist Madden 11 review, showing support for the Kat!

''I have to say..I couldn't agree with LordKat's video more. This game is a slap in the face to anyone who not only considers themselves a gamer but to anyone who has played a Madden game before. I have never, in my life, played a version of Madden that actually looked worse than the previous years incarnation. The MOCAP in this game is nothing short of pathetic and the player models look absolutely terrible! In regards to the game play: The running game has been stripped down to its bare bones (Why in the world would you remove the sprint button?!)..The new momentum running feature is broken simply due to the fact that as SOON as a player makes a cut or attempts to juke, all momentum disappears and you're left trying to virtually WALK up field. Last I checked people were able to make lateral movements while keeping most of their forward momentum....As far as the passing game goes: Well, that's just it...it DOESN'T! Gone are the days of threading the ball in between two defenders with accuracy and the combination of the left thumbstick pointed towards the appropriate area (either behind, above, over the shoulder or in the chest of the receiver) and the proper press of the pass button (B or O -tap for a lob or press and hold for a bullet). So not only is running the ball as pseudo as it can get, the passing game is about as inaccurate and undependable as Alex Smith, down by 7 in the 4th quarter, under pressure while going deep on 3rd and long from the opponents 30. EA and any reviewer(s) / website / blogger etc...should be ashamed of themselves for putting out and supporting such an obvious cash in and half assed attempt...''

Honestly I haven't played a Madden game since the Gamecube era, and that was only two-player stuff with my dad. But the only thing I remember about ['04 or '05] it is that the announcers had the same four phrases that they would spew every few seconds. The most memorable of these being "You used to be able to put stick-em on your hands to keep from fumbling the ball" or something like that. I remember nights spent in my room while my dad played Madden in the living room hearing that phrase over and over, like it was the only thing they cared about.

Also, what kind of game makes you pay an extra fee just for buying it used? Explain this further please, because I'm really confused as to how they can.

Dear Lordkat,

Although I have never played a single football game in my life, I can positively say I know EXACTLY how you feel. I was also franchise #!$%&* by another sport game, Forza 3. Here's what happened:

Forza 1 -- Awesome game! Best car simulation game ever made for it's time. This game is what secured Microsoft into the racing genre.

Forza 2 -- The best car-simulation game in the world. There were a few graphical flaws and the cars had no detailed interiors, but these shadows were cast from an obelisk of exalted existence. I banked on the sequel, Forza 3, being the not only the best racing game in the world, not only the best sports game in the world; the best game in the world. Period. Forza 3 had a chance to become game of the year. Did it happen?

Forza 3 -- My hopes and dreams of playing the greatest racing game in the world were crushed. Why? Here's what happened:

-Restricted Cars. You had to spend REAL money to buy cards that would allow you to download and drive certain models. I think there was this one Corvette I really wanted to drive, but I was denied. What a scam! I paid $100 for the collector's edition to Forza 3 and I couldn't drive all the cars?
$%^& &*(%; 's.
Most of these restricted cars were already on the disc, but they were just some download code away from being usable.
-Bad Multiplayer Options. There were some MAJOR options that were disabled in multiplayer. Forza 2 had them; why were they taken out? It was a major disappointment. Multiplayer was a step backward from Forza 1!!
-Unicorn Cars. Ridiculously overpriced cars that you literally had to kill someone in order to get. Don't get me started on these...they really sucked.
-Drag Races. This mode of the game was laughably retarded and half-assed. The rewards for drags' were pathetic and felt totally boring.
-Bad Driving. It was encouraged. The fastest way to make money, was by taking a Dodge Viper down some Japanese hill; crashing into all the guard-rails all the way down. If you turned off damage, this made you serious profit for reckless driving.

I think Forza 3 had a chance to be the best game in the world, but Microsoft and Turn 10 crammed the franchise up their ass, then sold it to people as a chocolate bar. Now, Microsoft wants to spam another Forza game to use with their Kinect hardware. Forza has now become nothing more than a lab-experiment for a new piece of $%!* gimmicky hardware that already stabbed the loyal fans in the face.

Sorry to hear about your disapointment with Madden. Like I said, the feelings are mutual.

i know you weren't going for a fully-produced review here, but a visual example(if you could get one on film) of some of the stuff you talked about would've been nice to see along with what you were saying. still, even without that, it only takes a glance to see how horribly made this game is. i'm usually not one to complain about sub-par graphics, but jesus fuck. it's 2010, and this is EA for fuck sake. there is no excuse. no. god. damn. excuse. for this shit. while i would've liked to see some examples of how you had to fumble through the menus, i get the gist just from hearing you explain it. and everything about that is wrong. was there any playtesting involved? do the programmers get paid per menu screen? did they outsource the game design to fucking Wonderland? what the fuck happened!?

I dont know if it was your intention but you talk about how lazy the developers are and the reviewers and then your review is just you talking over a recorded game of madden. Would have been better if you just had yourself talking in front of the screen since hardly anything you say matches with whats on screen.

And I think you said while streaming that you havent played madden in like 3 or 4 years or something. Some of the things you mentioned have been around awhile like the play now just being to play 1 on 1 match or whatever. Also the challenge system has been just like that in past maddens. The my skill feature was in the last madden too.

My experience has been way different than yours. I have been playing on my skill and after a few games my last two games have been 1 point nail biters. After one season I only fumbled around 2 times and had no one on IR and just a few injuries throughout the year.

It does seems that some of the review is extrapolated in that yeah you didnt like the game and since you did not like spending 60 dollars on it you are going to look through the game and just try to find every little thing you hate about the game.

The game is pretty messed up though. The whole ranked mode is broken because if the opponent quits in the first half....the game is over thats it. You dont get a win and you just wasted 15+ minutes.

That was a great rant! Everything about Madden 11 looks subpar and half assed. For a $60.00 AAA title. The graphics are piss ugly and watching some games, it just doesn't feel like football. The other reviewers really seem to be sucking EAs cock on this. Maybe they're afraid of angry Madden fans breaking down their doors but the review scores are entirely out of line. I'm glad you called that asshat at the escapist on this. I love that his defense of his opinion comes down to him obviously not playing it long enough.

Dude you are awesome, I have played a few Madden games the first being Madden 06 the last being a demo of Madden 10, and nothing changed at all!! You have shown this game for what it is, a festering pile of fecal matter and calling these other reviewers out whom have not done their jobs properly, Bravo, man. You truly are a gamer for gamers and may you reign for as long as you wish. LONG LIVE THE LORDKAT!!!

XD Oh man. I loved the slam on John Funk. I friggin' hate that guy.

Excellent in-depth analysis on Madden '11's shitty mechanics and usability issues. I don't think you missed a single beat! I hope to see more reviews like this in the future!

EDIT: ... O_O THOSE ARE 2D SPRITES. The friggin' drinks on the tables on the sidelines are LOW-RES 2D SPRITES. Egads, they look worse than Duke Nukem 3D! This is placeholder shit! How did they get away with that!?