Madden NFL 10 | Final Review

Jimmy James 70 Says Blood and sweat. Pain and broken bones. The men who play football aren’t playing around. I’ll leave it to the 300-lb linebackers and the 7-foot tall quarterbacks to risk it all on the grid iron. For me, I prefer my overstuffed chair, a cold drink, and a bowl of chips. I give new meaning to the term ‘armchair quarterback,’ and I’m proud to say I took the Raiders to the Super Bowl and won, even though I had to restart the game three times. Who knew Barber could run the ball so well? That’s right, only in Madden NFL 10 would you see a headline such as, “Raiders Defeat Cowboys in Super Bowl XLIV.” The Raiders and Cowboys haven’t been Super Bowl contenders in years, or maybe even decades, and yet in Madden it’s all possible.

I took a lowly team like the Raiders and a QB like Russell, and turned them into champions. The ratings for my star players shot up like a rocket after that first season. Asomugha is now rated at a 99, Russell is into the 70’s, and McFadden broke into the 80’s. They still have a ways to go to be considered a Manning or a Tomlinson, but that’s the beauty of video game football: I can take them to the highest highs.

Franchise mode, at least for me, is really the way to go. Yes, I did play several matches on Xbox Live, and I also lost several matches on Xbox Live. It was a little disheartening to know I suck so incredibly bad. But after a few games at My Skill level and pummeling the Steelers with no problem, my confidence levels went right back up. I do have to say though, EA is doing an excellent job with the online games. I experienced no lag, no dropped games, and thankfully, my opponents kept their mouths shut and I never ran across the typical homophobic racist who’s become all too common in online matches.

Then there’s the age-old question of, “Do we really need another Madden?” And the answer my friend, is Yes, we do need another Madden. Every year. Every August. Another Madden. Why? Because the game keeps getting better and better. The graphics are getting better and better. The controls are getting better and better. The announcers are getting…well, they’re the same, but Collinsworth has grown on me and I actually like him on Sunday Night Football. No one will replace Madden, but Collinsworth is worthy (and he puts to shame those MNF guys).

The chances are very likely that I’ll be here in August and September of 2010, discussing Madden NFL 11. And once again I’ll be saying, this game rocks. It’s adrenaline pumping, it’s ego-boosting, and it’s addictive like all good games are; so now I ask you, “Are you ready for some FOOTBALL?”