With our staff finally getting to get valuable hands-on experience with Madden after it's second patch, it's time for them to share their thoughts on what they think. Jayson Young, Carl from AskMadden, Christian McLeod, and Caley Roark all chime in to share their impressions of the patch and what still needs to be done. Check out their thoughts and add your own at the end of the article!

What are your general impressions of the patch?

Jayson Young- When I think of the things that really bother me about Madden 10, most of them have to do with the gameplay, and I'm just not seeing a whole lot of areas where Madden has improved its gameplay in this patch. Sure, flat coverage and run blocking may be marginally better than they were before the patch, but that's kind of like saying the Cleveland Browns are better at 2-11 than they were at 1-11.

Carl (AskMadden)- You can see my full impressions in my patch review. In short, I think this patch was very close to what EA wanted it to be. With only minor things holding back the gameplay, many other aspects were fixed appropriately.

Christian McLeod- I Love it! Gameplay feels incredibly polished, the flats seem to have been somewhat addressed, and it's nice to finally be able to watch replays from start to finish. People are still going to find things to complain about -- they always will -- but Madden's core gameplay, pre and post patch, is just too much fun to get bogged down with the little negatives.

Caley Roark- To be honest, I had "shelved" Madden a while back, so it took this patch to get me interested again. I can't say that I'm seeing the major improvements that some are, but I will admit that some minor annoyances have been covered. The replay fix alleviates one of my gripes. Christian calls the core gameplay fun, which it is, but it also still feels old to me. Each patch (and each year) feels like a new coat of paint and new upholstery on an aging car.

Jayson Young- Given that the patch has done nothing to change my opinion of Madden 10 as a fun but very flawed football game, I'd have to say no, this patch wasn't worth the three-month wait. If you sold your copy a long time ago, there's no reason to go out and repurchase Madden 10 after this patch, because the game -- flaws and all -- still plays very much like the Madden 10 that shipped in August.

Carl (AskMadden)- The patch was worth the wait for the hardcore gamers. As the year moves on and many gamers develop habits according to gameplay, it's vital to the game's replay value that it evolves and adapts throughout the year. This patch definitely makes every player from franchise to MLG Madden gamers adjust their strategies.

Christian McLeod- Yes. I've been enjoying this game thoroughly since day 1, and any patch that improves an already enjoyable game is well worth the wait for me. I'm more than happy to wait a couple months if a patch is released that adds the level of polish as this patch seems to have added to Madden -- I'm looking at you NBA 2K10.

Caley Roark- It's tough to answer this question, as I had kind of given up on Madden. I fall in line with Jayson in thinking that this patch alone wasn't enough to get me back in. Actually, I'm much more excited about the impending Ultimate Team mode. This game is fun, but not nearly perfect, pre or post patch.

Jayson Young- While I could write an entire dissertation on this topic, I'd be happy if a few major gameplay issues like line play and pass trajectory were improved in Madden 11. Line play has never been done correctly in any Madden game, and without a decent system governing who wins/loses in the trenches, the game can never provide an accurate simulation of professional football. As for pass trajectory, let me just say that I'm tired of seeing linebackers spying five yards off the line of scrimmage come up with interceptions on passes that were intended to go twenty yards down the field. In real life, footballs are thrown in an arc, not a low line-drive or the infamous Madden "moonball," and until EA Tiburon gets the ball trajectory correct, Madden's downfield passing game will remain a major point of frustration for armchair quarterbacks.

Carl (AskMadden)- The issues needing to be addressed between this years Madden and Madden 11 is a much smaller gap than the one a year ago. Some minor wrinkles need to be ironed out, such as the way the WR treadmills his first step off of the line of scrimmage and the lack of WR catch animations are still there -- but this year we don't have to worry about major holes such as offensive strafe catching, or jet-packing animations. The run game needs more help next year, as we simply can't depend on making the RB do a stutter step as soon as he takes the hand-off or catches the screen pass.

Christian McLeod- My main want would be that I'd like to see a completely revamped offline dynasty mode with the depth of the NFL head coach series. On the gameplay side there are still some awkward animations in 10 that could be fine tuned. Otherwise I am happy to say that the Madden team is poised to make gamers completely forget about NFL 2K5 when Madden 11 is released next August.

Caley Roark- I agree with Christian, off-line franchise, where I spend most of my time, needs continued improvement. The presentation aspects, while nice, still pale in comparison to (sorry to bring it up...) NFL 2K5. Certain gameplay items, like screen passes, still feel clunky. And I'm not totally comfortable with any of the predefined cameras; give us the ability to modify them! It seems like we're starting to see the "next-gen" football that was promised many years ago. Too bad it's taken so long; still, this game is by far the biggest Madden improvement in a long time.