EA Sports Tweaks its Signature NFL Football Franchise
After coming off of the tracks for a few years, EA Sports put the series back on track last year.

So how would they follow up the success from last year?

Well in my opinion and I have played each and every version of Madden since it first showed up on the PC. I have toured the Madden bus, talked to the Hall of Fame coach and broadcaster and I am a fan of his. Not just because his name is on a video game, but because he’s a quality human being who cares about people. You won’t find him turn his nose up at a fan asking for an autograph or a player or even the guy who cleans the stadiums. John Madden means the world to football, but the world is a better place for having John Madden in it. And because of that Madden NFL 2011shares the name of a legend and this game is poised to become a legendary football offering for a number of reasons. I got to listen to his stories and see him interact with Producers and sound people and script writers. I am happy for his success, and I am happy with the changes that have been added to this year’s version of Madden NFL 11.

Many spouses and girlfriends will be happy with the changes as well. In years gone by a quick game would take an hour or two, causing reservations to be missed, movie times to be scrapped and social plans to take a back seat to the proverbial “Just One Game”. The typical Madden game took an hour to complete; now some new modes have been added that can allow one to finish a game in 15 to 20 minutes. EA Sports has simplified the presentation. It still has the NFL bells and whistles, but it aids the more casual NFL fan. Not everyone knows what a 3-4 defense is or a hot corner blitz. This year those fans who want to enjoy the game will get some more help picking the plays and selecting defenses.

EA Tiburon isn’t resting on the success they achieved with last year’s game; they are once again reinventing the Madden experience. They are making the game like they have 20 competitors. They are not sitting back knowing they are the only game in town and creating a shoddy experience. Madden fans are rabid and they expect perfection. For a few years the EA Tiburon motto was “Just Win Baby” like the Raiders, but unfortunately the game played and looked like the on-field Raiders. This year the offering has some big expectations and they are more like the Dallas Cowboys, keeping quiet and taking care of their business.

This year’s game is locked and loaded with a new acceleration system. Last year’s players didn’t accelerate like EA Tiburon wanted so they built a new engine to take care of this issue. Speed isn’t the most important option in the game when it comes to the rating of the skilled players. More emphasis is being put on agility and acceleration.

The right analog stick has been reworked and the new technology allows players to have an assortment of new moves. If you move the stick back and forth, the running back will stutter step. Press the controller to the left or right makes the familiar juke move. If you swing the analogy stick around as if you are throwing an upper cut, you will trigger a spin move in the direction that you rotate the stick in.

Hold the stick forward and the player will tighten up and be able to bowl over players, which you can steer on the fly by guiding the right stick to the left or the right. This is a great technique with fumble prone players, as they will tighten up their bodies and protect the ball more. The ability to guide the movements between tacklers is also good, because you can avoid having a big hit put directly on the ball.

Flick the stick down and you will initiate a high step for avoiding diving tacklers.

Getting used to the new system will take some time. But Madden players put in a lot of time and its part of being a Madden and an NFL fan. The new locomotion engine doesn’t just improve running the ball, receivers can be maneuvered to try and keep their feet in and make that chain moving catch on the sidelines. The new defense also improves the defense, cornerbacks close faster on receivers and defensive tackles with speed can get to the ball carrier quicker.

One thing that isn’t included in this year’s version of Madden is the sprint button. It has been eliminated. While this might draw the ire of some finicky Madden fans, it makes the game more realistic and less arcadey feeling. While this sounds like a devastating move that could hurt sales of the series. EA Canada put the boots to the same acceleration move in their NHL series and no one really complained “that much”. After playing a few versions of the new game, the new locomotion engine revolutionizes the way the game plays.

If you own last year’s version of Madden this game has enough changes to make it worth purchasing when it is released on August 10th on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. A new Super Bowl experience is going to be added to Madden NFL 11, but EA Tiburon didn’t let the cat out of the bag on that mode, but they will and we will have all of the details for you.