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Madden 10: 'Ultimate Team' announced
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Think you can build the "Ultimate Team"? (Image: Gamespot)
Madden 10 fans looking for a new gaming experience will be pleased to hear that the Madden team announced a new and free addition to this year’s title: “Ultimate Team”. In a Gamespot exclusive, EA’s Josh Looman outlined to the feature and commented on some of its details. The full interview and article can be found here.
Ultimate Team is a Madden version of the popular card based add-on featured in last year’s FIFA 09. Upon starting entering the game’s menu, users will be shown a tutorial and given a standard set of cards, or at least enough to start playing games. This includes a full set of players, home and away uniforms, a stadium and playbooks to be utilized during gameplay. As users play games either online or against the CPU, they will earn coins which can be used for future card purchases. Achieving certain milestones such as gaining 100 yards rushing or throwing for 300 yards will earn users additional coins.
Card packs are available in bronze, silver and gold (Image: Gamespot)
Coins can be spent in several ways. The most common way to spend coins is to buy card packs which are offered in bronze, silver and gold levels. Each pack will contain a random set of cards which can include players, stadiums, and uniforms. Gold packs will be reserved for elite players and will consequently require more coins to purchase, while silver and bronze packs will require fewer coins but offer lower rated players and cards. Additionally, users can spend coins in through a bidding system, where users can post and bid on cards in an "E-Bay style" marketplace. For example, if a user receives a Bears home uniform but is already happy with their current set, they can post the card to the marketplace where it can be sold to the highest bidder.
A cross between Madden and fantasy football; what's not to like? (Image: Gamespot)
The Madden version of UT also carries over several important factors from its FIFA predecessor including team chemistry and a contract system. Team chemistry will play a significant role in the team’s ability during gameplay. Chemistry can be enhanced in several ways such as a player using their “normal” playbook or including multiple players from the same college. While it may be fun to pair Aaron Rodgers with Antonio Gates, chemistry would improve if the user were to use Tony Gonzalez, who also attended Cal. As team chemistry improves, players receive ratings boosts and vice versa. Due to this system users are confronted with the task of balancing player ratings and team chemistry. Contracts were also carried over from FIFA, as each player will be given a set number of games that they can be used. However, users will also receive contract cards in the previously mentioned packs which can be used to extend a player’s contract. The number of games that each contract card is worth will be determined by the card’s level (bronze, silver or gold) as well as the player’s rating. This process makes building and maintaining a team full of “gold” players more difficult, again forcing users to establish balance within their squad.
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