Hit the jump for more images and full review.

So, every year when I start seeing commercials for the new Madden it’s a welcome reminder that heatstroke weather is going away and crisp breathe-easy winds of the fall are on time for arrival. Plus, the Madden series is easily the most reliably fun video game that exists. Some years are better than others but it’s never, ever bad. Not only is this year not an exception tot that rule but, and I want to keep the hyperbole to a minimum, its arguably the best ever.

The game is noticeably quicker and kicking field goals is a lot harder but it’s all about the camera angles in Madden 11. In addition to the standard Ariel QB vantage point that players are accustomed to, the sideline-to-sideline view is so visually challenging and exciting that I can’t believe the good people at EA never thought of this before. Another nice addition is the ability for receiver to adjust to badly thrown balls in a much more specific manner. Instead of just you hands and arms, now the player can contort their whole body by the push of a button. This adds a sophistication that the game just didn’t have in the past. But I saved the best for last.

You can manage the defense in a way in a much more intellectual way because there is now a camera angle in which the player can view the field from the eyes of the D. This new spin opens up things greatly especially if you are a fan of playing Madden in an online co-op style. You can have as many as 6 players participating at the same time, so smack-talking about who’s the nicest on the game is no longer just talk. If you got friends that live halfway across the country you can play for bragging rights like never before. ’11 just seems like a big step from its predecessor—which I liked btw—in that there’s so many positive advancements that it seems like 3 or 4 years have passed but its only been one. I have zero complaints, Madden does it again. –K. Salaam