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Madden NFL 10

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5.9 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 56 critic reviews
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Based on 58 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: EA Tiburon

Genre(s): Sports, Football

Players: 8

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Release Date: August 14, 2009

Summary

Experience first-hand what it's like to Fight for Every Yard in Madden NFL 10. With the all-new Pro-Tak animation technology, players have more control over the outcome of each play. Whether driving a receiver towards the first down, or battling for a fumble at the bottom of a pile, the play won't end until the whistle blows. Add to that the most immersive broadcast presentation and online innovation to date, and Madden NFL 10 captures the authenticity and emotion of the NFL like never before. Pro-Taks's all new animation technology provides unprecedented control over the outcome of every play. Drag defenders towards the first down marker, including up to 9-man gang tackles, fight for a fumble at the bottom of the pile, and evade the rush with all-new quarterback avoidance actions. Enhanced play at the line of scrimmage features a new blocking system that allows the quarterback to step into the pocket and gives the defensive line more control over the rush. Authenticity - Referees peeling players off a fumble pile, the chain gang rushing in to measure for a key first down, and all-new player equipment ensure that if you see it on Sunday, you’ll see it in Madden NFL 10. Fight for Online Dominance - Delivering the most comprehensive online offerings in franchise history, Madden NFL 10 includes new modes to satisfy the competitive and cooperative football gamer. New TV broadcast-style presentation and cinematic cameras bring the suspense and intensity of the NFL to your living room. Enhanced Franchise Mode - Run each aspect of an NFL franchise: draft players, sign free agents, manage the salary cap - just like a real GM. Enjoy all of the action throughout the league via a new, network inspired highlight show. The most customizable version of Madden NFL to date. Alter gameplay options to adjust the experience to your liking. A revamped play calling system and menu takes you to kickoff faster than ever before. Speed up online matches with accelerated clocks, streamlined presentation and more. [Electronic Arts]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Madden NFL 07 Madden NFL 08 Madden NFL 09

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

ZTGameDomain

A fantastic addition to the series, and quite possibly the best football game ever created.

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Planet Xbox 360

Easily and by far the all-together best game of the franchise.

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XboxAddict

Overall Madden 10 is a great football experience for anyone who doesn’t have animosity for EA and isn’t a fan boy of the former competitor.

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GameShark

In the end Madden 10 is the kind of game that I am willing to look past the shortcomings because what’s good is really, really good. It’s worth putting up with the faults in order to experience what works.

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Gaming Age

So whether you’ve played Madden year after year, or have been a hold out since the 2K franchise’s demise, all fans of the pigskin will be happy to hear that this is the Madden to own no matter who you are. Not only is this the best representation of the franchise to date, but is quite possibly the best football title to date.

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GamerNode

It seems that Madden has finally caught up to the new generation. Madden NFL 10 is a hit, and football fans everywhere will rejoice at what it has to offer.

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Totally360

Overall Madden NFL 10 is a fantastic title. It is one of the best Madden titles released in quite a long time.

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Cheat Code Central

An outstanding game - the best the series has ever seen. A great technical foundation has been laid with this year's outing, and true Madden fans will appreciate the package EA has put together.

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GamePro

There's a noticeable focus on keeping you actively involved in the game and it's an effort that succeeds in spades.

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TeamXbox

Madden 10 eclipses last-year’s effort in content, realism and value. Gameplay? Well, that’s more of a wash when compared to last year, and gameplay holds a lot of weight.

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GameDaily

If you rarely play online or have a slow Internet connection and hate micro-managing, stop reading now and go buy last year's game instead. If you don't fit into either of those molds, then this will be the most satisfying experience playing virtual sports ever.

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Official Xbox Magazine

Complementing the on-field awesomeness is Year Two of online franchise mode. It’s better than before — you can even manage it from EA’s website or from your iPhone — and we encountered no issues during our testing.

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Kombo

More than ever before, Madden looks, feels and plays like any given Sunday. If you purchase one football game this decade, this is it.

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Destructoid

The improvements -- the tackling, the animations, the authenticity in general -- work together to make this one of the best football titles ever created. There’s no reason not to own this thing if you’re looking for a videogame that recreates the NFL experience in a fun, immersive, and competitive way.

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DarkStation

Madden has slowed down a bit in Madden NFL 10, but in terms of performance it has ramped up to a new high.

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Gamervision

Luckily, the plethora of new additions makes the nagging issues less offensive. It just misses being the football messiah many Maddenites are claiming it to be, but Tiburon has found a way to take their successful formula to the next level, creating a football experience that’s not only incredibly satisfying now, but has me looking forward to where they go from here.

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GameFocus

There’s no such game as “Perfect” but Madden NFL 10 and the development team over at EA Tiburon continues to offer the greatest football experience year after year. The Online Franchise and the possibility to play with a friend online are welcomed additions and the overall product is a must have for any Madden hardcore fan out there.

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GameSpy

While this latest effort has its share of missteps, it's still the best Madden in recent memory. Gameplay is king, and Madden NFL 10 is plain and simple a hell of a lot of fun to play. This is a must-have for football fans.

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Eurogamer Italy

Following FIFA's path, EA improved Madden keeping in mind the most important thing: the gameplay. It is deep, interaction is great, the action bring to an experience that you can feel in any other sport title of the publisher. There wasn't the hurry to find something new with Madden, but the work done is great anyway.

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MEGamers

An impressive all around performance from Madden this year makes it the best Madden recently released if not of all time.

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Gameplanet

It’s hard to believe that EA’s Madden NFL 2010 is the 5th Madden release on the Xbox 360. Each incarnation has built upon and improved on the previous. Madden 2009 made the series and the sport itself accessible to the masses – so how much room has the latest release got to move?

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Gamer Limit

Greatly improved gameplay mechanics make it a long lasting gridiron enjoyment. Overall Madden NFL 10 is a step in the right direction for the series and well worth the upgrade from Madden 2009.

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Game Over Online

If you are a fan of the series, this is a no-brainer to pick up, but even if you are even a mild sports fan, you cannot go wrong with Madden NFL 10.

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SpazioGames

Madden NFL 10 may well be the best Madden game. This is a great pickup for any football fan. Franchise mode is great this year. A lot more features added to give you a more in depth look at your team, and what is happening around the league. Online franchise is a great addition.

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Game Chronicles

It's the best Madden game yet. But it's just not that huge a leap from Madden 09 to recommend an upgrade.

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IGN

Madden NFL 10 doesn’t redefine the series or innovate in any monumental way, but that doesn’t stop it from being a truly great football game.

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Game Informer

A real standout is the game’s gang tackles, which allow some control in moving the pile, but at the same time is not too powerful.

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GameTrailers

It's hard to argue with the general direction the series has taken, and most players will be happy with the end result, but if you're hoping for a game where true skill always determines the winner there is some disappointment to work through.

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Da Gameboyz

Overall, Madden NFL 10 is a nice little upgrade over last year’s game. That being said, "little" is the operative word.

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Play.tm

A stimulating, compelling game of gridiron.

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Console Monster

The improved gameplay adds realism but doesn’t take away the user-friendly experience is a definite asset, especially to a beginner. Most Madden games don’t add much to the game to warrant a purchase every single year, but the amount of tweaks in Madden 10 is definitely worth a look at the very least. It’s safe to say Madden 10 is the best Madden yet!

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Extreme Gamer

The Madden game franchise seems to be on a gradual climb towards perfection that shows no signs of ever stopping. After all Madden EA Sports has produced, you have to wonder if they will ever stop, even when they have perfected their craft. Madden NFL 10 is closer to the real sport of football than anything we have ever played.

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Talk Xbox

New gameplay and presentation tweaks and the all-new online franchise are welcomed with open arms, but disappointments from The Extra Point, online co-op, and the commentary don't make it the greatest Madden game ever.

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WonderwallWeb

Madden NFL 10 is a great game but does not really offer enough over last years version. It may be the best American Football game out there but original it isn’t.

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GameZone

While the slower pace might cause some of the more hardcore fans of the series to take issue, it allows those not completely at home with the control scheme to finally be able to pull off some technically impressive plays, making it one of the most accessible Maddens yet.

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Multiplayer.it

In our opinion Madden NFL 10 is possibly the best ever American football game ever to grace a console, thanks to the work the team is making every year to improve on the formula. Improvements are subtle, but constant with each release.

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MondoXbox

Madden NFL 10 goes on with the slow but steady progress of the EA franchise: despite this edition isn't full of big news, the game remains must buy for every Football lover, and thanks to the extensive tutorials it could attract people who are interested but not familiar with this sport.

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Worth Playing

For all of the things that Madden NFL '10 does right, it's certainly not the perfect experience. It's easily the finest incarnation of the series since the arrival of the 360 and PS3, and it signals the first true statement as to how the future of the series is going to be.

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1UP

Football fundamentals matter now. Successful plays come from knowing the situation, calling the right play, making a good pre-snap read, and then executing -- the same criteria that determines the outcome in a real game.

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Gamer 2.0

If you have a solid internet connection and have the time to dedicate to the game’s impressive franchise mode, Madden NFL 10 is a must-buy. But if you’re a more casual gamer just wanting to play this game for a bit, you might be better pressed to get last year’s version of the game.

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Game Revolution

Madden 10’s improvements also highlight just how rusty the A.I. has gotten over the years. Spit and polish have taken the series far over the last two decades, but this is the first sign that maybe a more substantial revision is due.

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Eurogamer

EA should take a page out of FIFA's book here: focus on the game. Every iteration - pre-alpha onwards - sit down and play a full game, 15-minute quarters. If it feels 'right', then you're on the right path.

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RealGamer

Madden NFL 10 may not have taken huge leaps and bounds forward, but the game does build on last years solid instalment. Tweaks in a few key areas, most notably the games AI mean the game provides a more realistic and fluid experience of the NFL.

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Games Radar (in-house)

While Madden 10 is our favorite football game of this generation, it suffers from trying to do too much. We love the new gameplay engine (more, please!) but could’ve happily done without most of the presentation “improvements” that get more irritating with each game.

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VideoGamer

It’s no doubt the most authentic. The biggest problem is how inaccessible it is. As a Brit who understands how the sport works, and who played Madden back in 2000, the game can still be a mind-bending, frustrating exercise in trial and error.

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MS Xbox World

Overall, this is a massive leap from previous years.

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Official Xbox Magazine UK

Heaven for the fans, tough love for the rest. [Oct 2009, p.86]

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AceGamez

Gameplay finally feels more akin to the sport we watch on television, successfully capturing some of the chaos and brutality of the real game.

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X360 Magazine UK

Refines its engine to the most impressive degree. [Issue#50, p.92]

DarkZero

Despite the issues Madden NFL 10 has, the bottom line is the gameplay is as tight as it has ever been, with the new tweaks adding to an already accurate American Football experience. A few niggles here and there prevent this from being an essential crossover sports title, so for now, Madden NFL 10 will satisfy the current fanbase rather than appeal to a new one.

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Games Master UK

Tougher on NFL newbies then (which lots of us Brits are) but arguably more rewarding for the hardcore, Madden NFL 10 is an intriguing step forward for the series, while also - perhaps - a slightly alienating one. [Nov 2009, p.86]

GamingTrend

If you can live with adjusting the sliders until you get the right feel, or can't live without the most current roster, or are salivating at playing a league with 31 of your closest football buddies, then you will find Madden NFL 10 worth the price of admission. If you can't though, then you might want to consider that annual purchase.

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GameSpot

It's almost as if Madden 10 represents a back-to-basics philosophy for the franchise, taking the focus away from fancy modes and even fancier presentation elements for the purpose of making the sport itself the main draw, but there are still many lingering problems.

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Gaming Nexus

Madden NFL 10 creates solid fun but doesn't bring a polished experience. While annoyances are disappointing, the game play is good enough to pick up the slack.

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Teletext GameCentral

Another incremental improvement that adds some welcome new features but fails to fix old ones.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

Madden NFL 10, like every installment, makes further strides toward looking as glossy and polished as any high-definition Sunday-afternoon football broadcast. Which could be to blame for the series’ ongoing stagnation. Watching football and playing football are dramatically different, and over the last 21 years, EA seems to have forgotten that.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 5.9 (out of 10) based on 58 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Jeff J gave it a2:
Gang tackling is ultra fake. You basically have 185-pound guys shaking off about 850 lbs. of DTs and LBs. This game is all about breaking tackles in a bogus and unrealistic manner. Tapping the buttons for a fumble recovery will be a 1-year novelty like the flashlight mode. WTF is this? Track and Field? Playbooks are extremely rudimentary. There's not really much that's good about this game.

J Y gave it a2:
Perhaps the most frustrating Madden to date. Madden 10 plays like a football game of the NFL 2K Franchise. Last years Madden was praised for its gameplay, something it had sorely missed the two years preceding (07, 08). This year's gameplay has taken a couple steps back rather than forward. The gameplay is slower paced as players have very dicey movements and cannot cut like in lsat years version. This year the game also took out the "Pass Commit and Run Commit" features. Come the end of the day, Madden's consumers purchase the game to have fun, it is one thing to try to up the game's realism but to do so at the cost of fun gameplay is not the correct path. After all it is a video GAME simulation, not the real thing.

aj gave it a3:
Eh, the fact that you have to spend an extra 20 bucks ta grab all the toted features of the game set it back a couple points. it's slower, the gang tackling is "meh", rbs still somehow manage to grab an extra 5 yards after falling down (when they clearly could not irl), player ratings are shoddy, also gone is the weapon system that i actually came to enjoy as is the rewind system that was only in place for a single game, etcetc. seriously considering selling it off (this coming from "one of those guys" that pre-ordered the shit back in february and went to the midnight opening since the early 00's). the positives are few and far in between, but the player models/graphics all around are the best out of any madden game. instead of putting in crap music as per usual, they went with solid classics. and devin hester's still the fastest dude in the game.

Jason F gave it a10:
Madden is FINALLY back - this is from a long time 2k'er. These low reviews are asinine...Madden is no worse than a 9/10, I give it a 10/10 because they added two things everyone has always wanted - online franchise and great broadcast-style presentation.

Joe P gave it a9:
This is the best Madden yet. The game play has been slowed down to be more true to life, the new tackling engine is great, the graphic presentation always gets better. The result...a better game than ever. Don't listen to "iam cool" this is worth the money for any football fan.

Greg S. gave it a5:
Downward slide from last year. Coop play/camera angles are a joke and was clearly added to sell games. Animation is still bad. Game play looks good as long as you are zoomed in during a replay, but is more sluggish than I have ever seen it. Last year was an improvement, this year was again a let down. Seriously guys, you stop wasting your 1 yr dev time on stupid side games and fix your fundamental crappy game. 2K is still kicking your ass five years later. We have no choice but you for football, and it shows in your game. Stop letting us down. Rent this before you buy and you will see. All hype, no passion.

Cody B gave it a10:
Let me just start off saying I absolutely HATED Madden 09. Now that I have that out of the way, I have waited for a football game to come out that is as fun as 2k5 and this is it. Yes it has its faults but the good parts totally wipe the faults away. The pro tak system makes this game and it makes it great! I can't put it down.

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Madden NFL 10

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Summary

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