The Madden series has made a serious push to make things simpler and more streamlined in recent years. Which is fine, we guess, but we like Franchise Mode.
The 3DS version of Madden won’t have it, though. It’s making things as simple as possible, with the GameFlow play selection option on by default and controls simplified to make things a bit easier.
There are some cool things here, though. You can draw out routes for receivers before plays on the touch screen. The 3D visuals look nice, though there’s no reason for the score to take up that much of the primary screen, and for the first time on a Nintendo portable, the whole thing feels like its big brother.
The demo forced players to use the Patriots against the Falcons, in what the rep said was “a misguided attempt to predict the Super Bowl.” The players clearly have attributes and physical differences, but the screen is small enough so that it’s not really noticeable. In the full game, there may be more dynamic camera angles and replays to show off the game’s engine.
Though it wasn’t being shown, there will be a 5-on-5 mode in the game as well as the traditional 11-on-11, and that is supposed to have a more exciting, action-oriented feel.
