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| The Entertainment Review |
| Genre: Sports Developer: Tiburon Publisher: Electronic Arts |
Most fans of football games enjoy the chance to grab a game, throw it in and get right into the action of the game with the computer or another player online. However, the most difficult thing about playing through a
game is trying to find the time to sit down and play a full game. Even by changing the settings in the game to allow for the shortest time frame available, a single game can easily take a half hour or longer to complete,
which means that players need to find half an hour to put into the game and sometimes that just isn’t possible. For those players that are looking to get their fix with a quick game of football with a little bit of arcade style
action without a time commitment, Electronic Arts has provided players with this type of an experience with the release of “Madden NFL Arcade.”
“Madden NFL Arcade” is a fast paced five on five football game, that feels a lot like “NFL Blitz,” with depth for both the casual and hardcore football fans. Fans will enjoy downloading this game to their system and start
scoring quick touchdowns on the ground and in the air. For those that hear Madden and think of the franchise game, this is a different style of game than the yearly released game. “Madden NFL Arcade” is a fast paced
game revolving around the best five players on offense and defense on the thirty two NFL teams. The football field is shortened dramatically from the standard 100 yard field to a sixty yard field and players are provided
with only four downs to reach the end zone to score, with no possible first downs. If players fail to make it down the field and get a touchdown in the four downs the opposing team takes over with their own set of downs
from the end of the previous drive.
In this game there is no such thing as penalties, and kickers are non-existent, so players will have to rely on the running and passing game to get points. When players are at the line of scrimmage, they will have one of
four play options available, including a run or a pass of three different distances. Defensively players also have four plays that can be used against their opponents, including the blitz and three different levels of pass
coverage. When players are able to score a touchdown, they are given the option of get a free point with no extra work on their part, or try to get a two point conversion through running another play. By default the game
ends when a team scores thirty points, although players have the option to chance the score that needs to be reached for a win, the skill levels and other options to make the game more interesting.
It would seem like the limitations that can be put on the game would be enough to offer a fast paced style of player to keep fans engaged in the game. However, “Madden NFL Arcade” goes one step further with the
inclusion of thirteen power-ups known as Game Changers. These power-ups range from freezing a key player on the other team, adding extra players to the one side of the field, throwing multiple balls to throw off the
defense, swapping scores with the opponent and offering an extra down to the team on offense. Unlike other EA Sports arcade style football games; there is nothing that players must specifically do to earn these skills.
Players also aren’t able to save these abilities to use later in the game. Instead players are given a chance at a random skill at the beginning of each down that can be triggered once the ball is snapped. It is possible
that players will go through a number of downs without getting a single Game Changer, forcing players to rely on their skills to defeat their opponent. For those that feel like this feature is a little bit unbalanced, the
feature can be turned off.
When playing the game players will realize that the visuals in the game are a bit more exaggerated than other games in the Madden franchise. Some receivers and defensive backs are very thin and wiry versions of their
real life counterpart, while the linemen are large hulking behemoths that can offer a punishing power hit with each tackle. The stadiums have also undergone their own creative tweaks, with large firework explosions
during touchdowns and video screens surrounding the sidelines. However, each stadium has been included in “Madden NFL Arcade,” players shouldn’t expect to see much difference between celebrations between
stadiums.
As mentioned before, “Madden NFL Arcade” was designed to offer players with a quick match without players feeling like they have to set aside a large amount of time to play a single game. Most of the matches take
anywhere from five to seven minutes to play, which would allow players to get in one or two games during the halftime break of a real football game. Players will also be able to get together with four friends and play co-
op in a variety of ways, including 1 vs. 3, 2 vs. 2 and four players against the computer. For those that have enjoyed the franchise and are looking for a game that offers a quick fix for football, this is the game to check out.
game is trying to find the time to sit down and play a full game. Even by changing the settings in the game to allow for the shortest time frame available, a single game can easily take a half hour or longer to complete,
which means that players need to find half an hour to put into the game and sometimes that just isn’t possible. For those players that are looking to get their fix with a quick game of football with a little bit of arcade style
action without a time commitment, Electronic Arts has provided players with this type of an experience with the release of “Madden NFL Arcade.”
“Madden NFL Arcade” is a fast paced five on five football game, that feels a lot like “NFL Blitz,” with depth for both the casual and hardcore football fans. Fans will enjoy downloading this game to their system and start
scoring quick touchdowns on the ground and in the air. For those that hear Madden and think of the franchise game, this is a different style of game than the yearly released game. “Madden NFL Arcade” is a fast paced
game revolving around the best five players on offense and defense on the thirty two NFL teams. The football field is shortened dramatically from the standard 100 yard field to a sixty yard field and players are provided
with only four downs to reach the end zone to score, with no possible first downs. If players fail to make it down the field and get a touchdown in the four downs the opposing team takes over with their own set of downs
from the end of the previous drive.
In this game there is no such thing as penalties, and kickers are non-existent, so players will have to rely on the running and passing game to get points. When players are at the line of scrimmage, they will have one of
four play options available, including a run or a pass of three different distances. Defensively players also have four plays that can be used against their opponents, including the blitz and three different levels of pass
coverage. When players are able to score a touchdown, they are given the option of get a free point with no extra work on their part, or try to get a two point conversion through running another play. By default the game
ends when a team scores thirty points, although players have the option to chance the score that needs to be reached for a win, the skill levels and other options to make the game more interesting.
It would seem like the limitations that can be put on the game would be enough to offer a fast paced style of player to keep fans engaged in the game. However, “Madden NFL Arcade” goes one step further with the
inclusion of thirteen power-ups known as Game Changers. These power-ups range from freezing a key player on the other team, adding extra players to the one side of the field, throwing multiple balls to throw off the
defense, swapping scores with the opponent and offering an extra down to the team on offense. Unlike other EA Sports arcade style football games; there is nothing that players must specifically do to earn these skills.
Players also aren’t able to save these abilities to use later in the game. Instead players are given a chance at a random skill at the beginning of each down that can be triggered once the ball is snapped. It is possible
that players will go through a number of downs without getting a single Game Changer, forcing players to rely on their skills to defeat their opponent. For those that feel like this feature is a little bit unbalanced, the
feature can be turned off.
When playing the game players will realize that the visuals in the game are a bit more exaggerated than other games in the Madden franchise. Some receivers and defensive backs are very thin and wiry versions of their
real life counterpart, while the linemen are large hulking behemoths that can offer a punishing power hit with each tackle. The stadiums have also undergone their own creative tweaks, with large firework explosions
during touchdowns and video screens surrounding the sidelines. However, each stadium has been included in “Madden NFL Arcade,” players shouldn’t expect to see much difference between celebrations between
stadiums.
As mentioned before, “Madden NFL Arcade” was designed to offer players with a quick match without players feeling like they have to set aside a large amount of time to play a single game. Most of the matches take
anywhere from five to seven minutes to play, which would allow players to get in one or two games during the halftime break of a real football game. Players will also be able to get together with four friends and play co-
op in a variety of ways, including 1 vs. 3, 2 vs. 2 and four players against the computer. For those that have enjoyed the franchise and are looking for a game that offers a quick fix for football, this is the game to check out.
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