Madden NFL Mobile: The Super Bowl on your tablet

Today is Super Bowl! The grand final of the championship NFL it is one of the most important sporting events of the year, the result of a whole season of efforts by players and suffering for fans, and seen by a huge number of people. Last year, there were more than 112 million viewers only in the United States. And the sport is more popular here in Brazil every year too. From 2013 to 2014 audience grew by an average of 132%, with around 123 thousand Brazilians connected to the TV during the championship games. And if you want to join this wave, the time is now: learn from the showmetech the ground rules and read our review of Madden NFL Mobile, the mobile version of the most popular game in this great sport!

SUPER BOWL XLIX

the season of NFL takes place from September to February, where 32 teams are divided into two leagues, the National and the American Conference, which are divided into four regional divisions, North, South, East and West. After 16 games, the teams with the best result from each division, plus the two wildcards with the next best result from each league, enter the play-offs, the knockout stage of the dispute. The teams that win the Wildcards matches go to the divisional playoffs and then to the Conference Championship games to define the champion of each league, and finally, the winners will compete for the Vince Lombardy Trophy at Super Bowl, the grand finale of NFL.

This year is the 49th edition of the Super Bowl. Tonight at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Arizona, the Seattle Seahawks, the 2014 champion, will face the New England Patriots. If the Seahawks win, he joins a select roster of teams that have been back-to-back champions. already the Patriots, with three recent Super Bowls, are one of the most successful teams in the recent league. A fourth win would go down in football history.

In addition to the big game, the Super Bowl is also known for the halftime show, with great artists in memorable performances. This year, the singer Katy Perry takes to the stage to cheer the fans. Another of the Super Bowl traditions is the ads that run on TV breaks. Many are already released via the internet, but that short time on American screens costs a fortune – 4,5 million dollars to be more exact.

TOUCHDOWN!

Okay, but what about the game itself? American football is quite different from football as we know it, but it also involves carrying a ball across the field. Teams are divided into offensive, defensive and specialist units, which enter the field according to the play. With 11 attacking players on one side and 11 defenders on the other, the game starts with a kickoff from the defending team, which sends the ball to the attackers. Each match lasts one hour, split into two halves, separated by an intermission, and each half split into two quarters, for a total of 4 quarters of 15 minutes. Whoever advances has four attempts, or “downs”, to advance at least 10 yards, approximately 9 meters, and thus gain 4 more precious downs. If not, the ball passes to the opponents, who enter with the attacking team and begin to fight for their points. To advance, the most common is for the quarterback to throw the ball forward into the field or pass it to a running back to run towards the end of the field, the endzone. The main objective is to take the ball to the endzone, scoring a touchdown, which is worth six points. The touchdown also entitles you to another play that can be a shot to the goal, the big goalposts that are at the back of the field, which is worth a point, or an attempt to run again to the endzone, worth two points. Another option, if you have no more downs, is to try a direct shot to the goal, which is worth three points. If an attacking team is forced to retreat to its endzone and a player is fouled there, the opponents score two points, the only situation in which the defenders can score.

Simple, no? If you don't understand, no problem. O Madden NFL Mobile starts with a tutorial, which is great for getting the spirit of the thing. And if you want, we also leave the video below, with a quick and fun explanation in English about the rules.

MADDEN NFL MOBILE

Just as Super Bowl, the series Madden NFL is a milestone for American football. Annually, a new version is released in August to mark the start of the new season and the race to the next Super Bowl on the way. In 2014, in addition to the Madden NFL 15, EA Sports also launched one for mobile devices, the Madden NFL Mobile.

The first question was the gameplay. It's not easy to transform a complex sport like American football to simple commands on cell phones or tablets, but the game has simple and easy to learn commands. A virtual joystick in the lower left corner of the screen moves players, and actions are controlled by a single button in the right corner, which commands dodges or takedowns depending on the situation. For passes, it's a little more complicated. A touch on the player who will receive throws a long ball, which is necessary to have good control of the game to receive - which I don't have. Holding the touch for a few moments you command a quick pass, which allowed me more precision to advance the yards. defend in Madden it's also different, but with the single button, all you need to do is learn to read the move and switch players with two quick taps on the screen in order to react.

An interesting point that is not easy for those who are starting in the American football world is the choice of plays. There are countless ways to organize players, and choosing the right way to advance on the field can give even a weaker team victory. To help, the game suggests the best plays for each situation – attack, defense, kickoff, shot on goal, etc. It's not a flawless system, and in some attacks it was necessary to manually choose the type of advancement you wanted, but it's great to get started and learn.

For after regulation time, the team management in the Madden NFL Mobile it's also fun. As you would expect, it follows many of the standards of gaming apps, with virtual and real money, as well as an energy bar and level evolution. But despite this somewhat standard format – and known among gamers for being a source of controversial money for the EA – the game manages to be quite attractive. Leveling up allows you to choose new moves, free up new players and increase your energy total, which allows for more matches without having to wait.

You buy new players in packs, like a sticker pack for an album. Each player is evaluated by a list of skills such as speed and strength, and others, which differ depending on their position. the quarterback of New England PatriotsTom Brady, has, for example, notes in throwing power and accuracy in short, medium and long throws, for being an attacking player. already the cornerback Richard Sherman, from Seattle Seahawks, is evaluated by its takedown, marking and play recognition. Players are also given a rating between bronze, silver, gold or special, depending on their overall rating. Assigning the team can be done automatically for newbies, or manually for beginners, with a system that allows you to easily compare two player cards.

In addition to the season games, the Madden NFL Mobile has “real-time events” with challenges for the player to complete, which give experience points, coins or extra items. These events have a deadline to meet, and new ones are released daily. Another option is the head-to-head mode, which pits you against other players in attack-only matches. Each will have three "drives", or attacks, to score points. In the end, the one with the highest score after the six drives wins a bigger reward. But even if you lose, you'll get paid for every drive played, which encourages participation in the system. You are also matched with players of your level, which ensures that there will be no disputes with too large skill differences. For more games against other users, you can join a league, a group of up to 32 players who compete against each other, like a private Super Bowl. Lastly, you have the set mechanics. Each set is a set of items or players that you can complete to exchange for bigger prizes. But beware: if you use a player this way, you will lose that card.

RESULT

In the final score, the Madden NFL Mobile it's a great game for smaller devices – but not that small. It has intuitive commands that are easy to learn but still provide a challenge to overcome. The heavily automated mechanic helps novice players, but is open to changes made by more experienced players. The interface is friendly and well-organized, it has a top-notch soundtrack and the graphics are pretty good for a mobile game, but they're optimized for tablets. Smaller phones can even run the app, but the small screen can be a big impediment to viewing. Another problem is the need for an internet connection, which will get in the way if you don't have a wi-fi or want to play with an unstable 3G. Despite these negative points, the Madden NFL Mobile is a great game, recommended for experienced football fans and beginners alike, and available for iOS e Android.

EXTENSION: BETTING!

Something quite common in sports is betting on the results of games. both the Seattle Seahawks as much as New England Patriots got off to a bad start to the season, but reached the final with impressive wins, experienced players, and solid results, so it's hard to predict who will win. But since 2004, the EA use the Madden NFL to simulate a match between the teams that will dispute the Super Bowl – and has an amazing hit rate of 8-3. According to EA, the victory will go to the New England Patriots, in a tight game that will end at 28-24, highlighted by Tom Brady, which will be the Most Valuable Player, with 335 rushing yards and four touchdowns. But it is worth remembering that last year EA predicted a victory for the Denver Broncos sobre or Seahawks that did not materialize… You can find out more details about the forecast result in the video below, in English.

Sources: Vox / EA