It’s impossible to dig into a game like Madden at E3. Sure, you can make some time to play the game but you can’t get anything other than a cursory glance. What you can do, however, is learn about the new features, get a first hand look at the new graphics and animation, and solidify a first impression based on time with a gamepad in your hand.

The PS3 version was on display. It was running at 60 FPS so PS3 owners need no longer worry about choppy, slow gameplay. It runs fine. The graphics are still a bit “shiny” and Product Manager Anthony Stevenson admitted that he likes the look of the 360 better, but that’s just a personal preference as the PS3 build certainly didn’t look bad. My only initial complaint about the game’s look is that the animations felt “quick”; players could spin and cut on a dime and it felt a bit “arcadey” to me. Perhaps it’s just a big change from the old game? The players move significantly faster than those in NCAA 09.

We played a game in the snow, which not only looked fantastic but this year the weather plays a role so players can’t cut as well when it’s slick and might even slip in the snow or have a ball slip through their fingers if it’s wet.

Fans who fear that Madden will carry over some of the same gameplay issues as in NCAA 09, while it’s really impossible to dig deep into gameplay based on such a short sample, it did seem like the defensive line was getting ample push and standing in the pocket for five to seven seconds every play was not the case at all. Playing as the Raiders, Russell was running for his life on more than one occasion. When switching over to Cleveland, Anderson had more time to throw, which makes sense considering the levels of the Raiders and Browns offensive lines.

It’s going to take time to digest the gameplay, but in the few quarters that I played, it was a lot of fun battling the people at EA. Plus, the Browns are good this year so maybe that had something to do with it, too…