Another year has passed and I’ve always wondered what EA could do to make a popular franchise game even better than the previous year. Now before we get into the review, you have to understand that this review is written by someone who lives in the UK and not the USA, has only ever watched Football and the closest to playing the game is on the Xbox.

Gameplay:

From the start you can see that EA have streamlined the menus creating a more user friendly interface, in fact if you have played any of this year’s EA sport titles, you will notice that the menus are all the same style, which is great for familiarity. As this game is available worldwide, EA should realise that not everyone has grown up playing football and watching the Sunday or Monday Night game, so all the trimmings like Franchise mode and Be an NFL Superstar are great if you know what you are doing, like trading and other team management but if you are like me, I just want to play the game. You have your quick play, Live and various quick modes whilst those mini-camps have been replaced with a Virtual trainer.

Onto the game – everything has been geared up to mimic an actual televised game, from the commentary right down to the sponsors. What I noticed being the biggest change to previous years is that EA have slowed the game down, making it more realistic and slightly easier to work out what is actually happening on the field. I also like the fact you can change the play call style to match your knowledge of the game from Beginners (the game selects the play for you) to Hardcore (you practically live and breathe the game). The players are more responsive but I feel like the opposition knows your play before you even start and unless you choose a team with great stats, you are going to find it hard to beat the AI. Other features you are more than likely to come across during the game are the multiple men and fumble pile ups, which are all part of EA’s new Pro-Tak.

At the end of each game, you are subjected to the Extra Point show. The show gives you a weekly recap and breaks down the highs and lows of your franchise.

Great at first but after watching it a few times, you start to bypass and move onto the next game.

Graphics:

There was never going to be any doubt that this game will look fantastic. The players are beautifully rendered mimicking their real life counterparts and the animation is superb. Every little step has been taken to make you feel like you have overall control of the player allowing you to spin, stiff arm, jump and dive. To continue to go on about the graphics would be pointless as you can tell EA have gone to a lot of trouble to make sure this feature stands out. Unfortunately there are a few gripes I have, for starters the crowds are fuzzy looking and it appears that they are more of an afterthought when you compare them to the rest of the scenery. There are the occasional graphical glitches such as players running through each other.

Sound:

Ahhhhh, why does commentary sound so good at first but then becomes the most annoying thing in the world. Enough said !!

Longevity:

Each game can last up to an hour, with a full season consisting of 17 weeks and than you have the play-offs and pre season games. You will also spend some time selecting your drafts but the main area will be LIVE that will make this game last for awhile especially the 10 year Online Franchise Mode. This feature allows you to trade, draft and check your stats with 31 friends.

Overall:

Each year, I say that if you don’t own a copy of Madden’s and you like NFL football, than this is the game for you. You will not be disappointed by the gameplay, graphics or Live. Overall, this is a massive leap from previous years.