Considered by some to be the best entry in the Madden NFL series on the XBOX 360 and PlayStation 3, Madden NFL 10 brought a sense that things were finally changing for the better at EA Sports. As a gamer, I felt like the Creative Director at that time, Ian Cummings, was listening to us. We were finally getting the NFL game that we deserved. Chain gangs were back, stadiums were more accurate than ever, and we had a new movement system called 'Pro-Tak.'

Now, four years later, we have Madden NFL 25, a new Creative Director, and a new direction for the series. The game has undergone tremendous change since Madden NFL 10 released in 2009. So how well does Madden NFL 10 really hold up when revisited? I set out to find out the answers without rose colored nostalgia and without going off of memory. I sat down and played hours of Madden NFL 10, I really dug into the game. What I found was a very interesting game that presented me with some conflicting views of a game I personally hold in pretty high regard.

WHAT HOLDS UP

The Running Game

The running game in Madden NFL 10 held up surprisingly well. With the locomotion movement system and the gang tackling Pro-Tak mechanic introduced in 2009, the running game, even without the infinity physics engine, is very fun and responsive. Smaller backs feel quick and bigger backs feel like the big lumbering bulldozers that they are. While it lacks the special moves of Madden NFL 25, Madden NFL 10's running feels nuanced and fluid to be honest. The jukes and spin moves feel fine without the precision modifiers. It feels pretty good even after having played every iteration of Madden since.

Gang tackles were actually a big deal in Madden NFL 10.

Gang Tackling and Pro-Tak

Gang tackles were truly introduced to Madden for the first time in Madden NFL 10 with Pro-Tak. While I'll admit to fits of frustration when Adrian Peterson or Michael Turner broke out of my five- and six-man gang tackles, I felt like this part of the defensive game was well done. Again, without the infinity engine, the game looks dated in it's tackling animations. However, somewhat to my surprise, it actually controls a little bit tighter on defense then Madden NFL 25. In fact, defense in general felt responsive and I felt like I could dominate with a great defensive team. That feeling is lacking in Madden NFL 25 in my opinion as of this writing. I hope a title update comes out to tighten up defense and allow for more balanced games in Madden NFL 25.

Madden NFL 10 did one thing very well: NFL feel.

NFL Looks and NFL Network Integration

The Halftime Show and The Extra Point in Franchise mode may have been technically small additions, but the integration of Fran Charles and Alex Flanagan, while limited, was well done. Madden NFL 10 feels and sounds and looks like an NFL game more than a Madden game that has an NFL license, if that makes sense. One of my heavy criticisms of Madden NFL 25 is that it feels like an EA Sports game first, and an NFL game second. Madden NFL 10 oozes NFL out of it's every pore. It's got the NFL shield everywhere, the NFL Network integration is great, and the commentary team of Tom Hammond and Chris Collinsworth wasn't nearly as bad as I remembered. It wasn't great by any means, but I can't say that it's any worse than the commentary from Jim Nantz and Phil Simms in Madden NFL 25. What's there holds up better than expected.

WHAT DOESN'T HOLD UP

Animation Driven Results

This one is hard to explain, as it's more of a feeling. There were certain routes in Madden NFL 10, for example, that I knew I could call and get a certain canned animation every time for a completion. Now I'm not saying that these things are completely absent from Madden NFL 25, but the infinity physics engine makes it much easier to influence the result of any given offensive play if I time my hit or swat just right. Likewise on defense, there are many situations where I could force the game into certain tackle animations whenever I wanted to in Madden NFL 10. Again, while Madden NFL 25 doesn't truly deliver on it's promise of no two plays ever being the exact same, it does an amazing job here when compared with Madden NFL 10.

It is clear now: Franchise mode really was secondary to what Connected Franchise has brought us.

Franchise Mode

After playing with Owner Mode in Madden NFL 25 and being given the taste of the expanded features and other small additions that add to immersion, it's a little tough to go back to a franchise mode that feels similar to many of the franchise modes that preceded it. I will give Madden NFL 10 some props for this, simulated statistics are far better than the horrible QB numbers in Madden NFL 25. That said, roster management is still fairly brain dead unless you control every franchise, which has been a given for me in every Madden released in this generation. I really hope that area is vastly improved on in the next-gen platforms. The Extra Point is a really nice weekly wrap-up show, but other than that, the franchise mode in Madden NFL 10 feels aimless and a little lifeless.

Neither Madden IQ nor Fight for the Fumble really materialized as good features.

Madden IQ and Fight for the Fumble

Two additions to the Madden franchise that I feel like had a lot of potential, but both ultimately fell short of greatness. Madden IQ was never an idea that I felt was implemented well. In theory it should have done away with the need for advanced slider sets and constant tweaking by giving you an appropriate challenge every time you played. After playing several games and getting your IQ more or less settled, it should have worked. The problem is that the system just didn't work. It overreacted to the results of each game and never really gave an even keeled experience.

Fight for the Fumble was perhaps one of my favorite features at the time when Madden NFL 10 released. If you watch the NFL, even casually, you'll see that on almost every fumble there is a pile-up and a fight for the ball. Fight for the Fumble is a great idea that needs to be revisited, but it just didn't work well in Madden NFL 10. First of all, it was frustrating to button mash your way to the fumble recovery and it never felt right. I eventually just turned it to auto and let the CPU randomly determine who got the ball. That's no good. It's a great idea with poor implementation.

FINAL RECOMMENDATION

If you still have your old copy of Madden NFL 10 around, pop it in and play a few games. You'll be amazed at how well the game has held up minus the animation determined results. It's very possible to play with 15 minute quarters and an accelerated clock and have yourself a good 17-13 slug-fest or a 34-31 shootout. It's still a really good game. That said, I can't recommend re-purchasing the game unless you can get it for $1-$2 range.