'Madden NFL 10' shows improvement over last version

The game boasts more realistic graphics and gameplay.

By Eric Rees

Published Sept. 1, 2009

When a video game comes out every year, especially with a sports title, there is an immense amount of pressure to add to the overall experience without neglecting what makes the game enjoyable in the first place. EA Sports' "Madden NFL 10" has found balance this year with the right amount of improvements and changes.

"Madden"'s slogan this year is "Fight for Every Yard" and its most visual change in the gameplay is the addition of its Pro-Tak system, which stands for Procedural Tackle system. This allows more realistic running, more broken tackles for bigger gains and gang tackles of up to nine big, smelly football linemen pushing for that first down line. "Madden" veterans will notice the game runs slower overall, but it is more dynamic and realistic. In this updated version, halfbacks can't just spin on a dime, and cornerbacks can't magically turn around mid-air and pick off your touchdown pass.

Although every year the creators of "Madden" say their latest version is the most realistic representation, "Madden 10" is two steps ahead in this category. Referees bring out the chains to measure close first downs. Between big plays, crowd reactions are shown, and players even get a glimpse of their team's quarterback in pre-game warm-ups. It can be annoying, but it adds to the overall ambiance and makes you feel like every online game is being played on a real Sunday.

The graphics this year are a huge step ahead of 2009, and the players actually look like their real-life counterparts. Even with a helmet on, you can still see Larry Fitzgerald's long face and big goofy smile when he completes a big pass. Quarterbacks have real throwing motions, and this year, if they get hit while throwing, the ball will go wild and be free for any linebacker to take back to the house.

A small thing of note, if you place the Playstation 3 version of the game and an Xbox 360 version side-by-side, the 360 has the slight edge in graphics, and the difference is noticeable. Neither Sony nor EA has come out and said why this is the case, but it's interesting nonetheless.

EA has finally answered the call of the angry masses and added an online franchise this year. You and 31 of your buddies can get together and set up a whole league with the real NFL scheduled games each week. Players can trade between each other and track league leaders in each category for bragging rights. If you aren't popular enough to have 31 friends, don't fret. The computer can fill in and control the teams during the season and during games.

There aren't too many downsides to "Madden" this year. The new accelerated clock feature takes a certain amount of time off the clock if both players choose their plays quickly and can be frustrating when trying to run out the clock at the end of a game, but it also makes the pre-snap game more realistic. Veterans will want to look at the button layout this year because EA changed the position of a couple key buttons such as the strip ball mechanic.

Overall, "Madden 10" is a much-improved game over its predecessor and a must-buy for any football fan, whether you're waiting for the next 2K Sports offering or not. All of EA's tweaks under the hood make this game enjoyable to play and addicting as ever.