Madden NFL 11 for iPad- Great Gridiron Game

App Name:	Madden NFL 11 for iPad
Platforms:	iPad
Publisher(s):	Electronic Arts
Version Reviewed:	1.0
Genre(s):	sports
Release Date:	August 10, 2010
Price:	$12.99
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Are you ready for some football on your iPad? I hope so, because EA Sports is here to give it to you. While Madden NFL 11 for iPad will never compete with it’s console cousins in terms of immersive, definitive virtual football, this version strikes a nice balance between the sports realism of the Madden franchise and the more casual play experience most iPad owners will be looking for.

The basic gameplay is some of the most complex I’ve experienced on the iPad, though not so complex that I couldn’t pick up on it after reading through the help guide. Most of the game is spent controlling the player with the left control stick and tapping action buttons on the right, though what these action buttons are can change at a second’s notice as the game progresses. Electronic Arts wisely kept things tucked under your thumbs so that even things like receiver selection can be done without having to reach across the screen.

The game has been streamlined for the more casual iPad player, though, so it’s not as complex as it might be on an Xbox 360.  For example, quarters run only three minutes, which means that you can get a game played in under twenty minutes. Also, there’s no franchise mode, that favorite of die hard Madden players; though there is a season mode, which gives you some of the fun of building a team, trading players, and chasing a championship.

Perhaps most valuable to casual players, though, is the Game Flow mode, which can suggest and execute an “optimal” play each down, on both offense and defense. EA claims that Game Flow can learn your playing style and suggest plays in accordance to your tastes, but I haven’t noticed that in my time with it. Instead, it tends to call conservative plays, usually involving runs or short passes. But still, it’s a handy feature, especially on defense.

My favorite game play feature is Total Control mode, which allows you to slow play down so as to better respond to the action. Action on the virtual gridiron can take place far too quickly for the average player to respond effectively; so Total Action Time let’s you consider things, Matrix-like, for a few seconds of increased response. Its especially useful when throwing passes, and on defense, where, for once, I finally felt like I could control some of the action.

I also became a big fan of customizing routes and defense assignments. This is not a feature that is new with Madden for iPad, but it’s one that works great on the iPad screen – the ability to draw routes on-the-fly, even during a play, and save those routes to your playbook. On the iPad, this means being able to draw directly on the screen. The computer then smoothes out your route and adjusts it accordingly.

Because you can draw right on the screen, this is so effortless and cool that it became my favorite way to play defense. Normally, I don’t play defense; I let the computer control everything, because playing videogame football on defense is always a pain. I still do that, but now I can adjust the defense before the play, or even pause the action and adjust my defenders to respond to sudden changes during the play. Want to run a zone defense, but still man-cover their top WR? I can do that.

Speaking of touch controls, I also have to love kicking the ball, which is just as easy as a thumb flick. I’m so glad they didn’t go with some sort of timed slider control, like you might get on a console.

So, yes, Madden 11 for iPad is a great football experience. That’s not to say that it is perfect. For one thing, there is a certain chunkiness to some of the finer controls, mostly due to touch responsiveness issues. EA really should look into this, as it’s probably the biggest problem with the game: tapping a receiver to throw, only to have the touch not register, and then getting a defender in the face before you get a chance to tap again; or tapping the spin move on a runner, only to have him not execute and get tackled. These little frustrations happen too often to be dismissed, though certainly not often enough to ruin the game. But it definitely needs addressing in a future update.

There are other, little things I could nitpick about. For example, the graphics are great, but the animations suffer a little; perhaps because the graphics are so good, they can sometimes get a little choppy or even slightly out of sync. The playbook is awkward to navigate, with an annoying and lengthy page turn mechanic and no ability to skip pages or jump directly to a desired play.  And the voiceover is simply forgettable – John Madden has maybe a dozen different phrases in the game, and by halftime you will be sick to death of hearing them.  Luckily, they can be turned down or turned off (or replaced with the in-game iPod player).

So, are there a few blemishes on this game? Sure. Will die-hard Madden console fans dig it? Maybe not. But as a more casual player, I have to call it like I see it: Madden NFL 11 for iPad is a heckuva good time. Yes, there are some control issues, and yes, the graphics and animation sometimes stress the iPad’s resources, but I’m willing to overlook those. At its core, Madden NFL 11 is a great football title that will be sure to appeal to any iPad owner who’s ready for some football this season. And with a fun-sounding Vintage Football mode, as well as multiplayer mode and free roster updates, in the game’s future, it’s well worth the download.

Our Score: 4.5/5

Madden NFL 11 for iPad is $12.99 at the time of this review.

Its iPhone version is $7.99 at the time of this review.

About the Author

Writer@Large Brian P. Hudson is an educator and freelance writer currently living in Dearborn, MI.

 

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