Madden NFL 10: The Game Which Almost Was

Feature Article

Submitted on: 02/06/2010 by Jayson Young

For all its improvements this year, Madden NFL 10 is still far from being a great game; what it is, instead, is a great first step in turning the franchise around from an industry in-joke to a respectable simulation of NFL football.

When the football season officially ends on Super Bowl Sunday, Madden 10 may not go down as the greatest football game in recent memory, or even the greatest football game on the current consoles; Madden 10, instead, may be remembered as the game that finally got the Al-Davis-esque Madden series back into playoff contention after years of top-10 draft busts and stuck-in-its-ways ownership.

Here are five off-season moves that helped make Madden 10 a harbinger of continued success in 2010:

Improved Presentation

Yes, Tom Hammond sucks the life out of every broadcasting booth he steps into, and yes, features like Fran Charles’ Extra Point and Alex Flanagan’s halftime/postgame shows are about as exciting as watching Hammond do a real-life playoff game with Joe Gibbs and Joe Theismann (that actually happened?), but the larger point is, now that post-game and mid-game presentations are finally back in Madden, next year’s booth and studio work will have a chance to build upon Madden 10’s weak first attempt.

Who let Bilbo Baggins in the booth?

Source: news.uky.edu

Barring any setbacks, next year should finally be the year that Madden's presentation can compete on the same level as Boom and the gang from NFL 2K5.

Signature Animations

Taking another page from the 2K Sports playbook, Madden 10 made kickers and quarterbacks the first positions ever in an EA football game to have player-specific animations. Madden fans should be safe to assume that a few more positions will have their playing style motion-captured in Madden 11.

Running backs seem like the obvious choice for next year’s game, and if All Pro Football 2K8 taught us anything, it’s that seeing guys like Walter Payton and Barry Sanders knifing through opposing defenses with their trademark running style is the kind of thing that can turn a great football game into a legend as timeless as the players themselves.

New Position-Specific Ratings

For many years, throwing power and foot speed were the only ratings GMs needed to look for when finding an elite Madden QB.

Madden 10 finally changed all of that with independent accuracy ratings for short, deep and medium throws, as well as new ratings for play action fakes and throws on the run.

The result is that, even though their arm strength may only be two points apart, JaMarcus Rusell (98 throwing power) no longer performs on the same level as Tom Brady (96 throwing power).

While average from the pocket, a 97 "Throw on the Run" rating and 92 "Play Action" rating make Ben Roethlisberger a bootlegging beast.

Madden 11 could further improve the rating system by adding new QB categories for throws under pressure and throws off the back foot, two skills that all QBs in Madden 10 -- regardless of their accuracy ratings -- are still able to perform at an All-Pro level.

Greater Player Differential

As Madden continues to expand and refine its individual ratings categories, the mysterious “overall” rating has become increasingly irrelevant.

Aspiring GMs can no longer just throw contracts at the guys with the highest overall ratings; instead, Madden 10 GMs now have to look at the game's position-specific ratings to make decisions like:

Do I want a power back or a speed back? A linebacker who can rush the passer, play the run or sit back in coverage? Will my secondary specialize in man or zone coverage, and if man, will they be playing a lot of bump coverage?

But while it’s great that players are finally starting to differentiate themselves based on their unique skill-sets, GMs shouldn’t have to comb over 30 different attribute categories to figure out where those strengths lie.

So why not make Madden 11 the first EA Sports game to get rid of the archaic “overall” rating and bring back a feature that – in true EA Tiburon fashion – was a great concept hindered by poor execution: the weapons system from Madden 08.

Being able to glance at two or three icons to find out whether a player is more of a “pass rush specialist” or a “run stuffer” would make scrolling through pages upon pages of ratings a forgotten nightmare.

Just this time, let’s keep all those icons all off the playing field and leave them where they belong: in the game menus.

Online Franchise

For the Madden fans who live for the adrenaline rush of facing live competition, online franchise has been the feature that’s kept Madden 10 going all season long. Though the mode is far from perfect, competing against 31 different owners for draft picks, free agent signings and the all-important gameday victories are what earned Madden 10’s online franchise the OS Award for 2009's Online Experience of the Year.

Madden 10's new online franchise hub, accessible through your PC or iPhone and targeted by bosses everywhere as a serious threat to workplace productivity

If Madden 11's online franchise can simply shake off the first-year jitters by upgrading features like the barebones stat tracking, bizarre playoff logic and complete lack of salary cap, we could be looking at a repeat champion in 2010.

So what do you think? Is the Madden series headed down the road to victory, or is it, like the Oakland Raiders, still another year or two away from getting back into post-season form?

Sound off in the space below and let your voice be heard!

Madden NFL 10 Videos

Member Comments

# 21 ScoobySnax @ 02/08/10 03:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rodriggo


	The annual "What I want in Madden" thread. Let me tell you how it ends........they ignore everything you ask for. They simply take a feature already in this years game and give it a catchy name like: Madden 11: "Field General" - make pre-snap adjustments. or Madden 11: "Become a Dynasty" - Play as the same team over and over and over again. or Madden 11: "Own the League" - Control every aspect of your team except for the *** stadium music.

LMAO!

# 22 acarrero @ 02/08/10 06:30 PM

Madden sucked again. I got is free with the SI offer and have played a total of maybe 4 games since. The gameplay is so stale by now, it's the same game every year with new animations and a new feature here and there. At least NCAA Football lets you play D in a new way, Madden didn't even have that feature. Needs 1) new game engine, 2) new announcing booth, and 3) new presentation.

# 23 ridemooses @ 02/09/10 10:21 AM

How long did you debate whether it should be "that" or "which"? I think you got it wrong.

# 24 kjcheezhead @ 02/09/10 01:07 PM

Madden 10: The game that was never close.

I couldn't wait to use the online league since I had been paying for leaguedaddy.com and manually entering stats before this year. That mode was stripped of everything that makes a franchise. Caps, Salaries,trade logic, etc. By week 4, 5 of my long time league guys had quit madden all together.

The game on the field was only a modest improvement from 09. Lineman were spinning in circles, the pursuit angles made for at least a kick return a game and Pro-tak made for more glitching/morphing/sliding than ever before.

I also had to turn commentary off because I just couldn't stand one more minute of Tom Hammond and the new presentation included a whole two first down measurement animations so I knew if it was good or not when it started, but wasn't allowed to skip it.

By the time patch 2 dropped, I had had enough of this game. First time in 10 years I wasn't playing a football game at midseason.

# 25 randers @ 02/09/10 01:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rocky


	I would honestly rather see them focus on the offline franchise than online franchise. IMO, that is still the single most important mode in sports gaming. I believe I had a great, easy to implement idea in adding storylines to the franchise mode. http://www.operationsports.com/forum...ibilities.html The best franchise mode ever (Madden NFL 2007 for the PS2) had something similar to this and I played the heck out of that game.

NOONONONONONONONONONO.

The world is shrinking. Get out and join a community of gamers and interact with them. Get out of your own head and enjoy being a human.

PLEASE KEEP ALL THE FOCUS ON THE GAMEPLAY AND ONLINE FRANCHISE.

Those will be the biggest selling points in the future, near and far.

gogoogogogogogoogo

# 26 PGaither84 @ 02/09/10 04:40 PM

Instead of making another long post like I normally do, I'll just say this:

I hope the improvements to Madden 11 are more along the lines of 09 to 10 than what we got from 06-09 combined. Only time will tell.

Give us Head Coach/[PS2] Madden 07 franchise mode for on and offline play. Regarding gameplay, improve WR/DB interactions, blocking AI, and pursuit angles [this is the first Madden I remember them being this terrible.] In my opinion, that is what m11 needs the most.

# 27 jyoung @ 02/09/10 05:40 PM

Regardless of where Madden's at right now in terms of overall quality, I think the strides they made this year are more significant than any other year since the PS2 days.

NFL 2K5 wasn't built in a day.

An in that sense, I like the team that is in charge of Madden now and expect them to keep taking big steps forward, like they've made this year.

Madden really has improved more from 09 - 10 than any other year in the franchise's history since 03 - 04 or 04 - 05.

# 28 nacnud @ 02/09/10 06:01 PM

Just my opinion but ever since the leap from ps2/xbox the game has been pretty atrocious. 09 was semi decent, and like many people have said, the leap from 09 to 10 was the biggest and most significant in a long time, if not in the history of the game.

# 29 PGaither84 @ 02/09/10 06:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wEEman33


	Madden really has improved more from 09 - 10 than any other year in the franchise's history since 03 - 04 or 04 - 05.

I agree the improvements from 09 to M10 are greater than any one year, M10 still isn't as good as Madden was from 01-07 on PS2 days. We should have a game that is as good as 07 in adition to better graphics and the added features like online franchise, "QB throw from the grasp," Fight for the Fumble, and Pro-tak for example. Instead we have a hollow franchise mode, and gameplay that is just as bad (in some ways) or worse (in others) than last gen Madden.

For example, I can pop in Madden 04 on my NGC and see the same engin, or what ever you want to call it, that drives the animations and interactions and logic that we see today. Namely, call a pitch out of the I formation in M10 and in 04 and show me that they do not look a lot alike. I have already done these tests and have examples on my Youtube page for anyone who wants to see them.

# 30 jyoung @ 02/09/10 06:17 PM

Yeah the problem is that the overall quality of Madden took a HUGE leap backwards when the franchise went onto the 360/PS3, and as a result, the newer games are just now catching up to where Madden was back in 2005.

At least Madden is ahead of the NCAA Football games, in that regard.

I still don't think the next-gen version of the NCAA series has gotten up to par with where the franchise was at around 2004-2006.

# 31 CreatineKasey @ 02/09/10 06:20 PM

The big word I'll be looking for is "locomotion". Updated running animations and momentum to go with them is high on my wishlist.

# 32 Rocky @ 02/09/10 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CreatineKasey


	The big word I'll be looking for is "locomotion". Updated running animations and momentum to go with them is high on my wishlist.

OL/DL play (still...after 20 years....still), is on the top of my wishlist. IMO, alot of Madden's problems still from the interaction (or lack thereof) of the trenches.

# 33 Hero_ @ 02/09/10 08:10 PM

Anyone else think the best way to improve Madden is to NOT making any big changes and additions and just spend all the time and effort improving what already exists in the game?

It seems like every year EA comes up with new additions to the game which only causes new problems for everyone to complain about and neglects other smaller issues which could really improve the game.

Also, it seems like anytime EA adds something new to the game, it is exaggerated in the game play. Animations such as 1-handed catches, and tackles that have WRs doing flips happen multiple times every game when they should be rare. One of the suggestions by the article is a QB rating for throwing off the back foot. It wouldn't surprise me if QBs with high ratings for that would start throwing a ridiculous amounts of their throws off their back foot and being un-sackable in every game.

# 34 Artman22 @ 02/09/10 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rudyjuly2


	I gave Madden 10 a shot but my two of my biggest disappointments in it were the camera angles and the fact it's not college football. Obviously they can fix the first issue and not the second. I think Madden 10 was a lot better than NCAA 10 in my short time with it but the lousy camera angles in both games really hurt my enjoyment of the game. Some of us use to play with the blimp camera on the PS2 and like a higher point of view camera. Some of us loved the custom camera angles we used to get in the older versions. Bring some of those options back and I'll be much happier. Lastly (and this is for Madden and NCAA 11) I think the game needs to go back to being fun. I think a lot of criticism of these games, and I include myself in this, is that the game isn't realistic enough. Whether the 3-4 doesn't generate enough pass rush, the NT isn't occupying enough double teams, the sim stats aren't right, etc, etc. Guess what, none of that stuff was done that well on the PS2 and many of the critics talk openly about how great the PS2 versions were (NCAA 04 or NCAA 06, Madden 03 or Madden 05). The PS2 versions had lousy line play when you compared it to real life. It was Tecmo style wrestling in the trenches but the game produced decent results and we liked it. One of the things I liked about NCAA 06 were the impact players. I loved seeing the great players dominate and instill fear in you from both an offensive and defensive perspective. I'd like to see a big difference between good and bad players even if it breaks the sim rules. I'd like to see a bigger difference between scat backs breaking my ankles with crazy juke moves versus power backs running me over (and let me do it too). I want the deep ball to be easier to complete for both me and the cpu. Big plays are fun! People want realism but taking a sack or throwing the ball away has never been part of the fun football games in the past. People do need to look at why they loved the football games of the past and compare what those games did versus what we are asking these new games to do. In many ways they oppose each other. Be careful what we wish for. Maybe someone will build a great football game that is truly sim AND fun. But I'll settle for fun at the moment. It's been awhile.

This is because madden on ps2 has smooth looking animations also. Madden 11 should really focus on making the animations smooth because they have been terrible on next gen. Especially the running animations..

# 35 PGaither84 @ 02/09/10 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hero_


	Anyone else think the best way to improve Madden is to NOT making any big changes and additions and just spend all the time and effort improving what already exists in the game? It seems like every year EA comes up with new additions to the game which only causes new problems for everyone to complain about and neglects other smaller issues which could really improve the game. Also, it seems like anytime EA adds something new to the game, it is exaggerated in the game play. Animations such as 1-handed catches, and tackles that have WRs doing flips happen multiple times every game when they should be rare. One of the suggestions by the article is a QB rating for throwing off the back foot. It wouldn't surprise me if QBs with high ratings for that would start throwing a ridiculous amounts of their throws off their back foot and being un-sackable in every game.

Agreed for the most part. I still think that things like signature styles would be nice, but from a game play stand point I agree. I felt that Madden 01-07 on last gen did what you are asking for while adding thigns like the playmaker tool, hit stick, truck stick/highlight stick, etc. I never played 01, but I played 02-08 on last gen and 08-10 on my 360. When I play 07 on my friend's PS2 with him [franchise mode baby!], I notice a lot that is the same, a lot that is better on next gen I miss and a lot of things I miss from that game in the next gen games.

I think one way to put it, M10 has a more simulation feel to it that any other version, but with a lot of flaws. Going back to older Madden games and the faster game speed and such makes them feel more arcade than M10 for sure.

# 36 StormJH1 @ 02/10/10 12:35 PM

This article kind of misses the elephant in the room, which is ProTak and the way the game PLAYS. Much, much improved in Madden 10, but I think it's also fair to say that with all the hype from Ian and the devs, it didn't quite live up to community expectations (or hopes).

ProTak is a great narrative about how an ideal football game should control, but when you actually went to play it, people found that they were still either locked into animations with minimal control, or seeing absurd results, like four tacklers bunching into a cluster, as the ball carrier breaks free of everybody and easily runs for a TD. I'm not saying it was a failure, but I really hope that they continue to work with it, and that they listened to people who felt that if fell a bit short in some areas.

# 37 kjcheezhead @ 02/10/10 01:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StormJH1


	This article kind of misses the elephant in the room, which is ProTak and the way the game PLAYS. Much, much improved in Madden 10, but I think it's also fair to say that with all the hype from Ian and the devs, it didn't quite live up to community expectations (or hopes). ProTak is a great narrative about how an ideal football game should control, but when you actually went to play it, people found that they were still either locked into animations with minimal control, or seeing absurd results, like four tacklers bunching into a cluster, as the ball carrier breaks free of everybody and easily runs for a TD. I'm not saying it was a failure, but I really hope that they continue to work with it, and that they listened to people who felt that if fell a bit short in some areas.

I agree with you about Pro-tak. I won't speak for what it allowed with branching animations, forming a pocket, what ever else it was supposed to do because I don't know, but as far as gang tackling, I think it's a terrible design.

What it did basically, is put 8 imaginary handles on your player like so.

The problem is, the defenders are often coming from the same point and can't latch on to handle #1 if another defender is there. The game has to move him over to handle #2 or #8 to get involved. The sliding that happens is just ugly and makes you feel cheated as a player.

I'm sure every other football game has some sort tackle points like this, but when you know its there and can watch the game moving the pieces into place like that, it kills any sense of realism.

# 38 Chabaca2 @ 02/13/10 07:35 PM

if you ask me, i wish the running animations didnt suck ***

# 39 stylezgwhite @ 02/13/10 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tito78


	If Madden 11 has everything that Madden 10 was supposed to have, and I mean things like: adaptive AI that actually adapts, ratings that actually separate the elite from the mediocre(most ratings meant nothing), presentation that surpasses 2k5, a deeper franchise mode with extended rosters in the preseason/off-season and a working IR, we will have a great football game. I doubt that will happen though.

I think they have widened the gap between the superstars and the rest of the league. At least compared to previous games.

Another thing that annoys me is there is no feature that enables us to look into next years finances. Why can't I look ahead a year to see who is on the books for next year and beyond?

# 40 Coach Bryant @ 02/14/10 09:53 AM

I've had a great time playing Madden this year. This is just my opinion, but I think its the best game in the series so far.

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