Madden NFL 10 Hands-On Preview

[RaychelSnr]

EA Sports is taking a little bit of a different approach to their beta "code" these days. Well, maybe not different, but more strict I guess you could say. Instead of sharing oodles of videos and screenshots, which you all have become accustomed to over the years here at OS, we are under a huge embargo and cannot release anything -- that is until today. But we still can't release much in terms of screenshots and videos, so most of the information will be in written form.

I will try to cover as much as possible leading up to Madden's release date -- or at least until the hardcore guys get their sweaty little hands on an early copy from the mom and pop stores, which seem to just pop up everywhere at this time of year.

Let me also preface this hands-on preview by writing this: This is beta Xbox 360 code, so a few things may be slightly different when you pop your game into your console of choice.

I'll probably be coming from everywhere in this preview, as I have much to say about it. So as things pop into my head, I'll just write about it. With that said, let me bring you your Madden NFL 10 fix.

-Preview written by Steve Noah

Read More - Madden NFL 10 Hands-On Preview

[thmst30]

Wow. Thanks for the massive write-up Steve!

[nxt]

Great preview! I am hyped... can't wait.

[DGuinta1]

Sounds promising. Good write-up.

[wheelman990]

Re: Madden NFL 10 Hands-On Preview

cool. thanks 4 answering some of my questions. nice!

[ezio]

Thanks. Can't wait for this game.

[Lodeus]

Re: Madden NFL 10 Hands-On Preview

Nice preview. Got me a little more excited.

[ZoneBlitz]

I'm really pumped. Can't wait till this game comes out. It's going to really be awesome.

[Brandwin]

Thanks for the info.

[Hooe]

Great stuff Steve. Looking forward to your other article(s) about Madden 10.

[Scott]

Re: Madden NFL 10 Hands-On Preview

Good Write up.

[nxt]

One of the best things about Madden 10 is the option play. Yes, the option. I hope Madden and NCAA continue to add more and more options for the USER to tweak the game to their personal liking. There is a pretty big divide between those that like the slow version of the Madden demo and those that prefer a fast game speed. I'm just so glad that we are able to customize it ourselves and not be forced to play a certain way. Another thing that I didn't know (sorry have not been keeping up to date with all new additions) was the ability to tweak the players speed to show difference between fast and slow players. My biggest concern is that I just hope the gameplay sliders are effective... especially in helping the CPU run game... and maybe the HUM Pass Rush (based on the preview, it sounds like it'll be difficult to get pressure on CPU QB).

[dannydufflebags]

I can't help but know that this review is totally biased. I am running a count and review playing the demo, and I think the OL blocking in both pass and running is down to about a 33% success rate on a play by play basis.
Meaning, on 1/3 of all offensive plays, the Offensive line will simply ignore a defender, or "stick" to a wrong defender, and end up going parallel to the LOS, sometimes literally standing right in front of my QB.
I think I might have to give notice to all of my leagues that I have been in for over 3 years, because this just doesn't cut it for me anymore.

[Brandwin]

Re: Madden NFL 10 Hands-On Preview

You can also choose a play-call style -- there are four different styles (beginner, intermediate, advanced and hardcore).

Can you go into detail about this?

Unfortunately, I haven't seen any progressive lighting in the game, something that was done very well in NCAA Football 10

Maybe I missed this, but is progressive lighting, not in Madden this year?

Speaking of celebrating, there are a few cut scenes where a player will celebrate or teammates will celebrate with him, only he's not the player that actually scored.

DOH! Hopefully something like that is fixed.

One thing that really annoys me is the way the CPU handles the extra points and field goals. You cannot set up for them. By the time you see the team line up, they are kicking the ball. You have no time to adjust and attempt to block the kick.

Ah... no huge as I have never blocked a FG or Pat... but still anoying and it should be fixed.

If the AI is up big and has the ball with under two minutes remaining, I have on occasion witnessed it still airing it out. But let's not get too excited about this because I've only seen it on occasion. One other thing that annoys me happens near the end of the game: The game displays the player of the game before the final whistle. The problem is that there have been countless times where I have made a comeback to win a game after the player of the game graphic was already displayed. So they should probably just display it after the game is over.

Seems like that has always been an issue. Displaying the player of the game before the game is over.

But while the AI had no issues getting pressure on me, I could not get much pressure on the opposing QB (this is where the slider guys can work their magic). I have tried a few slider settings, but haven't played around with them as much as I'd like to. For the record, I have not recorded a sack while using a defensive lineman. When blitzing with a linebacker, I have had more luck, but it still seems to be very hard to do. If I'm using DeMarcus Ware, I expect to get a little pressure with him, but I have yet to do so. I can understand this when controlling a regular player, but superstars should be more effective. Again, I haven't played too much with the sliders here, so upcoming articles will tell the story.

Always a problem. Hopefully the slider guys can figure something out.

Another thing that stands out to me is the stat overlays. After virtually every single play, there is a stat overlay. If an offensive player is involved in a big play, stats of that player will be shown. If it's a defensive play, stats of that player are shown. During franchise mode some of the stat overlays will show where you rank in total offense, passing, and so on. It's a very welcome addition.

I love to hear this. Having a ton of stats bring so much more to the game.

I need to talk about the actual gameplay. On offense it really does feel different when walking out on the field against a defense. It seems like almost every game there is a new wrinkle, especially with divisional opponents. I'm not sure if the developers programmed it that way or not, but I'm telling you it seems to be there. Playing the Eagles on the road was no picnic -- never have I been so dominated by the AI in any football game, ever. The Eagles were blitzing me from all sorts of angles, and I never knew where they were coming from next.

That's great to hear... although I hope playing my division teams they don't have a "boost" I shouldn't struggle more with the Rams over the Patriots.

Also on defense, you can spotlight an offensive player to draw more attention to him. You can use the defensive lockdown feature and make sure your best defender covers the opposing team’s best receiver

This wasn't in last year was it? I love that you can put the best corner on the best receiver.

One cool thing I've seen is that the refs will blow the play dead if a player doesn't go down while players are forcing him backwards

NICE!!!

Does the AI throw the ball deep? Thankfully, yes it does. On more than a few occasions, I've seen the AI throw deep, and most of the time it's because I'm locked into man to man with no safety over the top. When I'm passing the ball, I'm seeing the defensive backs jamming the wide receivers, which causes them to get off of their routes, and leads me to go to my next read(s). I like that element because it forces you to really scan the field, making decisions before the pressure is on top of you. But on the other hand, sometimes it feels as though it is too easy to bump the receivers off their routes

WOOT! Glad to know they attack you. I am sure it's like NCAA.

As a final note, I'm currently involved in an online franchise with a few developers and other sites. I'm currently 4-1 and have yet to see any glaring issues. The stats are fairly basic -- no QB rating being one thing that I've noticed is missing

Not a huge thing, one of the few stats I don't care if it's in or not. It's weird that it's missing though.


once again, thanks for the preview.

[xblake16x]

this was GREAT!!!