Our favorite part of development on this title was incorporating PS Vita’s unique features. I’ll just say this: you don’t know how much you need the touch screen until you get it in your hands — you can use your finger to freely draw receivers’ routes! We titled this feature Call Your Shots. It’s quick, it’s fun, and it will make you forget about the old way of individually assigning player hot routes (which we still have for you traditionalists). It also works wonders on defense, too. Quickly send a Linebacker on a blitz or drop your Safeties back off into a deep zone. We love using Call Your Shots in head-to-head games around the office — things get ultra-competitive when people here think they’re an armchair Mike Tomlin. With the touch screen, we also let you call plays, select players, and easily put a player in motion with a swipe of the finger.

When we looked at the rear touch pad, we wanted to use it as a way to provide enhanced control while emphasizing efficiency. The rear touch pad lets you modify each defensive group and offensive line pre-play. You can also double-tap it to do jukes with the ballcarrier or spins with a quick drag of the finger. PS Vita just has so many dynamic features; it was fun getting a chance to experiment with everything. We ended up using the motion sensor function for kicking, and the camera for snapping your photo for inclusion in Superstar mode. As a Designer, it’s really fun getting to play around with new hardware — especially with the tool set this system has — and finding ways to make Madden better.

The demo gives you a taste of the action by letting you play with last year’s Super Bowl teams. So, see if you can start mastering all of your touch screen moves and command the field like Calvin Johnson. Like I said earlier, we have created the most complete handheld Madden experience to date. You can play as a player in Superstar Mode, compete in a full Franchise mode with Fantasy Draft, go head-to-head Online, and get updated rosters and Madden Moments live throughout the NFL season. I am sure you guys will have a blast playing the demo, and I’ll see you online when the game launches August 28th.

My name is Danny Doeberling, a Designer on Madden NFL Arcade. The game is launching today on PSN, so let me fill you on some details to get you excited.

Madden NFL Arcade is a fast-paced 5-on-5 football game with depth for both casual and hardcore fans alike. We tried to make the game accessible by simplifying the playcall and giving users a pared-down arcade specific control style. We feel that we’ve created an opportunity to pull off some big moves on the gridiron with more ease than ever before in a Madden game. Gone are the special teams, with a major focus on big hits and big plays. Our traditional Madden fans will feel right at home as we kept the traditional well-polished Madden football engine, and allowed for the user to have the option of the standard PS3 control scheme they are accustomed to. What really sets the game apart though is the Game Changers that are distributed during the course of the play. And there are some off-the-wall ones too: decoy passing, frozen players, extra downs…why not? Don’t think you can score? Use the entourage and your entire offensive line shows up as a convoy to the end zone. A lot of strategy will come into play and you’ll constantly be watching the HUD hoping the next turn will be something good.

We love playing Arcade in the multiplayer mode as it really brings the competitive nature out in everyone. Because a lot of the rules are customizable, we had a fun time experimenting with different rule types, and everyone started creating their own house rules and quickly found that much like the NFL, every team has potential to pull off an upset. The internal competitions were intense and created an instant rivalry between the dev team and marketing (which our Lead Designer would usually choke during, which he blames the refs even though there are none). I am sure you guys are going to have a blast playing the game and I’ll be seeing you online!