Preview: Madden NFL 10 for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3

 The Madden football franchise has been a household name in the video game industry for over two decades. Developed by EA Tiburon, who is also responsible for the NCAA football series as well as the Nascar series, has definitely got the NFL experience down to an art. After over a decade working with John Madden and other NFL insiders to bring the most realistic sports simulation to the consoles, the tag line they have placed on the game this year is to Fight for Every Yard.

Anybody who has played Madden, has become familiar with some of the basics that have been in all of the Madden games in the last few years. You will have your standard modes like play now, season and franchise. This year Madden is enhancing the franchise mode, by creating a highlight show for your team. This is still under wraps in a sense, but it sounds like an awesome idea. Each week possibly having analysis and video of your games would be a great idea, similar to what the late ESPN NFL 2K series had with their SportsCenter updates.

EA Tiburon has yet to fully reveal their new online features, but they have stated that they will be delivering "the most comprehensible online offerings in franchise history." It will be interesting to see if they take modes from other EA Sports games this year and implement them into Madden. Most notably, the Be A Pro mode that was introduced to online play in NHL 09 and Fifa 09. Gamers were able to get online, create their single guy, and gather other players to form a team and take on other teams.

Over the years Madden has emphasized certain aspects of gameplay that have added to the authenticity of the game. One year they focus on offense, like with the quarterback vision they had a few years back. Then they focus on the defense and throwing in the hit stick. This year is no different, as they focus on the intensity of the on field battles. As was seen in last year's game, players could be involved in gang tackles. This meant, if an offensive player was hit by a linebacker, you could have a couple other defense players, join in to make a big stop and prevent a first down. The same concept is present here, only EA Tiburon has taken it to the next level by adding the number of players involved to a whopping nine. There is also a new blocking system for the big guys up front to get in on the action of blocking down the quarterback's passes.

Adding to this, is the ability to fight for fumbles from the bottom of a dog pile. We all know, how often this happens in the NFL, so it will be exciting to be able to be a part of that exciting play as well. On the offensive side of things, players can also now, drag teammates across the first down markers. This new animation technology is being called Pro-Tak.