The Madden Football games get a bum rap.  From one perspective, they’re incredibly detailed, enjoyable football games.  On the other hand, they hold a monopoly on NFL licensed titles and are therefore going to get labeled as “cheap” whether they are or not.  Still, some innovations in game design make better arguments for one side over the other.

The introduction of the new pseudo-holographic virtual reality wannabe mode falls precariously on the line between the two sides.  Sure, it looks really neat to play football with Tron characters, but that’s also about all that can be said for it so far.  The idea of it learning how you play and adjusting the game to fit you is a claim that’s been peddled before.  It rarely pans out.