The general concept found in previous editions of
Madden remains largely unchanged, but this is to be expected without changing the fundamental rules of football. All of the modes found in previous Madden games are found here, some of which have received additions and upgrades with Franchise mode benefiting from the two biggest additions. Player Morale adds a bit of a
Sims-like twist to the game. As G.M., you have to keep track of your players' morale, which directly affects their play on the field. If a player is down in the dumps, you have to figure out a way to get his spirits up. Some gamers, who are more interested in playing football then pandering to players' needs, may not like this mode, but I found that I grew to like it since it gave me more of a personal investment in my team. Plus, the problems are pretty realistic, giving some substance to the digital players. The mode still has a way to go before it can deliver what it's trying to, but it's a nice start.
Player Morale plays directly into the other big addition to Franchise mode, Storyline Central. Let's face it, half the fun of being an NFL fan is watching the off-the-field antics of players. Whether its Terrell Owens running his mouth or Randy Moss demanding the ball more, watching the over inflated egos of the “Kings of Bling” is more entertaining that the games they play in. Storyline Central is EA's attempt at getting this drama into Madden. Storylines are handled by three different sources, newspaper articles (both national and local), email, and the Tony Bruno radio show. Reading national papers will give you an idea of what other teams are going through, while local papers will give you an idea about what your team is going through. Issues can range from just about anything, but usually involve your starting players complaining about a lack of playing time (or money issues). Like the Sports Illustrated covers in the NCAA games, the newspapers aren't all that insightful or interesting, but they do a great job of letting you know what's going on.
If a player is having issues, you'll hear about it via emails. Most of the time the emails aren't all that helpful, but they can give you an idea about the mentality of your players. This is a good way to monitor which of your players will have production problems, indicating you need to change up your playing style to better suit them or start looking to make a trade. The Tony Bruno show is one of the more interesting ways of getting info. Its pretty obvious that all of the segments were prerecorded and are about as general as they can get, but it's totally worth it to hear some of the player interviews, play the trivia games and listen to the callers.
Also among the new features are two new mini-games: Two-Minute Drill and Rushing Attack. In Two-Minute Drill, you're given two minutes to do whatever you can with your offense before switching sides and letting your opponent have a shot. Pulling off big plays on both sides of the ball nets big points. Whoever has the most points at the end wins. Rushing attack works in a similar manner, only here the game is centered on a running back and three defensive players. Like Two-Minute Drill, big plays get big points.
The Online mode remains unchanged, which is great since it was never a problem. The most notable feature in this mode will come in a few weeks (if it isn't already available) with the EA Sports Premium pass. Costing $20 a year, this pass will grant players premium perks not available to everyone (don't worry, online play is still free). Perks include personalized career pages, league play, and early registration for the Madden Challenge (a 32-city Madden tournament).
