Madden NFL 10 Demo Available, Post Impressions Here

[TreyIM2]

25% downloaded! Sooo slow, Sony, soooo slow....

[matroska]

Wish my 360 demo code worked..

[CanesFan5]

Well just played the GameStop demo, and the first thing I noticed was the Cardinals players seemed to be on the wrong side during the USAF thunderbird intro. The game was slow compared to NCAA and previous Maddens but since there is a game speed slider in retail it doesn't matter much. Lost my first game 21-14 via and interception TD thrown with 0:06 seconds left and returned all the way by Polamalu to finish the game with 0:00 seconds left. Very impressive demo, enjoyed it very much and I can't wait for the retail game.

[blklightning]

moody is having a field day with this demo. lol.

i've decided to go ahead and pre-order so i can see it for myself. hopefully a lot of these "huge issues" are isolated incidents. or rare occurrences at worst. after all, all games have their weird moments.

[NEWYORICAN]

I just found this video of this guy reviewing a play on the demo..interesting......

[TreyIM2]

Quote: Originally Posted by tazdevil20

Let me preface this by saying that I'm a 32 year old football purist and a HUGE fan of 2k football. I had every console version of Madden up to 2001 and stopped after 2k came out. My love for the NFL has kept me intrigued in Madden, but it has failed to make the cut for the last 6-7 years. OK, Now, the demo... First off, I want to say that I am VERY impressed. The slower, more realistic game speed is an excellent change and makes the game play out in a much more realistic manner. I played a full game (Cards/Pitt) and I saw lots of things I liked, and some things I didn't like. Passing Game Observations: The passing game FINALLY has made the jump that I have been waiting for. It's not totally there just yet, but it's pretty damn solid. The ball doesn't look like a cannon ball shooting through the air anymore. Wobbly passes look great and passes bounce of of receiver's hands just like they do in real life. You can now pass the ball over the middle without a super human LB jumping 5 feet to pick it off. The trajectory of the ball is very realistic now too. I threw a pass to Boldin in double coverage and it was tipped by the defender, Boldin reached for it and got a hand on it, and then Breaston lunged and caught the deflection. The entire sequence looked fantastic. I saw Roethlisberger make some overthrows and under throws. The QB movement feels much better than it looked in the videos also. Jamming a receiver at the line actually exists!!! When I pressed I saw my DB push, tug and even knock over a receiver at the line. It was awesome. Being able to throw the ball when you get hit is cool, but it always does the same bad throw. A lame duck just shoots out at a 45 degree angle and sits on the ground like a brick when it hits the ground. Hopefully this will be different in the retail version. One of the best things I saw was when throwing to the sideline either on corners or outs, the receivers now have sideline awareness and you can see them attempt to keep their feet in. It looks pretty good. It's not quite as nice as 2k's awesome sideline animations, but it's pretty sweet and looks realistic. Player Movement: Being the monster 2k fan that I am, player animations have always been a big deal. Everyone has been fretting over Madden's player animations and physics. I am happy to say i was pleasantly surprised. It's actually done quite well. There is still that occasional "shotgun blast to the back" tackle animation, but most of the time it looks very realistic and the gang tackling looks and feels great. The blocking and OL/DL interaction looked and felt pretty good to me also, and I could see the pocket form properly. No more running outside the pocket and throwing across the field. Admittedly, I did not see much evidence in the vids of the procedural awareness, but when playing the game it shows up quite nicely and really adds to the realism. Pretty cool. The throwing styles of the QBs is also very cool and adds a lot to the game. I did not see any "rocket catch" or "jet pack" or whatever you madden experts call it. Miscellaneous: Play calling seems solid and the O lineman seem to do their job the way you draw it up. Pulling guards get in proper position and running backs hot routed to stay in and block pick up blitzing defenders quite well. On defense, man coverage seems to be much better now and you can actually use it again, although I'll need to play the real game more to tell. Conclusion: If you are a guy like me who has played nearly every console football game over the past 25 years, you just want a great NFL game. NFL 2k5 was that game in 2004. I don't have a biased opinion towards any particular company. I just love realistic football. I've always been a harsh critic of madden over the last 6 years. Only because I want a great game. I think this game looks like it could be a real winner. It has some flaws of course, and there are a few things I wish were different, but coming from a big 2k fan like me, it's certainly looking like a solid game.

What a way to be an unbiased ADULT! This is what I'm talking about - Giving just due. It's mighty big of you as a 2K fan to break this demo down the way u did, here. I like that. I don't believe in bias, personally. I just want what's best. I'm downloading the PS3 GS pre-order demo code, now, since they FINALLY made it active about 20-30min ago. I can't wait to play it.

[da bucs gm]

Quote: Originally Posted by Football4Natic

there is no subs on the fly like in ncaa.... you cant use your back ups at all...

That's not 100% fact

I've had the FS I was playing with be subbed out on the fly because he was tired. Casey hampton get subbed out on my game because he was tired. That statement isn't 100% fact

[Kevin26385]

In depth impressions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vFQ9bjgGEdk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4ufiVgXbos

These two videos were captured this morning and you can tell the game has a little bit of a learning curve. I have played both the Gamestop demo and the public demo so I want to give you guys my impressions after playing both.

You can tell that EA has put a lot of work into some areas of the game. Lets start to talk about the field goal adjustments they have made. In the public demo it is snowing and you play with 18 mph and kicks are finally not easy in these conditions. During some games the computer has missed two field goals and I have missed a couple as well. I think it is a combination of kicking of snow and the wind makes it harder. Which is definitely good to see, because in NCAA Football 10 field goal kicking is a huge issue. I am happy to say that I think the days of nailing 50 yard field goals in any weather is gone for the Madden franchise!

Now onto the all new Pro-tak technology. To be honest I didn't think that it would work well in Madden. I really thought that it would be over used and we would be seeing gang tackles with 5 players on every possession. Luckily that is not true, and I actually think it is used really well. One of the coolest things about pro-tak is that your teammates can try to help you. Check out this video where I get wrapped up by two defenders, and my offensive lineman tries to push them off. While it didn't work in this particular play, it could in the future, which is just awesome. It adds to the game so much because you begin to realize that the play is never over until the whistle blows in Madden 10.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6x9rhPpKORg

Next I want to discuss the animations. They are extremely smooth in Madden 10 and I have a video to prove this. Remember when you would go into instant replay mode and break down a play and all the animations would look clunky and bad? Well they have fixed that, and it looks absolutely great. In the play I am about to show you I am controlling Willie Parker and he breaks a couple of tackles. While he is doing this the animations look extremely crisp.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrBpGMdN8b0

One of the things I was scared about because I have been playing NCAA Football 10 has been fixed as well. Most of use who have played the game agree that in NCAA that when your quarterback gets hit and the ball flies in the air that it happens to often. Well in Madden, this still happens but the ball doesn't fly in the air like NCAA Football 10. The ball takes a more direct path to the ground, making it still an option for the defense to intercept the ball, but it is much more difficult which is great. I will be capturing videos all day and I will definitely try to capture a video of this being fixed in Madden 10.

Onto the new fumble mechanic where you tap different buttons to get the ball in a pileup situation. Let me tell you..I am a fan. In the NFL, pileups are crazy and people go insane under that pile, players literally do whatever they can so their team can have possession of the ball. I don't think this is a stupid in game "mini-game" I really think it is realistic. I mean if there is a pileup in real life, whoever wants it most will likely get the ball. So whoever can tape the button the fastest gets possession, its great!

Presentation and the graphics look absolutely great. The players warm up and you can see the fans try to get into their seat before the game begins. Also the cut scenes are interesting and should ease the 2k football fans. There are cut scenes of kickers warming up, Quarterbacks talking on the phone, players talking and celebrating on the sideline. EA did a great job of making the players more excited this year. I have always felt that the madden players were very dull and it hurt the experience. But I got to see Larry Fitzgerald burn me for a first down earlier, and he stood up and threw his hand forward to tell my team he got the first down.

One thing I do dislike is the play calling. I think I got use to the way they were doing it in next gen. I really just don't like the 3 window system. I am sure I will get used to it again though.

Finally I want to talk about the speed of the game and the player difference. I think EA has a perfect mix of gameplay slowdown and ratings actually matter. Trust me..You know when Larry Fitzgerald has that ball in his hands. Players play like their real life counterpart more than they ever have before. To be honest, this is the most excited I have been about a Madden game since the PS2 days. I will be counting down everyday till I get to play with my Chicago Bears! 22 Days left by the way!