TV STYLE CAMERA ANGLE!? If you have CPU vs CPU in the game they must have this if not it's back to NFL 2K 5
Madden NFL 09 Updated Impressions
EA Sports unveils Madden NFL 09, and we have all the details.
Let the buzz officially begin. This week, EA Sports put Madden NFL 09 on display for the first time at the publisher's spring press event in Vancouver. Producers were on hand to talk about practically every aspect of the game, from features designed for the hardcore crowd and newcomers alike to the advent of online leagues. We've got all the details here in our latest look at the game.
A common theme from EA's Season Opener event was the ability to customize the gaming experience in this year's crop of games based on your skill level. In no game is this more true than in Madden 09. From the moment you first pop the game into your console, it will immediately guide you through a series of tests to gauge your "Madden IQ." The tests function similarly to minigames found in previous versions of Madden, albeit this time with a holographic graphical treatment. The tests measure your proficiency in various Madden disciples, including rushing, passing, defending the run, and defending the pass. Based on the results of the minigames, Madden 09 will automatically configure difficulty settings to ensure that playing against the CPU will always be a competitive experience. Your Madden IQ will also be used to determine other elements of the game presentation, including the play-calling screen and the level of depth presented in analytic cutscenes.
These cutscenes, which also make their debut for the first time in Madden 09, are automatically triggered whenever you blow a potentially big play. EA specifically mentioned three such instances (getting sacked with an open receiver, throwing into coverage, and making a bad play call) but suggested that more events will trigger similar cutscenes by release. The cutscenes show you replays of the mistake and an overlay of the offensive and defensive play arts, and they provide suggestions on how to avoid such mistakes in the future. Like the concept for the Madden IQ, this appears to be an attempt by EA to appeal to a not-so-hardcore audience that may not be familiar with all of the intricacies of the sport.
Madden 09 won't expect you to remember this analytic advice for the next applicable instance, either. Instead, the game will provide you with the ability to "rewind" the last play and attempt to correct the error immediately. Because this will clearly be a powerful tool, use of the rewind feature is limited to three per game by default and can be adjusted in the settings for more or fewer depending on your personal preference. In addition to giving you a second opportunity to cash in on a big play, rewind can be used on defense to negate your opponent's home-run ball. It's your choice whether to use rewinds to jump to capitalize on early opportunities or save them to put away your opponent in the fourth quarter. Unranked online games will offer three rewinds per player by default, but the feature will not be available during ranked matches.
In addition to efforts focused on widening the Madden audience, Madden 09 will boast a collection of cosmetic improvements. First and foremost on this list are the improvements to weather and venue presentation. Players leave footprints during snow games that gradually disappear (though bodies sliding on the snow mysteriously don't cause the same effect), fog effects have been added, and jerseys no longer remain spotlessly clean throughout the game. Grass textures have been dramatically improved to the point where you can distinguish individual blades; stadium shadows falling on the field of play appear sharper and more realistic; and even the sidelines look appropriately populated with third-string scrubs and various coaching personnel. Random (but reasonable) weather effects will be available in unranked online games but, again, not in ranked matches.
Presentation improvements don't stop on the field either. The play-calling screen now offers many of the common Madden adjustments, such as changing audibles, substituting players, and even a quick replay of the last play without the need to pause the game and navigate menus (though the game clock and play clock will still pause while changes are being made). Although it's not groundbreaking, EA's hope is that this will lessen the disruption to the gameplay caused by making such adjustments.
Finally, Madden 09 also debuts a number of new features as well as a game mode that Madden enthusiasts have been anticipating for a long time: online leagues. This feature alone is so monumental and anticipated that it deserves an extensive breakdown.
Online leagues can include anywhere from two players to a complete league of 32 participants. You will have the ability to start the season with a fantasy draft (or just play with the default roster), conduct trades with other players, and even play online games at your convenience by way of a flexible schedule system. The flex schedule will let you play regular season games in any order or at any pace you choose. It is EA's hope that this will eliminate the long-standing issue of scheduling online games between gamers with commitments outside of gaming. For instance, one player may notice that his week 8 and week 15 opponents are online and play both games back-to-back. In fact, one player could finish all of his regular season games in a weekend before another player has even played his first.
100 comments
OOOOH! We get to see footprints in the snow. Who needs gameplay when you can see actual footprints in the snow. We're talking groundbreaking stuff here.
i agree with jetmet, 2k would not be able to do much more madden 05 gameplay was better than 2k but 2ks presentation was better with postgame haltime with chris berman, the crib was a horrible attempt to compete with the equally horrible madden cards. the celebrity calls were anoyying. i like 2k5 back in...............................2005? if EA would just create a halftime show and postgame show it would be a BETTER 2k5 get it? plus 2k games blow anymore, like the baseball game, it freezes often and glitches like no other and the hockey game will never compete with nhl 09. All pro football was basically 2k5 but with has beens legends fake teams horrible stadium designs and graffics with almost the same exact commentary, does it sound like all pro from 2k tried to be innovative? i dont so i leave it at this EA lives and produces NFL games, 2k5 is 4 years old. move on besides hearing about brett favre all i hear is 2k5 this 2k5 that,
All EA needs right now is some competition from another football game to make 'em work. They definitley have some great ideas.
You guys seriously need to chill yourselves.i know it does suck that madden has and nfl licences but what would 2k do differently? like seriously what hasn't been done before?what are they going to do make oj simpson in the game and he can fly!?!?!?And what is really the awesome deal about 2k5?it was a good game in its time but now?its crap guys i'm sorry to say this but madden 08 beats 2k5 in every way.And how the hell do you change the gameplay of a sports game? unless you're going to have like a blitz of something nothing can be changed in a sports game because it is in all purposes a sim.And no one is going to boycott and ea knows that so why even care.i admit i am a madden person lining up year after year but in 2004 2k made a better game. but wouldn't everything be recyled form madden and have the 2k name on it? so answer this question all of you madden haters what can 2k do differently?what would they do that is innovative? and watch head coach is going to be a decent game this time.
You know, if we wanted too we could get a better Madden. Instead of each year just buying a more polished game w/updated rosters and simple additions. Truly Madden doesn't have to change anything and we will still buy it the next year. Though if we all agree that they screw us, why not boycott one year of madden, stick with madden 08 which was a pretty good year. And influence them to actually do something about the game. But then again I'm just saying. I mean really, do you want another 8.0-8.9 football game. I don't. They could do better, but they don't have too. Just a suggestion. It's really up to us the consumer.
Why are they saying that IN GAME saves are in the game? It's already been confirmed it won't be in the game this year (google it). I hope they didn't assume this when they wrote the article. Also league doesn't have to be 32 people....every team in the league must be a human player...so you can have a 5 team league, each one controlled by a human. You can't have a 32 team league....27 cpu 5 human controlled.
a rewind? out of place in my opinion, the realistic weather effects sound nice though. some of the things in the online leagues sound like garbage though. no division, injuries, have to be 32 people and only one season?
I just wish that they would bring back the gameplay features that made Madden a strategic game of football. For instance, the formation audibles and OL audibles. These were a great addition on last gen. I don't understand why it can't be brought to this gen. Also, other things mentioned like suction blocks (seriously, if a guy is running behind me and I'm stuck to the blocker in front of me and cannot disengage,it's holding) and shoddy fullback blocking A.I. should be addressed prior to shiny new features and emulators.
Its gonna be the same old crap from last year with just touched up graphics and some new features.
what a great new feature with the madden IQ. now all the madden players can really know how smart of a player they are and not lie about being "the best madden player'". that gets really annoying and old.
Well I agree with sacker63. If you make the perfect football game one year what can they do the next? Everytime a game is made something new comes up and its implimented in another game or the follow up of that game. Basically if you dont like it dont buy it, that simple.
People will complain about how typical of a game this is, how ordinary it is, how it isnt as good as last year's version (just like last year's wasnt as good as the one before it, etc)... ...and it will still sell many many millions of copies Way the teach The Man (Electronic Arts) a lesson.
"sacker63 You people whine too much. Way too much. First of all, everything that comes out of 2k is a waste of time. Whether it's football, baseball, basketball, or what-have-you. They all look horrible and play choppy. Second, is having a ref on the field would get in the way and if you people really think that the developers and all of their research and studies haven't pointed out everything you all have said you're crazy. If they do it all now, they have nothing for next year. If they can still attract a huge audience... yet keep them waiting for more next year so they can sell another game for $60/per, why wouldn't they do it? This is business people. Seriously, either take the time to learn multiple programming languages and make a better game if you're so much smarter than they are, or stop complaining simply because YOUR needs weren't addressed. Bunch of babies......" WOW, i disagree. if you look at the time when 2k made NFL games they look so much more polished and played better then EA's madden. and there baseball games are more superb to anything realistic EA can put out.
Rewind time? What is this....Prince of Persia? All I want is an online fantasy draft league that can go for as many seasons as we want. This would include college drafting between seasons, etc. EA is pretty much the Neversoft of sports gaming....they have a franchise and they just develop a game each year with slight enough tweak to entice gamers.
the best madden ever was 2005. (ray lewis on the cover) The introduction of defensive hot routes and the hit stick limited or put a stop to money plays. It was the ultimate game of cat and mouse. This made for more intense games, realistic head to head scores and the game actually being played like football. Ever since then its, "what can we add this year to milk another 50-60 bucks".
You people whine too much. Way too much. First of all, everything that comes out of 2k is a waste of time. Whether it's football, baseball, basketball, or what-have-you. They all look horrible and play choppy. Second, is having a ref on the field would get in the way and if you people really think that the developers and all of their research and studies haven't pointed out everything you all have said you're crazy. If they do it all now, they have nothing for next year. If they can still attract a huge audience... yet keep them waiting for more next year so they can sell another game for $60/per, why wouldn't they do it? This is business people. Seriously, either take the time to learn multiple programming languages and make a better game if you're so much smarter than they are, or stop complaining simply because YOUR needs weren't addressed. Bunch of babies......
Wow, I think I'm officially done with Madden for now. Other than roster updates I don't need this crappy game. They are claiming these new online leagues are some huge inovation, when every 2k game has been doing the same thing since 2005. Congraluations EA welcome to 2005!!!!!
Still NO REFEREES???? Are they kidding or what? Tell me a professional sport that doesn't have a Ref or Umpire on the field during play? Is it that hard for them to make the game look realistic? Is this a feature they'll bring in once they run out of ideas and spin it as if it was a groundbreaking inclusion?
Unbelievable. The online feature should have been completely left out of this years version. NO DIVISIONS? Are you kidding me EA? And Franchise draft but you can't select your players? You must pre-rank them? Are you serious? What's with EA? They never get it right. They dominant the market yet they produce a really bad game. I'm sorry fellas, but that online season feature really got under my skin. It's garbage. I guarantee you guys the stats will not work accurately either. Mark it down. They seriously need to take a year off after this next version. They need to focus on Madden 2011 and just provide us with patches, fixes, and roster updates until they can produce a game worthy of $60.
To many limitations for the "Online Leagues". There's no point in using the feature if your only playing one season, no NFL playoff format, or injuries. I don't know what it is with EA and its Madden Franchise, but they need to hit it with this years version. They're losing alot of fans interest ( including me) in the game. I would like hear things about fixed AI awareness (i.e. fullbacks making blocks instead of passing up the first defender, and attacking a safety 10 yards up field) or when on defense, while flowing to the ball carrier, being sucked into a block. Why dont they make corrections on details like that.
Wow, I never knew there were mulligans in football. If anything this article has made me not want to pick up Madden 09. Granted they are still working on it but so far I am underwhelmed. They seriously need to take a year off to give themselves time to work on the game. Look, I am not bashing them just to bash them. I want them to make a great football game. But what they have been selling for the past couple of years have been anything but great. Each year they have a chance to work on the things people complain about but each year they work on some insignificant part instead add some random new feature, slap it on the back of the box with a bullet point and call it a day. All I want is for the gameplay to come first, features second. Unfortunately, Madden 09 seems to continue the trend of putting features ahead of the gameplay.
All I wish is that the game will be glitch free. I am so tired of playing glitchers online. These people exploit cheats and it really gets old.
I like how they are touting online leagues as a major "innovation" when NFL 2K5 had the same feature four years ago. Same goes for the new weather effects in snow games. They spend all this time adding fancy lighting effects, and yet the basic animations are still terrible. Game looks like a bunch of robots sliding around on an ice pond. This series is the very definition of a polished turd. I will be sticking with All Pro Football, a game that actually looks and plays like real football: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ePnxQ92SSFo http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxAsz_xbB0s
Dont even bring 2k in here because their games were much more affordable and gave an actual realism to football instead of madden where they all look like the same body type, Either way looking forward to this years madden
LAST YEARS MADDEN WAS THE BEST ONE in a long time people 2k5 was NOT REAL FOOTBALL it had better presentations than madden but at the HEART OF THE GAMEPLAY it was trash thats why hall of fame failed with that same trash gameplay theres a reason why MADDEN HAS BEEN AROUND for 17 years, cause it has the best gameplay of any other football game(TRUTH BE TOLD NCAA IS THE BEST BUT ITS MADE BY EA ALSO) THIS Madden will be off the chain if you dont like it dont buy but rest assured there will be another next year, and year after,a nd year after.
Yawn. I'm not impressed. Looks like yet another yearly update. Ignore the ignorant fanboy below me. 2K5 is still the very best football game ever!
Seriously people can we drop the nfl2k5, i know its best football ever but we have to put it to rest now and also madden 05. Madden since then is just hype up like usually people saying oh snap man that hot new features. Go home open it play then they say WTF is this!!!!. Or wait for a patch after the superbowl to fix the problems in the game nice SUpport EA. But hey madden 09 20 years if this game fails on its 20 years anniversary with a future HOF,a legend and a straight out warrior on its cover then you guys know madden just sucks they just sucks or they dont give a crap because people going to bu it anyway.
F*** Madden!! I dont like that there are no injuries either in online leagues either. Thats totaly unrealistc. Long live 2k sports!! I will rent it one time with my flip pass thats about it I expect to be fully dispointed like last year and the year before that oh and well the year before that 06 was a joke of a game for 360 EA basicly robbed all the people who bought that piece of crap. I dont know about you? But I dont have 60 bucks to burn.
ElHitch09 THIS MADDEN WILL PROVE THAT IT IS THE LEADER IN FOOTBALL GAMING lol. Is that really saying anything ?? There's like two football games out there and EA is the only one with the NFL license. And All-Pro Football's gameplay blew Madden's out the water . . .
With all these new features and even a broadcaster calling games. what will be new for next year ??? roster updates and , uh yeah, um roster updates?? they should do the rock band theme. DL's new roster or patches to fix / improve the gameplay.
you all are horrible, all a bunch of madden haters! I will agree that the next-gen madden hasnt been subpar, but its an improvement every year. Madden will always have an NFL license because its to much money into the game franchise, and the NFL wants to stay with EA. Dont need to prove anything, so go back to your bridge you trolls!
It will take alot for me to come back to Madden football but, this one may be worth looking into....
give me madden 05 gameplay with 2009 rosters and servers that dont lag and I Will give you $200 but every year since 2005, they just keep adding features that complicate the gameplay but add nothing to it (cone, lead blocking, etc) yawn
The Rewinds are for replays. And the game looks sick as hell. Best madden ever Every madden combined with every feature in one game. Sick AS F***
Sigh looks like Madden will still be terrible, i cant wait until their license wears off. No Gang tackles, Rewinds which is completely idiotic, and CB's and DB's that still dont know how to raise their hands. Cant wait to go online and play people who throw Hail Mary's every play because the Defense is too retarded to defend it. And the ever favored Pinball running which is laughable. And im sure the Same Money Plays that have existed for the past 8 years are still around.
every year maden looks appealing. who knows? if this fails, i've given up on maden and NCAA till 2k gets the nfl lisence black
All these things sound good, but i'll have to wait until i see the user reviews before i buy it. I've seen a lot of negative comments about it but the game hasnt came out yet and to read some of these comments you would think that some people have already played the game. Another thing is that no matter how many screenshots or videos they put up, it's still not the finished product, so i'll reserve my judgement until i actually see the game. I mean, we're talking about a football game here..how many things can be added to a game like that? Special players get rocket boosters on their shoes? Running backs get a free jetpack on their back if they rush for over a thousand yards? There's only so many things you can do to a football game before it loses that 'realistic' touch and becomes arcady again. I'm also a fan of the 2k series but they were far from perfect also.
Conversation powered by Livefyre
Review Scores
Game Info
- Release Date: Aug 12, 2008 (US)
- ESRB: ETitles rated E (Everyone) have content that may be suitable for ages 6 and older.
Hot Forum Topics
Madden NFL 09 Navigation
