Madden NFL 10 :: Tips and Cheats

If you are struggling through Madden NFL 10 and need some support, KidzWorld has got you covered! This guide will help you in [KWLINK 16747]picking teams[/KWLINK], making calls, and unlocking all the modes so that you can enjoy the entire game right from the start.

Unlocking the Game Modes

Go to the Extras menu and select "Enter Codes" and then punch in any of the following for the described effect:

THEWORKS - Unlocks everything below

TEAMPLAYER - Unlocks Franchise Mode

YOUCALLIT - Unlocks Situation Mode

EGOBOOSTS - Unlocks Superstar Mode

ALLSTARS - Unlocks Pro Bowl Stadium

THEBIGSHOW - Unlocks Super Bowl Stadium

Picking the Winners from the Losers

Now that you have unlocked all these modes, it is time to try them out! However, the team that you pick can greatly determine if you will have an easy time or not. Here are some picks that are hot and some that are not.

On the Offense
The strongest team offensively is the Colts, but the Patriots are a very close second. Also near the top are the 2009 Super Bowl Champions, the Steelers, and the Cardinals, who played against them at the Super Bowl last year. The Chargers, Falcons, and the Saints are also good picks if you are only looking at offensive capabilities. On the flip side, the Raiders have the worst offense, and the Buccaneers, 49ers, and Lions are not that much better.

On D Fence
The defending champs, the Steelers, take top spot in terms of defense. However, equally good on the D are the Jets, Viking, Redskins, Patriots, and Giants. The teams with the worst defense includes the Bengals, Broncos, Dolphins, Falcons, and Lions. The absolute worst team at stopping a drive? The Chiefs. Hopefully you will get many games against them and will never have to play as them.

Overall at the Big Show
Naturally, the powerful Pittsburg Steelers from last year reign supreme in Madden NFL 10. However, not far behind are their one time rivals, the Cardinals, along with the Patriots and the Colts. If you have been paying careful attention, you can probably already guess the worst team to play as, and that is the pitiful Detroit Lions. Also bad overall are the Buccaneers, Chiefs, and Rams.

Cash Cows
On modes where you manage your team and can trade and acquire players, it is good to know where the salary cap is. This is where a team that is relatively poor - skill wise - can make up some ground. The team with the most money to throw around is the Broncos, with over $40 million to spend. Also rolling in the dough are the Chiefs, Bengals, and Falcons. The team with the tightest budget is the Patriots, they have less than $2 million in the pocket. Also poor are the Jaguars, Redskins, Saints, and Vikings.

Plays on the Fly

As you get better at the game, you will start to recognize offensive plays, like the fullback dive, by the formation of the opposing team. Similarly, you may see holes in the defensive line just before the ball is snapped. Just like in real life, when you see these things, you should change your strategy to take advantage of it. Thus, being able to call plays on the fly is important.

Take the time to learn and memorize your hot routes and smart routes and use them to your advantage whenever possible. To activate a hot route, simply press the button for the hot route and then the receiver icon. After that, move the analog stick to pick the route you want. For example, if you want a curl route, hold down. If you want streak route, hold up. Holding left and right will produce an in and out route. Whether it is an in or out route will depend on the starting position of the receiver. If they are on the left side, then holding left is an out route while holding right is an in route and vice versa for if the receiver starts on the right.

A short curl route is not helpful if you have lots of yards to gain. You can trigger a "smart route" after picking a hot route by pushing the hot route button and reciever icon again and then pushing the smart route button. A smart route will always take the receiver just barely where they need to be for a first down.

For defense, sticking to the basics may work, but you should still be shifting your D line around just to keep your opponent from getting too comfortable. Practice all the different ways you can shift your [KWLINK 4824]front seven[/KWLINK] to keep your opponent guessing.

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