‘Game Zone’ Madden NFL 10
EA SPORTS “MADDEN NFL 10″ HAS SOME NICE FEATURES, BUT COMES UP SHORT IN SOME AREAS
Reviewed by Wayne “Mad Critic” Hodges – To quote Hank Williams Jr: “Are you ready for some football?” If so, get out to a video game retailer today and pickup a copy of EA Sports’ “Madden NFL 10″ (X360, PS3, Wii). Actually, taking into account all the hype surrounding the release of the title, the “Game Day” experience could prove to be a little disappointing to many of you. After playing a few games, I got the sense EA is looking to get back to the basics of pro-football; which is certainly understandable. And, although the game still needs some ‘tweaking’ in that regard, many of the changes made (compared to last season’s title) aren’t too shabby.
The running game, I must admit, is just flat awesome. Seriously, it’s not uncommon to see a speedster like Minnesota Vikings half-back Adrian Peterson blow straight through a tired defensive line. It’s also fun to watch the more powerful tailbacks, like Frank Gore of the San Francisco 49ers, run over weak-tackling defenders. The passing game is equally impressive. Fans of strategic offenses will love the quick, precision passing of New England’s Tom Brady as he stands tall inside the pocket. However, those who prefer the deep passing game will marvel at the arm strength of Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger.
It should be noted; the Pro-Tak system is very crisp. And the inclusion of online franchises, while featuring some pretty weak options, serves as a nice addition to game. If you’re interested in teaming with a partner on the web to wage war against the computer, the new online co-op mode is definitely for you. Think about it. Would you rather complete a deep, sideline pass to a friend you’re comfortable with? Or trust the AI (artificial intelligence) of the computer to control the route running of your target? I prefer the former. That said, the only negative with the co-op mode is camera angles tend to be a little poor at times. And the ‘zoom in’ and ‘zoom out’ features are often inconsistent. But, if you can look past that, co-op is still pretty fun.
Hey, let’s not kid ourselves. ‘Madden NFL 10″ is certainly no masterpiece by any stretch of the imagination. The designers have made some noticable improvements compared to last year’s title. But, the game continues to come up short in a few key technical areas. And, to be candid, there are just simply too many nagging setbacks to warrant an “excellent” rating. A high frequency of turnovers, in addition to repetitive poor play stemming from AI-controlled defenses, will have frustrated gamers literally throwing their controllers at the TV screen. Heck, just saving data can prove to be a tedious chore.
Graphics, overall, are pretty decent. Controls are sufficient. But, quality still lacks and that’s a shame. An overflow of in-game advertisements clearly doesn’t help. I can’t lie to ya. I’d welcome the return of Sega’s 2K Series as a preference over EA’s Madden in a heartbeat. But, since this is all we have, let’s make the most of it. Rating: 7 out of 10
Wayne Hodges, an MBA from St. Mary University, is the Editor-in-Chief of “Mass Appeal News.” He is also an adjunct professor, MPA at Kansas University, and legislative intern with the Kansas Senate. Wayne welcomes your comments at whodges@massappealnews.com
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August 15th, 2009 at 11:37 am
hODGES, yOU’RE oFF yOUR rOCKER oN tHIS oNE. i pLAYED mADDEN aLL nIGHT aND cOULDN’T pUT dOWN tHE cONTROLLER. tHE gRAPHICS eNGINE iS sWEET aND tHE oNLINE mODE iS bETTER tHAN eVER. aND i lOVE hOW tHE eXTRA pOINT gIVES oUT wEEKLY aWARDS fOR tHE bEST oFFENSIVE aND dEFENSIVE pLAYER. i uNDERSTAND yOU’RE a mADDEN hATER wHO pREFERS sEGA’S eXTINCT pRODUCT oVER eLECTRONIC aRTS. bUT yOU’RE wRONG oN tHIS rEVIEW pAL.
August 15th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Hodges, I agree…the Sega Series is far superior to that junk EA spews out every year with the popular name of “Madden” pasted to the cover. Madden has been awful for years. But EA bought out Sega’s rights so now we’re stuck with a flawed football product. I want Sega back. Madden sucks
August 15th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
I’ve been playin Madden since 1995 so I may be a little biased but this game is the best yet. The controls take some gettin used to but all-in-all the best football game I’ve played to date
August 15th, 2009 at 3:15 pm
No sense in complaining when all we got is Madden.
August 16th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
Madden needs work but what else is new?????????
August 18th, 2009 at 8:44 am
Wayne, I see what you’re sayin…I just bought a copy of Madden last night and the game is sloppy in some areas. The new features kind of make up for it. But, EA needs to put in more work to make this game a top-notch product…especially since no alternatives exist.
August 18th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
I agree with ya patnah! I did like the game, this is the BEST MADDEN EVER MADE, but it’s still not an ESPN football or a Sega. and them darn turnovers are pissing me off, especially when you have to freaking jump through hoops just to win a fumble. It’s a cool idea to have to fight it out, but lets just press A or B, not A then X then Y, that’s too much.
August 18th, 2009 at 7:18 pm
JD, I agree…the high frequency of turnovers sort of takes away from the “in-game” experience. It’s easily the best Madden ever made. But, I say “let’s bring Sega back!”
August 27th, 2009 at 7:10 am
Quit HATIN on my Madden. This game rocks in every form imaginable. Great graphics, enriched gameplay, and one hell of an online mode. You guys need to ease up and give Madden the props its due.
October 5th, 2009 at 7:09 pm
This iz the best Madden ever…lots of fun gameplay and sic graphics
October 29th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
come on dude…MADDEN IS DA S***
December 19th, 2009 at 3:10 pm
good post…lots of interesting info