Looking Deeper At the Madden 10 Press Release
by 
Along with the website launching yesterday came the official announcement press release for Madden 10. Additional information on the game was included. Here are some of the statements taking from that release and initial reaction to them.
With more control over the outcome of the play than ever before, players can drag defenders towards the first down marker, fight for a fumble at the bottom of the pile, and avoid the rush by stepping up into the pocket.
A better representation of a pocket would surely be welcome. The lack of one is a big reason why mobile QBs have always been more effective than pocket QBs.
The one most people are talking about is the “fight for the fumble”. I really don’t see any appeal or necessity in having that at all and don’t see a way that it could be represented realistically. If I recover a fumble there better not be any scenario where I lose it because of button mashing or something along those lines.
With online innovation that will connect Madden fans together like never before, an immersive broadcast presentation that captures the suspense and emotion of the NFL, and the most authentic gameplay to date, Madden NFL 10 will be the pinnacle in the award-winning franchise.
It’s going to be a big disappointment if there isn’t Online Franchise this year. Hopefully the “online innovation” is at least more along those lines than what NCAA Football 10 came out and announced with Season Showdown.
It’ll be interesting to see how the presentation has developed. It was much better last year but still a long ways from what people are clamoring for.
Madden NFL 10 on the WiiTM introduces a unique, genre-defining art style that will raise the bar for sports games on the console. Completely redesigned and built from the ground up, Madden NFL 10 epitomizes what fun looks like on the Wii and will deliver a social, dynamic experience for the entire living room.
I’m really curious to see where EA takes Madden on the Wii. All-Play didn’t catch on, and I think it has become obvious that sim team sports games just don’t translate well to the console and its consumer base. I’m hoping for something completely different and unique.
Madden NFL 10 will kick off the season with the Madden NFL 10 Draft Experience hosted exclusively at maddennfl.easports.com on Saturday, April 25th. The innovative website will feature a live, streaming draft analysis show produced right from Madden headquarters in Orlando, Florida. The show will feature several interactive elements, including live call-ins from NFL athletes, on-site correspondents from New York City, and the chance for Madden fans to phone in with comments and questions. As players are drafted, their official Madden NFL 10 ratings will be released and discussed live.
Draft day is definitely going to be entertaining. Nothing is bigger than player ratings and it’ll be fascinating to get some rookie ratings on that day as that will provide more insight into the overall philosophy changes for ratings going forward.
April 1, 2009 at 4:18 pm
the fight for the fumble thing is stupid who ever asked for that?
April 1, 2009 at 4:58 pm
Its not stupid. You and the rest of us just cant see how it will be incorporated. Don't be so quick to shun something just becasue you don't know how it will function. Every year fans cry about all these stupid little things that are irrelavant to the game, like player towels and chain gangs. None of these things impact the actual gameplay what so ever.
Fumbles, pile ons and fighting for said fumbles are all "IN THE GAME". It is necessary that it be included in Madden as well, more so than some graphic representation of a freaking towel hanging from a players belt.
The only question will be how it will be represented and I am certained it will revolve around some sort of button mashing exercise.
April 1, 2009 at 5:15 pm
which would be stupid. that has arcade written all over it
April 1, 2009 at 6:03 pm
Fight for the fumble happens in actual games so is a real life game an arcade? Fight for the fumble will be nice as long as players dont fumble every other second. drag for the first down is nice as long as you dont have a small player dragging more than one player or a player two times his size and strength. Basically as long as EA didnt find a way to screw up the new additions they will be welcomed.
April 1, 2009 at 4:24 pm
Yo Pasta this is spot on. I agree with your posts especially regarding Online franchise and fight for the fumble.
April 1, 2009 at 4:31 pm
I asked for the fumble and am GLAD I GOT IT!!!!!!
April 1, 2009 at 4:39 pm
Fumbles in Madden SUCK right now. For one, they don't wobble around like a REAL football. They simply drop and stick to the ground like a 45 lb weight. Secondly, it is hit or miss picking up a fumble (no skill involved) as I have literally walked right over one many times and the other team "magnetizes" towards it. Finally, 90% of REAL fumbles end up at the bottom of a pile. Referees pull players off and the head referee dramatically signals one way or another who's possession it is. Madden fumbles such and need CHANGE!
April 1, 2009 at 10:08 pm
PREACH!
April 1, 2009 at 4:41 pm
…now I'm just waiting on kicking meters and different camera views (every single sports game has different angles to choose from except Madden). People w/standard TV's might want a closer view opposed to peeps w/HD sets.
April 1, 2009 at 6:03 pm
well said!
April 1, 2009 at 6:05 pm
I for one could care less about fumbles. It's not exactly one of the most exciting plays in football. The fact that they are concentrating their efforts on something so trivial is beyond me. I would love to be in the room when someone says, "Let's have a fumble mini-game! That'd be cool, right?" And the rest of the room gets so excited about the new idea they forget all about fixing the legacy problems that have persisted with Madden for years. Responds lead developer, "Yeah, fumble mini-game. Let's do it! Forget about fixing what's broken. Let's just add some new stuff and forget about that! That makes my job a lot easier…thanks."
Anyway, just having some fun. Just gotta hope for the best and hope they are listening to the gamers. Making the ball bounce better on fumbles is really all they need to do. No need to create a whole new mini-game or whatever they're doing.
April 1, 2009 at 6:05 pm
All of this to distract us from the fact they most likely aren't improving Franchise mode.
April 1, 2009 at 6:09 pm
Lol. Do we really expect a change in the franchise mode? As a primary franchise player I am dying to hear some news on an improved franchise!
April 2, 2009 at 1:53 am
i was thinking the same thing
April 1, 2009 at 6:10 pm
Interesting if you watch the videos of the candidates for the cover, when Collinsworth talks about APs "vice grip" how it has nothing to do with football. He fumbles the ball all the time.
April 1, 2009 at 10:10 am
I really hope that they add the mouth pieces back this year that made the players look really ready to play
April 1, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Guess what guys? EA will release a revamped franchise for Madden during the draft next month. They are going to combine Head Coach with Madden and will announce this inclusion draft weekend. This is coming directly from one of the people involved with Head Coach.
April 1, 2009 at 7:12 pm
that would be great, i hope you are right
April 1, 2009 at 6:23 pm
if they just fixed the linebackers to where they don't hop like Kobe and franchise mode then i would be fine…. but no, they have to add all these others things….. the funble thing intrigues me and the draft ratings on draft day, but who gives a shet about settings…..
April 1, 2009 at 6:28 pm
"The one most people are talking about is the “fight for the fumble”. I really don’t see any appeal or necessity in having that at all"
Don't see the necessity? Are you serious? Pile-ups and true short yardage struggles have NEVER been in video game football. Aside from the fact that it's a big part of football, it will be a major breakthrough if it works properly. This is the direction we were going prior to the exclusive license but have veered off course since. I'm very happy to hear about this.
April 1, 2009 at 7:09 pm
I'm not sure where that statement says anything about short yardage struggles. Absolutely though that is important, I'm tired of QB sneaks being automatic for example.
But most fumbles are recovered clearly. Even the ones that end in pile-ups are usually determined before the piling up. If we dont see the actual fumble recovered before the pile then it should be random or based on positioning. Some button mashing or mini-game type thing would be ridiculous.
April 2, 2009 at 4:18 pm
kinda corny, but I actually like the randomness of Blitz:The League II's fumbles…. especially in poor weather conditions where sometimes you immediately grab it, or sometimes you kick the ball around for a few minutes with several guys muffing it before someone finally comes up with it.
April 1, 2009 at 6:34 pm
Online Franchise needs to be in there this year and it needs to be better then 2k5 had it. It needs to include trades and go mutli years like NCAA.
I think it will be. They seem to test things out on other games like NHL and NCAA when it comes to online features before they are added to Madden. I will be shocked if it's not in the game.
April 1, 2009 at 6:43 pm
All of this sounds great. The only thing I haven't heard them mention so far is more tackling animations. There can never be enough of those. One thing that makes me get bored of Madden so quick is seeing the same animations over & over. Hopefully they'll be adding a lot more this year.
April 2, 2009 at 5:06 am
HELL YEA! thats my #1 problem. i kno it sounds stupid but its true. along w/ trench animations
April 1, 2009 at 7:02 pm
Madden 10 looks to be another HUGE disappointment. Aside from the fact that the franchise has not improved in the last 5 iterations, it appears to be trying to reach the arcade-style market (a la MLB 2k9) while most true Madden gamers would prefer a move (or even a baby step) towards realism. And realistic graphics featuring proportionate players. I'm sure this point has been made thousands of times, but football is the only sport that doesn't have a video game where the untrained eye, at a glance, might actually mistaken it for an actual live game. Basketball has it. Baseball has it. Soccer has it. Hell, even hockey (hockey!?!?) has it.
Here's to another gimmicky version of Madden 05 (v5). Still running the same crappy engine…
Keep up the good work, Padre. I look forward to reading your future post when Madden 10 releases. Mostly, to see how dissapointed and upset you will be for continuing to support EA. It's like investing in AIG. As long as the big wigs still see a sizable bonus, who cares about making a great product?
April 1, 2009 at 7:36 pm
Love people that show up on message boards about Madden simply to just knock it. Lest we forget that Madden is one of, if not the best, game franchises of all time. And it's not because the game sucks. Is it perfect? No. Can they improve it? Yes. The only real bad Madden that's been released recently is the first "Next Gen" Madden that simply sucked.
Madden is one of the most scrutinized games in the industry because of its popularity, so it's understandable that we want them to listen to the actual gamers when looking for ways to improve the game. But knocking the game and calling a game a "HUGE disappointment" when it will not be released for another five months is just ignorant. Feel free to knock it after its release.
April 1, 2009 at 8:36 pm
I think also it has to do with the fact that it's the ONLY NFL game on the market. Take a look at the MLB franchise. 360 owners are bashing MLB 2k9 like there's no tomorrow, but you don't hear alot of MLB 2k9 bashing from PS3 owners because they have an alternative. And in the NBA franchise you have people bashing both games but not nearly as much because they favor one game over the other. With madden it's the only game out there if you want to get your NFL fix so the haters come in greater numbers. Me personally I've been dissapointed the past couple years but hope to get blown away by madden 10.
April 1, 2009 at 10:23 pm
That's a good point. But I wouldn't put bashing a horrible game like MLB 2K9 in the same boat as bashing the Madden series, that's for sure. MLB 2k9 is a horrible game no matter how many alternatives you have, and it would get bashed regardless. But I get your point.
April 1, 2009 at 10:59 pm
Who relies on their past accomplishments? Losers. And Major League free agents. It is indeed a great franchise. Like the Yankees. But they haven't won any titles in several years and Madden has yet to make a next generation game.
And based on what they remain focused on (I call it MINUTIA, look it up) they are not improving the actual gameplay. Or franchise. Or graphics. Or innovations beyond button mashing for loose footballs.
April 1, 2009 at 7:15 pm
Liking the idea of the scrums for fumbles. If it is done right, it will add to the immersion.
April 2, 2009 at 1:58 am
thats a big IF but hopefully it is done right
April 1, 2009 at 7:26 pm
Have you read ANY of the blog posts updating the production process?
April 1, 2009 at 7:28 pm
I was wondering if they would do this. It only makes sense that they would. Let's just hope this rumor is true.
April 1, 2009 at 7:41 pm
MADDEN 10 NEEDS, NEEDS, NEEEEEEEEEDS ONLINE FRANCHISE. If it wants to be the top game this will be its only way. NCAA 09 is better then madden 09 because of online dynasty.
April 1, 2009 at 7:45 pm
Agreed. I know far more people still playing NCAA then Madden right now just because of the Online Dynasty. I wonder what the real figures are on this? How many actually log on with Madden 09 compared to NCAA 09 right now?
April 1, 2009 at 7:59 pm
Not everyone cares about franchise. I only play Madden against friends or ranked online matches. No need for season or franchise for me so I don't realize how good or bad the Madden series has been….
April 1, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Not everyone cares about online, all I play is franchise or with a friend… I dont even go online so online is not that important to me.
"and the most authentic gameplay to date, Madden NFL 10 will be the pinnacle in the award-winning franchise" this quote has me worried because I heard it last year, the year before that, and the year before that and look how the games turned out. I feel like alot of what they're saying I've heard before from this franchise, I guess I'm going to have to wait to see in the gameplay vids before I draw a conclusion.
Pasta are you ready for the massive amounts of comments your site's going to get once the player ratings and rookie ratings drop… it's going to be chaos
April 1, 2009 at 8:33 pm
Oh yeah, draft day is going to be nuts. I'll be running my own live blog, I'll be calling in to talk about things on EA Sports Live, the ratings talk will be crazy as that news breaks…it'll be fun
April 2, 2009 at 4:23 pm
When you bring up the draft, I don't wonder that after the combine and to a lesser extend, the pro days if the developers aren't starting to figure those ratings out before the draft ever rolls around. For instance, it's entirely possible that McCoy or Brown (especially McCoy) could jump Wells or Moreno in the draft, but that Wells or Moreno will certainly be rated higher.
Would be HIGHLY interested in seeing how they squirm if a team takes Pat White in say, the mid-2nd round with intent to let him stay at QB – even if just to use him in the Wild Cat formation. Wonder how the developers rate him then in a effort to prevent him from becoming Michael Vick, circa Madden 2004.
April 1, 2009 at 8:13 pm
I just hope it's not some stupid button sequence to push. I hate those things. I hate them in SW: Force Unleashed and I even hated them in one of my favorite games, Mass Effect (I really hope ME2 is dropping them). The only way I can think this may work is to go slow-mo, ZOOM into the pile and use your normal "dive" button (X) to jump on it. Perhaps even using the right-stick as a sort of arm swipe/reach thingy. I'm not sure how else to do it so it seems "real" and worthwhile to be in the game.
Any ideas? I do hope, like any new feature, the option to toggle it off is there.
April 1, 2009 at 8:31 pm
I think the fumble recoveries should be based on awarness and hands… I pray that it's not button mashing because in the NFL it's about who gets the the ball first and can secure it. RARELY does anyone snatch the ball away from someone resulting in the gain of possesion, it just doesn't happen in the NFL. What they should do though is have a cut scene where the refs pull players away to add suspense and have players signaling it's their ball.
April 1, 2009 at 8:38 pm
I'd like that. It would just add to the presentation. But i TOTALLY agree the attributes & positioning should have a LOT (the most) to do with it. Otherwise it becomes an arcade game and away from the simulation a lot of us crave.
I guess it could be fun beating up your buddies online, but I want the players ratings to mean something.
April 1, 2009 at 8:37 pm
…haha, that's the exact reason that made me NOT wanna buy Legends of Wrestlemania!
April 1, 2009 at 8:20 pm
I'm the exact opposite as you. Franchise is pretty much the only reason I get sports games. I did make exception and played lots of APF2k8 games on-line because after getting through a season there really wasn't much left to do. But the game play was pretty tight in that game and, for the most part, the 2k diehards online like playing a good sim game. I really haven't had nearly as good experience online playing the EA games. I guess there are so many more people playing it that it's harder to actually find players who like real football.
April 1, 2009 at 8:35 pm
Agreed. Games online are a hit and miss. Most people I play online go for 4th and 10's regularly, drop their QB's back 20 yds to pass,on-side kick after every score and QB sneak 10 times a game…….but it's those few times when you get a good game that brings you back. APF was a good game btw.
April 1, 2009 at 8:51 pm
That sounds right up my alley. I go for 4th and 20's, QB sneak, run the FB run and scramble from sideline to sideline. My personal favorite is the Go route by my boy Randy Moss. I'll hit him deep all game and if the other team backs off I'll nickel and dime them to death LMAO! Sometimes I'll act like I'm choosing the Carolina Panthers then after they make their selection I quickly switch to New England and beat em deep all game. Happy Days brother Happy days.
That sounds right up my alley. I go for 4th and 20's, QB sneak, run the FB run and scramble from sideline to sideline. My personal favorite is the Go route by my boy Randy Moss. I'll hit him deep all game and if the other team backs off I'll nickel and dime them to death LMAO! Sometimes I'll act like I'm choosing the Carolina Panthers then after they make their selection I quickly switch to New England and beat em deep all game. Happy Days brother Happy days.
April 1, 2009 at 8:26 pm
I agree w/ t. daley…Fighting for fumbles happens all the time in games. Its not always the first person who gets to it. Underneath the pile they scramble for the posession. I like the way that they're implementing that into this year's game. Definitely not arcade. Go WATCH sum football Rev
April 1, 2009 at 8:37 pm
I'd like that. It would just add to the presentation. But i TOTALLY agree the attributes & positioning should have a LOT (the most) to do with it. Otherwise it become an arcade game and away from the simulation a lot of us crave.
I guess it could be fun beating up your buddies online, but I want the players ratings to mean something.
April 1, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Any news when regular players (not rookies) ratings will be released… or also on Dday?
April 1, 2009 at 8:41 pm
Earlier I said that EA will release a revamped franchise for Madden during the draft next month. They are going to combine Head Coach with Madden and will announce this inclusion draft weekend. This is coming directly from one of the people involved with Head Coach. Well guess what?
APRIL FOOL'S!!!!!
April 1, 2009 at 8:48 pm
you got me……..*WOW*
April 1, 2009 at 8:41 pm
APRIL FOOL'S!!!!!
April 1, 2009 at 10:31 pm
I'm not sure whether to laugh or feel sorry for you that you pulled an April Fool's joke on complete strangers in a blog about Madden. Kinda lame, dude. But to each his own I guess.
April 1, 2009 at 8:41 pm
Good point. But again… I can't think of any other way this could work other than the dreaded button mash sequence. *shivers*
April 1, 2009 at 8:55 pm
That'll probably be something they string along over the summer in blog postings.
April 1, 2009 at 8:55 pm
normally in July they release the ratings
April 1, 2009 at 8:59 pm
The one addition I would like to see is QB sneak logic… Peyton Manning shouldn't be able to convert a QB sneak everytime against the Ravens defense lined up in goal line blitzing 9. It's just not possible 90% of the time.
April 1, 2009 at 9:50 pm
I want kicking accuracy to be more important….Maybe making the window smaller for kickers with low accuracy or it shakes or something. It's too easy for people to get in field goal range and win with ANY kicker in madden now!!
April 1, 2009 at 10:04 pm
I like the pile-ups for the fumbles and have been begging for them, but I'm gonna hold off judgment on actually FIGHTING for them. It could work out well or it could be a disaster. I don't want to see kickers wrestling the ball away from linemen, but the other way around might be OK. I just hope they keep it in moderation.
April 1, 2009 at 10:54 pm
I think I'll knock it because the core gameplay of the franchise has not changed in years. I wasted lots of money over the years on Madden titles that still don't bring that one thing that makes games worthwhile: FUN. The game is just not fun. It's not realistic football. ESPN 2k5 AND Madden 05 were better games because they were fun to play. I'm tired of seeing Madden come out without meaningful improvements. And I have every right to bash it because I've played em all and I spent the money so I get to voice my opinion. And it's a sentiment that many hardcore sports gamers share. As a hardcore sports fanatic and an avid video gamer I expect to see QUALITY from a company that has the only game in town. Is that too much to expect? I guarantee the game would be better if there was competition to push it. But I won't waste my time explaining the benefits of competition. You either understand it, or you are an idiot. Those are the only two boats available.
April 1, 2009 at 10:55 pm
Have you played any Madden title in the past 10 years? You are obviously too young to know what your talking about.
April 1, 2009 at 11:09 pm
Damn, i just realized the EA Hype Machine just sucked me in AGAIN this year. Despite the fact that I have returned every Madden since 06 and kept NCAA! God they are good!
April 2, 2009 at 12:18 am
Getting fumbles as a key part in any game. Would you rather leave it up to the AI as it is now where half the time they can't pick the ball up, or would you rather take control yourself. I think it's a no brainer. Even some kind of button pressing would be better than it is now.
April 2, 2009 at 1:52 am
im looking forward to see how they do with the fight with the fumble
and dont tell me it doesnt piss you guys off when the balls on the ground and one guy goes for it and theres two of your players just standing there looking like retards
April 1, 2009 at 4:44 pm
Fumbles in Madden SUCK right now. For one, they don't wobble around like a REAL football. They simply drop and stick to the ground like a 45 lb weight. Secondly, it is hit or miss picking up a fumble (no skill involved) as I have literally walked right over one many times and the other team "magnetizes" towards it. Finally, 90% of REAL fumbles end up at the bottom of a pile. Referees pull players off and the head referee dramatically signals one way or another who's possession it is. Madden fumbles suck and need CHANGE!
April 2, 2009 at 1:54 am
right on
April 2, 2009 at 1:55 am
amen for more tackling animations
April 2, 2009 at 1:56 am
lol
April 2, 2009 at 2:21 am
yup i have you say "Here's to another gimmicky version of Madden 05 (v5). Still running the same crappy engine… " even though this game is being built from the ground up with numerous improvements being made to enhance realism. onve again you must not have read any of the blog posts.
April 2, 2009 at 4:57 am
c thats y i like r00t…he explains his point of view so well and u cant help but agree lol.
April 2, 2009 at 6:22 am
You guys are over thinking the WHOLE fumble situation and underestimating EA, no where did it say that fighting for a fumble would be a new feature, it probably has to to with the animation blending and the fact that they can blend different animations and different body parts at different times( ex: Blog about being able to throw the ball while falling down from a sack, animation blending) , so fumbles most likely have more realistic results and "the fight for a fumble" is more realistic, they said their going for a sim type game they wouldn't add a button mashing fumble guys..
…LETS BE REAL
April 2, 2009 at 10:52 am
there are a lot of great new features in this yrs game…..madden will be better than NCAA this yr!!!!!!!! i just have that feeling…..has anyone heard anything on the ps2 game???????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!???????????
April 2, 2009 at 2:24 pm
Im not letting EA get my hopes up about this game again. Every year they hype the shit outta their game and it never stands up to the hype. ever since they made the leap to next gen the game just blows, year after year. Madden just doesnt bring the game to life the way they could. the atmospere of the game is dry and dull. it doesnt ever feel like im actually playing football. not to mention the graphics, for a next gen game are terrible. i bought madden 09 and sold it back within two weeks, and brett favre is my favorite player. madden needs to over-haul many aspects of their game. cuz it sucks
April 2, 2009 at 5:35 pm
The short yardage stuff was discussed with Ian on OS and he's made some passing mentions about this in regards to the new mantra, but it's all tentative right now.
I don't think this will be a mini-game. I think what we're most likely to see is a situation where a fumble occurs, a cutscene starts, there is suspense as to who has the ball (because it can change hands multiple times under the pileup) someone pops out with the ball and you get either an eruption of cheers or boo's depending on who's home or away… I think that will be very nice.
May 8, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Madden needs to step up there Haltime Presentation show, i mean make the gamers actually wanna play teh game, it's so damn boring. every year ea hypes everyone up with all these new feature crap, then after you spend you 60 dollars and change on teh game after a few weeks it's like aww this game sucks. i still rock my nfl2k5 it's not the best football game but to me it keeps me playing.