Madden 10 (Xbox360, PS3)

Another year, another Madden. Like clockwork, the annual release hit shelves this past week with millions of people, myself included, rushing out to grab their copy. The first thing that comes to mind with each release is- what’s different from last year? While Madden 10 is a solid release, the answer to this question is “not much at all.”

GRAPHICS 9/10

While the graphics are pretty good this year, they seem to have taken a slight step back from last year’s.  I had a chance to compare the two versions side by side and while it isn’t really a huge deal, HD junkies with a keen eye will definitely pick up that Madden 10 is ever so slightly less detailed than 09.  Does this impact the game in any way? Not really. The stadiums all look awesome and the player models are still pretty realistic. But seeing as how Madden is a franchise that evolves very little with each offering, every little difference is subject to nitpicking.

GAMEPLAY 9/10

The gameplay is almost identical to last year, with a few minor exceptions. There is the inclusion fo the trendy “wildcat” offense in addition to the usual roster updates. Most of the plays and schemes are the exact same as 09 though. One new gimmick that has been added that is more annoying than anything is the new “fight for the fumble” mechanic. When you’re in a dog pile with the potential for a fumble, you will be prompted to mash a certain series of buttons in connection with what is shown on screen.  On paper it may seem like a good idea, but its implementation just seems really out of place. It seems better suited for a Dance Dance Revelution game or something than it does in the Madden universe.

Another minor gripe is with the presentation. While the game plays with new camera angles to make it feel like an authentic NFL game, there are times where the camera is just horrible. For instance, right before the ball is snapped, sometimes the camera will pan back slightly at a wierd angle. This is a huge pain in the ass when trying to execute a running play up the middle where you need the best possible vantage point to try to determine how effective your blocking is. It’s a bit hard to explain, but once the camera does this to you, you’ll understand exactly what I’m talking about.

ONLINE 9/10

The online portion is pretty solid. You can take your saved franchise team online and grind it out against the competition on Xbox live. This is pretty cool and offers a nice alternative to the “Play Now” type of challenges. Other than that, nothing has really changed from last year’s online portion. the online action is still pretty solid and lag free for the most part.

PRESENTATION 8/10

It is hard to create basically the same game year after year and present it in a way that is supposed to seem fresh. Madden 10 has some updated menus (as always) and a few new modes that most people probably won’t even try (NFL Superstar anyone??). The in-game presentation, however,  has improved quite a bit from 09. Chris Collinsworth and Tom Hammond step up the commenary department from last years lackluster ESPN radio commentators.  Old man Madden even has more dialogue in this one (that can be good or bad), especially when you decide to ask his advice on what play to call.  It just seems that more attention went in to the presentation aspects of this years game, and that polish definitely shows. The bottom line though, is that this is almost the exact same game as last year.

OVERALL 9/10

Madden 10 is not very different from 09 at all, which is actually not a bad thing since 09 was so solid. If it ain’t broke…. The only thing I’ve noticed with each year is that it is just a matter of fine tuning the previous version. Once you nail most aspects of the game, there is little that is left to improve upon. I love this year’s Madden (then again I love EVERY year’s) but this is one of the few times I was hard pressed to justify paying full game price for what is more or less a patched version of last year. Most of the additions could have been made using downloadable content. Still, the football fan in me requires that I buy Madden every year, and I can’t complain since I enjoy the hell out of this game year after year and Madden 10 is no exception.