gridlore | Right, enough of that.

After three games of the preseason I have turned the commentary off in Madden NFL 11. Four reasons:

It got repetitive really fast. I understand we cannot lock Gus Johnson and Cris Collinsworth in sound-proof booth to record different comments for every situation (although the idea of locking these two away for crimes against broadcasting is another topic) hearing "he drives it deep!" on every freaking kickoff was annoying.

The commentary is incomplete. Again, there probably wasn't enough time to record every single player's name, but when you get a mixture of player names and guys being identified by number only it is jarring. And, of course, there are any number of moments where the AI is faced with a complex situation and choses a bad comment. I had a play where three of my defenders were fighting a Vikings receiver for possession of a long pass in the end zone. Everyone got a hand on the ball as it was batted around before falling incomplete. The commentary? "Pass is knocked away."

It synced poorly. This wasn't a huge problem, but every so often you'd get a comment three or four seconds after the play. Hearing an excited "knocked out of bounds at the 15!" while on screen the two players involved in that play are jogging back to their respective huddles while discussing their off-shore tax havens sort of blows the moment.

Finally, and this is a really personal one... it's distracting. I'm trying to coach a game here! I'm reading what the other team has out on the field, picking a play, deciding what my audible will be if the defense shifts to cover my play.. shut up, you blathering idiots!

Niners finish the preseason 4-0 after a nail-biter against the San Diego Chargers, 26-23. Chargers scored two touchdowns in the last two minutes to tie the game, and I had to kick a 50-yard field goal to secure the win.