Yeah, you heard it right, all the joys of the Madden curse will be getting spread across two athletes this year. In an April 24th press release, Electronic Arts has announced that three-time Pro Bowl selection and 2009 Pro Bowl MVP Larry Fitzgerald of the Arizona Cardinals, and 2-time Super Bowl Champion Troy Polamalu of the Pittsburg Stealers will both grace the cover of Madden NFL 10. This is a first in the franchises twenty-one year history. As EA states, defense and offense take center stage.
”Larry Fitzgerald and Troy Polamalu are exemplary examples of the epic battle between offense and defense in the NFL,” said Senior Product Manager Anthony Stevenson. “Madden NFL 10 showcases the Fight For Every Yard, and nobody fights harder than Troy and Larry, making them the perfect athletes to grace the cover.”
-via EA press release
Technically, EA is also touting their new “Pro-Tak” animation technology on the Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION 3 platforms, which allow for more realistic tackling, and more fluid quarterback movement. While on the Wii they are offering a completely redesigned and rebuilt Madden, which will visually redefine the looks of Wii sports games.
It will be interesting to see if these new features will actually offer anything worthwhile to the franchise. I for one haven’t participated in the Madden craze for some time now, but this may be a great time to jump back in and give it a go. Hopefully this time I won’t break any controllers or windows in frustration…
