This past Saturday, Jerry Jones hosted an open house for Cowboys season-ticket holders at his brand new Cowboys Stadium (aka Jerry World) in Arlington, Texas. PlayStation also attended, armed with Madden NFL 10 and ready to use those high-definition Jumbotrons to air the Stadium's first football game Madden-style.

PlayStation allowed over 250 hardcore Madden fans to also attend the open house and play in a Madden NFL 10 tournament. The grand prize: a PlayStation 3, a copy of the Madden NFL 10 game, and a pass to attend the EA Challenge that will hit Dallas later this month.

I didn't enter the tournament, but I was granted some free play time with the new Madden. I admit that I've never played any Madden game before--I'm just not a sports gamer fan--so you can imagine how poorly I did, even against an AI. The controls were easy enough to figure out, but it's obvious it takes some practice to become fluent with them. I quit playing after the second quarter when the Redskins were beating my beloved Packers 13 to nothing.

Oh, in case you were wondering, the game is absolutely gorgeous on the giant high-def screens.



I think those pictures can describe the graphics capabilities far better than my words could.

I spoke with Nathan Stewart, the Marketing Director for EA Sports, and got the official word on what Madden NFL 10 has to offer over its 2009 predecessor. He explained that they wanted to make this installment more realistic, more like an actual NFL game than before. They added more cut scenes (if they can be called that), such as bringing out the chain gang to measure the distance between the ball and the first down, shots of fans and the quarterback talking on the phone during breaks between plays. The game also has a new quick-time event for players to fight over the ball in a fumble. You'll never know who won the ball until the referee goes through the bottom of the dog-pile.



But the biggest two changes in the game are in its online features. Players can now play online co-op games. You can be the QB and your best friend on the other side of the country can be your wide receiver or running back. There's no need to always play against your friends with this mode, but it doesn't mean it won't be as frustrating either, especially if your friend tackles like Brian Urlacher or throws as many interceptions as Brett Favre.

In addition to online co-op, Madden NFL 10 sponsors its own form of online fantasy football. You and twenty-nine of your friends can form your own fantasy football league. If you don't have twenty-nine friends, the computer can fill in the additional teams. Just like in fantasy football, you and your friends can draft and trade your players. You can even make trades on your computer or your iPhone. The winner of the league is based off of stats, also just like fantasy football, but instead of catching the stats after the real games, you have to play the games yourself to get these numbers.

After talking to some of the rabid fans, the consensus was clear: they all love the newest version of Madden and they are all planning on picking it up when it releases on August 14th. That is, they will pick it up if they didn't win it in the tourney.