E3 2009 Day One Recap

This will just be a short recap of the first day’s events. More detailed write-ups on each game will follow within the next couple days. Got a lot of videos to post up but given the slow internet connection it may not be feasible to do until Thursday morning. Feel free to drop any questions in the comments and if I know the answer I’ll reply or mention them in the upcoming articles.

First short Madden 10 video (Broncos vs Jaguars)

Madden 10

Immediately noticeable is the upgrade in presentation. One of the first things I saw was Phillip Rivers named the player of the game, and after the game ended a scene of him standing on the field being interviewed. Lots of cut scenes, pre-game activity, highlights at halftime and after the game. Everything seems to fit in fluidly within the context and pace of the game.

Have a lot of answers about Online Franchise. As mentioned yesterday they really got a lot done in the one year for this and I’m very impressed. One neat option is the ability to play an Online Franchise by just yourself. It can be any of 1-32 teams. So if you want to do your franchise but take advantage of the web elements you can make it an online one. There is one big concern with the mode but apparently there are some things in the works to address it, so I’ll hold off on posting about that for the time being and will update when I know more. Luckily though they built Online Franchise server side so there is the potential of additions and improvements to the mode even post-release.

Not wanting to comment too much on gameplay until I get more time in with it tomorrow and play on a higher difficulty. I will say that the decrease in game speed is something everyone picked up on right away. It seems pretty natural and allows plays to develop well but it does take some adjustment to get used to. Also the presence of a pocket thanks to Pro-Tak is very welcome and refreshing.

Two additional camera angles in “zoomed” and “wide”. We seemed in agreement that “wide” may end up as a community favorite. Uniforms can be mixed and matched just like NCAA. Also maybe too many shirtless fans in the Superdome…

NCAA Football 10

Most is known on the game except for Road to Glory so I’ll be posting up some gameplay vids. Overall the game has a very similar feel to 09. Despite that there are some clear improvements that have been made with the CPU AI, linked plays, and game planning. One tip is to be cautious about when you want to play aggressive. I started the game that way and got three face mask penalties in the first two possessions. That is probably better used situationally. Teambuilder is obviously the big selling point and that has proven to be a huge success since it was launched yesterday. More to come after getting more time in with it.

Madden 10 Wii

Got a chance to play co-op with a new mode called Road to the Super Bowl. This can be done with half season or full season and incorporates the possibility of playing cooperatively and choosing which player to control. Play through it in either five on five or 11 on 11 mode. The co-op aspect was pretty fun and should be an attractive way for people to play the game on the Wii together. It simplifies things both in terms of focus and with the controls.

Fight Night Round 4

I actually didn’t get time to play FN today. I did notice that it was probably the most actively played game there. Consistently all the stations were full with an audience watching on. Goes to show how much popularity the franchise still holds.

Backbreaker

Had a good 1 1/2 hour showing of the game. Can’t speak on it until June 15th however.