I recently got a new phone; an LG Dare. I decided to buy a game to see what it could do, and after scouring the entire library of available games on the Verizon network (and reading some reviews) I settled on Madden 2010. At $10, Madden is one of the more expensive games on the Verizon network. Is it worth it? Read on.
After quickly downloading the game, it was installed and I was looking at the menu screen. There are three pretty standard modes of play; Play Now, Exhibition and Season. They are all exactly what you'd expect.
What you might not expect is just how fun and satisfying a football game can be on a touch screen phone.
When the initial kickoff takes flight, you are immediately struck by the graphics - Madden 2010 is essentially a N64 game squeezed into a cell phone. The motion is very smooth for the most part and the animations are quite good. The hit and tackle animations in particular are exceptional. Of course, Madden is fully licensed so all 32 NFL teams are represented.
The control scheme is a combination of a standard 8-direction digital pad located on the lower-left corner of the touch screen (directional toggle on non touch screens) and an "OK" circle that becomes visible in the lower-right anytime an action is available.
So here's how it plays out:
Touch the screen and the ball is snapped. The QB automatically drops back and starts surveying the field. Circles pop up on screen to represent your receivers and the "OK" circle is visible in the lower-right. The circles representing your receivers change colors depending on the action on screen. The colors are: green for uncovered, yellow for partly covered, and red for completely covered.
As a receiver comes open, you tap the "OK" circle, followed by the icon of the receiver you wish to throw to; on this play it was Adrian Peterson. A.P. catches the ball and starts up field. The "OK" icon pops up again, Tap it and the action freezes (actually slows down to a near stop) and a series of icons pop up representing different moves available to your ball carrier, such as spin move, hurdle, dive, change of direction, speed burst, stiff arm and others. I select spin move and Peterson spins, splitting two defenders and continuing up field.
As the "OK" circle refills another defender approaches from the side. The "OK" button fills up...I tap it and select stiff arm. A.P. sticks his hand in the defenseless defender's face and knocks him to the ground. As he resumes his upfield assault, the "OK" meter fills up again - I select celebrate inside the 10 yard line and A.P. holds the ball out behind him, taunting the defense as he struts into the endzone for six.
The controls are very well designed and give the action a very cohesive feel that is rare in mobile games. I have played nothing but this game for three straight days. If a cell phone game can keep me away from my Xbox 360 or PC, it must be pretty damn good.
One of the game's best features is the save system. If you exit the game for any reason - to take a call, text message or because you need to stop playing, your game progress is automatically saved at the moment following your last completed play. This save feature makes it very convenient for playing in short bursts.
Madden 2010 mobile is a fantastic game - the best I've ever played on a mobile device. It is fun, deep, and offers super tight controls. If you love football or just good games, you can't go wrong with this one. Pick it up.
