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IGN Review of Madden NFL 10
Every year there's a new Madden NFL game and every year it seems as though the PSP and PS2 are left in the dust with a lacking offering of modes and features. Sure, these systems may not be the focus for every gamer, but at the very least Sony's handheld deserves some attention. Thankfully this year it seems that EA Sports put a bit more weight behind the portable system and what we get is a much improved football experience – not to mention a brand new mode that PSP fans are sure to enjoy.
The new mode I'm talking about is called Superstar Challenge. Instead of modeling it after one of the new modes added to the console versions, Superstar Challenge has been designed specifically for the PSP and it really shows. Its methodology is similar to Madden Moments in that you play through classic scenarios from last year, but on the PSP you get to do so from both teams' perspectives as either the hero or the spoiler. There are five tiers of challenges that advance in difficulty as you progress and they're all well designed and fun to play.
The other big addition to the PSP version (though it's an addition to both PSP and PS3 versions) is the play designer. Here you'll be able to sculpt your own plays, test them out on the PSP and upload them onto your PS3. I'm sort of bummed that they don't have the ability to design plays and run them in games on all systems, but what's here isn't bad. You can do custom routes, set waypoints and spots for your receivers to pull moves, you can design custom formations and edit old ones. The camera used to design routes is a little restricting, so I recommend using the coach cam most of the time. Otherwise it works well. Now if only they could make the mode standalone on each system, then the game would feel much more complete.
Other modes are more traditional. You'll still find a franchise mode where you'll be able to enter into mini-camp and improve players' attributes and then engage in standard franchise activities. Everything in Franchise Mode is what you'd expect and performs very well week-to-week. Mini-camp Competition allows you compete in the full gamut of mini-camp drills against an opponent. You can also compete in standard infrastructure and ad-hoc multiplayer. I would've liked to see a few new modes added on to the list, but for a 40 dollar handheld title, what's here isn't bad.
The gameplay on the field has also seen some minor changes. First, the passing mechanic that didn't work so well with NCAA Football has been tuned for Madden and succeeds more often than not. Typically when a receiver's icon is highlighted in green you won't have an issue completing the pass. When it's red, that doesn't necessarily mean that your pass will get batted down, more like it's letting you know that defenders are around.
Running the ball still isn't as natural as it is on consoles where you have a right analog stick to pull off juke moves. You can still pull off moves with the left trigger and face buttons on PSP (and you'll get a handy indicator letting you know you've done so) but it's a bit too much of a process when sprinting up the field with defenders stampeding toward you. When you get tackled you'll now notice an icon that pops letting you know to mash the X button to break the defender's grasp if they don't have you wrapped up well enough.
The back of the Madden NFL 10 box touts a new gameplay camera that rotates and zooms in and out to keep all players in focus, but in my experience there were still instances when I was making blind passes. Receivers still run outside the boundaries of the screen thus making certain passes a total crapshoot.
Playing online is a smooth experience as well. I had no lag issues when playing in the IGN office with Greg Miller. The hitches that I did experience were more due to the UMD load times than anything else.
Overall the gameplay in Madden NFL 10 performs very well on Sony's handheld. I still think that the game plays a little slow and there were some wonky physics behaviors every now and again that hurt the experience, but generally it's a solid game of football.
Visually Madden NFL 10 on PSP is a relatively strong package. There are jaggies all over the field and things stutter pretty frequently thanks to UMD load times, but players look nice and colors really pop on the PSP's screen. Animations are solid though not as lifelike as I'd like, even for a handheld.
Audio in the game is serviceable at best. The soundtrack fuels things well enough, but the commentary is downright bad. Hammond and Colinsworth's commentary is boring and not very insightful and the UMD load times just make matters worse.
©2009-08-13, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
The new mode I'm talking about is called Superstar Challenge. Instead of modeling it after one of the new modes added to the console versions, Superstar Challenge has been designed specifically for the PSP and it really shows. Its methodology is similar to Madden Moments in that you play through classic scenarios from last year, but on the PSP you get to do so from both teams' perspectives as either the hero or the spoiler. There are five tiers of challenges that advance in difficulty as you progress and they're all well designed and fun to play.
The other big addition to the PSP version (though it's an addition to both PSP and PS3 versions) is the play designer. Here you'll be able to sculpt your own plays, test them out on the PSP and upload them onto your PS3. I'm sort of bummed that they don't have the ability to design plays and run them in games on all systems, but what's here isn't bad. You can do custom routes, set waypoints and spots for your receivers to pull moves, you can design custom formations and edit old ones. The camera used to design routes is a little restricting, so I recommend using the coach cam most of the time. Otherwise it works well. Now if only they could make the mode standalone on each system, then the game would feel much more complete.
Other modes are more traditional. You'll still find a franchise mode where you'll be able to enter into mini-camp and improve players' attributes and then engage in standard franchise activities. Everything in Franchise Mode is what you'd expect and performs very well week-to-week. Mini-camp Competition allows you compete in the full gamut of mini-camp drills against an opponent. You can also compete in standard infrastructure and ad-hoc multiplayer. I would've liked to see a few new modes added on to the list, but for a 40 dollar handheld title, what's here isn't bad.
The gameplay on the field has also seen some minor changes. First, the passing mechanic that didn't work so well with NCAA Football has been tuned for Madden and succeeds more often than not. Typically when a receiver's icon is highlighted in green you won't have an issue completing the pass. When it's red, that doesn't necessarily mean that your pass will get batted down, more like it's letting you know that defenders are around.
Running the ball still isn't as natural as it is on consoles where you have a right analog stick to pull off juke moves. You can still pull off moves with the left trigger and face buttons on PSP (and you'll get a handy indicator letting you know you've done so) but it's a bit too much of a process when sprinting up the field with defenders stampeding toward you. When you get tackled you'll now notice an icon that pops letting you know to mash the X button to break the defender's grasp if they don't have you wrapped up well enough.
The back of the Madden NFL 10 box touts a new gameplay camera that rotates and zooms in and out to keep all players in focus, but in my experience there were still instances when I was making blind passes. Receivers still run outside the boundaries of the screen thus making certain passes a total crapshoot.
Playing online is a smooth experience as well. I had no lag issues when playing in the IGN office with Greg Miller. The hitches that I did experience were more due to the UMD load times than anything else.
Overall the gameplay in Madden NFL 10 performs very well on Sony's handheld. I still think that the game plays a little slow and there were some wonky physics behaviors every now and again that hurt the experience, but generally it's a solid game of football.
Visually Madden NFL 10 on PSP is a relatively strong package. There are jaggies all over the field and things stutter pretty frequently thanks to UMD load times, but players look nice and colors really pop on the PSP's screen. Animations are solid though not as lifelike as I'd like, even for a handheld.
Audio in the game is serviceable at best. The soundtrack fuels things well enough, but the commentary is downright bad. Hammond and Colinsworth's commentary is boring and not very insightful and the UMD load times just make matters worse.
©2009-08-13, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved