Madden NFL 10 is a game that I've been waiting for with bated breath. Every year a new Madden comes out and claims to redefine professional football video gaming and every year it's nothing more than the same game with an updated roster and a few additions that add nothing to the overall authenticity that Madden strives for. I feel it also necessary to say that the greatest video game football experience came five years ago with 2k Sports' ESPN NFL 2K5. Before that game, and since it's passing, there has never been a better football simulator. Therefore, every year since EA sniped up exclusivity on the NFL license, and the 2K series ceased to exist, I've approached the Madden franchise with a sense of hesitation. And up until this year, I've never been sold on the product EA Sports was pushing. But for Madden NFL 10 the developers at EA Sports have gone back to the roots of their title and enhanced them enough to make Madden NFL 10 feel fresh, even if it still misfires in a lot of places.
When I say Madden NFL 10 goes back to its roots, what I mean is that the most additions, upgrades and fixes were pumped into the actual game-play of Madden NFL 10. Thank god, it's about time. From a game-play standpoint, Madden NFL 10 feel authentic. Players movements finally feel fluid and realistic. The amount of animations have once again been beefed up so you barely see the same thing twice, and most importantly, a lot of game-play mechanics have seen a major overhaul thanks to the Pro-Tak system.
Pro-Tak is a new development tool created by EA Sports that allows for up to nine players to participate in gang tackles, fights for fumbles in a dog-piles, quarterbacks sensing an oncoming blitz, and defenders more authentically breaking through blockers. It really never gets old to be plowing through a line of defenders as a running back, bouncing off each with fluid animations, until you finally run into that wall of players that all grab hold of you from different angles and begin to wrestle you back a few yards. But just when you think things are over, your tight-end runs up to the gang tackle from behind and begins to push against the mass of bodies to help your runningback recapture those lost yards. It's amazing to witness.
Fighting for fumbles in a dog-pile is also a very cool addition that really helps make players feel more comfortable with the outcome of a loose ball. Fumbles in video games have always been a pain in the ass, roll of the dice affair. However, with this new Pro-Tak addition players finally feel in control of their own destiny when the ball hits the turf. But don't fret, these pile-ups don't happen with every single fumble, only the ones that have a number of players circling around where the ball drops. If your quarterback gets his shit stuffed in by a linebacker and the only other person around is a defensive-end, odds are that DE will be picking up the ball and running it back a ways. But when the dog-piles do happen, be ready to press the right button combination in order to win the fight and control of the pigskin.
The new swim moves for defenders with Pro-Tak are also a blessing, making it a whole lot easier to work your way past the offensive line on your way to the quarterback. This is mostly because these swim moves are now mapped to the right analog stick. No longer do you have to mash on the right and left triggers to swim like a madman. Instead you can just push the right stick left or right to push through that asshole blocker not letting you by.
