Boom! A Comprehensive Madden NFL 10 Review (Part One)

NFL Hall of Fame coach and announcing icon John Madden retired this past year, but the franchise that bears his name will continue to put out the latest in NFL action every year.  This year, we're out of the "Zeroes."  Simply titled "Madden NFL 10," one of the world's most popular video game series continues on.  But how does it stack up to former incarnations?  Here's part one of a comprehensive review.

Game play

Any user who hits "play now" upon inserting Madden NFL 10 into their XBox or PlayStation will be looking to check out the game play first.  The Madden series has always been out in the forefront of game play, trying to make the tackles more biting and the animation more realistic.  How is it this year?

You can expect to see more variation when it comes to the game animation.  As games become more advanced, a greater degree of control can be exercised over the action.  In other words, what you do will more closely shape the outcome of any given play.  This puts the user in the front seat for the action, but could require a little bit of experience before you truly get the hang of it.

There are also some entertaining features in the game play.  You'll notice referees acting like real NFL referees as well as sideline supporters like the "chain gang" getting involved every once in a while.  It does add a dose of reality to the simulation.

The big change here?  A system known as "Pro-Tak," as GameSpy notes.  You'll notice interesting events when a player fumbles and a more realistic pocket of protection forming around the quarterback.

Audio

One of the problems with the Madden franchise in recent years has been the audio.  John Madden is no longer doing the voice work for the games, which means it, well, just doesn't feel like "Madden" anymore.  Madden's replacement on television, Cris Collinsworth, handles the "color commentary," but it just isn't the same.

You'll also notice a few problems with the audio, such as play-calling audio overlapping with game commentary.  Not everything is perfectly smooth or impressive, and the Madden franchise's obsession with focusing on the animation of the game play (to the detriment of other areas of the game) seems to still be present.

Stay tuned for part two of the Madden NFL 20 review!