So I traded in NCAA 10 because it was like dating an ex-girlfriend again and realizing why you dumped her in the first place - she hasn’t changed in the last 10 years, minus some makeup.

I took advantage of the Gamestop NCAA/Madden trade-in special (I ended up getting $44 in all) and picked up Madden for the first time since I bought a 360, and subsequently got rid of thanks to this, in 2005. The last Madden I played was on my PS2 in 2004, which, by the way, I traded in for NFL 2K5 a week later.

Maybe it's because I've been away for so long, or maybe it's because I'm jaded and expected so little, but I really like this game.

The graphics in the game are wonderful, minus a few issues. The players, for the most part, actually look like they are walking on grass, rather than walking on a picture of grass, the ball rotates in flight and the players look great, well except whey they show their faces. For some reason all of the players resemble Eddie Munster.

There are some other issues with the graphics as well, for example, the now-traditional stadium tearing is still there. And it becomes painfully obvious in a stadium that has large black swatches, like the Jaguar eyes seen at field level in Jacksonville (or are those the tarps covering the hundreds of unsold seats?). It gets so bad at times that it looks like snow.

The gameplay is slightly slower than it has been in the past, but I think that's one of the reasons I'm enjoying the game. When I drop back to pass I actually feel like I can survey the field and look for an open receiver. You don’t have all day, but you have some time.

The big change this year, apparently, is Pro-Tac. Basically up to 600 players can tackle a guy and you get to control, with the right stick, the pile. It's ok, but not groundbreaking, and it only seems to work about 25% of the time. Oh, the other big thing this year is the ability to fight for the fumble - yeah, I turned this off after one fumble. It was more frustrating than fun.

The rubber-band AI is still not fixed, but it has gotten better. For example, I remember throwing to wide open receivers back in the day and seeing D-backs from 15 yards away make a play. That still exists, but instead of beating the ball to the spot, they get there a half second later. So the AI actually pays for blown coverage now, just not as much as in real life.

Another reason I really like this game is because the stats actually mean something. I am a Steelers honk, so my default team is Sixburgh. If I hit a wide open Holmes, he'll take it to the house most of the time. If I hit a wide open Ward, he better be within 10 yards of the goal line if he hopes to take it to the house, otherwise he will be caught. Very few people would argue this is inaccurate. The difference is really seen in QB's though. Where Big Ben can throw fairly accurate on the run, do not try and throw on the run with either of the Mannings - it's not pretty. There is also a difference in overall skill. Trust me when I say that you would rather have Brady over Stafford.

Overall, this is a good version of Madden. As always, there are flaws, and one could make the argument that the exclusivity deal with the NFL has hurt this game. This is still the best Madden I've played since my PS2, and one that I hope I'll be playing throughout the season, or at least until NHL 10 comes out in September.