The returning broadcast team of Tom Hammond and Cris Collinsworth are decent, but you can almost turn Collinsworth's analysis into a drinking game, as he gets generic and repetitive after a few games. On the plus side, his analysis during the 'Backtrack' replays is fantastic, smartly pointing out missed opportunities. The referee conferences and measurements are a nice touch, but the game seems to go a bit overboard with them when you see one on a play where the player fully lands in the end zone. They can scrap the bland halftime and weekly 'Extra Point' shows next year. They are too dry and force you to skip through each segment separately. Using NFL Network anchors rather than leveraging EA's relationship with ESPN also seems like a missed opportunity.
The online functionality receives a major upgrade this time around, with two huge additions. The tried and true one-versus-one games and lobbies all remain intact, but you now have the option to play co-op against the computer with another player over Live. They have the right thought, but the execution could use some work. Each player gets their own camera, zoomed in and centered on their player. It turns the game into a confusing mess on both sides of the ball, especially when changing players mid-play. It would play better with a camera that held the same angle as the single player game, and simply centered the view on your selected player. In addition, it would be a lot more entertaining and addictive if you went up against another co-op team, rather than the computer.
The new online franchise mode sounds like a much better addition, although official servers were unavailable at the time of this review. The online franchises allow you and thirty-one friends to take full control of a team, molding your team from one year to the next; including live drafts and trades. An upcoming free iPhone app will make it easier than ever to stay in touch with your league, even allowing roster management on the go. Madden NFL 10 is easily and by far the all-together best game of the franchise. How well the online leagues take off will largely depend on how active gamers are, but it is impossible not to admire their desire to deliver something special for longtime fans. As always there is a bit of room for improvement next year, but that room is much smaller in Madden NFL 10 than in years past.
