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For diehard sports gamers, the NFL season unofficially kicks off with Electronic Arts' newest Madden. Thousands of armchair quarterbacks attend midnight launches in the hopes of snagging the latest edition of the celebrated pigskin franchise, and Madden NFL 10 will likely attract just as much fanfare as its predecessors. EA plans to release the game for all platforms August 14th, but it's much more than a simple rehash. Although the company has yet to announce all of its features, the publisher revealed some several details that'll make football fanatics drool like a concussed wide receiver.
With this year's game, Electronic Arts hopes to scale back the arcade style feel for a more simulation heavy experience. Instead of exploiting the same play, Adaptive AI lets the computer adjust to your schemes and shut you down. Jostling between wide receiver and the defense means that your long bombs won't always fall into your guy's waiting hands, while sophisticated head tracking allows the opposing team to follow the quarterback's eyes and pick off his passes. This procedural awareness carries over to the offensive end, as quarterbacks physically maneuver their heads to different receivers. Aside from that, you'll also drag defenders as you push for first down yardage and battle for loose balls.
You'll also be able to center numbers/put single digits on helmets, a small touch that goes a long way to making Madden NFL 10 more authentic, and it's one of several. Super Bowl teams will sport Super Bowl patches on jerseys, big game will feature team specific scenery (end zones, midfield logos, player boxes). Little things count too, as animated towels on players bear the Wilson/NFL Equipment logos, seven referees on field at all times, the chain gang appears along the sidelines, Steelers and Cowboys uniforms are devoid of captains patches (just as the real ones are), players have more realistic nameplates on the back of their jerseys (this'll please Ben Roethlisberger fans) and if a player wears yellow gloves, for example, so will their Madden counterpart.
Even the quarterbacks improved. Now every QB receives a ranking based on Deep Ball Accuracy, Medium Passing Accuracy, Short Pass Accuracy, Throw on the Run and Play Action. Just because your guy has a cannon for an arm doesn't mean he can throw the football with pinpoint precision.
Franchise junkies will fall in love with all of the new tweaks and additions. Teams that cannot afford to resign players will let them become free agents, and if a team has a specific need, it won't sacrifice a star quarterback to sign a punter. Elite players are eligible for signing bonuses, and you'll able to sign off on 100 million dollar contracts.
In the draft, you'll enjoy a more user friendly interface as well as re-vamped scouting system that rewards you with additional data the more you scout someone. Increased draft logic means the Indianapolis Colts won't sign a QB to replace Peyton Manning, while a new risk/reward mechanic allows for draft busts as well as sleeper picks, because after all, just because you take someone with the first pick doesn't mean he'll be a star.
On the field, younger players will become better if they perform at a high level, while players 30 and over will decline. Veterans will lose a step if they screw up, and marginally improve for making big plays. Meanwhile, new stat categories won't penalize your running back for leading the league in touchdowns while falling behind in the most yards. Everyone progresses accordingly.
Finally, the game sports a new depth of field effect where players in the foreground appear sharper than the ones in the background, allowing EA to better mimic an actual NFL broadcast.
With four months to go before Madden's release, EA has plenty of time to unveil even more features. For now, however, this year's game sounds amazing and we can't wait to run onto the field and hit the guy with the ball. Stay tuned for more NFL coverage leading up to the game's launch.
Reader Comments (2)
The updates seem like there going to be prety cool...makes more of challenge. Steve though I do agree with you on it will probally get old....all the games do. I wish they would improve the online play and also do something likt nba 09 with the updated rosters every day...and if the player is hot or cold that week...that would be prety cool. also with the offseason draft and scouting ...for it to be actually players in college and also have updatees on them to...it would be such a better game with those kinds of changes, cause after beating the game 100 times and drafting these made up players gets old......but Ill still buy the game...I love me some football
But I can already see that although Madden will sell millions of copies and be the big hit, the gameplay will get old just like in every other game. The defense will still be beat, it will be easy to score and run the opponent over. We will find something wrong with it. It will be a best seller no doubt. But the commentary is the same every year, franchise mode, superstar mode, season mode, all the same. I'll be honest, I would buy it to play it and see how it is. But I dont think the small improvements that they mentioned in the article will be enough. Bring something different next year please. Like in '05 they had the first person view. Maybe allow that mode? Allow more control of your player besides the same view. Make it feel like you are actually in the game. But good luck to everybody at EA Games to bring this game to life.