How many times can you see your favorite movie over and over again? For myself, I can watch Star Wars until my brain burns out. Now, how many times can you play your favorite game over and over again? Well this is a good question that can actually give proof to a games replay value. If after beating it, will I play it again? If I stop playing for a long period of time, can I jump right back in and be just as interested? Well here's the question: What if there is no end to a game? Sports games are always the most difficult to judge because every year you, honestly, get the same thing over and over again. Sports games have always been that layer of paint you just keep adding to; never truly a finished product. With Madden NFL 10 on the horizon, G.N. decided to check out with this years version has to offer.#1: Pro-Tak System
:Now, Vince Lombardi would have been cursing up a storm on the sidelines if he knew EA was juggernaut-ing the video game industry by buying up the official NFL Licenses away from 2k Sports. After taking ESPN NFL 2k5 off the market,
EA was the standalone Football game on the video game horizon and ever since then, Madden just hasn't been able to get out of the shadows of the ghost of 2k5. Well this year, Madden felt that arcade football was getting stale (finally). Madden 10 introduces the Pro-Tak system, or in NFL lingo, gang-tackling. NFL 2k5 was the first game to present this idea with the ability to have up to 4 defenders close in on an offensive player and collectively tackle him, making for a realistic relationship between the defensive and offensive collisions. Well, Madden (5 years down the road) decided this to be a good idea, and like EA, take it a step further. With next-gen power to boot, Madden 10 will allow up to 9 players to close in on an offensive player from up to 11 different angles, making for a realistic experience. Such an idea adds to the intelligence of the COM AI by taking different angles and relying on the other players on the field to stop Adrian Peterson if the safety is the last line of defense.
#2: Mini-Game (Fumble Recovery):
To my right is Jeremy Macklin, rookie WR for the Philadelphia Eagles (sorry Vince lol). He seems to be running along, eyes focused on the endzone, and that's always good. But little does he know that newly paid Chicago Bears LB Lance Briggs is coming to introduce him to the NFL. How do you think this is going to end? Probably with the ball on the ground... which leads to Maddens new aspect of their gaming session: The Fumble Recovery. We've all seen it: large sweaty mean piled up on each other trying to get bite, claw, punch, scratch their way to the ball. Well, you can too. This new mini-game has been introduced to those who felt like they couldn't do anything after the ball was out of their hands. A rapid button-pressing system will be introduced as every player will throw themselves after a loose ball and "The Pile-Up" will ensue. At that point, each player will rapid press contextual buttons to try to get the ball away from the other 21 players trying to kill you for it. Time to bring the meter back to the arcade side and away from the simulation side, which might be a good idea since this will change the pace of the game from boring 4 quarters to semi-boring 4 quarters with some spice on the side.#3: True Pocket Protection
Now, because of the new Pro-Tak gameplay system, different players will use it in different ways. Take the battle in the trenches: O-Line vs. D-Line. 2 new improvements in gameplay aspects will come with the Pro-Tak system: First off, the pocket won't become this Picasso like mess 3 seconds after the play begins. A players O-Line will no longer come off unrealistic, forcing the QB to drop back to outrageous lengths to get the ball off. A true Pocket will be created allowing for micro-adjustment rather than Michael Vick-like fleeing. Rather than switching to evade mode when the blitz comes marching on, the true pocket allows you to step up in the pocket making for realistic pressure sitations, giving the QB more time to find holes in the secondary. The new physics also affect defensive players. Players can use different blitz packages to crumble the pocket and force the QB into throws he doesn't want to make, or even pushing lineman into the QB to force him to look elsewhere.
All 3 of these new gameplay mechanics make for a revolutionary installment to the series, but can also be a haphazard that will lead to broken gameplay. Hopefully these 3 get their shoe shine polish and come out good enough to get out of the shadow of NFL 2k5. The true simulation of its time, 2k5 garnish great graphics for what is considered to be last-gen systems, great commentary and visual effects with cut-scenes that added to the realism of watching a game, and a great franchise mode with pre-game set ups and weekly activities. Madden since then hasn't been able to find the balance between the arcade game its become and the simulation its seems to be aiming for. Will these be the year Madden reaches the simulation crowd, probably not. But with this 3 aspects of gameplay, EA Tiburon is definitely moving in the right direction.
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