Difficulty:

Hard

Time Spent:

10 to 20 Hours

The Bottom Line:

"Total letdown"

The commercials looked great. The reviews....well eh. However, I didn't get Madden 09 and I needed a sports game for my PS3, so I dropped the 60+ and bought it. I knew going in I would be a bit rusty at Madden, and was expecting an adjustment period. I was not, however, expecting one of the most inconsistent and unrealistic gameplay experiences I've ever come across.

Lets begin with the good: Graphics. Menus. Realism of the players, stadiums, etc. Like I said in my title, one of the most aesthetically pleasing sports games ever made.

And that's where the good ends. It's all in appearances, and well for me, beauty is on the inside. I still think Final Fantasy 7 is one of the top few greatest games ever, so you know my take on graphics. They're not THAT important.

So here goes the bad, it's completely all in the gameplay, I'll share my beefs with it, and you can decide whether or not you would like to deal with these issues or overlook them, and note that I was playing on Pro, which should make things easier:

Franchise Mode: Navigation is nice, but the player development drills are noticeably missing, which was one of my favorite features from Madden 08 I think it was (possibly 07). This is disappointing because I was looking forward to developing players as a means to get reacquainted with the game. Apparently, your players develop over the season as they usually do, but I'm only four games in including the preseason (8 games total) and have yet to see any improvement from any of my players, which is odd because Devin Hester has 11 touchdown receptions through 8 games, 900 yards receiving, and is still a 72

When you're on defense: Even with a D-Line such as the one I drafted, a 97, 87, 85, 83, I NEVER reach the qb. Once, maybe twice a game if I blitz my DBs AND LBs. I was always awesome in at least getting in for three sacs a game with my line alone, sometimes as many as 9 or 10 when playing a weak offensive line, but in this game, no matter what I do, no matter who I play, it is nearly impossible to collapse the pocket and sack the QB. If you're the type of Madden player who likes using an end or DT, then get ready to abandon all those hours of playing with them, because you simply cannot reach the quarterback. For me, I constantly break the first blocker, get hit by the second blocker, and by the time I'm on the third blocker, one of my other two studs should have sacked the QB, but no. They didn't. And don't. Kyle Vanden Bosch is an 87, and through 8 games of me using my DT Kevin Williams, a 97, and breaking 2-3 o-linemen each time, giving VB single coverage, he has yet to record one sac. BTW, Kevin Williams has 3 sacs through eight games, and should have WAYYYY more based on how many times I've broken past people. The QB generally has 5-6 seconds before he throws, since I drafted based on Defense as I usually do, and gets throws off after everyone stands still for a half second and he calls a hot route. It's that bad, and frustrating.

Continuing with defense, even if I switch to a LB on a blitz play, Kevin Williams who so easily handles three blockers, gets stuck on one, allowing the computer blockers to double/triple team whoever my character is. So it isn't just my linemen skills, it's whoever I am gets triple teamed, which as we all know isn't the case around the NFL.

My biggest beef with Defense is the new Pro Tak system, which is GREAT on short runs that go for an extra yard, or passes into double coverage...but ANYTIME there is single coverage, the computer breaks the first tackle at least 50% of the time, because of the PRO TAK system needing more than one person to bring people down. So on a quick screen, the WR will break the first CB tackle, for an extra ten yards, and then generally break the safety tackle, for a wide open run downfield. I know this happens in the NFL on occasion, but it doesn't happen three times every single game against Antonio Cromartie and Lawyer Milloy They're good ball players, not shmoes. Also on pitches, there are TONS of times I hit the back in the backfield, but they always break that first tackle unless its with an elite defender... so if you're the type of player that likes to draft some stars, as well as some young rookies and develop over multiple seasons, then it's really frustrating. I'm developing Laurinitis, and he misses tackles EVERY TIME. By the way, when I say I'm open field tackling them, I'm HIT STICKING them, and they shield out of it every time, somehow.

OFFENSE: basically the reciprocal of Defense. Whereas I can't collapse the pocket on defense, the computer collapses mine in a second or two. Even when I play with teams with great lines(I tried out the Vikings so I could get a feel for AP) More often than not, the pocket collapses before the receivers run their routes. The worst part is, if there is ONE weak link in your offensive line, the defense SLAUGHTERS that person EVERY, SINGLE, TIME. I have Tauscher, who is a 78. He was up against a 79. I was sacked 7 times, and my running back was hit in the backfield on EVERY SINGLE PLAY RUNNING RIGHT.

That's just not even fair. I couldn't get pass plays off. I couldn't get runs off. It wasn't even fun.

Also on offense, with the new accuracy stat for short, medium, and long passes coming into play, the most frustrating thing is seeing Devin Hester, Five yards in front of the defender with only the end zone in sight, and Eli Manning can't throw it to him. Eli Manning is not the worst QB to ever play the game, and at worst, he's a decent quarterback. How he misses him EVERY TIME is beyond me. I've tried lead passing, shorting the pass, leading the pass Right (Which you do by the right joystick) and nothing. How I've accumulated stats with Devin Hester are all on slant routes, corner routs, and quick hit routes. Devin Hester is a deep ball receiver, one of the fastest men in the league, and it's not realistic at all that Eli can't drop a 35 yard bomb when Hester is wide open down field.

Penalites: I've had holding called on me 11 times in a game before, three in a row on the same play. This is a horrible glitch. Also, there is no illegal contact penalties. I'll see a CB doing bump and run, as far as ten yards down field. I look at my instant replay, because I don't believe my eyes, and lo and behold, the CB is pushing my WR ten yards down the field, with no penalty.

Special Teams: When returning punts, there are rarely chances to break more than 5 yards before defenders get there. When I kick punts, the computer averages about 20-35 yards a game, because NONE of my men get down field.

When I was saying the game is inconsistent, basically everything that is frustrating on defense, the reverse happens when you are on offense. If the game was consistent, on both ends of the ball, (as in, the pocket rarely collapses) then the game would be more tolerable, but that isn't the case, and is the main reason why I feel the gameplay on this is so horrible.

Aside from the ludicrous things such as Bernard Berrian (speed 97) getting caught after breaking free by a LB with an 82 speed, but my 90 sp. safety can't catch up to an 87 sp. WR.... or Frank Gore breaking six tackles on one run for a touchdown, three possessions in a row, and each time one of the tacklers was Brian Urlacher and Brian Dawkins, but my Brian Westbrook goes down in the backfield after one hit, even while I juke or stiff arm or whatever.....as well as my line getting one sack a game, while the computer gets 7+, and my Dline is light years better than their Oline, and their D-line didn't have one person over 85....

It's incredibly frustrating, and if you are on the fence or thinking of a couple different games to get, go with a Guitar Hero 5, Halo ODST, or wait for the new NBA game to come out. If you're really debating getting this game, rent it and you'll understand why you will be glad to return it. I wish I did.