About a month ago, we heard about the capabilities of Playmaker control and how it would be incorporated into the game, but it wasn't until the doors of E3 opened and we stiff armed a few fools out of the way to grab a controller that we really found out how cool the feature is. When you walk up to the line of scrimmage and see a defender move right into the spot you were about to run, simply hit the right trigger and flip the play to the other side. It's that easy, and it really ends up making more of a difference in gameplay than you'd think. And yeah, flipping plays at the line is dope, but it's not the flashy Playmaker controls most gamers will be talking about come Madden's August release.

Take quarterback phenom Michael Vick. Roll him out of the pocket and use the right analog stick to actually move your primary receiver into an open spot in the secondary or send him deep down field to beat the coverage staring back at the Falcon QB. If you decide to act like Michael Vick and dazzle the crowd with your quickness and you break off downfield with a blocker in front, press the right analog stick toward a defender to block, and Vick will actually point toward the exact defender he wants blocked as he scurries down the sidelines. Simply awesome.

When it comes to picking plays, more emphasis has been placed in recreating each teams actual playbooks, including team specific formations. The Packers run their version of the wishbone with two tight ends and three running backs, you can move players like Charlie Garner from running back to the slot position, and you can even substitute players from the play call screen with the press of a single button without ever needing to go into the substitution screen.

Defensively, you also have more control as you can roll your safeties to one side or another to double team a specific receiver or try to plug a spot you anticipate the offense to run the ball. You can also substitute entire units on defense from starters to your speed team in order to counter any moves the offense might be trying to pull off.

The player models look incredible, as each NFL superstar is represented to his fullest complete with authentic hairstyles like mullets and dreadlocks. All of the authentic helmets are also represented including the Ridell Revolution. But it's not just about how they look standing still, and EA knows this, as they incorporated plenty of new animations to wow the E3 crowd. Receivers adjust to poor passes by turning toward the ball and moving their hands to snag the pigskin. Players will stumble, place their hands on the turf to catch their balance, then resume running down field. And best of all, there are a number of open field special teams wipeout hits, especially on punt returns, that will make any fan quiver in their cleats.

Madden has always been a special series, but this year's game in particular has a special quality, as even in its early stages you get a feeling like you're playing something that's going to be great. So great in fact, that I'm going to end this preview right here so I can run back to the show floor and get in some more games before the day is done. With any luck, I might even get to show one of those quarterbacks a thing or two about throwing a football...on the cyber field, that is.

Both IGN and EA posed the question of "How can the right analog stick be implemented in a football game in a way that's both clever and entertaining?" Good thing for you the development team at Tiburon had the answer and ignored our lame request to make the right stick a freestyle celebration control stick. The freestyle control system allows you to quickly change parts of a play before the snap with a quick flick of the right analog stick. On a running play you can change the direction of the running play (including the handoff) without flipping the entire play on an audible and letting the defense know that you're going the other way. The blockers will change the direction of their block but the receivers will stay in their positions so that an opposing player won't know what you're doing. On a pass play you can use the right analog stick to change the route of your primary receiver. He won't change is position but his route change will be contextual and within the framework of the offense. You'll still have hot routes to send your guys on streaks, hooks, ins, outs and slants but flicking the right stick will change his route from a hook to a curl for example. It will be something that won't run him into another receiver's route but at the same time will allow you to exploit some weakness in the defense that you notice when you come to the line of scrimmage.

During a play the right analog stick will be used to give instructions to players on the fly. When the running back gets the ball on a running play he'll be able to tell his blockers, especially on a run to the outside, which defender to block when there's more than one approaching him. In this way you won't have to rely on the blocking AI to block the correct guy anymore. If you know you can shake the nearest defender yourself and want to set up your blocker to hit the next man down the field you merely lean the right stick in the direction of the far defensive player. On a pass play, you can tell receivers to break off their routes and break in, out, deep or comeback on a hook. It's designed to work best on a rollout play where your QB is scrambling towards the sideline. In the event that you're out on the fringe and you have more than one receiver on that same side of the field, they'll all break their routes according to your wishes. For all run-of-play freestyle moves, the players' field of vision will determine how instructions are given. You'll be able to see receivers looking back at the QB at some point during the route and at this point they'll be able to receive instructions to break off their routes. Running backs and quarterbacks will point and gesture as they give their teammates commands on the fly.

Draw plays and play action passes will be more effective in both head to head and CPU games with the new camera system that helps sell the fake. On a draw, the camera will pull back after the snap to show passing icons and the width of the field thereby throwing off the defense. The player will have to know that he's called a run and be ready to take control of the RB. It's the same thing on a play action pass. The camera will stay in close to the line of scrimmage after the snap and the ball possession icon will pop up under the running back to sell the fake and it's up to the controlling player to remember that he's called a pass play. The effect is strong enough that the game's AI is fooled just as well as a human player would be. The last impressive bit of camera work comes from the rollout camera. Rather than losing sight of the opposite side of the field when you roll your QB to one side or the other, the camera now pivots on an axis that appears to be defined by the QB and the spot of the snap and will continue to show the opposite side of the field even as you drift closer to the sideline. The same technique is being used in NBA Live 2004 to keep the action on the entire court in front of you, or field in this case, visible throughout the play.

The game's new post-play interface instantly brings up play selection menus and controls on the bottom third of the screen while replays, celebrations and other cutaway shots run in the middle third of the screen with info and score running on the top third. This will facilitate faster play-calling especially in a tight game where you may want to quickly sub-in new players using the brand new package system. Based on real NFL team playbooks, different teams will have different packages that bring in a handful of new players on both offense or defense without having to pause for the substitute menu. The players in the packages can be substituted and saved to your profile, but the packages themselves are tied to specific playbooks. You can change the personnel in Pittsburgh's five receiver package but you can't turn that group into your jumbo package unless the Steelers actually use one. Not every team puts a tight end in the backfield but if that's your thing, you'd better be using Cleveland's playbook .

The Mini-Camp mode (which is still a standalone mode) was so popular that this year Madden 2004 introduces Training Camp to be used in conjunction with the game's Franchise mode. The passing, blocking, running and kicking drills you'll remember from Mini-Camp can be used before a season to boost the attributes of your offensive and defensive players. You can only add to your players' abilities and never have to worry about losing attribute points because you suck at the pass accuracy drill. You will, however, be risking points you've accumulated as you try to take your player to the next level of a particular drill. Just because you aced that first pocket presence drill doesn't mean you'll want to risk losing all of those points by going for the big points awaiting you on the second pocket presence drill.

The Franchise mode includes a new, fully functional trading block where you can show the league the guys you don't want anymore. The difference here is you even get to set the parameters for what you want in return so you don't have to waste hours navigating menus to find potential trade partners only to be shot down repeatedly. Once you've selected the players on your team you want to dump, they're given a letter grade based on age, salary, ability and a hidden potential rating. You then tell the trading block what position, minimum rating or even draft pick you want in return. Instantly you'll see offers from other teams, if any and you can pull the trigger on your trade right then and there.

You have the option of running Ownership mode along with your Franchise mode or you can even macromanage your team without playing a single game. As owner you'll be responsible for the financial health of your team and will be able to set prices on concessions and on the various seating areas including luxury boxes. You'll even get stadium/city specific concessions like garlic fries at whatever they're calling the San Francisco 49ers stadium these days. Things like managing the salary cap will become even more involved as an owner since you'll be dealing with real world numbers and cap considerations. We weren't given too much detail on just how deep Ownership mode will be, but we know you'll be able to have rivalries with other NFL teams, run a fan appreciation day and you'll even be able to get fired for running your team into the ground. You might even be able to move your franchise from one city to another and build your football empire there.

Visual enhancements to Madden 2004 includes new player models and fresh tackle and blocking animations. Tattoos, long hair and dreadlocks will all be seen along with four different types of helmet for the truly obsessed football fan. Receivers will adjust to make difficult catches and ball carriers will stumble through arm tackles and lean into oncoming tacklers. Defenders will fight through blockers with more ferocity and fresh animations and offensive linemen will work to keep defensive linemen in front of them just like they teach you in high school.

There are other improvements to Madden 2004 that are definitely worth noting. For PS2 owners online gaming will be cheat-proofed and there will be persistent online tournaments. Voice communication, messaging and separate lobbies for veteran and rookie Madden players will enrich the online experience considerably. Still no online play for Xbox owners through Xbox Live, but, drum roll please Xbox owners are getting custom soundtracks!. GameCube owners can look forward to some kind of compatibility with the GameBoy Advance. Madden Moments will put players in historical situations from the NFL's past and you'll have to come out on top to unlock some goodies. The Raiders-Patriots snowbound playoff game from January 2002 is sure to be a contender there. The Play Now exhibition mode will actually draw all of the matchups from that particular week of the NFL season if you've got your system's date and time set accurately. Pick the Eagles in Week 4 and you'll be getting the Bills as your default opponent. You can switch your opponent yourself which is especially helpful when your team is in a bye week.

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IGN will have much more on Madden NFL 2004 in the next 10-12 weeks because there's a whole lot of good stuff to get into and you know we're the ones to give it to you.