I'm talking head scans of 170 of the top NFL players to capture everything from the black eye paint on Ahman Green's face to the breathe right on his nose (there are over 1,500 accessories) to any scars on his face.
I'm talking voices of the real quarterbacks barking out audibles and hot routes at the line. That's right, with the help of NFL Films, EA Sports was able to capture 18 starting quarterbacks shouting their signals (as long as it's Kurt Warner and not his wife, I'm cool), so when a player like Carson Palmer changes the play, you're actually going to hear Palmer's voice giving the instructions while seeing a closeup of his face on PIP in the corner of the screen.
And to top it off, it's a Madden game without Madden. In fact, in a surprising (and refreshing move), there's no sign of Madden or Al Michaels calling the plays. Instead the game is left to a PA announcer and the grunts and groans of action on the field. You'll hear players like Ray Lewis talking trash (again, it's actually Ray's voice), helmets smash, and a biased home-town radio announcer who calls the game with passion.
In terms of the game's look, Madden 360 features three times the animations of the current-gen systems (there are now 5,000 total), and you can really see this evidenced in catching and tackling. Wide receivers now sport 140 catch animations (current gen is only 45), and receivers will now be able to use articulated hands and fingers to reach up or down, left or right while dragging their feet in bounds or trying to grab a throw before it hits the turf. And when a receiver does haul the rock into his body, expect to see a host of new tackle animations including gang tackles and body shivering shots so fierce you can actually see the runner wince in pain.
Also added to the game is a brand new play-calling screen. There is a PIP window where you'll see the coach, the quarterback, or even Madden himself if you have a question for him. On the left side of the screen is a list of options: Formation, Ask Madden, Ask Coach, Key Player, and Last 5 Plays. From asking Madden for a good play to run to hearing the plays in coach speak and NFL terminology (X right, 32 left), the choice is yours.
Other highlights include controls that have been changed to specifically utilize the 360 controller. Sprint has been changed to the right trigger, juke is now the A button, and depending how hard you press the D-Pad in conjunction with A will determine the kind of juke you perform. You will also see a motion-captured Ed Hochuli calling the penalties and throwing flags when you grab facemasks or rough up the quarterback.
