Eye candy and breaking tackles doesn't fix the typical MADDEN experience.
The developers did a fantastic job with the eye candy. Lighting and reflections...nailed it. Stadiums and team branding...nailed it.
Breaking tackles and the fumble recovery system...nailed it.
However, there are some things that hinder a great game. Laggy, sluggish gameplay, offensive line blocking is a rarity, and oh, the Co-op online play...nice idea, but this concept was fumbled.
Why in the world would you set up co-op with your defense going up the screen? 1) Everyone who has played Madden is used to defense going down 2) the experience is frustrating on D because unless your a Safety, you cannot see the whole field. The pass is so quick, you don't know who has the ball and by the time you asses the situation...he's in for 6. WTF?! FIX IT!!
All in all, great graphics and similar gameplay to '08 version with substantial tweaks. Grade: enjoyable frustration.