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Monday, April 26, 2010
New Madden NFL 11 Screenshots
07:03 PM - April 26, 2010. Posted by Steve_OS. Written by Steve Noah

Check out some of these new Madden NFL 11 screenshots.

Game: Madden NFL 11Hype Score: 5.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes: 166 - View All
NCAA Football 11 Video Interview (thezoneblitz.com)
06:39 PM - April 26, 2010. Posted by Lava.





Game: NCAA Football 11Reader Score: 8/10 - Vote Now
Platform: Xbox 360 / PS2 / PS3 / iPhoneVotes: 30 - View All
Madden NFL 11 Interview with Developer Ian Cummings (VGrevolution)
06:07 PM - April 26, 2010. Posted by Steve_OS.

Game: Madden NFL 11Hype Score: 5.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: Xbox 360 / PS3Votes: 166 - View All
NCAA Football 11 Video: First Look at Presentation Upgrades
06:02 PM - April 26, 2010. Posted by Steve_OS.
NCAA Football 11 Designer Ben Haumiller shows off Lighting, ESPN Integration and new replays in NCAA Football 11.
Game: NCAA Football 11Reader Score: 8/10 - Vote Now
Platform: iPhone / PS2 / PS3 / Xbox 360Votes: 30 - View All
Are you more of an offline or online gamer?
05:36 PM - April 26, 2010. Posted by Steve_OS.
Are you more of an offline or online gamer? For those voting on the homepage, the poll is on the right side.

EA Draft Night Athlete Interviews
05:20 PM - April 26, 2010. Posted by MMChrisS. Written by Christian McLeod
As part of the EA Sports Draft Preview Party last Tuesday, I was lucky enough to sit down with three of this year's top picks. I asked them some hard hitting questions about the Draft, gaming and the all important Madden 11.

So what do three future NFL stars have to say about the world of sports gaming? Read on to find out. Jahvid Best knows what site to visit.

Read More - EA Draft Night Athlete Interviews

Game: NCAA Football 11Reader Score: 8/10 - Vote Now
Platform: iPhone / PS2 / PS3 / Xbox 360Votes: 30 - View All
According to Kotaku and Ian Cummings, 350,000 people played Madden NFL 10 online once, to never return to another Madden 10 online game again. That is a crazy number, don't you think?

Originally Posted by :

"An estimated 350,000 people played last year's Madden NFL 10 once online and never played it online again, series creative director Ian Cummings recently told Kotaku.

He and publisher EA are mum on online multiplayer details for this summer's Madden NFL 11, but that's a number the creators of one of gaming's biggest franchises clearly wants to reduce.

More than a third of a million people dare to go online with a game and never try it a second time? Something or somethings are scaring them away."
Game: Madden NFL 10Reader Score: 8/10 - Vote Now
Platform: Xbox 360 / PS3 / WiiVotes: 57 - View All
Madden NFL 11 Hands-On Impressions (Gameinformer)
02:57 PM - April 26, 2010. Posted by Steve_OS. Written by Steve Noah
Gameinformer has posted their hands-on impressions of Madden NFL 11.

Originally Posted by :

"Running the ball isn’t the only aspect of the game the new locomotion engine improves. Receivers finally try to keep their feet inbounds when making a catch on the sidelines. Backs and receivers immediately square their shoulders and turn upfield when catching comeback passes or screens, which finally eliminates their frustrating tendency to run backwards in past Maddens.

Defenses also benefit from the new locomotion system. Cornerbacks with amazing closing speed can bait quarterbacks into throwing their way by playing loose coverage, and star defensive linemen with impressive acceleration ratings explode toward the quarterback after shedding blocks.

After playing a few games of Madden NFL 11, I can’t stress how drastically the locomotion system revolutionizes the gameplay enough. It may look like a subtle change when watching footage of the game, but once you have the controller in your hands and hand the ball off to a dangerous running back, you realize how empowering the new system is for skill players. If you’re one of the disgruntled football fans who has forsaken Madden for its past transgressions, this could be the year to jump back on the bandwagon if everything comes together."
Game: Madden NFL 11Hype Score: 5.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: Xbox 360 / PS3Votes: 166 - View All
Madden NFL 11 First Look (ESPN Videogames)
02:56 PM - April 26, 2010. Posted by Steve_OS. Written by Steve Noah
ESPN Videogames has posted their first look at Madden NFL 11.

Originally Posted by :

"As for my immediate impressions (remember, I only played about a quarter), I loved the new control scheme and the focus on player ratings beyond speed. Now you can really tell when a player lacks the agility turn on a dime (defenders now need to take the right angles to make plays as the lack of turbo eliminates the makeup speed), and the focus on acceleration is a lot bigger than most people might realize until they get their hands on the controllers. As for the CPU picking your plays? When I was first told, I was skeptical, but the longer I played, I actually started to like it more than I initially thought. Not only does it speed up the game, but it makes you more like a player on the field, needing to execute the game plan rather than taking 30 seconds between every whistle to figure out what you're going to do next. The fact that you can simply audible out or call your own play with one button press also makes a big difference. Besides, if you can really play two games in the time it used to take to play one, that's a difference that is not only unexpected, but a complete game-changer. Forget the days of failed features like the passing cone and lead blocker control. This year "Madden" is giving you the one thing that matters most, and that's time. Or in this case, more time to play "Madden."
Game: Madden NFL 11Hype Score: 5.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: Xbox 360 / PS3Votes: 166 - View All
I can't help but feel we are due for a pretty special year in Sports Gaming. Here are approximately three reasons (I counted them last night and it came to 3 at least) why sports gaming could be simply awesome the rest of this year:
  1. Top Flight Titles are Coming into their Own -- Say what you will about any of the top flight titles out there right now such as Madden, NBA 2K or MLB: The Show. You can say how some might be getting stale and how others haven't realized their full potential yet...but you can't say top flight titles are bombing quality wise anymore, unless you want to be regarded as nothing more than a chicken little. Each game representing major sports brands is starting to really mature and come into it's own. The rest of this year is going to bring good game after good game, with a stray game or two wondering into the realm of greatness.
  2. Mobile Gaming is breaking ground -- If you have a phone capable of mobile gaming or if you own an iPad...you likely already know this isn't a secret anymore. But anyone wanting to extend their sports gaming onto mobile platforms has nothing holding them back now. You can even buy and play popular text-sims in the Apple App Store now. Mobile gaming has never been so popular, or so good.
  3. A lot of 'other' games out there -- Outside of the major brands, there are several other titles which are going to be making strong appearances in 2010. UFC is back for an encore, EA Sports MMA promises to be strong, Skate 3 is coming, and Gran Turismo 5 allegedly might actually be released this year (although I also heard a rumor about Aliens landing near Detroit as well from the same news source). Simply put, the titles which may or may not become staples are going to be numerous and of pretty high quality.

So what about you? Do you have any reasons why you think the rest of this year might just be awesome for sports gaming? Share yours by commenting!

Chris is the Executive Editor of Operation Sports and maintains this blog on the site. He is also a native Oklahoman and avid storm chaser. You can follow him on Twitter @ChrisSnr.
Blog: The Home of Sanner
Split/Second Demo Available Now For 360, May 11th For PS3
11:34 AM - April 26, 2010. Posted by Steve_OS. Written by Steve Noah
Split/Second Demo Races onto Xbox LIVE® online entertainment network

Disney Interactive Studios announced today a demo of Split/Second, the action racing game from award winning Black Rock Studio, is available now on Microsoft's Xbox LIVE. The Split/Second demo will be available exclusively on Xbox LIVE until May 11, when it will also become available on the PlayStation®Network. Set within the world of a fictional reality TV show, Split/Second gives gamers the opportunity to not only race to the finish line, but also trigger explosive events to take out opponents, alter the track and become the season champion.

The demo will allow players to experience the Airport Terminal level in race mode. Players will race through a fictional airport terminal taking out opponents by triggering events, such as bringing down the air traffic control tower and a remotely piloted cargo plane, in an exciting race to the finish line.
Winner of the prestigious Game Critics Award: Best of E3 2009 for Best Racing Game, Split/Second will be released in North America on Tuesday, May 18 and in Europe on May 21. Split/Second is rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older and will be available for Xbox 360®video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and Windows PC.

Game: Split/SecondReader Score: 9/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes: 1 - View All
Madden NFL 11 Hands-On Impressions (OS)
09:54 AM - April 26, 2010. Posted by Steve_OS. Written by Christian McLeod

We have just posted our Madden NFL 11 hands-on impressions. Find out what Christian McLeod has to say about his time with the game.

Originally Posted by :

"At EA’s recent community event, I was able to sit down with Madden developer Ian Cummings and get a very early hands on with Madden 11. With the tagline "Simpler," "Deeper" and "Quicker" being emphasized, I was able to take a look at some of this year's gameplay improvements that the Madden team feels will elevate Madden 11 to the next level."


Read More - Madden NFL 11 Hands-On Impressions

Game: Madden NFL 11Hype Score: 5.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes: 166 - View All
Madden NFL 11 Hands-On Impressions (Gamespot)
09:10 AM - April 26, 2010. Posted by Steve_OS. Written by Steve Noah
Gamespot has posted their hands-on impressions of Madden NFL 11.

Originally Posted by :

"Other noticeable changes in Madden include a new kicking meter and increased use of the d-pad. Instead of using the right stick to kick, you'll have a horizontal meter that appears on screen. After aiming your direction arrow, you press a button to set a cursor in motion on the meter, hit the button one the cursor is on the right side of the meter to gauge power, and hit the button a final time once the cursor returns to gauge accuracy. Last year's kicking meter didn't really bother me, so I'm not exactly sure why it's been revamped but I didn't miss any kicks with the new system, so it doesn't seem to be that big of a deal."
Game: Madden NFL 11Hype Score: 5.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes: 166 - View All
Madden NFL 11 Hands-On Impressions (Destructoid)
09:08 AM - April 26, 2010. Posted by Steve_OS. Written by Steve Noah
Destructoid has posted their hands-on impressions of Madden NFL 11.

Originally Posted by :

"In designing GameFlow, Tiburon looked at NFL game film from the 2009 season to determine each team’s playcalling tendencies. From that data, they created a bank of plays for each offensive situation you might find yourself in. Say you’re playing as the Colts, and it’s 1st-and-10. If you hit A/X to use GameFlow, the computer will pick from a selection of plays that the Colts actually tended to run on 1st-and-10 last year. Of course, if you’re scoffing as you read this, fear not: you can always press X (square on PS3) to delve into your full playbook, just like the old days.

But Madden 11 even takes the extra step of encouraging old-school playcallers to use GameFlow by including a complementary “gameplanning” setup. If you shudder to think of the CPU picking a play for you, then you can go in and customize the banks of plays yourself, so GameFlow will be choosing from your list of plays. For example, if you decide that you don’t like what the Giants called on third-and-short in 2009, then you can set one to fifteen plays that you want GameFlow to pick from in that situation. Since you’re likely to have preferences among that list of plays, gameplanning includes an iTunes-style five-star weighting system -- a play with a 4.5-star rating will be chosen much more often than one with two stars. The same setup applies for defense, only the situations correspond to the formation in which the offense is lined up instead of a particular down and yardage. Best of all, you can use your gameplan online."


Madden NFL 11: Satisfying the hardcore and casual markets

Game: Madden NFL 11Hype Score: 5.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: PS3 / Xbox 360Votes: 166 - View All
Madden NFL 11 Hands-On Impressions (VGRevolution)
09:06 AM - April 26, 2010. Posted by Steve_OS. Written by Steve Noah
VGRevolution has posted their hands-on impressions of Madden NFL 11.

Originally Posted by :

"The first change gamers will see is the new play calling system called “Game Flow”. Game Flow is a system that takes the playbook out of your hands and gets you right to the action on the field as quick as possible. If you use Game Flow what will happen is your offensive and defensive coordinators will be calling the plays, which for the most part is what happens during a real game. If you have a headset on the coordinators will actually tell you what plays are being called, and even explain the reasoning of the call. If you don’t wear a headset there is an on-screen text pop-up with the information. While this is a great system for the rookies out there, and will cut gameplay times in half. Hardcore fans will feel letdown and will end up going back to the normal play calling. The addition of the coordinator communication is neat, but was a bit shallow. It would be nice to hear them offer suggestions as you flip through the playbook, and even better make recommendations on if you should challenge a call. I’m sure the less experience will enjoy it."
Game: Madden NFL 11Hype Score: 5.5/10 - Vote Now
Platform: Xbox 360 / PS3Votes: 166 - View All