EA Sports has released the first details on the upcoming Madden Arcade. The downloadable only game will be available in December for 1200 MS points on XBL and the equivalent $15 on PSN. It will feature five on five arcade-style gameplay with all 32 teams and stadiums included.

Each team is given four downs to march 60 yards to pay dirt – no penalties or field goals allowed here, pal! Get your Madden NFL fix in a completely new way, with fast-paced games where the first team to 30 wins. Want to mix it up? Madden NFL Arcade can be tailored to fit your liking by changing options, such as skill level, points to win, and more; making each game unlike the one before. Take advantage of 13 unique “Game Changers” to break the game wide open on a single play. Add an entourage of lineman to get the sack, freeze an opposing player, turn off your opponent’s passing icons, and much more. No lead is safe in Madden NFL Arcade.

Graphically it looks like they borrowed from the style used in the latest Wii version of Madden though obviously looking much better given the capabilities of the 360 and PS3. You can check out the screenshots in the gallery.

3 on 3 NHL Arcade was a big success though I didn’t find it compelling enough to play more than a few times. Hopefully Madden Arcade will provide more longevity. The downloadable only model is attractive to companies as they don’t have to worry about the production stage or the used game market cutting into their sales.

For $15 there is a lot of value potential with Madden Arcade. The last arcade style football game that EA released was NFL Tour which I had a lot of fun with and that game sold for $40. Given the complaints about Tour (commentary, thin playbook, lack of defense) it seems like Madden Arcade could provide a similar experience but for the significantly reduced price.

In my preview of Backbreaker from E3 I noted overriding sense I got that the game was far from release and would likely not come this calendar year. Following E3 there have been no developments to make me believe otherwise. Now comes even more evidence of the game shifting into 2010.

Gamestop has added Backbreaker into the system with a release date of Tuesday April 6th 2010. This does not necessarily look to be a placeholder as they generally use the 1st of a month in those cases. Of course being this far out it is possible the release date is not finalized and could change. The producers have stated numerous times that the game will release when they feel it is ready and they haven’t been pressured into a release date or even a general time frame. Regardless the possibility of Backbreaker releasing well ahead of that date would be unlikely, so it is looking like the game won’t be out for even longer than I had anticipated.

Also of note is the listing of 505 Games as the publisher. While Backbreaker has apparently had a publisher for some time now for whatever reason that has been kept under wraps. 505 Games has published a handful of titles, none of which have been related to sports.

Over the past couple of months I’ve been following the development of Quick Hit Football. This is a completely free PC game played within the browser. It is a management/coaching sim rather than a game you actively play and through performance can earn points to be spent on improving the players.

Most interestingly of the early news on the game is that the rosters are not completely generic. Due to a loophole in the NFL exclusive license contract, Quick Hit has been able to sign a handful of active NFL players to be included. Ray Lewis, Matt Cassel, Brian Westbrook, Jason Witten, and Osi Umenyiora will find themselves on one of the five teams that make up the single-player experience.

Each team will also have a former NFL coach to help lead them. Bill Cowher, Brian Billick, Jimmy Johnson, Dan Reeves, and Tom Landry are the five that have signed on.

Earlier today Quick Hit announced the signing of “nearly 100″ NFL legends. Included in the list are Steve Largent, Warren Moon, Tony Dorsett, Dan Fouts, Deacon Jones, and Randy White. The players will be separated into three classifications based on when their careers took place. Those classifications are “Pioneers”, “Classics” (70s-80s), and “Contemporary”. No other details on how they will be integrated into the game however.

This is a pretty intriguing concept and delivery method and one that seems more inviting that the overwhelming nature of the NFL Head Coach offerings. Most importantly is the commitment and dedication that is being put into this. Signing all those big names to be a part of the game is clear evidence of that. Interestingly the team working on Quick Hit includes former Madden, All-Pro Football, and NFL 2K5 developers.

Quick Hit Football is expected to launch in early October and you can sign up to receive a beta key on the website now.

Online Franchise was instantly my most anticipated feature as soon as it was announced at E3. Since then there has been some disappointing news on aspects of the mode that would be missing. Despite that it still has potential to be a lot of fun and is certainly much more advanced than an online league. With the servers for Online Franchise having gone live as well as the website having opened up we wanted to test out some of the options and see how it all works.

First lets recap some of the areas of the mode that already were known to be lacking. There is no salary cap so free agency is unregulated and there is no CPU trade logic. There is no preseason and there are no sliders to be adjusted. Unlike regular franchise mode there is no halftime show or Extra Point franchise show. These are all elements that EA was up front about missing, and hopefully because the mode is run server side improvements or additions could end up being made at any time. I don’t expect any of these things to make their way in this year with the exception of maybe the sliders.

So the first thing to do is either create the Online Franchise or join one. Franchises can be set to public but I suspect those will end up being a disaster. Invites can be sent out which makes it easy for people to accept, however it seems that the password for the league is still required to be entered even for those receiving an invite. I’m not sure why that is since now the password will have to be communicated independently when an invite from the Commish should be enough to grant entry.

There are a lot of options that can be set for the games. The biggest let down of the mode for me so far is that there is no option for game speed. Right now online games are defaulted to “normal” speed which is not the same as the default offline “slow” that I have enjoyed so much. The games run faster online which has resulted in sloppier play. More sacks and more turnovers are the trend out of that. Not only am I disappointed that it is defaulted to that speed but really not pleased that they aren’t offering an option to change it up for Online Franchise. This is something that hopefully EA will take care of an soon since I already know it will be affecting the quality of the franchises.

The max users for a franchise is 32 but there are several other options for this. It is probably worth just setting it to 32 unless it is a public league that is trying to contain itself so it can go at a better pace and maybe even make it through a season. You can either start with the current rosters at the time or do a fantasy draft. Difficulty level is adjustable, quarter length can be changed as well as accelerated clock settings. Injuries, fatigue, and weather can all be turned off if so desired.

The other main setting has to do with trades. There are trades “On” where anyone can trade with any team including the CPU. Trades “off” where no trades can be completed. And trades “On-No CPU” where trading is only allowed between users. Since there is no CPU trade logic, the CPU will accept any offer. So that should be the setting only in cases where all league members can trust each other or work out offers that everyone agrees with.

The main franchise menu looks similar to the online menu and navigates in the same manner. You have the list of owners, team and league schedules, rosters and player management, and stats. The Options area is where the Commish can advance the week, send out invites, or make changes to league settings.

At first I thought this would be a major issue but there is a simple way around it. Trades can not be completed before Week 1 games. They can be offered but nothing can be processed until Week 2. For franchises where people are negotiating and completing trades prior to starting, the way around this involves free agency. Simply release the players being traded away and then sign the ones being acquired. They are then eligible to play in the Week 1 games.

There is a one hour timer between advancing weeks. If the games are actually being played this won’t be bothersome, but for people who may have been interested in simming ahead this presents a roadblock to that.

Myself and Jerkfacefave decided to play a week 1 matchup in a Franchise so I went with the Saints and he was the Lions. The game was on 12 minute quarters with 15 second accelerated clock. I like that set up even in the online games though the stats will show the kind of affect that the faster game speed had on our play. I pulled out the win 9-6 but it wasn’t a pretty sight. 7 total INTs and 10 total sacks. Basically that game speed influenced how we had to play. Either pull it down for a sack (and in some cases get sacked before the drop back animation was completed) or throw the ball up for grabs. With the slower game speed there is time to read defenses and go through progressions, and I just don’t get that same opportunity in these online games.

The website to view Online Franchises is now up and you can check it out here. Enter in your EA Sports World login info to access it. If you search for pastapadre by user you can take a look at the two franchises that I currently have active and browse the stats and rosters. One issue I immediately noticed is that the team logos are swapped on the game info pages. So my players and the game stats are listed below my opponents logo and vice-versa.  For members of the franchises the website also allows for changing depth charts and working trades.

There is still a ways to go before a conclusion can be made on the Online Franchise mode. While I’m excited about getting it up and going just a few small changes could go a long way. Adding an option for game speed or changing the “default” to slow and getting sliders added in would be reasonable requests at this point.

The success of the downloadable 3 on 3 NHL Arcade led to speculation that other “arcade” titles would end up going the same route. That being simplified, compact, downloadable only offerings centered on fun factor at a lower price point. NHL Arcade sold for a reasonable $10 through PSN and XBLM and most found that it ultimately provided good value. With the end of the NBA and NFL Street (and NFL Tour) those two sports are primed for arcade offerings.

It appears that the first one to come with be for football. Earlier today Peter Moore announced that “Madden Arcade” is in development and targeted for a holiday release. This could be really successful considering that time of the year (December and January) are generally dry spells for sports gaming. I would anticipate a game carrying the Madden name to maybe come in at $20, but if they were able to stick at the same $10 as NHL that would be fantastic.

Potentially how interested will you be in a downloadable arcade style NFL game? Leave your thoughts in the comments.

Originally announced back in August of 2007 Backbreaker wowed with early displays of its tackling engine known as Euphoria. Since then it has pretty much been in hibernation. Now though the game appears to be gearing up and intends to prove that it is still around to make an impact.

While at E3 I had the chance to sit down with Rob Donald and Torstein Reil of Backbreaker for a look at the game and to talk about some of the thinking behind it. The meeting actually went for nearly an hour and a half so the time commitment was appreciated.

Backbreaker originally was planned to be an XBL Arcade/PSN offering. However the technology presented an opportunity to do much more. In the years since announcing it NaturalMotion has attempted to build a full featured game based around the Euphoria tackling engine.

One topic of conversation was whether the game would be “sim” or “arcade”. We were in agreement that it is difficult to define what a “sim” is. They were direct in that they do not view the game as competition to the licensed titles. They need to separate themselves and offer a different experience. While they are looking to respect the rules of football Backbreaker isn’t going to be a representation of the NFL. It may not be completely over-the-top but it will be exaggerated and open to different things. Basically as expected it will fall somewhere in the middle.

What seemed to be the biggest focus for the Backbreaker team was accessibility. This certainly is understandable as many people new to sports gaming find them intimidating at first. So the idea is to offer an inviting pick-up-and-play type experience. At the same time they want to make sure to have deeper layers and options that more skilled players can take advantage of.

That can be a difficult balance and as such they are looking at offering two different game modes. One that falls on the simple side and the other on the skilled side. Unfortunately much of how that could materialize either wasn’t shown or hasn’t been built into the game yet.

We’ve known for a while that passing the ball uses the right analog stick. What happens is at the line of scrimmage you have a WR glowing red and he is your primary option. The primary receiver can be changed pre-snap. While in play by hitting the stick up a pass will be thrown to that receiver. Using the LT and hitting the stick left or right will scan through the other receivers.

Receivers will show up glowing red if they are available to throw to while any in blue are no longer options (out of bounds, on the ground). There was some discussion around whether you should be able to throw to them regardless of the position they’re in so that could change. The ball also glows red to help users locate the ball carrier.

When simply using the left stick to run the player will have the ability to perform agile moves but using the RT when running will put the player into aggressive mode where he will go into a sprint and the moves that can be done are more powerful.

The camera angles are a big sense of offering the immersive nature that Backbreaker is going for. They are down low to the field and in on the action.  From what I saw I thought they worked well. Basically it sits behind the player you are controlling. I was most concerned about the transitions between switching players or dependent on where the ball is. The camera transitioned smoothly based on location of the ball because it locks into where the player is looking. And since you are locked into an individual player during each defensive play there is no camera shifting that would come with switching who was being controlled.

The camera angles vary pre-snap on offense based on whether it is a run or a pass. If it is a pass the angle is slightly behind and above the QB, while if it is a run the camera is positioned lower and behind the RB. Because of the camera angles Backbreaker will be utilizing split-screen for local multiplayer. I did note the concern that someone could easily spot run vs pass based on looking over at their opponent’s pre-snap camera angle so hopefully they come up with a way to fluke that or settle in with a moderate angle that works for both.

After the Tackle Alley and tutorials we went to the full 11 on 11 for a few plays. So yes, no more doubting that is what Backbreaker is going for as the core of its game. There wasn’t nearly enough seen to come to any conclusions and not everything is in or completed yet. Just as a couple examples blocking animations and trajectory on passes were not implemented in the build. Non-tackle interactions will need work.

I got my first hands-on with Tackle Alley and that has some potential for being a quick fun option especially online. The controls/player felt a little on the heavy side but I hesitate to make any judgments based on such a short run through.

Graphically the game looks real clean which is probably due in part to the lack of extras such as sideline activity and refs. The stadiums are nicely done incorporating aspects of the cities they reside in without getting ridiculous. I only saw a few but they each had their own unique presence.

Full customization is still in, unfortunately for NaturalMotion the Teambuilder feature in NCAA Football 10 stole some of the thunder of this. But it looks like it will have enough options to create some really cool teams. Hopefully it is as user-friendly as Teambuilder and includes the same option to share amongst other users.

Obviously I can’t go through a preview for Backbreaker without talking about the tackling. I was actually most impressed with this area of the game. Sure there were situations where the tackles looked awkward but there were just as many times where I thought they looked great. On one instance a RB was turning the corner and attempted a stiff-arm only to be dragged down by his arm which was all the defender could reach. At the same time the players love to dive for tackles even after a guy is down there would be times where five more players just dove by for the hell of it. It made for some laughs anyway.

Online play is going to be a big area of concentration as the developers recognize this is the area they could really build a following. Online co-op was mentioned as a possibility but not confirmed. Various mini-games could also suit it well. This really does feel like a head-to-head game, with the customization making it even more enjoyable. The frantic action and big hits seems to fit with the style and being able to include friends taking advantage of their own camera angles on your team would be great.

I did read the IGN preview that may have implied there is no franchise mode. This was not something we discussed. I did note that there were several options on the menu for different modes but they did not desire to go into them at the time.

While there is no release date to announce they did state that they have different targets they are aiming for. The sense I get is the game will land sometime late this year or early 2010 but that is just speculation on my part. They stressed that they do not feel rushed to push the game out. It is more important that it is complete and reaches the vision they have for it. They are looking at building a franchise out of Backbreaker and quality is an important ingredient in that.

I’ve always been open to different style sports games which is why Backbreaker has continued to intrigue me. From what I saw I still recognize the potential but feel as though they may be concentrating too much on accessibility and basing decisions on focus group testing from people who probably won’t buy the game anyway. As I mentioned earlier they stated that there will be depth to the game to satisfy the more knowledgeable players…I just didn’t see much of it from what was showcased.

There is still a ways to go before the game is all pulled together. I was most encouraged by how well the technology applied itself to tacking. However it remains to be seen whether it will be able to offer a true football experience that will satisfy fans of the sport.

Backbreaker remains somewhat of an enigma. Announced over two years ago the game has been in something akin to a PR lockdown since. While the allure of dynamic tackles remains intriguing there has been little else shown from the game and general details have been scarce. Gamestop had put it up for presale on its website and it looked like a fall release for the game with Atari as the publisher, only to pull the listing a few days later putting those things back in doubt.

Earlier today two new screenshots were released for the game. These are the first that really show off what it will look like during gameplay as they display pre-snap alignment and assignments. Click the thumbnails below to view full size.

E3 looms large for Backbreaker. If the game is on display and fully playable (not just the Tackle Alley demonstration) then there could be justification for anticipating it. If it isn’t then questioning of the legitimacy of the game will continue.

I’ve always been open to and enjoyed arcade style games, and Backbreaker appears to be straddling the line between arcade and sim along with the futuristic feel, glowing football, and glowing user controlled player. There is a place in the market for unique takes on the sports as long as they have the fundamentals down and ultimately are fun. Hopefully there will be a breakthrough coming from Backbreaker now that E3 is on the horizon less than two weeks out.

I went into Blitz: The League II intrigued by the campaign mode more than anything. What I found was an interesting story with gameplay that exceeded my albeit tempered expectations. Over the top action certainly, and flawed it was, but just good enough to keep me playing through and allow for the story to be the center of the experience.

Accessibility is a central to me when trying a new game. I have to be able to transfer between different games of the same sport and be able to play them naturally. If I have to think consciously about control schemes I’ve lost focus in enjoying the game. Blitz was able to provide that accessibility as I was able to jump right in while still feeling comfortable. The tutorial videos did an excellent job in explaining the on-the-field features.

One of the best aspects of the game was the voice work. Frank Caliendo as John Madden in the booth was cool to hear although they could have used more lines from him. Jay Mohr as the agent fit right in as well. And while it did get repetitive the injury scenes were brutally cool.

Blitz: The League II is another arcade game in the Top 10 that didn’t reach the heights of The BIGS from last year. It did provide a good story with the decent over-the-top natured gameplay that would be expected. Like NFL Tour when considering the lower price point especially it was able to provide enough value and enjoyment to slide into the Top 10.

#8 Blitz: The League II
#9 NFL Tour
#10 Tiger Woods 09

When EA Sports decided against renewing the Arena Football licensing deal many wondered how attractive it would be to another company. We even talked about that very topic on the Waiver Wire Podcast. Considering the state of the league right now that whole discussion may be moot.

Various sources are reporting that the league is in dire straits and may be coming to an end. If not this year than next. At the root of the issue is that Platnum Equity, which had planned to invest $100 million dollars, may be changing their mind in doing so. There are also worrysome signs in the delay of the 2009 schedule releasing and that the league has not permanently seated a commissioner.

Needless to say no one is going to pursue a license for a league that is about to go under. This could lead to the currently forming United Football League becoming the secondary license for a company that wants to produce a football offering.

NFL Tour is a game that, while lacking in many areas, was still a lot of fun. Tour was able to achieve the accessibility that many other arcade style titles have not been able to. It kept things simple with the control scheme and limited the amount of plays but there was still enough variety to keep things interesting. It was all about the brisk pace, constant action, and offensive prominence. Tour was designed primarily to be an enjoyable head-to-head experience and in that regard it did well.

While Tour wasn’t properly balanced what that did lead to was each game seemingly being decided on a single big play, or by which side would play the clock the best to end up with the final possession and a chance to win. Online play also ran well which resulted in some fun games including the tournament I held on the site. One thing I really look back on is how it got myself and a friend of mine playing against each other again. It had been a while since we had a game that we would go out of our way to play but Tour actually turned out to be just that. In all I ended up putting more time into Tour than I have most other sports titles this year.

No, NFL Tour isn’t this year’s The BIGS. Considering how much I played it and how much fun I got out of it I couldn’t justify leaving it out of the Top 10 though. And what would a Top 10 list be without a somewhat controversial selection?

#9: NFL Tour
#10: Tiger Woods 09