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Posted on: Aug 10, 2009
Madden NFL 10
WORDS BY: Ryan McCaffrey
The Arizona Cardinals made it to the Super Bowl. One of those same Cards (Larry Fitzgerald) is on the cover of Madden NFL 10. And not only does EA Trax not make our ears bleed, but it also features brilliant bands like Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, and Rage Against the Machine. Are we living in Bizarro World?
If so, we don’t want to go home because in this dimension, Madden NFL is a top-flight football franchise that finally puts the ghosts of NFL 2K5 to rest. To be fair, it’s not like the series has been a disaster in recent years, but ever since EA bought the exclusive NFL license in 2004, Madden has suffered a tangible fan backlash — some of it well-deserved. But like the Red Sox finally overcoming the Curse of the Bambino, Madden 10 has the will, the talent, and the feature set to be an incredible pigskin simulator on its own merits.
The improvements start, most importantly, on the field. Off the bat you’ll notice that the action has been decisively slowed down, making it feel much more authentic and less like an Arena League scrimmage. Running the ball feels right, whether you’re pounding it up the middle or pitching to the outside, and the superstar halfbacks really move better than the league-average scrubs. The addition of gang tackling really makes a difference in this department: just like in real life, it can often take two or three defenders to stop the forward progress of a big back with a full head of steam. Receiving, too, feels tighter than ever, as guys like Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin will make leaping grabs or catches in traffic that your average Detroit Lion (other than Calvin Johnson) wouldn’t reel in.
Defense even gets in on the fun — particularly in the new two-player online co-op mode — as you and a buddy can blitz from the corners together and pancake an unwitting QB. We also loved the new “fight for the fumble” minigame, where you pound a button to come out of the scrum with the ball. Finally, even the menus have been streamlined to make navigation and playcalling much easier.
Mon, 08/10/2009 - 18:27
Posted by sHo76uNd3Wd
I'm kind of excited for this year. I have been buying Madden annually since 1999. My friends and I do Fantasy Draft Franchises and play our division games against one another. If we meet in the playoffs, we play those games also. We just finished our 30 year franchise, so it will be refreshing to have to adjust to the new slower/realistic gameplay.