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 To read this original blog post and make comments, visit the Inside EA SPORTS Blog.

Hey guys, Yuri B. here welcoming you to our first designer blog entry for Madden NFL 10 on the Wii.  For those of you who aren’t regulars on the EA forums and don’t know me, I’m one of the designers working on this year’s version of the game.   As is typically the case with these blogs, we’ll be covering a wide range of features that are new to this year’s version of your favorite football game on the Wii.  In this particular blog however, I’ll be revealing a lot of the new ways in which you’ll be interacting with the game when you’re out on the field.

You know, it’s crazy to look back and see how incredibly different this game has turned out to be in comparison to last year.  If you’ve been following the progress of this game (or even casually browsed a gaming site in the last month), you already know that this year’s version of Madden on the Wii has a whole new look and feel, starting first and foremost with our new player models and stadiums.  They’ve been getting the bulk of the spotlight recently, and rightfully so, but by far the next biggest impact this year will be some of the great innovations we’ve made with the addition of the pointer, both as part of the interface and on the field.  I think you’ll find that it’s opened the door for a number of exciting new features that once again change your Madden experience on the Wii for the better.

Play Call

The play call system has undergone a bit of a makeover this year and one of the first things you’ll notice when it’s time to call a play, is how we’ve restructured the system to incorporate the skill level of the person using it.  You’ll be able to choose from one of three play calling styles:  All Play, Intermediate or Advanced.

All Play

As you’d expect, All Play presents your plays in a very simple way so that anyone can pick it up and understand what they’re doing.

Intermediate

Intermediate play calling gives you a bit more variety.  If you’re someone who’s intimidated by the often times complicated world of formations and sets, you’ll feel right at home in this play calling style.

    
Advanced

Advanced play calling gives you the whole enchilada.  Browse through the multiple formations and sets contained within your entire playbook.  You’ll also have the ability to flip plays and swap in custom personnel packages.

Aside from the new skill level play calling, you’ll also notice the small, yet significant, addition in the ability to quickly select play call menu options with the simple press of the directional pad.    Not only will it allow for quick selection, but it’s also an effective way to conceal what you’re selecting when you’re playing against that buddy who watches every play you call.

Pre-Play

After you’ve picked a play and your players have lined up on the field, you’ll be able to access our newly re-organized Pre-Play system.  Gone are the days of hard to read and ridiculously long laundry lists of pre-play commands!  In Madden NFL 10, when you want to make a pre-play adjustment you simply point at a player and press the B button to open their pre-play menu.  Now, instead of opening a huge list of options, each player has their own list of pre-play adjustments that are specific to their position.  In other words, if you’re pointing at the QB, you’ll only be shown options that are available to a QB, like audibles or flipping the play…point at a WR and you’ll have the option to put them into a hot route or set them in motion…etc.  There’s also no longer any need to memorize multiple buttons and directions to access these options.  In the new system, everything is easily accessible by either pressing a direction on the directional pad or simply pointing and selecting it.

Call Your Shots – Defense

Last year, Call Your Shots was a huge success and redefined the way Madden was played on the Wii.  This year, we’re letting the defense in on some of the fun.  Now you can match your opponent shot for shot by quickly pointing at defenders and changing their coverage.  Want to triple cover Randy Moss?  Easy, just point at each of your defenders and drag their icons onto Moss for quick Man Coverage.  Want to bring the house in an all out blitz?  Done…just drag your defender’s icons into the back field and put them into a blitz assignment.  With Call Your Shots on defense, you’ll be able to quickly move your defenders into and out of Deep Zones, Hook Zones, Flat Zones, Man Coverage, Blitzes and QB Spy assignments all with a simple click and a drag.  The possibilities are endless.

During the Play

Once that ball is snapped, you need to be on your toes to make quick effective decisions in order to beat your opponents.  This year we’ve made some changes and additions in order to help you do just that.

Gesture Simplifications and Additions

Although the Wii ?version? is known for “waggling” the Wii Remote around in order to perform moves in the game, we felt that some of last year’s gestures were a bit excessive and decided to scale them back a bit for this year.  One of the obvious ones that you’ll notice right away is catching the ball.  Instead of having two types of catching gestures (passive and aggressive) we’ve cut it down to just one.  The new catch gesture no longer requires you to lift both the remote and nunchuk above your head or pull them towards your body, but rather just do a simple upwards flick of the Wii Remote.  Blocking has also been simplified from the four different gestures in last year’s game, down to just two:  Impact Block (push forward) and Cut Block (hold down on the directional pad and push forward).

One of the new, and often requested additions we’ve made to Madden NFL 10, is the new QB Avoidance gesture.  Now when your QB is feeling pressure in the pocket, simply shake the Nunchuk and, if the evade is successful, watch him shake the defender loose to buy himself more time to throw the ball.

Game Speed

If you’ve ever played Madden and felt that the game moves too quickly for you to make proper decisions on the field, then this next addition will bring a smile to your face.  This year we’ve changed the speed of the game to scale with the difficulty level you’re playing at.  If you’re a Rookie, you’ll find that the game moves at a much slower pace, allowing you more time to scan the field and make a play.  Graduating to the Pro, All-Pro or All-Madden difficulty levels incrementally increase the speed of the game with each level.

All Play Defense

This may not be relevant to some, if not all, of the hard-core sim-heads out there, but for all the rookies in the audience, the new All Play defense controls are right up your alley.  One of the biggest challenges we faced for rookie users was how to make playing on defense fun since most would just put the controller down and let the CPU do all the work.  This year, our new All Play Defense will make you want to pick that controller back up.  Now when you’re using All Play controls and you’re on defense, you can simply point at a player, hold the A button down and watch your defense converge on the ball.  Then as they get close to the player, perform a Big Hit or Swat gesture to put the finishing touch on the play.  It’s super easy to do and way more fun than just watching the CPU do all the work.

Point and Pass

One of the most exciting new features for this year is our new passing mechanic, Point and Pass.  The name pretty much says it all…use the on-field pointer to point at and highlight a receiver, then just simply press the A button and watch the pass land right in their hands.  If you find yourself needing to pay more attention to your QB, you can always lock-on to a highlighted receiver by holding down the Z button.  Locking-on will allow you to pass them the ball at any time after that point.  You can change the speed of your passes by simply tapping the A button for a lob, pressing it for a normal throw or holding it for a bullet pass.  And for those of you uncomfortable with the notion of changing the way you play the game, don’t worry, we’ve kept the original Directional Passing controls intact.  Before each game you’ll be asked which type of passing controls you prefer to use.  If you change your mind, you’ll have the ability to switch between them at any time during the game from the pause menu.

This is just a taste of some of the new things you can expect to see this year in Madden NFL 10 for the Wii.  Overall, I feel like we’ve got a solid lineup of new features and modes that complement our new look and feel and hopefully you will too.  In the next designer blog, we’ll be taking a stroll through one of our cool new multi-player modes, Madden Showdown.  Until then though, please take the time to visit our forums and let us know what you think about the new features revealed here or just take a moment to introduce yourself to our Wii community.  To read this original blog post and make comments, visit the Inside EA SPORTS Blog.

-Yuri B.