Aside from the new controls, ARENA FOOTBALL nails the sport perfectly.
The whole new atmosphere is awesome, because the field is way different, and the goal post, walls, and just the whole place looked like Madden got thrown into a blender, and someone tapped the pieces together. It doesnt look bad, but when you first see it, your gonna have some "mixed reactions."
The whole new gameplay is great. Its always moving, never dull. I thought there could be more running plays, but the game focuses mostly on passing...
The passing is good. Either the reciever is wide open, or covered. Breaking down the defense is very rewarding. If the offensive line does the job, you can get some time to see if a defender trips, or stumbles, and make the best of it with a rewarding completion.
Going over the walls is cool. If your WR is trying to get a ball out of play, he may go over the wall in atempt to get it. It is always entertaining to watch. There are some awesome tackles too. Your player can get smashed in the legs, and he will fly inoto the air, and another player will smash into him while hes in mid-air, sending your player tumbling down the field.
Overall, EA got a great start on thihs franchise, and It will improve over the years significantly.