I agree here the hype machine is up an running so expectations are getting very high. I am excited for Madden this year!!! if the game disappoints I think a lot of people will be crushed.

What do I think? Yes this is a make or break year. Just due to all the hype.

Will EA be able to deliver? I think they have the resources. And this is a whole new team. We can't hold the past against them.

What if they do? Some Madden gamers will still complain. It can be the best game ever, but some people just don't like change. They want the same 'ol close-to-arcade Madden. Personally, I'm excited about the differences.

What if they don't? I'll be disappointed to the point of thinking maybe a football game just can't be made up to the standards we want. Something up to speed with The Show, FIFA, and other great next-gen sports games.

I think Madden 10 will be much better than previous versions, but still lacking in some departments. It is impossible for them to do everything we want in one year. It will be the best madden to date by a mile. It certainly is the make or break year, if Ian dissapoints I will personally never buy a Madden again.

I think the hype is huge and I think Madden will make strong strides in the right direction. But make no mistake, this isn't even close to a make or break year. EA will still sell around 5 million copies of the game and even if it disappoints some people, that won't stop them from buying the game next year.

What do I think? No it is not a make or break year. The only people that would apply to would be those here on the forums. The other sheep will buy Madden regardless. The people here will give Ian and company a pass, as they will say it can't all be fixed in a year but strides were made.

Will EA be able to deliver? No. It is impossible for them to deliver everything in the small development cycle they have.

What if they do? Some people would still complain, but a game that was really fun and enjoyable again would be huge for the community.

What if they don't? It will be the last Madden game I buy new or at all. I'm having a kid soon so the game is really going to need to be good to justify me picking it up again with the limited time I'll have to play. Dreck like the previous years would be a waste of money.

I agree with Rudy and everyone else who has said this: it is NOT a make-or-break year for Madden. I think it would be massively embarrassing for the Madden team to deliver a subpar product after all of the hype (most of it their own doing), but I think Madden is an unstoppable force at this point. It's going to sell a massive number of copies each year, regardless of what us "hardcore" gamers think of the game.

With that said, I'm actually hopeful and excited for this game for the first time in forever. I haven't purchased a Madden game since Madden 2004.

What Do I think? It's been a "make or break" year for Madden ever since 06. For Madden to be a good game, they would have to stop making games using their cheap marketing department

Will EA be able to deliver? Only if they focus on the actual game of football. The towels and the whole "dept of field" thing is nice, but if Madden NFL 10 will be a good game, it will keep focus on the very fine details of the sport, and not just the pretty ones. Football is a grimey sport to play, but EA Tiburon has been giving us, to put it metaphorically, lipstick on a pig. The player models, the 3D grass, the stadium exteriors; these only capture the fancy of the sport and not the grit: battling in the trenches, working hard for a touchdown, that sort of thing.

What if they do? They will finally put the final blow to 2K using their flagship franchise. If they deliver, Madden will finally destroy a game that came out 4 years ago, which is pathetic when you think about it.

What if they don't? Then EA will be in the exact same position it was in before NHL & FIFA 09 came out. If they don't succeed, then people will start to ignore not only the Madden franchise, but EA Sports as a whole. In this economy, there are gonna be alot of hardcore Madden fans who are pressed for cash, and only wanna buy Madden if it's even worth the $70 its priced at. If they don't deliver, then their sales will drop even more than expected with this economy.

I think that if this year's Madden is a flop, it will continue a slow-moving decline of the franchise. It will still sell a lot of copies, but not meet sales expectations. It will turn off more people, and the next year's game will have to be a phenomenal game to bring back EA's sales goals.

JWill10 said it perfectly. But I think they are focusing on the gameplay. They are focusing on so much more and they are implementing so many of the ideas of fans it's amazing. This is a make or break year for them i think. Since they have the NFL license exclusively, many will still buy it because ppl need a football game, however.... I think that the amount of hype, and glamour of madden will drop big time. And it might push Madden and even EA Sports! into infamy. I'll personally will be crushed if it flops this year. I hope it doesn't, I don't think it will, but if it does.... i think it'll spell DOOM for madden. i've been playing it for more than a 1/4 of my life as a diehard football and madden fan.
But to answer the first question:
yes they will be able to deliver if they DELIVER! Everything i've seen (which has been a lot) and everything that they've hinted at and proven to us shows that if they stay focused and on this path they will be able to deliver.... IF THEY STICK WITH IT! I think they've made huge improvements and will be able to address most problems even within this small window of time. will it be PERFECT? of course not duh, but I think it'll be the best football game ever. And I think it'll be able to blow 2k5 out of the water IF THEY DELIVER.

EA has definitely cranked up the hype machine to new levels, but it seems like that's something they're able to do each year. If nothing else, that's something they've perfected. So I'd say ultimately it's not a make or break year, if they continue to disappoint they've probably got 2-3 more years before the majority of people stop believing. Until then, people will keep coming around, getting hyped, and believing in the product.

If nothing else they've always got the fact that they're the only game in town to fall back on, and that alone will continue to make them millions.

What do you think?
Anything less than an online franchise like NCAA 09 is a disappointment for me. Football gaming has come to far now to not have this feature in both the college and professional game. Also gameplay, will be huge for me this year. Last year I literally owned the game 3 weeks and took it back because I couldnt handle how the gameplay felt. I have never done that with any madden game.

Will EA be able to deliver?
I have confidence in them every year that they won't disappoint, but im losing faith after last years game. Hopefully this year they come through.

What if they do?
Then I'll hail madden the football king again. Right now NCAA has that distinction because of its features.
What if they don't?
I'll stick to NCAA 2010. I have more confidence in that franchise this year that ir will pick back up where it should be. As for Madden I dont have the same confidence.

We all need something to make a perfect madden and I gotta have this:
- QB specific animations(throwing motions)
- All brands that are in the NFL (nike,adidas etc)
- I need a back pylon red zone throw. Like a Jump ball
- What about having two broadcast crews. One from CBS*AFC Games) and one from FOX(NFC Games)
- Better playoff atmosphere (Make celebrations for winning the division, AFC/NFC title, Superbowl ending must be better)
- Incorporate the ESPN crew in the game somehow(NFL2k had Mel Kiper which I like a lot)
- Like MLB 09 the show did .... Make the stadium lighting more real to the actuall stadium.
There's more of course but everybody above I agree with as well
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NFL 2K5 is the Gold Standard....they need to equal, pass, and set a precedence for a football game. And 2K5 is 4 years old....Madden 10 is on the clock.