Madden 10 Football Game Reviews

Madden NFL 10 Review
from www.gamespot.com 7.5

A number of features make Madden NFL 10 a more realistic and enjoyable portrayal of football, but a few problems--both old and new--continue to trouble the series.
The GoodPro-Tak gives some oomph to the game Online franchise works well Passing game feels more realistic Streamlined menus make it easier to jump around. The BadCommentary is still pretty bad Downfield run blocking still needs work AI defensive schemes are a little inconsistent Enough with the referee cutscenes.
With every new Madden release, there are almost always one or two features that get the bulk of the attention--features that not only make the current Madden different from its predecessors, but also seemingly make the upgrade from one year to the next worthwhile. Madden NFL 10 is no different in this respect. Some of its new features are substantial, like the long-awaited Online Franchise mode or the new types of tackles generated by the Pro-Tak system, but it feels like most of what's new in Madden 10 is less glossy and far more granular, affecting only the mechanical aspects of the football experience. It's almost as if Madden 10 represents a back-to-basics philosophy for the franchise, taking the focus away from fancy modes and even fancier presentation elements for the purpose of making the sport itself the main draw, but there are still many lingering problems.
There's evidence of this philosophy in the way prominent features from last year's game take a backseat. For example, last year's Madden Test--which assesses your ability based on a series of cool-looking hologram drills--is back, largely unchanged, but it's buried under the quick-modes option. Even the stylized menus from Madden 09 are gone and have been replaced with a more streamlined interface that lets you get to where you need to go quickly, whether you're signing a free agent or trying to look at some key stats.
Obviously, this is of great benefit to the Franchise mode (both online and off) since the most fervent Madden players spend a good portion of time navigating in and out of menus to build the best team possible. But aside from that, the Franchise mode remains unchanged on a superficial level. It does include a new presentation element in the form of a show called The Extra Point, hosted by the NFL Network's Fran Charles and Alex Flanagan. This functions as a recap and halftime show that goes over the basic stats of a specific game or the results of the previous week with some very light commentary that doesn't offer all that much insight. However, one aspect of this show reveals one of the Franchise mode's biggest potential shortcomings.
At the end of any week, The Extra Point gives a player the Offensive Player of the Week or Defensive Player of the Week award, depending on his position. Despite numerous occasions when players had an almost supernatural performance for five-minute quarters, not once did any of them receive the recognition. They were always awarded to individual players on AI teams. After looking at stats of these players from other teams in the Franchise mode, it becomes apparent that there are two parts to this problem. The first is that some players, like Tom Brady, are just that good and should probably win such awards, but the second is far more devious: stats don't seem to scale properly for five-minute quarters. In other words, when the computer plays its games, those stats are designed to reflect full quarters, or at the very least, they reflect a simulation of a "full" game. They aren't representative of truncated quarters where there simply isn't as much time to wrack up as many yards, completions, sacks, or touchdowns as the stats suggest.
It's hard to gauge how much this affects other aspects of the Franchise mode, such as player progression--if it does at all. At the end of every season, a player's overall rating changes based on a number of factors, including overall performance, potential, and age. But even this process seems a little inconsistent. One player, who was also injured for most of the season, received the biggest hike in the overall rating, while another player in the same position, who was far older and had an OK season, dropped only a single point. There is just no way to tell how the categories are weighted and if playing truncated quarters means that your players won't progress the same way that players on computer-controlled teams do.
Fortunately, playing an online franchise mitigates a lot of these problems provided you fill most of the spots with other people and not just computer-controlled teams. But it also has its own share of issues--the biggest being that there aren't any salary restrictions for free agents. If you happen to see a top-tier player out there and want him on your team, all you need to do is clear a spot for him on your roster and it's done. Granted, players participating in a franchise can determine whether or not to let things like that happen, depending on how dedicated they are, but it seems silly to not have some restrictions in place by default. Likewise, CPU trades can happen unchecked--you can dump the worst player on your team for the best on another if that team happens to be controlled by the computer. Thankfully, the commissioner can turn this off completely, but it would have been nice to see some additional parity between the offline and online Franchise modes when it comes to some of these front-office features.
Still, the online Franchise mode does a lot of things really well. Those who have played NCAA Football's Online Dynasty will instantly recognize the basic setup where all participants flag whether or not they're ready to play the week. If some players lag behind, the commissioner can force the franchise to move forward, and if the commissioner cannot fulfill his duties for any given week, he can promote another player and have him take on the role. Additionally, the commissioner can set the amount of time players have to make their decisions in the draft--a useful tool for making the 54-players per roster fantasy draft run a little smoother.
Whether you're playing offline or online, Madden NFL 10's gameplay tweaks are equally evident in either situation. The much ballyhooed Pro-Tak system (a fancy term for better gang tackles) works as advertised, with numerous players clinging to the ball carrier before dragging him down in some situations. This feature also adds some much-needed muscle to the running game, making it feel as though you're really fighting and scraping to get those few extra yards out of a run on offense and stuffing a running back with five or so players on defense. At the same time, however, it seems easier to evade solo tackles in Madden NFL 10 than it did in previous Madden games, allowing you to execute some spectacular breakaway plays if you're on offense. This generally happens when you have a one-on-one situation--something like a running back against a cornerback. If he performs a single spin move on that corner, there's a pretty good chance that running back is going to break for at least a 20-yard run, if not a touchdown. That might not seem completely unrealistic until you see it happen over and over again, or when you see a normally less-than-agile tight end perform the same feat.
Madden 10 does have an inadvertent method for preventing too many breakaway plays, which takes the form of poor downfield blocking. Imagine running the ball up the field. You've blown by the linebackers and the corners, and there's only your back holding the ball, a teammate, and a safety. Too often, your teammate will run in the opposite direction (back toward the linebackers) instead of running forward and taking out the safety to clear your way to the end zone. This also happens near the line of scrimmage where the fullback will occasionally run forward and then suddenly dart to the side and completely miss the linebacker who's bearing down on the halfback. Of course, these things happen in the real NFL, so it's not unreasonable to expect them here, but they happen too often.
There are similar gaffes in the overall defensive schemes of AI opponents. In most games, it genuinely feels like the AI sees the plays you're running, analyzes what's working and what's not, and then adapts accordingly to shut you down. There are also times when you have to work the run before you can get any sort of passing game going. Then there are the stretches in a drive of a different game where you can run the same play repeatedly, and no matter what the AI does, it can't seem to stop you--and this is with the AI using some of the best defensive teams in the league, no less. Still, it's worth noting that pass defense is generally better and more realistic, and it's far more difficult to abuse the same pass play made to the same player on back-to-back downs, even on slant routes. The AI also seems to be particularly adept at making it difficult to throw the ball more than 15 yards down the field in a consistent manner, but this better pass defense also means that the frequency of interceptions is still relatively high.
Part of the reason the pass defense is better is that quarterback behavior falls more in line with real-world boundaries. If a quarterback who has no scrambling ability at all tries to throw a ball on the run, there's a good chance he's going to fling the ball up in the air with little accuracy. Likewise, if your quarterback doesn't have the best arm strength in the world, then you simply shouldn't try to launch the ball down the field. It's important to find a rhythm and to pinpoint the things your quarterback is good at doing as opposed to trying to abuse the same routes and force the ball down the field. And if you get to the point where you can combine that skill with the ability to identify a blitz, you can kill the defense with a huge gain almost every time. But one major complaint with the position is still this: Quarterback sneaks are still way too easy to abuse. Forgoing a punt and running a QB sneak on fourth and two should be a much greater risk than it currently is.
Fatigue on the default setting plays a much greater role than it did in previous games, which makes it harder to abuse other types of plays. If you keep passing to your star receiver, that receiver's stamina will drop to the point that he automatically gets pulled for a play or two before being sent back into the game. The same applies to your running backs. Unfortunately, the game also seems to punish repetitive play-calling with injuries. Your teammates go down way too often in Madden 10. Most of the time it's a small injury that takes a player out of the game for a few plays, but the bigger injuries (ones that take him out for the rest of the game) occur more than you'd suspect or want. There are some occasions when you have the option to bench a player after his injury has been assessed. Oftentimes, however, he'll automatically return to the game even if the injury has been deemed as "medium," which means there's a high risk for an even more severe injury.
Madden 10's look is an improvement over last year's game, but most of it comes in the form of finer details on the player models, such as patches, and presentation elements that help give the game a more broadcast-TV feel. Cutting back on the number of referee deliberation cutscenes would have been nice. As it stands now, they run far too often. In addition, the stadiums look fantastic, but there are some nitpicky issues here and there. At various times, and for no discernable reason, the fans in the stands will face the wrong way with their backs turned to the field. Also, the depth-of-field effect (where objects in the foreground are blurred) looks way overdone in some of the cinematics and tends to cause a slight visual distortion on the field before a play, albeit for just a second or two. There are also some minor visual differences between the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game, mostly in the form of slightly blurry details. For example, the names on the back of jerseys appear slightly blurry when in the default camera perspective in the PlayStation 3 version, but otherwise the two versions look identical.
A bigger difference between the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of Madden 10 is a custom play feature that lets you create plays in the PSP version of the game and then import them. It's a nice feature that lets you determine such specifics as positioning, running routes, and blocking assignments on offense and individual coverage assignments on defense. It's also fairly easy to use thanks to a grid system for placing players, as well as pop-up messages that tell you if you don't have the requisite number of players on the line of scrimmage or if you're breaking other rules. But ultimately, spending an extra $40 on the PSP version just to take advantage of custom plays isn't worth it. It's a neat feature, but it should have been included in the PS3 game.
The commentary is by far the weakest aspect of Madden NFL 10's presentation. As always, Chris Collinsworth tries his best to make some interesting comments in certain situations, particularly on the special Backtrack replay segments where he breaks down the play and shows you what went wrong. He's not really the problem, but his play-by-play man, Tom Hammond, is absolutely terrible. His commentary is completely bland and lacks any sort of dynamic that gives context to on-field action aside from the most basic observations. And because he's terrible, there's rarely interesting second-to-second commentary or back-and-forth chatter between the two. There are also moments when it seems like there should be commentary from Hammond (or Collinsworth, for that matter), and there's just none at all. This is especially noticeable in the pregame segments and at the end of a game.
There's a real sense that EA wants to get back to the fundamentals of football with Madden NFL 10, and many of the changes it has made in that respect are good ones. The running game feels great, and the passing game is much improved over previous iterations. The Pro-Tak system works just about as well as you'd want it to, and the inclusion of online franchises (while featuring some dubious options) is a pretty good reason to dive into this year's game. Even the new online co-op option, which lets you and another player take on the computer, is a nice addition. There's just something satisfying about completing a bomb to a receiver controlled by a friend and not the AI, but this mode still needs some attention when it comes to camera work and positioning--it's a little too disorienting and a little too close to the action. But for all of these improvements, there are seemingly an equal number of nagging setbacks, ranging from the frequency of turnovers to inconsistencies in AI-controlled defenses. Of course, these don't sink the entire Madden 10 experience, since it's still a fun game to play, but a little more tweaking in these areas could have gone a long way in making this the best Madden to date.

Review Scores from other sites
IGN 8.9 / 10
VideoGamer 8 / 10
GameZone 8.7 / 10
1UP B+
Kombo 9 / 10
Game Revolution B+
GamerNode 9 / 10
Cheat Code Central 4.5 / 5


Madden NFL 10 Review 8.9
As close as you'll come to playing on Sundays.
by Nate Ahearn
August 7, 2009 - As leaves turn brown and the temperature drops the videogame industry knows that a new Madden game is just around the corner. Madden NFL 10 hits store shelves on August 14 and comes with new modes, gameplay tweaks and broadcast-style presentation changes that most football fans will appreciate. There are issues with some of the new aspects that have worked their way into Madden (and things that have been taken out), but there's no denying that this is the best pure football experience in videogame history.
Let's start on a positive note. This is the best looking Madden game yet. From the look of players on the field to new presentational elements, you've never seen a football game like this before. EA Sports has gone to great lengths to make the experience of playing a standard game of Madden as close to the real thing as possible and it shows. You'll see players getting yelled at on the sidelines, refs debating touchdown calls, and pre-game warm ups on the field with a bit of insight from Tom Hammond and Chris Colinsworth. It's all very conducive to convincing you that you're totally in control of a standard NFL football broadcast on Sunday. Yes, I'm even talking about the constant Snickers and Sprint sponsorships that pop up at certain times during a contest.
The new presentation elements permeate nearly every aspect of Madden NFL 10, right down to the menu configurations which are a strong deviation from standard EA Sports conventions. You'll see a newly organized franchise hub which houses the new Extra Point Show. Here you'll get a weekly recap of action in your franchise. The voiceover work by NFL Network talent is pretty atrocious, but the presentation is well done.
Not all is well with these new presentation elements, however. You'll see things like flickering hair textures and objects on the sideline that fail to load (phones in players hands, warm-up bikes). At the end of games, star players are approached by media for interviews. It's one of the first times we've seen Madden players in full detail without a helmet and I'd swear Peyton Manning has the mouth of a goat. So while most of the new broadcast-style additions pan out well, there are still issues that should be worked out by the time we see next year's game.
So, visual issues aside, the new presentation display certainly does help bring the Madden experience closer to the genuine article, but what about the gameplay? Isn't that the most important thing? Thankfully the gameplay in Madden NFL 10 is, in a word, fantastic. I can't tell you how many people walked by my desk as I was playing and wondered if the NFL season started early this year. The speed of the game has been ratcheted down only slightly so hitting holes while running and making jukes is just a bit easier than it has been. That's not to say that the game isn't difficult – ramp up the difficulty to find out for yourself – but everything has an excellent ebb and flow this time around.
I'm also very happy to see the Fight for the Fumble mechanic play out as well as it does. I was worried that every fumble would result in a button mashing frenzy, but that's actually not the case. EA Sports did a good job of tuning the mechanic so it only pops up when appropriate.
Most of the new moves available on the field are exemplary as well. On defense, you'll now be able to pull off things like swim moves with the right analog stick when grappling on the line. It's much more accessible than the bumper setup of the past. On offense, jukes are much more realistic looking, though defenders too often fall straight onto their ass when you fake them out.
The real change to gameplay, and the one that drives home the feeling of the NFL the most, is procedural tackling (Pro-Tak). It allows for massive pileups to accumulate on the field, just as you'd see on Sunday. This also changes the blocking system which now forms an adequate pocket around your quarterback, much like you'd see on Sunday. Are you starting to see a pattern here?
Quarterback avoidance is the one control change that I really don't care for. While you will see quarterbacks get out of some sacks and throw ducks when hit during their throwing motion, the fact that the avoidance moves are toggled to the right stick is annoying. Why would I use the right analog stick to avoid a defender – thus giving up my ability to pass to my receivers for a split second – when I can just use the left stick and the right trigger and still be able to hit an open man downfield?
When playing against the AI things could be a bit tighter. There isn't much of a leap forward from last year's game to Madden NFL 10, so you'll still see players running out of bounds when there's absolutely no reason to do so. AI-controlled players also occasionally run very unnaturally on the field. I once saw a wide receiver catch a ball, run up the field, then to the right, then up the field, then to the right again. He repeated the process until he was out of bounds.
Off the field, the artificial intelligence wonkiness doesn't have a negative effect on trade logic, which is sharper than I've seen in the past. I have no doubt that some Madden diehard fan will crack the code and somehow get ten first round picks in the Draft, but it seemed as though it was tuned better than in the past. One odd part of working with trades and free agency is that there's really no "player tendency" stat to be found. That means you can't pitch them on playing time or coaching habits when trying to sign someone. It's a small gripe, but it's something that franchise freaks will care about.
Speaking of Franchise Mode, there have been a few notable changes to everyone's favorite time sucker. First off, there's no traditional calendar system this year. That means you can't schedule practices before a game and improve certain players. Instead you just hop between games. It's not a huge omission, but some will likely miss the ability to tune their skills before an important matchup.
Another change is the hub. You'll now have a constant stream of league news being updated during your downtime. You'll see trades, injuries and signings right when they happen. It's a small detail but one that I definitely appreciate. Other refinements include proper scheduling after year-one and details like correct Super Bowl patches extending beyond your initial year. Just about everything else that you remember from Franchise Mode is retained, including the ability to relocate your team, design a new stadium and make additions to your current digs if necessary. Those hoping to set the price of hot dogs and popcorn will be letdown as there's no true Owner Mode present.
Superstar Mode is also back, and has seen some questionable changes. I still get a kick out of playing on Sunday with my created player (provided you pick a skill position like running back, quarterback or linebacker) but the practice system makes no sense at all. Selecting a practice day from the calendar lets you run one play over and over and over again. There's no end to practice; you just keep running the same play. Not only that, but you don't improve from practicing so there's really no benefit to participating. The mini-camp drills have also been totally removed rather than revamped which was disappointing for me.
There are two new modes of play: Online Co-op and Online Franchise. Online Franchise is probably my favorite mode in the game and it's something I really hope the community clings to and uses appropriately. You and up to 31 friends can hop in a league and play through seasons just like you would in Offline Franchise Mode. You can propose trades, draft players, and even start things off with a fantasy draft if you like. There's an iPhone application that will be launching shortly after Madden releases, but it wasn't available for our review. It promises just about all of the functionality that you'll see on the Web.
Sadly, Online Co-op doesn't pan out quite so well. It's mainly an issue with the camera angle that's used. It's a zoomed in viewpoint on the player that you're controlling. While it works fine on offense, playing defense can be dizzying. As you switch players the camera slowly moves around the field to follow your selections. That means if you begin as a defensive lineman and decide to switch to a defensive back when the quarterback throws the ball, the camera has a very difficult time staying with the action.
Things are better on offense where one player can be a wide receiver and the other can be the quarterback. The wide out can run custom routes and find his own space, unlike the more-restrained AI. The fact that the second player is constrained to watching the play call by the first player is a bummer. I would have preferred a system that alternates play calling duties.
PlayStation 3 gamers will get an added bonus provided they have the PS3 version of Madden NFL 10 as well as the PSP version. On the PSP you'll be able to design custom plays, test them out and then upload them to your PlayStation 3. It's a bit of a cumbersome process for a feature that should be included in the regular console release, but the fact that it's there is a feather in the cap of all the Sony fans out there.
The gameplay package is hefty and is without question the most refined on-field experience I've seen from the Madden franchise. Everything looks and plays wonderfully, even if there are a few faults with the presentation set pieces. I would have really liked to see more added to the franchise mode and Superstar could've been pulled off with more substance. Thankfully Online Franchise is fantastic, it's just disappointing that co-op doesn't work as well as it should. Despite the flaws and absences in the feature set, the football is undoubtedly the best I've ever seen from a videogame.
Visually, Madden NFL 10 is the best looking game in the series without question. Player details are wonderfully articulated, even if their faces look a bit odd at times. Animations are fluid and nicely varied. I'm still seeing new moves on the field despite having played the game for weeks now. The only true downside to the graphics is that slowdown occurs on occasion when the action gets too frantic. I've had games without a single moment of slowdown, but when it happens you'll know it. My other nitpick is the texture issue that I mentioned before, but even that doesn't happen every time you see a player on the sideline.
Things don't work nearly as well on the audio front. The commentary from Colinsworth and Hammond is just plain bad. It's fragmented and doesn't sound natural at all. It's high time EA Sports found a solution to this problem and while the duo is better than the former radio broadcaster, they've made no progression since last year's offering. They have more to say to be sure, it just doesn't sound any better. The soundtrack services the game well and has tons of songs for your aural delight.
Closing Comments
Madden NFL 10 packs a lot of football under its 60 dollar price tag, especially if you have both the PS3 version and the PSP version. While some of the modes don’t perform as well as I’d like, every football fan will still be able to latch on to something for months of fun. The graphics have taken a nice step forward from Madden 09 and the presentation does a wonderful job of emulating the experience of watching a game on Sunday. Commentary and general voiceover work is pretty bad, but it doesn’t overly dampen the gameplay. Madden NFL 10 doesn’t redefine the series or innovate in any monumental way, but that doesn’t stop it from being a truly great football game.

IGN Ratings for Madden NFL 10 (PS3)
Rating Description
out of 10 click here for ratings guide
9.0 Presentation
So good you’ll think you’re sitting on your couch watching a game on Sunday. A few issues hold it back, but most of the additions are great.
9.0 Graphics
Without the slowdown, occasional clipping and texture issues this game would be pretty damn close to perfection.
7.5 Sound
The soundtrack is a solid compilation but the commentary duo needs serious work before hitting the gridiron next season. Stadiums are as alive as ever.
9.0 Gameplay
Some questionable structural decisions in a few of the modes hurt an otherwise extraordinary package. On-field action is fantastic to behold.
8.5 Lasting Appeal
If co-op and Superstar were designed better, this game would have a nearly limitless lifespan. As it is Online Franchise, Franchise, standard online play and Madden Moments will keep you plenty busy.
8.9
Great OVERALL
(out of 10 / not an average)

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 Review and Cheats

These reviews are for the PS3 version of the game from gamespot.com and ign.com

I have to admit this is a good game. I rented it because I was skeptical about it cause I did not care for the previous versions. I will be purchasing this when I take the rented one back. Excellent controls and if you don't like the new putting feature, you can switch back to the old version. If you can get online, then you will love this game. You can follow the pros scores and try to beat them during the same time as they are playing. Def. worth getting!!!!

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 Review
No matter what you're looking for in a golf game, Tiger Woods 10 almost certainly has you covered.
The GoodFeatures 16 of the world's best golf courses Four difficulty levels that cater to everyone Lots of different online and offline modes Great controls, especially the new precision putting. The BadCommentary is so bad you'll almost certainly mute it Not all difficulty levels are supported online.
Mark Twain once described golf as "a good walk ruined." Perhaps he'd have been a little more forgiving of the sport if he'd had an opportunity to spend some time with Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10. EA Sports' latest hit-the-ball-at-the-hole simulator doesn't reinvent the genre, nor does it represent a huge leap forward over its predecessor, but there are plenty of new features and refinements on its scorecard to make it a winner for newcomers and veterans alike.
Tiger Woods 10 is a golf game that seems designed to be all things for all people. For purists, there are 16 of the world's finest courses, club tuning options, US Golf Association rules, and a Tournament Challenge mode in which you can relive memorable achievements alongside pros. There are also live tournaments that take place alongside real-world events, such as the US Open, and let you compete with pros on the same leaderboard and in similar weather. For those whose knowledge of golf is limited to having seen Adam Sandler's Happy Gilmore, on the other hand, there are items of clothing that dramatically improve your attributes, an extremely forgiving default difficulty level, and wacky customization options that include a pink rabbit suit and a biker jacket. There are also laughable unlockable golfer animations and the ability to hit the ball significantly farther than any real-life pro--much like the hero of the aforementioned movie. Tiger Woods 10 is a game that anyone with even a passing interest in golf can enjoy, but it's unfortunate that its serious side and its Sandler side don't always play well together.

The game's biggest problem is that while new game-changing weather, the great new (optional) putting system, and the quality of your analog or three-click swing are factors that affect your performance on the course, all too often, it's your choice of golfer that has the biggest impact on how well you do. There are more than 30 pro and novelty golfers to choose from, but unless you're deliberately looking to handicap yourself, there's really no reason to play as anybody but Tiger Woods. There are a handful of characters with slightly better ratings for accuracy, but none that come close to matching Tiger's near-perfect ratings for all three of the remaining attributes: power, short game, and putting. None, save for the countless superhuman player-created golfers online who, after several hours of play, can make a trip to the pro shop and purchase a "max attributes" outfit.

Initially, creating and playing as a custom golfer can be very satisfying. You have the option to use digital photos uploaded to an EA Web site or your console's camera to put something vaguely resembling your face into the game; you play a few shots to determine your starting attributes; and, for a few rounds, you really have to play well to keep up with the pros. Your attributes will improve (or occasionally worsen) after every round based on your performance, and you're given opportunities to work on aspects of your game by replaying shots from your previous round in simple exercises presented by your in-game coach. That's all well and good, but your golfer improves so rapidly that by the time you reach your second or third Career mode tournament, it's relatively easy for you to win every competition thereafter--at least playing on the default difficulty.
Switching among Tiger 10's four difficulty modes doesn't impact which tees you play from or the inconsistent AI of the pro players. Rather, it determines how forgiving the controls are and which player aids you get to use. For example, on the default amateur difficulty, moving the analog stick down and then up to perform a swing determines the power of your shot but has very little impact on its direction. However, on pro difficulty, anything other than a perfectly vertical movement of the stick will result in a hook or a slice. If you ramp up the difficulty to the most challenging tour pro setting, you can no longer use power boosts, which you trigger by tapping a button during your swing; you can no longer add spin to the ball after striking it, which is done in much the same way; and, you don't get to use the putt preview, which gives you a second chance to line up shots on the green by showing you what your first attempt will look like without actually having to play it.
Given that the beginner and amateur difficulty settings are unrealistically easy (scores of 20 under par for a single round aren't uncommon) and that the tour pro difficulty is very challenging (expect scores closer to 20 over par to begin with), the pro difficulty is likely to be the sweet spot for anyone looking to realistically compete with the household name players. Unfortunately, the only time you can use pro difficulty online is when you're competing in one of the slickly implemented daily or weekly tournaments that force all players to use the same settings. Only the amateur and tour pro settings are available in the remaining multiplayer modes. While such games as best ball, four ball, and skins are great additions to the requisite stroke play and match play options, it's unfortunate and baffling that they only support two of the four difficulty settings. Regardless, online play is a lot of fun, and the Simultaneous Strokes mode in which four players take their shots at the same time and can see their opponents' efforts represented by ball-tracing colored lines is a great way to go head-to-head without having to sit and watch other players while waiting for your turn.
Even if you're not playing online, being connected to EA's servers improves the Tiger Woods 10 experience. You'll see a handful of advertisements that don't appear when you play offline, but the payoff is that you get to see news feeds of sports results and the like. You can also opt to play any course with "live" weather conditions courtesy of The Weather Channel. Weather is undoubtedly one of the most significant additions to this year's game because rain has just as big of an impact as wind, which has been a staple of golf games since day one, on how a course plays. GamerNet challenges are another benefit of playing while connected: Any time you play a particularly impressive shot, you have the option to upload it as a challenge for other players to beat during their regular play, and, of course, you can expect to be presented with plenty of them when you're playing yourself. It's possible to set up quite elaborate challenges, but for the most part, you're judged either on the length of your drive or how close you get to the hole with an approach shot. The latter are always possible to better, but the former are dependent on both your character's skills and the weather--being challenged to drive a ball almost 500 yards just isn't possible unless you're maxed out and have the wind at your back.

Other forms of player competition include a large selection of minigames and modes that use the mechanics of golf in some inventive ways. There are three modes that employ archery-style targets, including one titled Capture the Flag in which you can claim targets by hitting their bull's-eyes; you can play H.O.R.S.E., which here is known as T.I.G.E.R.; and if you're feeling extra competitive, you can challenge a friend to a game of Battle Golf, in which winning a hole entitles you to remove a club form your opponent's bag or return one to your own. In short, Tiger Woods 10 has plenty of variety, regardless of whether you're looking for a traditional golf experience, less conventional games to enjoy with friends, or both.

There's no guarantee that your custom golfer will be instantly recognizable as you, but for the most part, Tiger Woods 10 is a good-looking game. Professional players are instantly recognizable, and if you've ever visited such courses as St. Andrews and Torrey Pines, or even just seen them on television, you'll find that they are as well. Details, such as bunkers and expanses of water, look great in this year's game, and when you see waves rolling in on the rocks alongside the 18th at Pebble Beach, you'll understand why it's one of the most celebrated holes in golf. Crowds made up of emotionless doppelgangers that form to watch your tee shots and putts detract from rather than enhance the experience, but at least they're easy to ignore. The same, unfortunately, can't be said for the commentary team of Scott Van Pelt and Kelly Tilghman.
Commentary is generally something that greatly enhances the TV-style presentation of a sports game, but in Tiger Woods 10, the option to mute the commentary is definitely a welcome one. One will frequently correct the other after he or she wrongly predicts where your ball is going to land, they'll tell you that they've never seen worse putting after you miss a giant putt by only the tiniest of margins, and Van Pelt regularly states that he has no idea who's at the top of a competition leaderboard--even when you're winning by an unrealistic 20-plus strokes. Neither commentator's delivery is great, but ultimately, it's the quality of the writing and its implementation in the game that brings it down.

As golf games go, Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 is tough to beat. There really is something for everyone with even a passing interest in golf in this sizeable package, and although there's clearly still some room for improvement, it's well worth a look even if you already own last year's game.



Tiger Woods 2010
June 9, 2009 - Videogame golf has been a long-standing staple of our industry. Whether on PC or console, hacking away at that little white ball is a mainstay of our favorite pastime. For the last several years the only serious (read: simulation) game in town has been Tiger Woods PGA Tour from EA Sports. This year Tiger brings us some new online modes, a new challenge mode that replaces Tiger Challenge from the last few years, and some needed gameplay tweaks to help ease players into the virtual golfing experience.

There's no doubt that Tiger Woods 10 is missing one major feature addition for EA Sports to hang its marketing hat on, but that doesn't mean that golf fans won't find plenty to enjoy. There are small things like the new Tournament Challenge that lets you take on real-world tourney situations from years past and Live Online Tournaments – my personal favorite of the new features – that allow you to record scores against other living players or real pros currently on the course. Still, none of these features are mind-blowing, and none will change the way you fundamentally think about Tiger Woods Golf. If you can get by that fact, then you'll find a golf title that's easy to enjoy.

With new tournament modes to toy around with (the aforementioned Tournament Challenge and Live Tournaments to go along with the standard PGA Season) EA Sports made the wise choice of trying to up the emotion of the game of golf. You'll hear fans in the distance cheer as your opponent sinks a critical putt, Kelly Tilghman and Scott Van Pelt will spout quips about movement on the leaderboards, and you'll get visual cues as players make and miss putts elsewhere on the course.

Even with those appreciated changes, I still can't help but feel like the real emotion of the Tour is held back. Sit down and watch the final round of one of Tiger's famous comebacks or see him drill a 20-foot putt on 17 or 18 and you'll hear what the crowd in Tiger Woods Golf should sound like. Likewise, Van Pelt and Tilghman don't bring the excitement that they would during a real Sunday afternoon on the links.
The game modes themselves, however, are well designed and fun to play. My favorite is easily the Play the Pros option within the Live Tournaments. It allows you to play side-by-side against the leaderboards from any real golf tournament. If Phil "Lefty" Mickelson drains a put on 16 to pull one-ahead of you on the leaderboard, you'll see that reflected in-game. It's simple but very fun. Likewise, the new Tournament Challenge uses GamerNet technology and forces you to hit exactly the same shots as some of golf's biggest names. Like all of the new features, it's nothing spectacular or overly imaginative, but it's a fun and welcome addition nonetheless.

Live Weather is another small addition to Tiger Woods that has actually been seen in other EA Sports games like NCAA Football the last few years. The feature is supposed to add real weather updates to the course you're playing on, and while the visual representations of these acts of nature comes through just fine, the changes to gameplay aren't quite there. During a downpour you'll see things like gusting wind that knocks the ball down and fairways that soften up for decreased roll distance, but as soon as the deluge stops, I found that conditions returned to normal too quickly. I'd like to see fairways stay sopping wet with puddles splashing even after the weather returns to normal.
On the course Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 is almost exactly as you remember. You can still swing with either the analog stick or the three-click mechanic. If you crank up the power enough you'll still see the over-exaggerated "power shot" montage, but this year the ball has a cheesy looking cartoon vapor trail streaming out of the back. I understand that I just hit a golf ball very hard, I don't need to see a cartoon representation.

One tiny addition that I really did appreciate is the new ability to A or X your way through the annoying camera angles that occasionally constrict your view of where the ball is going.

The most substantive change to the core gameplay mechanic is the new Precision Putting. Instead of carrying multiple putters in your bag as you've been forced to do in the past, you now have one putter for all distances. You pick a spot on the green and the putter adjusts to show you how far you need to bring it back before releasing it forward. It's a well-crafted putting mechanic and emulates real-life golf better than it has in the past.
Most of your time on the course will be spent developing your created character. You design his or her look just as you have in the past (or with Photo GameFace) and then toss him onto the course. Attribute progression is organic as you'll advance in certain areas or regress in others depending on your performance. You'll also have the opportunity to practice shots that your coach recommends after a round is completed. Progression in Tiger Woods 10 feels much better than it has in the past. You no longer assign points to improve in certain areas. Instead, all of that is determined by your play on the course.

While you're hacking away at that dastardly little white ball you'll notice that Tiger has undergone some slight visual changes, though nothing that is as important as I would have liked. Little things like water and lighting in certain situations look improved over last year's game, but I was really hoping to see greater detail in the character models. We haven't seen the game progress in this manner since it landed on Xbox 360 years ago. The same goes for animations – both celebratory and standard striking – which are identical to what I've seen before.
The audio does get a bit of a bump thanks to Scott Van Pelt. He provides quips like "Get some!" when you nail a putt and other blurbs that definitely add to the personality of the overall package. Kelly Tilghman doesn't bring a lot of spice to the equation, and she essentially has zero direct interaction with Van Pelt – something I hope changes in the future. Not only that, but the commentary doesn't reference itself enough. I'd like to see Scott mention a poor call Kelly made a few holes ago and I'd like to see both of them get more excited over the drama that they're witnessing.

Closing Comments
The question of whether to go out and drop your hard-earned 60 bucks on Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 should be decided by determining whether or not you’re a hardcore golf fan. If you’re someone who watches every second of every major tourney then you’ll enjoy the inclusion of the US Open and USGA Championship, you’ll dig the Live Tournaments, and you’ll appreciate the new putting.

On the flipside, if you’re just waking up on Monday morning to check out the results on SportsCenter and you only occasionally dust off your copy of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09, you’ll likely be disappointed by the general lack of show-stopping features and gameplay innovations.


CHEATS for the GAME

Unlockable: TW Items
Enter this code at the cheats menu to unlock the TW Golf items in the pro shop: eltigre

I WILL BE ADDING MORE AS I FIND THEM!!!!!

Free NCAA College Football Rosters for the PS3 and Review

I have all top 25 teams done and Ohio State's scheduled teams important players. Every player with a rating of 90 or Better. (which is all the all-americans)
leave a comment on this post with your email and i will email you back with the user name to put in your ea locker and download them for free.

Here is a review and video review from ign.com

NCAA Football 09 Review
School pride and spirit has never been louder or more important.
by Jeff Haynes

July 15, 2008 - College campuses are bastions of education -- ivory towers of learning, where students acquire skills and knowledge for their future. But every fall, these institutions are transformed with pomp, ceremony and pageantry that's rarely seen in other sports by a phenomenon known as Game Day. From the tailgating in the parking lots to the school chants in the stands, the energy surrounding a game can be truly electric and is only amplified when rivals face off against each other. EA Sports put the college atmosphere at the center of its latest installment of NCAA Football 09, which features a large number of adjustments from last year's title. While the Campus Legend mode has suffered in this year's title, elements like the addition of the online Dynasty balance out segments that have been lost, making this version of the game an impressive representation on the field.
There are a number of changes that have been made to this year's gameplay, many of which expand the nature of the offensive game on the field. For one thing, players will find that they are no longer trapped in animation when performing a juke or spin in this year's game. In NCAA 09, players can literally chain these moves together, spinning in one direction before spinning in the opposite direction or chaining a juke together with a hurdle to evade tacklers and break a play for additional yardage. It can be extremely satisfying to appear to be completely stopped by defenders, only to perform a couple of agile moves and weave your way through the crowd, driving the home crowd crazy. What's also cool is that you can use these maneuvers in concert with the larger holes and cutback lanes that will be made in defensive coverage to make big plays. Your ball carriers aren't the only ones with such evasive maneuvers, either; your quarterback can attempt to fake out defenders at any moment with a pump fake from the right analog stick and get defenders to leave their feet.
For the most part, these features work well and manage to include the fluidity and creative nature that many star athletes can bring to the game. There are a few caveats, however -- while it's easier to make cuts and spins within the game, players can accidentally fake and juke away from one player directly into the arms of other defenders who have no problem laying into the ball carrier. Another issue that crops up is that some cuts won't always be as smooth as you'd like them to be, particularly if you're moving laterally during an option. As a result, you'll find that either your player will sometimes move backwards during a juke or spin before they run forwards, making you lose yardage even if you're pushing up on the analog stick to direct the move. Additionally, their momentum will sometimes carry them out of bounds instead of making a cut up the field for a gain. This can be frustrating for many players as they try to establish a ground game or make a comeback only to put themselves farther in a hole.
On the defensive side of the ball, there aren't a lot of adjustments that have been made. There are stronger gang tackling mechanics, so you'll frequently see two or more defenders jamming a running lane and stuffing a ball carrier for a loss. You'll also see new hit animations that simply look painful, so linebackers have no problem blowing up a receiver that cuts across the middle of the field with a well placed shoulder that leaves him standing and the receiver laid out. On top of that, there's more attention paid to tipped balls and possible shoestring catches, so even if a ball seems knocked away from its intended target, it could easily wind up in the hands of a defender and going back for a gain or a score.
Ah, the majesty of Gameday.Now, traditionally, if you were playing a football title and managed to toss an interception (or the ball was tipped into the hands of a defender), you'd find that your quarterback's confidence would plummet, making you have to work to bolster his rattled nerves over the next few series of downs. That's somewhat mitigated with a new "mini-game" in NCAA 09 known as the Quarterback Quiz. After an interception and ensuing action, players are presented with a set of pictures and three different defensive schemes. By analyzing the photos (as a quarterback would on the sideline with his coaches), you can make a decision as to what defense was run against you on that ill-fated play. If you manage to choose correctly, your QB regains his composure and shakes the interception off as an accident. Pick the wrong play, however, and your QB will be completely rattled, potentially folding under the pressure and committing more mental mistakes. While the frustration of tossing a pick is significant, at least you can do something proactive about the situation, which is a great idea, and if you mess up, you're at least learning defensive schemes.

As I mentioned, if you manage to blow this call, your QB will lose his poise. Home crowds will feed on these situations, and with the noise that they generate, they can completely fluster shaky players. The twelfth man feature has been used before, but now nervous quarterbacks will find it practically impossible for them to accurately read routes prior to the snap which can potentially contribute to additional turnovers. The controller will also vibrate, giving you a tactile sense of the energy flowing through the stadium and washing over your players. Along with this, the noise can sometimes cause a number of mistakes from linemen or other players, causing stupid penalties to occur. In many sports situations, coaches will call timeouts to compose his squad. In NCAA 09, you can now take advantage of this strategy by directing your players on your offensive and defensive squad, telling them different strategies like getting the ball back, getting open or ignoring the crowd noise and focusing on their assignments.
Using your timeouts effectively even becomes a tactical strategy in this year's title, as astute coaches can disrupt kickers from accurately making field goals when the game is on the line. By calling for a timeout right before a key attempt to tie up a game or put one team ahead, you can trigger the Ice the Kicker mechanic. Not only will the kicking power meter be visually iced over, but the camera angle for the attempt will be dramatically changed along with a rumble in the controller and a thumping heartbeat. It's a hell of an effect and can put you on the edge of your seat as you keep your fingers crossed to send the ball through the uprights. It's enough to make you break out into a school fight song as the kicker becomes a hero.
Then again, you can leave that celebration up to the crowd and the cheerleaders. After every score for the home team, school squads will find mascots celebrating, cannons firing, fans chanting and the band striking up a rallying cry for their players. You'll even see flag carriers waving a large flag for the team or running along the sidelines. All of these help contribute to the ambience of the gameplay and how exhilarating a game can be. Players aren't restricted to a passive view of these events, either -- every time they score, they have an option of various celebrations. Depending on the team you play as, you can trigger a school-specific celebration, like a Tomahawk Chop, V for Victory, Hook 'Em Horns or Gator Chomp amongst others, which can get a large cry from the crowd.
If you're looking for a more energetic response, you can look for your mascot, who will be performing at one of the two end zones. If you happen to score at the end zone that he's stationed at, you can use the right analog stick to trigger a number of celebrations. Some of them may be school specific, like swordfighting with Knightro or tiger taming Mike, while others are more varied, like striking the Heisman pose. While amusing, it's somewhat unrealistic, as many of these mascot celebrations would easily result in an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. That's particularly true were a player to hand off the football to a mascot and have him spike the ball. It's also rather strange in how it's handled because the game frequently eliminates these celebrations from replays or game movies, reducing the impact of these moments.
Bring it -- It's already been broughten.Apart from these gameplay features, there are some new twists to the other gameplay modes. For example, this year introduces the Coke Zero Mascot Mash Up, where players face off against the computer or a friend with squads comprised of the animated characters. The mode plays exactly like the standard game, with a few exceptions: instead of pulling off a traditional juke to fake out a defender, your mascots will spin or flip in the air, which can completely throw off your opponent. In can be extremely tricky to take another player's legs out only to have him nimbly flip over a diving tackle and keep running up the field. There are also new special teams mini-games where you play tug-of-war with your special teams or kick field goals from different spots on the field in a game of Horse (or Pig if you'd rather have a shorter game).
As for returning game modes, the Campus Legend mode makes a return with its focus on building your created athlete from high school star to college phenom. New this year is the ability to run through an entire week's worth of practice back to back without exiting back to the calendar. At first, this might seem like a useful tactic, especially if you're trying to climb the depth chart from the bench to a starter. However, the disadvantages of this far outweigh the positives, because you'll completely skip your evening activities, potentially ruining your GPA and not augmenting your stats outside of practice. With there still not being any team expectations of starting player performance or challenges to your starting spot in this year's game, this becomes another example of an unbalanced gameplay function in a large mode for the game.
Adding to the nonsensical nature of the Campus Legend mode is the removal of the evening activities that made players feel like they were actually contributing to their player's presence on his school's campus and his legend there. Last year, you could attend pep rallies, help out friends or play in pickup games amongst other actions; things that you'd expect a college student to do. That no longer applies in this year's game. Your Legend will only perform one of four tasks: hit the books, go to the gym, study your playbooks or visit the trainer. Not only is this extremely dry and boring, but it doesn't make you feel any connection to your school or your legend's success because the boosts that you get are even more anti-climactic than they were last year. Why this was removed when it only needed a few minor adjustments is truly a mystery.
By contrast, the Dynasty mode has a number of improvements that makes it seem much more detailed. Players gain a new set of recruiting tools that can be used to help coaches in their goals. This year, players can set specific tasks for their assistants to fulfill on their own, leaving you with more time to focus on pitching the players you really need for your squad. What's more, if you find that you're too busy to find out everything on a player but still want to engage their interest in your school, you can place a quick call into them, setting a specific amount of time that you want to devote there and immediately get a summary of random topics that are of interest to them. The more time you devote (up to an hour for this condensed discussion), the more of a snapshot you receive on a player.
The more significant addition is the ability to convert your offline dynasties into an online dynasty and vice versa. Up to twelve players will be able to enter a dynasty and vie for prospective students from the same pool of athletes across the country as well as pit their skills against each other to see who has the best team in the dynasty. If there's another team on your schedule that a player in your dynasty hasn't chosen, the game will substitute a computerized team for you to face off against. While you can join up to five dynasties, you can only be the commissioner of one, but that position has an incredible amount of power, including automatically advancing the action of a game week in case members of the dynasty go on vacation or don't actually play their games in a timely fashion. This way, everyone else isn't hampered by someone slow. This is a phenomenal addition to the franchise, and one of those things that reinvigorates online play, especially because you can save off a copy of the dynasty if you tire of playing online and wish to push ahead with your own experience.
Visually, NCAA 09 is much sharper than last year's game, and the animations highlight many of the changes that have been made. As I mentioned earlier, it's much easier to perform different cuts, jukes and spins, although there are some odd hitches that will crop up now and then. For example, you'll find that a number of times your players will drag their toes near the sideline even though they've still got a couple of feet to go before they near the sideline. You'll also find that many offensive receivers or halfbacks will get stuck on teammates as they go into motion, making it a little trickier to effectively pull off these plays because the timing of the play is thrown off. While much of the attention has been paid to the field, elements off the field seem to have suffered. Crowd animations are rather flat and repetitive, with characters that frequently repeat over and over again in the stands. Players on the sidelines have a rather wooden appearance to their faces and have a bland reaction to items on the field, while the photographers and other sideline bystanders don't contribute much. Even worse are the textures, which substitute some generic textures just off the field. Parking lots are bare, buildings are sometimes shown with little detail or randomly become transparent, and other sections outside of the stadium lose their visual fidelity, which is disappointing considering that there are brand new camera angles to show off a new presentation of the stadiums in the game.
The sound, on the other hand, is excellent, particularly because of the crowd atmosphere. The inclusion of a ton of chants definitely helps, although the true standout is the inclusion of custom soundtracks, which lets players assign sound effects or music cues to various gameplay moments. I personally think that playing "Take the Power Back" whenever my team gets a fumble or an interception is an excellent way to pump me up for the next series, and putting on Led Zeppelin's "Rock and Roll" after a PAT feels particularly appropriate, especially since the drive summary is sponsored by Pontiac. The largest problem that occurs with sound, even apart from some dialogue repetition by Corso and Herbstreit, is the fact that school fight songs and cheers will frequently play over the NCAA Football theme music, degenerating into a cacophonous mess.
Closing Comments
College football is about atmosphere, and NCAA Football 09 manages to capture this environment handily thanks to items like school chants and cheerleader stunts. The improvement of jukes and ballcarrier moves adds depth to your offense, while the inclusion of features like the Quarterback Quiz and Icing the Kicker makes the overall gameplay stronger. The Online Dynasty is an excellent addition to this series, but the mistakes made with the Campus Legend mode keeps this year's title from being truly extraordinary.

IGN Ratings for NCAA Football 09 (PS3)
Rating Description
out of 10 click here for ratings guide
8.5 Presentation
The college atmosphere is very well done within the game, from the stunts and cheers to the mascots and celebrations.
8.0 Graphics
The visuals are stronger than they were last year on the field. Just off the playing field, however, are a number of visual issues that hold the title back.
8.5 Sound
The addition of custom soundtracks are a huge boon to the gameplay. However, the mixing of fight songs and NCAA Football music really is poorly done.
8.0 Gameplay
Many of the additions to gameplay are well done. Campus Legend mode is a shadow of its former self, while Dynasty mode is stronger because of its online play.
8.5 Lasting Appeal
The ability to migrate dynasties from online to offline and back again is a great feature that will keep players fighting for their alma maters for a long time.
8.4
Impressive OVERALL