How much will long-time Madden fans get out of the Wii version?
This game was built for all Madden fans. Whether you’re a veteran of the series or brand new to Madden, there is something here for you. In terms of advance features, we have Defensive Call Your Shots that allows you to quickly change the defensive assignment of any player. We also have point and click pre-play menus, where you can simply click on a receiver and send him into motion. The one that stands out the most in my mind is the new advance control scheme.
We wanted the controls to be incredibly responsive and eliminate any superfluous gestures. We mapped the timing specific controls like Spin, Juke, and Stiff Arm to buttons and kept the gestures that worked well, like Big Hit and Power Move. Overall, it makes for a much more responsive game that any Madden fan will love.
Does the Wii version of the game support online multiplayer?
Online gameplay was very important to us this year. At the beginning of the project, we scrutinized the core of our online system and identified key areas to improve upon. We wanted the game to play just as good online as it does offline. For us that meant building a solid foundation that this title and all future titles can depend on. This year you’ll notice a tremendous improvement to online gameplay complimented by an entire suite of head-to-head online features.
What one gameplay feature are you most excited about on this year’s Wii version?
For my money, it doesn’t get any better than Madden Showdown. This new game mode allows 1 to 4 players to compete in tournament style competition to quickly declare a Madden champ. It was imperative to us that we keep the whole room involved during a Madden Showdown. So we created a prediction system that allows players, who are not currently involved in the game, a chance to earn points. Players can predict in different categories like Game Winner, Most Passing Yards, Coin Toss, Longest Field Goal, and assign how many points to risk. We found that this works great. Not only are you trying to earn points during your games, you’re trying to earn points during everyone else’s games. There’s definitely a fun level of strategy when predicting the outcome of your opponent’s games. But it doesn’t stop there.
We placed heavy emphasis on customization. You have the ability to play a very traditional 11-on-11 game or a faster paced 5-on-5 bout. You can choose to activate Game Changers like “It’s Alive” that treats tipped or dropped passes as a live ball or the more extreme “Fumblitis” which creates multiple fumbles on every play. You have the choice to mix and match Game Changers to create a unique experience every time you play. This coupled with the large assortment of game options provides an endless combination of Madden Showdowns. Bottom line, this mode is a blast and we love to play it around the office. It’s a fun, quick, competitive mode that is a natural fit on the Wii.
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