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IGN.com
By Garnett Lee 05/18/2009
Previews
A lot more madden screens avail here.
Early hands-on "previews" are always a good thing and just that, "previews." But I hope that EA can get copies of the game to some community players in late June or early July so that we can hear a "real" feel of what the game will be like when it hits the street. Early builds are just that, and more improvments can be coming, which makes early hands-on previews something EA can benefit from
IGN.com
By Garnett Lee 05/18/2009
Previews
The new Pro-Tak system feels like a potential game-changer, both in defense and offense. Our new hands-on impressions fill you in.
EA Sports finds itself in the usual position as the proverbial boy who cried "wolf" with Madden 10. After so many years of repetition, their annual proclamation of the latest game being the "best ever" sounds increasingly hollow. Not that they could say much else; "A little better than last year" isn't exactly a strong selling point. Nonetheless, when looking back over the franchise's history, the "little bit better" seasons far outnumber the major upgrades. It's too early to tell which tag will apply to this season, but a first, albeit brief, turn playing Madden 10 hints that they're close to another breakout.
It all hinges on how well the new "Pro-Tak" system comes together. That's the catchy back-of-the-box name for the new procedural tackling system that could make a dramatic improvement in onfield action. Madden has been using motion-captured animations for years, which created a trade-off that gave the game its realistic appearance at the expense of players being locked into those animations. But Pro-Tak lets the game step in and adjust those motion-captured moves to fit with what's actually happening in real time, and its implications reach well beyond just the defensive side of the ball.
Despite the reference to tackling in the name, Pro-Tak left its most dramatic impression with me on offense. It came from one of the least flashy, but most important, elements of the game: line play. Playing Madden has always meant adapting plays with the basic assumption that nine times out of ten, the offensive line would miss blocks. Much of this stemmed from the linemen being rooted in place once they started a blocking animation. Pro-Tak solves that by letting them slide and adjust as the rushers make their moves. So, when that defensive end fakes inside and then makes an outside move, the offensive tackle now stays with them. Even with Pro-Tak, though, some old bad habits remained: For every good play I watched, there was one where linemen stood idly by, utterly lost by a simple line stunt.
Even if you're not that hardcore of a football fan, you'll immediately see a difference. Dropping back to pass, a real pocket starts to form, and as the quarterback, you want to stay in there with smaller movements that keep your blockers in position. The old "jam the stick down and run around at the snap" technique doesn't put you in the best position anymore. More than once, I instinctively took off running, only to be greeted by a sack at the hands of an end or linebacker. But when I broke that habit, I found I could slip around, even step up, and buy the time to make a play.
Pro-Tak makes its presence felt throughout the rest of the game. As the name indicates, tackling benefits from the more natural interaction among the players, with the system letting as many as nine players get involved in gang tackles. Any combination of offensive and defensive players can get in on the act, and each one can affect the pile according to the direction they hit from, their size, strength, and related stats. Strong runners who can keep their feet get to pound out a few extra yards, and yes, teammates who come in can help push the mass forward a little more.
More situational aspects of the game benefit from Pro-Tak as well. Fumbles in a crowd now often result in a pile up with players digging in for the ball. The scrum culminates in a button mashing mini game where each side tries furiously to come away with the ball. And like any other ball handler, quarterbacks can now use the right stick to try and break out of sacks; they won't just go down the moment the animation starts. To help get a feel for when to get it in gear, the controller now progressively rumbles as the heat closes in on you. As an added touch, all of the starting quarterbacks in the league now throw with their own unique styles.
Other refinements throughout the game help push Madden further toward its goal of recreating the Sunday experience. All seven referees are now on the field, in their proper places to throw the flags and make the calls. For instance, make a sideline pass, and the side judge comes running to rule on the reception and spot the ball. They've also slowed the game down, and as it stands now, expect Madden 10 to ship feeling 5% slower than last year's game, all to better capture the right pace of real play.
As with every preseason, a number of questions remain to be answered. The demo build played for this preview was early and felt it. Plus, it only offered a handful of Madden Moments to play, making it hard to judge much from it. Nor did it include online play, though it seems like a given that the ambitious plans for this season would include equally significant upgrades to the multiplayer game. But with Pro-Tak leading the way, Madden 10 goes into the new season with plenty of exciting potential.
EA Sports finds itself in the usual position as the proverbial boy who cried "wolf" with Madden 10. After so many years of repetition, their annual proclamation of the latest game being the "best ever" sounds increasingly hollow. Not that they could say much else; "A little better than last year" isn't exactly a strong selling point. Nonetheless, when looking back over the franchise's history, the "little bit better" seasons far outnumber the major upgrades. It's too early to tell which tag will apply to this season, but a first, albeit brief, turn playing Madden 10 hints that they're close to another breakout.
It all hinges on how well the new "Pro-Tak" system comes together. That's the catchy back-of-the-box name for the new procedural tackling system that could make a dramatic improvement in onfield action. Madden has been using motion-captured animations for years, which created a trade-off that gave the game its realistic appearance at the expense of players being locked into those animations. But Pro-Tak lets the game step in and adjust those motion-captured moves to fit with what's actually happening in real time, and its implications reach well beyond just the defensive side of the ball.
Despite the reference to tackling in the name, Pro-Tak left its most dramatic impression with me on offense. It came from one of the least flashy, but most important, elements of the game: line play. Playing Madden has always meant adapting plays with the basic assumption that nine times out of ten, the offensive line would miss blocks. Much of this stemmed from the linemen being rooted in place once they started a blocking animation. Pro-Tak solves that by letting them slide and adjust as the rushers make their moves. So, when that defensive end fakes inside and then makes an outside move, the offensive tackle now stays with them. Even with Pro-Tak, though, some old bad habits remained: For every good play I watched, there was one where linemen stood idly by, utterly lost by a simple line stunt.
Even if you're not that hardcore of a football fan, you'll immediately see a difference. Dropping back to pass, a real pocket starts to form, and as the quarterback, you want to stay in there with smaller movements that keep your blockers in position. The old "jam the stick down and run around at the snap" technique doesn't put you in the best position anymore. More than once, I instinctively took off running, only to be greeted by a sack at the hands of an end or linebacker. But when I broke that habit, I found I could slip around, even step up, and buy the time to make a play.
Pro-Tak makes its presence felt throughout the rest of the game. As the name indicates, tackling benefits from the more natural interaction among the players, with the system letting as many as nine players get involved in gang tackles. Any combination of offensive and defensive players can get in on the act, and each one can affect the pile according to the direction they hit from, their size, strength, and related stats. Strong runners who can keep their feet get to pound out a few extra yards, and yes, teammates who come in can help push the mass forward a little more.
More situational aspects of the game benefit from Pro-Tak as well. Fumbles in a crowd now often result in a pile up with players digging in for the ball. The scrum culminates in a button mashing mini game where each side tries furiously to come away with the ball. And like any other ball handler, quarterbacks can now use the right stick to try and break out of sacks; they won't just go down the moment the animation starts. To help get a feel for when to get it in gear, the controller now progressively rumbles as the heat closes in on you. As an added touch, all of the starting quarterbacks in the league now throw with their own unique styles.
Other refinements throughout the game help push Madden further toward its goal of recreating the Sunday experience. All seven referees are now on the field, in their proper places to throw the flags and make the calls. For instance, make a sideline pass, and the side judge comes running to rule on the reception and spot the ball. They've also slowed the game down, and as it stands now, expect Madden 10 to ship feeling 5% slower than last year's game, all to better capture the right pace of real play.
As with every preseason, a number of questions remain to be answered. The demo build played for this preview was early and felt it. Plus, it only offered a handful of Madden Moments to play, making it hard to judge much from it. Nor did it include online play, though it seems like a given that the ambitious plans for this season would include equally significant upgrades to the multiplayer game. But with Pro-Tak leading the way, Madden 10 goes into the new season with plenty of exciting potential.
Early hands-on "previews" are always a good thing and just that, "previews." But I hope that EA can get copies of the game to some community players in late June or early July so that we can hear a "real" feel of what the game will be like when it hits the street. Early builds are just that, and more improvments can be coming, which makes early hands-on previews something EA can benefit from
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