Madden NFL 09 (Playstation 3)

Madden 09 supped up their engine, applied some cool new features and made it feel like American football overall.

It's a great looking game. The grass is heavily detailed, and the crowd is actually quite detailed even though they are pieces of paper, I can see what they're wearing and that they're all different to each other. Which is good despite the fact most sport games have the cut out crowds and you can't even see what gender they are, so they've put a bit of effort into this.

What really stands out though is the fact that the graphics actually are presented how they would be on TV. You've got a nice view of the pitch from the outside, then it zooms into the packed pitch inside where you'll see the player getting ready and the match begins. All with very nice graphics that are perfect for the PS3.

Each year sports games have masses of modes that you can choose from to play, and some of these years introduce new modes. Madden keeps it's classic Franchise Mode, along with a ton of other modes, new and old. They all take, obviously, a long time to successfully finish a season, and this is where gamers enjoy the fact that this will take them ages and it'll be something that they will want to work on.

Game play wise, it feels like American football and you can't just run and score a touchdown. You've got to work on it. Usually your opponents will just get in the way and take you down easily, but if you're skilled you can dodge your way round them and score the perfect touchdown. And tackling feels very good, you actually hear the sound of both players hitting each other.

Overall, Madden 09 is the best Madden on the PS3. With so many features, good presentation and game play, there's nothing more EA can do to improve the series. If you just like the thought of tackling or if you like the series, then you'll like this and it will be in your collection for quite along time if you play through all the modes. You won't be selling this one for a long time, it's one you should keep.

This year's Madden is great despite some unseemly flaws

When John Madden Football was released in 1988, no one had any idea that it was the beginning of one of the best-selling series of all time. But after 20 years, tens of millions of copies sold, countless tournaments, and even a TV show, Madden is a global phenomenon. When you purchase a Madden game, you know you're going to be the beneficiary of 20 years of experience. Fine-tuned gameplay, top-notch player animation, extraordinarily detailed playbooks, and competitive multiplayer are all series staples. This year's Madden is just what you'd expect: It doesn't take a whole lot of chances with the formula that has proven so successful in the past. Improvements such as the additions of Cris Collinsworth as a commentator and a backtrack feature that points out and helps correct your mistakes make for a great football experience. However, there are quite a few issues that keep Madden 09 from reaching its full potential, such as disappointing online leagues and mostly unchanged Franchise and Superstar modes.
Madden 09 has a number of features designed to address the steep learning curve associated with the series. This year’s game is clearly one of the most user-friendly versions in recent years, but unfortunately, beginners will still probably have a tough time learning the ropes, in spite of these new features. If you throw an interception or take a bad sack, Cris Collinsworth will break down the play for you and explain not only what you did wrong, but what you should have done instead. Collinsworth's analysis during these backtrack segments is startlingly accurate and useful--it's just a shame these moments occur at random. It would have been nice to call them up at any time. Another useful yet controversial addition is the ability to rewind plays and try them again. This is a great way to help you learn from your mistakes and it's nice to have a do-over if you get cheesed by the CPU, but it takes self-control not to rewind anytime you make a bad play. Rewinding a buddy's touchdown is also a surefire way to prematurely end your friendship.

When you first boot the game, a virtual Madden that looks just like R2-D2's projection of Princess Leia in Star Wars appears onscreen to administer a Madden IQ test. This test takes place in a VR simulator and consists of running, passing, tackling, and pass-coverage drills. The game will adjust its difficulty based on the results of this test. This process is a good idea in theory, but it doesn't work. The offensive drills are so easy that it's possible for first-timers to score well enough that the test results indicate they should play a mixture of all-pro and all-Madden difficulties. The defensive drills are a little more accurate, but this only serves to highlight how difficult it is to play defense in the game. Your IQ will fluctuate based on your performance during games, but it takes so long to balance out your IQ that you're better off manually setting the difficulty to rookie and using the simplified playbooks if you're a beginner. The simple playbooks combined with Collinsworth's backtrack analysis are a step in the right direction when it comes to making Madden more accessible to casual players, but more work needs to be done before these newcomers truly feel welcome. A manual or in-game documentation that explains all of the game's features would be great, as would some sort of in-game glossary. How many people who don't watch football every week know what a "cover 2" is anyway?

An overall fun PS3 title

This version of the Madden series has decent graphics and good gameplay. Overall, you have excellent control on both the offense and defense. You can let the AI do the work depending on your Madden IQ settings or you can get more involved with run blocking or adjusting various defensive positioning/assignments prior to the snap. There is always the danger of switching (intentionally or otherwise) to a DB during the play and blowing the coverage/tackle, but this is nothing new. There are so many options that it is definitely a challenge to master these gameplay nuances.

Tackling seems solid along with the ability to anticipate and shake n' bake weaker one on one tackling. Sideline catches are a bit inconsistent--sometimes you will see tightrope catches by average TE's but touted posession recievers will run out of bounds trying to make a catch with plenty of room. Also, the droning on of Collingsworth will at times make you wish you could bullet pass him upside the head. Sorry Chris, I don't think you intend to come across as an arrogant, pedantic, blowhard, but if the mike fits...

I was waiting for this year's version because I read in multiple reviews that there were framerate and glitch issues with the PS3 version of 08. It seems like most of these have been ironed out, although I have never actually played 08. There is some outline gap aliasing/artifacts around character models when looking at full formation (I have a 61" DLP display so I don't know if this exacerbates the effect). For those who are detail oriented, there are some things that can be annoying, such as, running animations looking robotic, QB throw releases looking like shotputs that spiral slowly the wrong way. These definitely show up more when viewing a play as a highlight, which is actually one of the very cool features--being able to pick a viewing angle and save up to 10 highlighted plays per game during franchise mode.

It seems that the shortcomings of each Madden version can be chalked up to EA having a corner on the market and also to the fact that they are simultaneously releasing this title on 4-5 different platforms. If you have 08 and are happy with the gameplay, I wouldn't say 09 does the next generation proud strictly from a graphics standpoint. It seems like most people that say they think the older versions are better, simply don't have a large HD display. I admit that I still like to play older versions of the Tiger Woods series, but the SD graphics just don't hold up to a large display. If you've been waiting for a football game that displays well in HD and has fairly smooth gameplay, then you may want to consider purchasing Madden 09.

Excellent football with a few hang-ups

Love - the depth of ability to manipulate playcalls before and during the play; expansive in-game material (mini-games, tutorials, modes); the range of difficulties to help everybody in the family play; ability to download updated rosters; complete control of the play as the ballhandler (lateral, juke, hurdle, pump fake, pass, etc.)

Like - commentary is decent (though I used to buy it to hear the Maddenisms); the graphics (people aren't nearly as polygonal as in years past); endzone celebrations; Madden Rewind

Dislike - while updated rosters are nice, I don't like that they are applied unilaterally to the game (a player out in Week 10 won't be playing in Week 2 of your season or a new player on a team (Rodgers for Green Bay or Pennington for Miami) will replace the actual player in Madden Moments (for example) if you have downloaded the current rosters); commentary lags a little on fast plays; only Divisional games are considered 'rivalries'; can you really brand a game "Madden" when all he does is make a holographic appearance upon the game's startup?

I bought the game because I have not owned one for two years, and I recently purchased a PS3. I wanted to see what advances have been made in that timeframe. I am very pleased with the overall result, and I am admittedly a little hungup on things most people won't care about. If I'm not 100% on the commentary, I could turn it off. Does it matter that they don't consider other games rivalries? Not especially. I could always put masking tape over the name "Madden" on the game because his presence isn't as profound.

This game gives you incredible control over your own destiny as a football player or team or dynasty, but there are a lot of buttons you have to learn how to use (and when!) in order to truly appreciate that. Thankfully, the less intuitive players can always compensate by decreasing the difficulty and taking advantage of the Madden Rewind.

Sure, there are a few 'could use some works' with this game. However, they do not overshadow or exceed the gameplay or features overall. Beyond that, no game is perfect while offering so many options within.

Madden NFL 2009

This is a good game, but this is supposed to be Madden on the next gen system. They have a lot of great new features, but they removed a lot of little things that start to add up.
THE BAD
-There is no QB vision, but you can still highlight receivers...why?
-There is no way to customize music during practice or in the main menu except when you go into the music section.
-Can only use preset hot routes. Cannot choose which hot routes you want available in the game...I really miss the post route audible and the out and up route.
-Cannot "shade" defenders anymore.
-Cannot customize the buttons and their actions to your liking.
THE GOOD
-Chris Collinsworths' breakdown of plays is one of the best features EVER. You haven't experienced Madden until you watched this presentation. It's like watching Ron Jaworski break down a play on NFL Match-Up!
-Madden IQ is great as far as seeing where you are potentially weaker...as long as you don't cheat to make your stats better.
-The "Rewind" feature...a must for anytime you get "Maddened". Too bad this can't be used if the computer is in hurry-up mode. This feature also saves you from resetting out of frustration (just don't run the same play twice...cpu will adjusts when you rewind).
-Stats for each player are now useful. It's nice to now know which player should try and "truck" people, versus using a stiff arm, versus trying to juke. It all depends on the stats and who's good at what. Owens is only good on important downs and plays...just like in real life. He drops quite a bit of passes otherwise.

In all, Madden is a good game but I wish they hadn't removed some of the features. The level of detail that you could go into in past Madden games is now gone...I am willing to bet everything that this is because they no longer have competition from other football game companies. It's really sad that on a next gen system, you have less features than the previous system. I don't understand why they couldn't leave the detailed level of customization from previous games AND add all of these great new features (I WANT to audible into a post route, and I WANT to shade my defenders to guard against the slant route. I WANT to protect the ball with the triangle button, not R1). Oh well, if you buy this game, it's still a good game. These things can be overlooked, but for $59.99, they should pay more attention to the little detail. Worth buying once it becomes cheaper.