'Madden 10' for the Wii is fun, but it's not the true Madden experience - mactraxx's Blog

mactraxx's Blog

'Madden 10' for the Wii is fun, but it's not the true Madden experience

Posted on August 20, 2009 at 11:51 AM.

Here is a article on a review of the Wii version of Madden 10, I still may get it once the price drops just because it looks so different and may be fun, anyways enjoy the read!

By George Morse

It�s one of the biggest days of the summer. On Friday, Aug. 14, �Madden 10� will hit consoles in stores everywhere.
I�ve played Madden football games for as long as I can remember. I can even recall what the cartridge for the Sega Genesis �Madden 93� game looked like (it had a player kneeling down with the jersey number �93�).
Every year since then, no matter the flaws of individual years, Madden has continued to be my absolute favorite video game franchise. When I was younger, it was because I could run a halfback sweep with Emmitt Smith every single play and tally 11 touchdowns a game. Now that I�m older, it�s because the game is simply the best sports simulation on the market.
There is nothing else that incorporates such a depth of real sports knowledge, whether it�s recognizing a Cover 2 defense or seeing a mismatch between a receiver and a linebacker. Simply put, Madden makes you understand what it takes to win a real life football game.
Unless you�re playing it on the Wii.
To put it simply, I hate sports video games on the Wii (unless you count bowling, which is a game, not a sport, because you can�t play defense.) The one word that always sticks out in my mind when I�m playing sports on the Wii is �gimmick.�

The same applies to Madden 10. It�s not that the game is bad, because it�s not. Yes, the graphics aren�t what they will be on Xbox 360 or PS3, and yes the presentation is a little cartoonish, but so is everything else ever released for the Wii.
My problem with �Madden 10� for the Wii is it�s not a football simulator. It almost feels like you�re playing an arcade version of Madden. The players look like characters from �NFL Blitz� and the minimal amount of control coming from the Wiimote makes last-minute defensive re-alignments, play selection and hot route changes unnecessarily tedious.
But I�m not going to bash the game outright. It wouldn�t be fair. Just because I expect any version of Madden to be a complete football simulation doesn�t mean it has to be. �Madden 10� for the Wii is a football game for the non-football fan. It�s the type of game someone really into the Wii picks up because they might be having friends over who enjoy football, but don�t watch six games a weekend.
Evidence of this can be found in the fact that �Franchise� and �Superstar� game modes, while being a staple of other recent Madden releases, are unlockable in �Madden 10� for the Wii. The first thing I do every year when I pick up the new Madden is start a new franchise. Apparently, I�m not the type of gamer this version is appealing to.
As I said before, this game is for the causal sports gamer.
Unlike versions for other consoles, which require years of experience, easy to pick up play and having a vast football knowledge really don�t amount to much. There are a number of �Game Changer� features which any real fan would hate, but a group of people at a party might enjoy. They include options that make fumbles occur on almost every play and make certain players invisible. Again, great for a party, terrible with a guy who spends all week getting his fantasy squad ready.
All-in-all, �Madden 10� on the Wii is a fun experience, but it is not a true Madden experience. In fact, I think that in the future, Wii game developers would be better off ditching the NFL logo altogether and creating a new, unique football game with new characters and teams. At least this way, you wouldn�t be letting down the countless hard-core Madden fans who will undoubtedly pick this game up and be disappointed when the flick of their Wiimote doesn�t get the ball to the right receiver.