Madden NFL 10

For the tenth installment in the Madden series, see Madden Football 64

Madden NFL 10

Madden NFL 10 box cover with Troy Polamalu and Larry Fitzgerald
Developer(s) EA Tiburon
Publisher(s) EA Sports
Series Madden NFL
Platform(s) PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Xbox 360, iOS
Release date(s)
  • AUS August 13, 2009
  • EU August 14, 2009
  • NA August 14, 2009
Genre(s) American football simulation

Madden NFL 10 is an American football video game based on the National Football League that was published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the 21st annual installment in the Madden NFL video game franchise. It was released on August 13, 2009 in Australia[1] and August 14 in the United States for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii and Xbox 360 consoles, as well as mobile devices.[2] It was released for the iOS on September 10 through the App Store.[3]

New features

Gameplay

All of the features apply to the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game, unless otherwise noted below.

Presentation

Other

Cover

For the first time in the Madden NFL series, the cover features two players: Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals. Both players participated in Super Bowl XLIII. On the Wii version of the game, several Cardinals players can be noticed in the background.

In the NFL Kickoff game against the Tennessee Titans, Polamalu sprained his MCL while blocking a field goal attempt, causing him to miss a majority of the season.[17] Polamalu's injury has been linked to the continuation of the popular Madden Curse that plagues players immediately after gracing the cover of Madden.[18]

Roster updates

Roster updates were released almost every week during the 2009 football season and are required to play online. They are basically changes to team depth charts and player statistical updates.

Players on Injured Reserve still can be used in ranked games.

Michael Vick and Brett Favre were originally not placed in the rosters for the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings, due to various reasons. In order to receive the characters, the user must have an internet connection and update their rosters online with their specific console, either Xbox Live or PlayStation Online Network. For Xbox users, it is not needed to have a paid online Gold account, one can still get the roster updates with the free online Silver account.

Soundtrack

Unlike previous editions, the soundtrack features older songs.

Madden NFL 2010 Soundtrack
Artist Song
2Pac "Can’t C Me"
Airbourne "Heads Are Gonna Roll"
Alice in Chains "Them Bones"
B.o.B "Created a Monster"
Bang Camaro "Revolution"
Beastie Boys "Sabotage"
Black Sabbath "Paranoid"
Cypress Hill "Get 'Em Up"
Helmet "Unsung"
Iron Maiden "Aces High"
Judas Priest "Painkiller"
Kid Rock "I Am the Bullgod"
Killswitch Engage "Reckoning"
Korn "Blind"
Mastodon "Divinations"
Nas featuring Puff Daddy "Hate Me Now"
Nirvana "Breed"
Pantera "Walk"
Public Enemy "Shut 'em Down"
Rage Against the Machine "Guerrilla Radio"
Set Your Goals "Gaia Bleeds (Make Way for Man)"
Slipknot "Duality"
System of a Down "Sugar"
The Vanity Plan "Before I Die"
Young Dre The Truth "Cheah Beah"

Reception

Reviews
Review scores
PublicationScore
1UP.comB+ [19]
Game Informer8.75/10 [20]
GamePro4.5/5 [20]
GameSpot7.5/10
GameTrailers8.8/10
GameZone8.5/10 [21]
IGNXbox 360/PS3 8.9/10 [22]
Wii 8.2/10 [23]
PS2 7.3/10 [24]
TeamXbox9/10 [25]
X-Play4/5 [26]
Operation Sports9.0/10 [27]

The review aggregate site, Metacritic, rates the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions 86/100 based on 26 reviews. IGN.com awarded Madden NFL 10 a score of 8.9 out of 10 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions. Reviewer Nate Ahearn praised the game's gameplay and presentation, stating it's "as close as you'll come to playing on Sundays". One noted drawback of this year's version was the commentary, which needs "serious work before hitting the gridiron next season". Many players have reported that they often play the game on mute.

IGN.com also awarded Madden NFL 10 a score of 7.3 out of 10 for the PlayStation 2 version. Reviewer Nate Ahearn praised the game's small additions and improvements, stating "It seems like Madden NFL 10 got a bit more attention than Madden NFL 09 as far as PS2 development goes. There certainly isn’t a bevy of new frills to entertain you, but the additions that are here help to push things forward ever so slightly."

IGN.com scored Madden NFL 10 a score of 8.2 out of 10 for the Wii version. Reviewer Mark Bozon sums up the game's gameplay and presentation, stating "Madden 10 isn’t a bad game by any means; it’s just a whole new breed of football game on Wii, and one that some players aren’t going to prefer over classic Madden." Some players have complained that classic Madden was easier and say they miss "realistic" features such as dirty uniforms and fields torn up as the game progresses.

GameSpot.com awarded Madden NFL 10 a score of 7.5 out of 10 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions. Reviewer Giancarlo Varanini sums up the game stating "A number of features make Madden NFL 10 a more realistic and enjoyable portrayal of football, but a few problems—both old and new—continue to trouble the series."

GameSpot.com awarded Madden NFL 10 a score of 6.5 out of 10 for the Wii version. Reviewer Giancarlo Varanini sums up the game stating "The result is an experience that's fun the first few times around—provided you can consistently play with friends—but lacks the longevity to keep football fans coming back."

AFL Legacy Pack

In light of the 50th Anniversary celebration of the American Football League this year, on September 24 the AFL Legacy Pack became available as downloadable content on the Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation Network.[28]

The pack includes throwback uniforms for the Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots (Boston Patriots), Tennessee Titans (Houston Oilers), San Diego Chargers, Oakland Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs (Dallas Texans), Denver Broncos, and New York Jets (Titans of New York), In addition, games can be played in a classic AFL film grain broadcast camera, referee uniforms are AFL-style orange throwbacks and the team logos on field are old-school. The AFL Legacy Pack also provides a new set of AFL specific Madden Moments and AFL Legacy Pack specific achievements with a 150-point total gain.[29] This "AFL mode" has been met with much approval.

Madden Ultimate Team

Madden Ultimate Team, also known as "MUT" (pronounced: "mute") is a game mode released on January 7, 2010. In this mode, users are able to build a team by purchasing player packs. These packs are purchased with coins that are earned by winning a game, scoring a touchdown etc. They can also be purchased with real money through the user's PlayStation Network or Xbox Live accounts. As the user gains more coins, they are able to buy better packs of players, eventually building their "Ultimate Team".[30]

This mode has received negative feedback with regards to the 'Player Contracts' that are attached to each 'Player Card'. When purchased 'Player Cards' have a 10 match contract - this decreases by 1 every game (even if due to disconnection). Replenishment of a contract on a 'Player Card' is done by a contract card that is purchased with coins. It is thus extremely difficult to keep a good team 'in contract' without spending real money. It is also possible to be in a position where you have a low amount of coins and not enough players to even play 'Madden Ultimate Team' - unless you wish to spend real money to buy contract cards to replenish your players contracts, or to buy new packs with - to try to fill the empty team positions that are stopping you from playing the mode.[31]

Madden NFL Arcade

EA Sports released Madden NFL Arcade as a downloadable title through the PSN Store and Xbox Live Marketplace networks on November 24 and November 25 respectively.[32] The game is a five-on-five arcade style football game similar to Midway's NFL Blitz, featuring all 32 NFL teams and stadiums.[33]

The game features "Game Changers", which are similar to NFL Street's "Game Breakers". There are 13 Game Changers, with players having the opportunity to gain a Game Breaker prior to every play, and are able to use it at that instant or retain for later use.[34]

The Xbox Achievements were announced with a total of 12 achievements and a 200 points total gain.[35]

References

  1. Release Dates
  2. "EA’S Madden NFL 10 kicks off season on August 14th". Electronic Arts. 2009-03-30. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
  3. "EA Mobile Kicks off Football Season With Madden NFL 10 on the App Store". EA Mobile. 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2009-09-24.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Cummings, Ian. "Madden NFL 10: A Deeper Look Into PRO-TAK : Madden NFL 10 Blog". Maddennfl.easports.com. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  5. "Madden NFL 10 Player Ratings – A New Philosophy, a New Era – Inside EA – Inside EA". Insideblog.easports.com. 2009-02-09. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  6. Cummings, Ian. "Madden NFL 10: Sim Style Gameplay : Madden NFL 10 Blog". Maddennfl.easports.com. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  7. Cummings, Ian (2009-03-16). "Madden NFL 10: Player Momentum : Madden NFL 10 Blog". Maddennfl.easports.com. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  8. Cummings, Ian (2009-02-23). "Madden NFL 10: Improvements to QB position : Madden NFL 10 Blog". Maddennfl.easports.com. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  9. Cummings, Ian. "Madden NFL 10: Improvements to WR/DB interaction : Madden NFL 10 Blog". Maddennfl.easports.com. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  10. "Madden NFL 10: First Look". Insideblog.easports.com. 2009-02-01. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  11. Michael Young (30 March 2009). "Breaking Down "The Shot"". Retrieved 14 April 2009.
  12. Cummings, Ian (2009-05-18). "Madden NFL 10: Revamping How Injuries Work : Madden NFL 10 Blog". Maddennfl.easports.com. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  13. "USAF Thunderbirds in Madden 10". pastapadre.com. 2009-05-26. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  14. EA Sports (2009-08-13). "Madden NFL 10 Gamer's Guide". Retrieved 2009-08-15.
  15. Mode Improvements
  16. Cummings, Ian (2009-04-28). "Letting the Wildcat Loose in Madden NFL 10 : Madden NFL 10 Blog". Maddennfl.easports.com. Retrieved 2009-08-07.
  17. http://2009.steelers.com/article/110147/
  18. http://kdka.com/steelers/Troy.Polamalu.knee.2.1179162.html
  19. 1UP.cpm Review
  20. 20.0 20.1 Madden NFL 10 list of reviews
  21. GameZone Review
  22. IGN Madden NFL 10 Review
  23. IGN Madden NFL 10 Wii Review
  24. Team Xbox Review
  25. X-play Review
  26. Operation Sports Review
  27. http://marketplace.xbox.com/en-US/games/offers/0ccf001c-0000-4000-8000-0000454108c6?partner=RSS
  28. http://www.xbox360achievements.org/news/news-3493-EA-Sports-Announces-Madden-10-AFL-Legacy-Pack.html
  29. "Madden Ultimate Team Now Available for Free Download!". Retrieved 7 January 2010.
  30. http://forum.ea.com/eaforum/posts/list/15/363666.page Missing or empty |title= (help)
  31. Owen Good. "Madden Arcade To Release Nov. 24 And Nov. 25". Kotaku.
  32. "Madden NFL Arcade Is Coming". Gamespot.
  33. "Madden Arcade Power-Ups". pastapadre.
  34. http://www.xbox360achievements.org/game/madden-nfl-arcade/achievements/

External links