The first Madden on the 3DS is ultimately like a date with a beautiful woman- who repeats herself throughout dinner. And even though she eventually takes you home, the bedroom escapades, just like the conversation, lack any real fun and ingenuity.
It’s surely an experience, but not the one you expected the first time you laid eyes on it.
Although it’s easily the best looking football game to be released on a Nintendo handheld, the lack of gameplay options hurt its shelf life. Thin and vanilla on the inside, Madden NFL Football on the 3DS is missing a personality.
While you can make trades and play through a season, those are the only real bells and whistles or options the game has. Sad considering how those things, like dual-side airbags and anti-lock brakes on a car, should come standard. Although there is an option to play five on five as well as traditional 11 on 11 action, it’s nothing to write home about. A lack of in- game stat announcements during gameplay hurt the overall package as well. It makes the presentation, which was already sub par, seem more plain and empty. The user-interface is also a joke. The only way to check your player stats is at the end of the game. For number junkies, Madden NFL Football is void of any real connectivity.
The actual gameplay is solid, even though it feels like NFL Gameday 99 on the old PsOne, which it also looks a bit like. More fast-paced arcade action than anything else, this is not a game for true pigskin fans. Those looking for a good time killer on the bus and train will dig it, but only because it merely does what it’s supposed to do. It never challenges you. After a few games, you’ll get used to the flaccid and predictable AI and run and throw wherever and whenever you want, regardless of the defense.
Sure, Madden NFL Football shows off the graphical capabilities of the 3DS, but it’s ultimately just a quick ploy for cash from Electronic Arts. They should know better.
Leave a Reply