It’s another year and another Madden release. Well, if you dismiss Madden 09 with such a thought, you’ll be missing out on one of the best sporting games, nay, anything games we’ve played this year. After 20 years, the folks at Electronic Arts have proved this franchise still has room to run.

The first thing to note is that EA has emphasized the games accessibility to all gamers, not just those with perennial tendonitis of their trigger finger. This is accomplished through My Skill, a “Madden IQ” if you will that helps out novices while keeping the game challenging for hard core grid iron warriors. The My Skill level results in different gameplay across the board.

The first time you pop in Madden NFL 09, you’ll be treated to the Madden Test, a set of four drills that will gauge your Madden IQ and determine your My Skill level. After each game, your My Skill changes so as you improve, the game will get harder. This is a wonderful addition that will let grandma (possibly) put down her Wii controller yet still have junior getting calluses and complaints from Mom that he really, really needs to stop playing this instant! And if you notice that the game is getting *too* difficult, there are some sliders that will let you manipulate the rules and details of the game to bring it back to the fun, not masochistic level.

In addition to My Skill, different play styles allow the user a customization option. From the simplest level that handles everything except hiking, throwing and running you can advance all the way up to the hardest levels where (almost) nothing is beyond your control. And here’s a real bonus – match a rookie up against a pro and when each uses a different play style, it won’t be an automatic blowout like in other games (see why we’re so excited about this game!).

So the game is easier for Dad, “So what?!” you say. What is in it for me who’s been playing Madden since games came on cartridges? Well, there are no mind blowing new features in this area but rather a lot of exciting, minor enhancements that add up to a new Madden experience. New features include formation changes on the fly, bluffing, slide protection and a rivalry flavor to certain games.

Where the game really shows the Jolt Cola fueled developers’ vision though, is in the enhanced attention to detail. Receivers’ arms and hands now react differently than the rest of the body so your player’s face mask won’t be the target when a pass was clearly catchable. Jukes and runs in general have also been graphically enhanced since Madden 08. You can now break free from tackles with a push of the face button or a flick of the right stick. Even if you are still tackled, well, at least you had a chance to try. Bluffing a play call becomes easier than previous versions.

If you want to talk real attention to detail, take a look at the grass. Remember the first time you saw a game in High Definition, how much better the grass looked? Well, get ready to be impressed again. Add in a few new cameras like the Breakaway cam and the Hit cam that makes bone crunching hits just a bit more painful to see.

Up in the booth, you now have Ton Hammond and Chris Collinsworth making calls. Their commentary is insightful and putting aside the occasional lame quip, most of their comments are as accurate as coverboy Brett Favre’s cannon of an arm.

So you’ve been playing and want some feedback on how you’re doing and more importantly, what you can do better. Enter BackTrack. Hammond and Collinsworth are quite respectable when it comes to picking out plays that, shall we say, were less than perfect.

In the “maybe good, maybe bad” category, we have Rewind. This feature allows you to go Superman on the game and turn back time for a preset (per game) number of plays. Personally, I don’t know how I feel about this. While it may seem like a blessing to have the answers to the upcoming midterm, you do end up not learning which in the end, is why you’re playing. Take the fumble or interception like a man (or woman as the case may be). However, if you’re the kind of person that likes to try out a different play on the same setup, hit Rewind and give it a second (or third, or fourth) try.

Gaming modes include the well known Superstar, Exhibition and Franchise modes. Madden 09 adds in two new modes: Madden Moments and Online Leagues. Online Leagues are definitely version 1.0 but nonetheless, still fun. Up to 32 players can hope into a league and compete, all the way down to their own championship trophy. It’s pretty straight forward but for a first pass, not too bad. Expect Madden 10 to beef up this feature as I know the people I’ve talked to noticed it in the feature list right away.
Madden moments may seem dorky but is actually pretty cool. The game takes one portion of a game from last season and recreates the setup. You will either need to rewrite the history books or follow through the way it was before.

On the graphics front, add in better lighting and more lifelike player models that actually resemble the beasts that take the field each week (I say that with awe and respect). And did we mention the grass?

In addition to the standard version, Electronic Arts also released the Collector’s Edition which adds in NFL Head Coach 09. With the tagline “Be the Coach”, Head Coach allows you to dive even deeper into the running of an NFL team. You can design a playbook which will be available in the main game. Keep up to date with trades, beefs and the opinions of the fans, media, and oh yeah, the players.

The Collector’s Edition also throws in extra content for the Madden-aholic. Go old school with a playable version of Madden 93. Check out the best playbooks of the past 20 years. You can check out all the behind the scenes making of on video as well as special footage of Brett Favre. Finally, the package teases you with “never before seen concept art”. If you’re a Madden 09 junkie, the extra $30 for the Collector’s Edition is money well spent.

So what is wrong since surely no game is perfect? Well, there are times when the animation still gets a bit jumpy and players seem to float along like Tinkerbells. And of course no AI is perfect with opposing players still doing dumbo maneuvers, even on the toughest levels. But these little blemishes just prove the game is mortal and certainly don’t take away from otherwise incredible gameplay.

Madden 09 is available now in the US for $59.99 Standard Edition and $89.99 Collector’s Edition. To learn more or to order, click on the links.

Filed under: Madden 09, Main