Madden NFL 10 Review - PS3

8

Gameplay: 8
Graphics: 9
Audio: 7
Multiplayer: 9
Innovation: 7

Madden games come out once a year, usually just in time for everyone’s tax returns. Although you may not think the game has much of a following in Australia, many gamers substitute the pathetic attempts of AFL and NRL games for the American counterpart. Madden NFL 10 is all about competing with the NCAA franchise that we don’t get here in Australia. In America there is talk that this year, finally, Madden is the better game. Read on to see if you agree.

Gameplay

Madden NFL 10’s motto is ‘Back to basics’, and with it comes a complete overhaul of everything you thought you knew about the Madden franchise. The EA team decided they want to get rid of a lot of the unnecessary content that either confused players, or gave players options that really just weren’t needed. The most prominent change you’ll notice is the speed the players move in-game. This has been dramatically reduced to create more of a realistic effect on-field. No longer do players fling around and charge at unrealistic speeds, which is what gave Madden an arcade feel in the past. However, players still have the option to increase the speed of players back up if they choose.

Firstly, the offense and defense tactics have been revamped completely which allows for a much more realistic outcome to each set of gameplay. The defensive coverage is a lot better, which means going man-to-man and using a double coverage is much more important. Blocking has also been greatly improved, so your offense can no longer use certain tactics to just plow through the opponent. An good pass rush will still create the running game that we all enjoy, but in Madden NFL 10 every move you make will be noticeably more realistic and challenging than you’ve ever seen in a previous Madden game.

Superstar mode is very disappointing this year due to the fact that EA has gone back to basics. Most of the options have been taken out and it’s a wonder why the mode was still left in the game after the mass culling of features. The mode has taken such a massive leap backwards that even the later PS2 Madden titles had more options than Madden 10 does. For those new to Madden, Superstar mode is where you take control of just one football superstar from his rookie year all the way to retirement, first featured in Madden NFL 06.

The best change for game modes would have to be Franchise mode, which is now available as both an offline and online mode. Players can now log in to their Franchise mode via an internet browser and manage their team throughout the season. This means no more boring lunches at school, no more boring mornings at work, as you can do trades and update various things from the comfort of your browser, wherever you are. One major change that has been made to the Franchise series is that players can no longer substitute bad players for good draft picks. ...