Sticky Situation: Will My Thumbs Be Able to Handle More Complex Madden NFL 10 Controls?
I’m excited to get my hands on the newest iteration of everyone’s favorite NFL video game – Madden NFL 10. I have added the release date to my calendar (and getting psyched for the early August PSN demo). I have dreamed of this year’s release, excited that a sports game that I really enjoy will include trophies. There’s only one thing I’m having a hard time grasping – the controls.
I’ll admit that I took two years off from the franchise (I was just that bitter about the E3 announcement that Madden NFL 08 would only be 30 fps on PS3, but 60 fps on Xbox 360). And now after being out of the game for so long, it’s not going to be easy to sort out all of the intricacies with the control scheme.
As EA Sports strives for more realism and expanded gameplay, they are running out of places to put the controls for it! It seems like too much is being stuffed into one place – the right analog stick (er, ONLY analog stick for PSP). This year we will find yet another new “stick” feature under our thumbs. Wait, how many sticks does that make now?
- Madden NFL 04 introduced the Playmaker stick to make pre-snap route adjustments
- Madden NFL 05 added the Hit Stick on defense for big fumble-inducing, stick-flickin’ hits
- Madden NFL 06 brought us the Truck Stick which was basically an improved Hit Stick but for offense. Also new was QB Vision (using right analog) for precise cone-lit passing
- Madden NFL 07 delivered with the Highlight Stick, a refined Truck Stick with more finesse
- Madden NFL 08 and 09 didn’t have any new right analog functionality but I didn’t buy them (did you already forget?!)
- Madden NFL 10 picks back up with the QB Avoidance Stick which you use to avoid pressure in the pocket. As our friends at PastaPadre describe, “By hitting the right analog stick the QB will make a quick move. Push up and he’ll step up in the pocket, right to shift right, and left to shift left.”
Quick hide these from EA Sports before they assign more complex controls!
I probably missed a few right analog controls in there (feel free to add them in the comments), but I think the continuously expanding controls create a serious barrier-to-entry that intimidates new players to the franchise. What do you guys think? Does anyone else have friends that won’t buy Madden because it’s just “too late” for them to start learning?
Oh and while I’m here - please, EA Sports, stop branding every new game engine enhancement as its own technology! Last year it was Madden IQ, the Adaptive Difficulty Engine (ADE), EA Sports BackTrack, EA Sports Rewind, and the all-new Total Control Animation System. This year it’s EA Sports Pro-Tak, Adaptive AI, Procedural Awareness, Madden NFL Your Way, and the aforementioned QB Avoidance Stick. While internally I’m glad the team is refining the game, each year these buzz words make it seem like the game is completely reinvented when much stays the same (if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it). If you want a real insider’s look into the behind-the-scenes technology in the game, I recommend reading the posts from Sr. Producer Ian Cummings at the Madden Blog and ignore the marketing mumbo jumbo.
9 Responses to “Sticky Situation: Will My Thumbs Be Able to Handle More Complex Madden NFL 10 Controls?”
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May 1st, 2009 at 1:07 PM
Credit to funnyjunk.com for the pic (via Google images)
May 1st, 2009 at 2:58 PM
with every sports game it seems they fill the need to add more and more controls and its getting tough on an old man like me
May 1st, 2009 at 3:20 PM
I don’t understand why they have to add more controls to improve a game. There are many other ways.
May 1st, 2009 at 3:55 PM
That’s why I don’t play sports games. Too many control/actions to remember to get anywhere…
May 1st, 2009 at 4:14 PM
@SPD55,
I LOVE sports games – but just think EA does a poor job of explaining the controls from within the game and removing controls in future versions. They only seem to ADD not REFINE.
May 1st, 2009 at 7:01 PM
i dont understand the problem. dont you want to use as many different advantages as possible? isnt it realistic to be able to side step or step up in the pocket? im glad they keep adding. i can agree they may need to refine but i dont find any flaw in adding things. yeah its a little more complex but its not like you have to use it or even acknowledge that its there if you dont want.
and i dont think madden has nearly the learning curve of other games… for example warhawk or fifa. i for one used to not play with my friends cause i was terrible and ended up buying ‘09 and am actually beating some friends who have played for years. i dont think its too late. madden isnt nearly as hard as fifa to pick up. in my opinion at least. i own both so that just how i feel about it.
May 1st, 2009 at 10:51 PM
sports games are getting old and stale…. the EA games just come out each year with a couple new features, and somewhat updated graphics and they expect you to shell out another 60$…piss off sports games!!!!
May 1st, 2009 at 10:57 PM
Everyone’s FAVORITE NFL sports game? How about the ONLY NFL sports game.
I am a big football fan, but I’ve grown to hate the Madden series. Imagine if they released Resistance: Fall of Man over and over again, every year. Oh, the 2009 version has a new added control where you can shoot TWO grenades from the carbine at once! YAWN.
I’m not knocking your article. I liked it and thought it was well written. But I have to say that if anyone doesn’t understand the value of competition in the videogame industry, just look at Madden. It’s the only NFL game on the block. No competition from anyone. That’s a big reason why Madden isn’t as good as it SHOULD be.
Not COULD be. SHOULD be.
They can add new features and new controls until they’re blue in the face, but that game will continually under-achieve every year.
May 2nd, 2009 at 11:35 AM
What a great article this is exactly how I have felt about Madden controls for so long It is good to know I am not alone.