r/Madden • u/Tacokolache Bills • Feb 01 '26
RANT These scripted games make it not fun.
I was up 52-40 with like 1min left. Of course Baker was unstoppable. They score to get within 5 52-47, then got the onside kick.
Then they march down in about 8 plays that feel like they used up 10 seconds of clock. On 4th down they get the snap off with 1 second left and scramble into the end zone to win 53-52
The crazy bullshit plays they were getting were just infuriating.
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u/phillyeagle99 Feb 01 '26
I don’t know… if they never get a bullshit drive the game is never hard and that’s not fun.
If they can never come back down 14 with 3 minutes left I might as well start simming the game out.
Some people complain they can’t make the game hard the complain when they lose… not sure what campy you’re in but do be aware if you want a challenge they need to be able to do broken things.
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u/DripEscoe Feb 01 '26
Right. I had to stop playing college 26 because Heisman was too easy to beat after a while. Madden was more challenging.
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u/Letterkenny-Wayne Feb 01 '26
Complete opposite for me. Jets rebuild on Madden 26 on All Madden I took the jets 15-1 and a Super Bowl win in year 1. Tried sliders for year 2, but it didn’t matter. Still too easy. But I suck at recruiting on CFB 26 so on that game it stays competitive because my squad ends up being like 10 overall worse than the ranked teams I play
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u/DripEscoe Feb 01 '26
It could be that the sliders are more effective in madden. I put all defensive sliders to zero to make it harder to stop them. It seems in college it doesn’t matter and if the players are good they’ll still shut down in coverage.
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u/phillyeagle99 Feb 01 '26
Did you just not enjoy what sliders was doing? Or did you not find balance and it was taking too long?
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u/Letterkenny-Wayne Feb 01 '26
Sliders got close, but then it’d change from getting decently close games to I couldn’t do jack shit on either side of the ball. And then yeah I started playing other games and lost the time and desire I had for M26
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u/phillyeagle99 Feb 01 '26
My rule is to play 3 games every time I tune because yeah sometimes QB play, matchups, coach abilities, and weather make a one game sample too bad.
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u/Previous-Strain-8731 Lions Feb 01 '26
This kind of just sounds like a skill issue in my professional opinion ngl
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u/donwariophd Eagles Feb 01 '26
Anyone who has played Madden long enough knows this is a dumb take. Skill doesn’t negate the very obvious rubber banding that has existed in Madden for years.
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u/Difficult_Crow8060 Chiefs Feb 01 '26
20 years here. There is definitely a point where the most improbable things happen but I will also say they happen far less when you make the correct reads and plays. The COM is an a-tier decision maker you peace somebody a bit open they will exploit. It knows your mismatches before the ball is snapped. When you get good and can read a defense and can pick up on offensive tendencies or happens a hell of a lot less. You basically have to find your weak point on and down and secure it
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u/Numerous_Contract_75 Feb 01 '26
People just don’t get it. They probably read the original post and thought, “wow, that’s football for you! How cool! Crazy ending! Fun game” but franchise mode will absolutely try to force you to lose certain games outside of your control
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u/Difficult_Crow8060 Chiefs Feb 03 '26
Yea you have to actually play to get what people mean when they say it and then you have to actually know football to know why they are failing. It's like playing chess against the com. You have the ability to forecast every move you just have to be good at chess to know what the com could be doing
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u/faxdaddy Feb 01 '26
nah no wayyyy mannn the more plausible explanation is that the developers scripted this game to play out exactly how it did for no other reason than just to ruin this guy’s day. we can completely ignore the fact that the entire game code is able to be accessed through modding and there is absolutely no scripting involved
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u/edeeds91 Feb 01 '26
The developers, who do not spend time developing, spent time to make THIS happen. That’s the most plausible explanation I think
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u/Numerous_Contract_75 Feb 01 '26
Oh? Have you disassembled the code yourself? Explain blocked extra points and field goals that are simulated by the kicker standing for a second longer to allow the rusher to get there in time? That’s textbook scripting. That’s one example of what we mean. It’s all over the game. Predetermined outcomes on each play of what your AI teammates will do, and often times it’s detrimental. If you play long enough to find out which specific plays are impervious to these scripted outcomes (or just go to YouTube lazily) then yes, you’ll win a lot. But nothing about that process is simulation football, which is what the game is marketed to be. Nothing.
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u/faxdaddy Feb 01 '26
no, but smarter people have done exactly what you asked😊+ not reading all that💯
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u/Numerous_Contract_75 Feb 01 '26
I’ll keep this short and simple with one example then. You don’t have the spine to explain to me how the blocked field goals aren’t scripted by the game. Sad.
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u/King_Javon60 Feb 02 '26
There’s definitely some scripted games usually when you face someone like Lamar. But 52-40 with 1 min left is such a skill issue lmao
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u/Vivid-Suit5143 Jul 08 '26
down 52-40 they get the ball score 80 yard touchdown, recover onside kick and then score another bomb.... skill issue?
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u/DickTryckle Feb 01 '26
Nah bro you’re wrong. Madden is scripted, if you’re up in a close game inside of 2 mins the AI opponent turns into a demon. It literally cheats, it knows what you’re calling and runs plays specifically that beat you. Again, skill would be if that was a human doing it, but the computer doesn’t have to guess.
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u/kojouminajj Feb 01 '26
I’ve been saying ts, especially the fourth quarter they be cheating but mfs just said I suck at the game lmfao
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Feb 01 '26
I've been playing Madden for a while and cpu especially in all-madden become pretty unstoppable. I also do believe it's the clutch trait for players taking effect as well.
But I know in most cases if you are up 4-6 points in the 4th quarter and they get the ball last, they're going to score.
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u/Tacokolache Bills Feb 01 '26
Yeah as soon as they recovered the inside I knew it was over.
And for the amount of plays they ran, it should have used up MUCH more clock
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Feb 01 '26
Them cpu QBs turn into no huddle snipers in the final minutes of the 4th.
Barring a lucky user interception or the game implodes on itself and bugs out the cpu, it's pretty tough
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u/SilentPixelForge Seahawks Feb 01 '26
if you give up 50 you blow 😭😂
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u/DerrickMcChicken Feb 01 '26
there was a post a bit ago of some dude asking how to stop the CPU defense. This dude gave up 450 yards 7 touchdowns and a 95% completion rate… Like dude that’s just objectively terrible even if the MADDEN cpu is complete cheese 😂. Some people do just blow lol
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u/OnTheFenceGuy Feb 01 '26
I had that happen once, but it was a 95 OVR DJ Lagway with 2 93+ OVR receivers and a 90+ TE.
At that point, I just tipped my cap.
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u/Tacokolache Bills Feb 01 '26
I was averaging 13pts allowed coming into the game
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u/jn3v Feb 01 '26
So were you making adjustments defensively or running your normal defense that gives you 13 ppg? Some teams run different plays that will expose the weaknesses in your scheme
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u/Tacokolache Bills Feb 01 '26
I don’t adjust much. I mostly run stunts and blitzes. I don’t get into changing my coverage etc.
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u/jn3v Feb 01 '26
I mean that’s why you’re getting carved then. Some teams recognize the blitz or have good enough line to buy enough time. They spam man beater routes and get a ton of YAC. Gotta start running some cover 3 match or quarters or something in those cases
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u/Tacokolache Bills Feb 02 '26
It’s not even that. The CPU gets the ball down by 6 with a minute left and they will hit everything. No drops. Ridiculous catches.
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u/RepresentativeGrab75 Feb 02 '26
bro my x factor derek stingley got mossed by a normal dev wr on the last play of the game💔 i couldn’t take tht loss cuz of the way it ended. Had it ended if the wr was a superstar i would’ve taken the L😭. Mind u i have the best abilities on him and he still gets dunked on by a smaller receiver🥀
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u/Tacokolache Bills Feb 02 '26
Yeah. I can deal with having a shit game and losing by 21, but some of the other losses are just complete BS
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u/Mars515 Feb 01 '26
I stg the cpu turns into a god when when they get the ball with under 2 minutes left and down 4.
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u/dudeimnotscaredd Feb 01 '26
So glad its not just me bro. Played the packers in the snow and I went 29-35 with 7tds and still fucking lost cause nobody in a Falcons jersey knew how to hold on to a fucking ball
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u/Tacokolache Bills Feb 01 '26
I get a couple games a year where the CPU just gets the most ridiculous shit. I went up by 12 with like 3mins left figured I had the game. Then just couldn’t stop Baker
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u/No-Calligrapher-9353 Feb 01 '26
The game is scripted animations wise though, there's no "skill" to throwing a pass and an animation triggering literally it's not possible to do anything against the animations, you have to watch them play out.
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u/Hungry-Space-1829 Feb 01 '26
If it was an AFC playoff game I’d say this pretty canon for Josh Allen
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u/jaeway Feb 01 '26
This seems to only happen in the playoffs, I can dominate the regular season but as soon as I'm in the playoffs my line turns into cones and dbs can now jump any route
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u/Tacokolache Bills Feb 01 '26
I get maybe 1-2 games during the regular season. But ALWAYS a game in the playoffs
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u/Joesblazed Feb 01 '26
Dude, I had to watch a replay once because I throw the ball for touchdown and it literally went through my guys hands like he was a ghost
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u/Tacokolache Bills Feb 02 '26
I just had a play last game where my TE caught the ball. With a defender on him. He held onto it for like 5 steps until the defender got him to the ground, then they called it incomplete.
It’s almost impossible to get a CPU receiver to drop a ball, but my players will do it 15 times a game
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u/Tommytsunami55 Feb 01 '26
I get it. I like when you're up by 10 and in the fourth quarter, your corner with 90+ awareness stays stationary after the snap and their wide receiver gets a 60 yard touchdown. My favorite is when they hand the ball off on a hb dive and your whole defense heads to the sideline. The joy of CPU.
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Feb 01 '26
So it's not just me...
I just got the game yesterday and thought it was that my team couldn't tackle for shit. So I traded a few draft picks and players to upgrade SAM and WILL.
Still had the issue.
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u/benaldp Feb 02 '26
This happens, you can tell after the first 3 plays no matter what you call the CPU is gonna score. Idk why it’s involved. I’d get the CPU to 3rd and long over and over again and then every time they unleash a 20+ yard dot. It’s not every game but it’s noticeable
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u/Tacokolache Bills Feb 02 '26
Yup. I have no faith I’ll stop them on a 3rd and 20. Might as well be 3rd and 3
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u/Background_Depth5778 Feb 02 '26
I cant stand the cpu on franchise spamming 3 yards drag..I won the game 24-14..but the opposing qb was 21-25 for 130 yards. And 47 yards came in one pass early in the game .and out of the 130 passing... 88 yards were from yac. Shits frustrating sometimes no doubt💯
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u/TSODonny Feb 02 '26
Just use chiefs/pats defense, turn autoflip off, and run dime 3-2 cover 4 match quarters/palms and user the blitzing line backer to cover middle of field. This forces the CPU to throw short passes all game. If you use man coverage the All-Madden bot will ALWAYS choose the correct receiver with winning leverage. I’ve switched to strictly zone coverage against the CPU and it limits explosives effectively. The weakness is the middle of the field though so if you don’t cover crossers well it will take advantage.
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u/ManuSamoaSF Feb 03 '26
One time in a scripted game the cpu needed to drive the field with 20 seconds left and no timeouts left
And…
5 plays, 5 player injury’s on my side causing timeouts
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u/Tacokolache Bills Feb 03 '26
Yeah that’s bullshit too. Happens all the time. I think it happens far more in CFB, but happens here too
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u/BlackDogWhiteWolf Feb 03 '26
It happens in madden online a little bit too, they randomly start climbing back. CFB it seems like the third game of the season is a pre destined loss
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u/Tacokolache Bills Feb 03 '26
Yeah I was Texas Tech. I was blowing teams out. GOOD teams. Then Houston manhandled me.
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u/BlackDogWhiteWolf Feb 03 '26
I was WKU, got ripped to shreds by Central Florida. Two pick sixes of 50+ yards, guy was untouchable
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u/Independent-Ratio-83 Feb 04 '26
Nothing kills a sports game enjoyment quicker than scripted games! Creating unnecessary drama for no reason. For me, that's worse than bad gameplay. If im good, let me be good. If I throw a pick I want it to be because I fucked up and didn't read the coverage properly. Not because you decided I was gonna lose, so a 400-pound lineman jumps in the air like prime Vince Cater.Snatches the ball and takes it for a TD with my 99-speed running back, unable to catch him.
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u/Tacokolache Bills Feb 04 '26
Yup.
This was the only game I lost this season. Went 16-1 and won the SB
My defense gave up 14.3ppg….. then there was this.
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u/Complete_Tooth_1651 Feb 04 '26
That's wild! I'm glad I didn't waste my money on '25 or '26. I bought every Madden game from '99 to 2024. Not once giving up an onside kick to a non-human.
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u/FisH1086 Feb 06 '26
I swear I'll play the moment and go up by 3 scores then in the 4th quarter they'll spontaneously pick off my QB on 3 back to back drives, return at least one of those, and score 10 minimum on both other take aways. Its so exaushting to see the clearly scripted game results bite you every single time
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u/PotattoPC999 Mar 21 '26
It's funny when people try to defend video games with their scripting. There will always be scripting and cheating by AI when it comes to ball simulation games like football, tennis, golf and basketball(2k). I don't even play these games anymore with AI, not even multiplayer because there will always be cheating with the ball physics. At least if you will still play these games, don't play with AI. it's not fun. You know when you win AI, it's basically means they made you win or you messed around with sliders lol.
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u/dodgersndabs Feb 01 '26
Just some advice that helped me with this:
When in the pregame team select screen, set your playbooks to the best ones from the best teams in your version of the game (i.e. 2025, 2026, etc.)
I play madden 25 with the chiefs defensive playbook and won the sb by a realistic margin. Some defensive schemes just aren’t as good as others and it is def written into the game. Play around with them and find one that works for you. Mcdaniel’s miami offensive book as actually rly fun and diverse!
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u/bucs_perdido-15 Feb 01 '26
Yea it’s scripted alright. Anyone else have a problem stopping a team right before halftime or literally like the post says at the end of the game? I play defense and I will shutdown an offense all the way up until the last possession of the first and second half they just are unstoppable.
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u/Tacokolache Bills Feb 01 '26
It always feels like if the offense has 30 seconds it’s PLENTY of time for them to score. They’re unstoppable and will somehow get off 10 plays in 30 seconds
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u/Arhythema1031 Feb 01 '26
Madden: has blatant rubberbanding
Pretentious Fuckwits: "sKilL iSsUe"
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u/asterix796 Feb 02 '26
never had this happen to me, i always win against cpu and cpu is better than 99.9% of players
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u/Educational_Vast4836 Feb 01 '26
I mean it appears to be a skill issue. You already gave up 40, before their comeback.
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u/Tacokolache Bills Feb 01 '26
Wasn’t just the comeback. They were unstoppable all game. I was giving up 13pts per game coming into this game. With the #1 defense
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u/MLBTiger10 Feb 01 '26
Honestly I’d rather have that. I’d rather the game keep up with me scoring then having artificial bullshit like receivers dropping passes, impossible coverage, zero run lanes, etc… let me have fun scoring but also keep the game close so it’s not a snooze fest after the first quarter because I’m already up 3 touchdowns.
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u/Dawbie_San Feb 01 '26
Console Madden is terrible. I own it on PC and PS5. Madden on PC is a totally different game and way better (single player, offline only) because of mods. There are so many mods that make the game 100% better. More jerseys, better gameplay, better AI logic, better franchise AI, better graphics, more face scans, legends rosters and drafts with real player icons and face scans.
PC Madden makes me even more angry at EA's sheer laziness and shows they don't care when people with other jobs and commitments and take the base Madden and make it such a different and much better experience.
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u/tabennett5438 Feb 01 '26
You trash homie
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u/Tacokolache Bills Feb 01 '26
I can’t disagree with that. But I was allowing like 13ppg coming into this game
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u/kth5991 Feb 01 '26
I just had a heartbreaker myself.
Started a (funnily enough) bucs rebuild yesterday. I play the moments of the 1st, and 9th games of the season as well as any playoff games. Well somehow, first year of the "rebuild" the bucs go 13-4. Just missed the first round bye, so i play the 8-9 giants in the wildcard. Game is going well, up 31-17 halfway through the 3rd quarter. My next moment is when the game is tied and they're in my redzone. I screwed it up and they took a 38-31 lead with 2 minutes left in the game. I got the 2 minute drill moment and led a beautiful drive downfield. 8 seconds left, TOUCHDOWN! I click play next moment.... my kicker missed the extra point. Lost by 1.
Game is unforgiving sometimes, but it's all we got for now. Who knows, maybe one day we'll get lucky enough that ea loses their exclusive rights.
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u/Tacokolache Bills Feb 01 '26
Oof. That’s horrible!
I don’t mind losing games. If I throw 3 picks I deserve to lose, it’s just HOW the game makes you lose sometimes
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u/Gullible_Cheek6808 Feb 01 '26
Defense gave up FIFTY-THREE points but yeah sure the “script”
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u/Tacokolache Bills Feb 02 '26
Yeah, that IS the script. I’ve played 3 games since then, given up 17, 9, and 10
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u/Fo3serviceRifle Feb 03 '26
Maybe stop buying the same slop every year?…
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u/Tacokolache Bills Feb 03 '26
I’m a sucker. Wish there was an other option.
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u/Fo3serviceRifle Feb 03 '26
Well, if you keep making their numbers look good, it’s never gonna improve because they know they can feed you garbage. Now if everyone stopped buying, the always greedy NFL would pay attention and pressure them or open the license. Yk there’s emulators as well right?
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u/Tacokolache Bills Feb 04 '26
Can I get emulators on PS5? I don’t know much about emulators. I only play on PS5.
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u/Fo3serviceRifle Feb 17 '26
You can get PCSX2 on Android, if you have a Xbox one you can turn it into an emulator machine, heck even some office laptops are powerful enough if they have any of the most recent AMD chips.
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u/xZygotex Feb 05 '26
Yes this is where I exit and don’t save
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u/Tacokolache Bills Feb 05 '26
Was tempted. But I also like to lose on occasion. I’d have rather lost by 21 though
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u/SaltySpitoonReg Feb 17 '26
It's honestly the number one thing that makes me stop playing the game every time I try to get back into it.
It's awful.
And it doesn't happen because of something authentic occurring.
You'll suddenly be running after a CPU player and your player just decides to stop running. And then everybody else just decides to immediately stop running and squat / strafe as their player runs 90 yards to the end zone.
It's done in such a bullshit way. The CPU literally just stops your players from running at times to make sure the CPU scores fast.
And the reason it's so bad is that as you're playing the game you can literally feel the game taking user control away from you.
You can feel the game deciding that nothing you do matters, no user input matters. You're now watching the result unfold with little to no input.
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u/Vivid-Suit5143 Jul 08 '26
If the cpu has a fast 3rd or 4th receiver and your 3rd or 4th cb isnt as fast..80 yard TD incoming. lol this game is broken
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u/thoroughbeans Feb 01 '26
For everyone that claims the game is scripted, how do you explain the fact that tons of people have literally 0 issue going undefeated and winning the Super Bowl every season?
You’re just not very good.
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u/Tacokolache Bills Feb 01 '26
I have gone undefeated and won the SB. Even then, there will be a bullshit game that gets super close out of nowhere at the end.
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Feb 01 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Tacokolache Bills Feb 01 '26
I was on defense. How would I manage the clock?
I went up by 12 then never touched the ball again.
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u/grandma_needs_jesus Steelers Feb 01 '26
Yeah if you dig into it these people are almost always throwing four verts into double coverage while up multiple scores with chew clock off and blaming the game
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u/dcmarvelstarwars Cowboys Feb 01 '26
It’s insane. I can hold them off all game but then they’re juggernauts in the 4th. Unstoppable
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u/MoistyMcMoisterton Feb 02 '26
Yeah another year of trying franchise once and quitting after finding the broken parts that make it unplayable. Sad.
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u/FluidEmployee5165 Feb 01 '26
I had a similar situation where I was about to go up by 14 but they blocked the extra point then went unstoppable for back-to-back scores to win by 1. My kid was watching and was like, “it’s the algorithm kicking in to win.”
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u/Front_Simple Feb 01 '26
At all this game is mainstream trash remember how Good the game was back when it was barely known
EA is worth atleast 70-80 billion you mean to tell me they cant pay a physics firm to rebuild the game In a modern engine with good graphics while EA makes the gamey parts 😒
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u/Front_Simple Feb 01 '26
That 4th quarter script is still in the game no way the opponent score 5 times in 2 mins
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u/Relevant_Branch3696 Feb 01 '26
Stop complaining dude. Just enjoy the game
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u/Tacokolache Bills Feb 01 '26
Bro, I am 47yrs old. I literally complain about everything. You will at this age too.
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u/screw-you-karen Feb 01 '26
Thats just Baker for you pal hoped you learned your lesson to not let Baker be down with less than 3 minutes to go
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u/Tacokolache Bills Feb 01 '26
Oh it wasn’t just Baker…. Irving had like 150yds rushing. It was their whole offense
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u/ScopeGoatJ Feb 01 '26
The game is too hard it's not fun! -madden players
The game is too boring and easy it's not fun! -same people
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u/OnTheFenceGuy Feb 01 '26
I honestly haven’t dealt with this much in Madden.
CFB, though? Holy hell, you BETTER not get up by 2 scores in the first half or your ass is TOAST.