Video Game Review: Madden 2010

When I bought my first copy of EA Sports Madden NFL for SNES as an 8-year-old in 1997, I was hooked. And since then, I, like many others across the world, have been obsessed with the video game franchise. Since its inception in 1989, the game has taken many turns and has tried many new things, most of them for the better. With this year's edition of Madden 2010, EA has taken another step in the right direction. One of the biggest criticisms of the Madden series is that some say it reached its peak years ago, and that EA is just repackaging the same game with different rosters. Those people would be very wrong if they played this game. This year's edition of Madden is by far the best football video game that has ever been made. One of the things that has defined the Madden franchise is its great gameplay and realism. Although the in-game appearance and controls are mostly the same, the big change that has been made to the game is its presentation. It is a much more neutral game than in years past. Last year's game was really fast, so EA slowed down the game to allow the player to be able to make more moves with ball carrier and control tacklers better. My favorite new feature of Madden 2010 is the addition of the online franchise mode. Online leagues can have as many as 32 players, include live drafts, real NFL scheduling and message boards. The only problem that I have with this year's game, except for a few glitches in gameplay, is the commentators. Chris Collinsworth is horrible to listen to. Yet, despite some mistakes, Madden 2010 is so good that EA is a few years away from making a "perfect" video game. This year's game shows us just another reason why the Madden series is the best in football.