Madden 08 was a disaster of sorts for EA Sports. The game was shipped with bugs that rendered major portions of the game unplayable and as a result, the game sold less than the previous year's version. Metacritic average be damned, Madden 08 didn't have the fairy tale year some would have you believe.

This year's Madden release is going to be the most interesting I have covered since beginning my coverage of Madden games back in the year 2001. First off, the big business question is after Madden actually had a drop in sales last season, will that trend continue yet again? For gamers, the big question is will the game simply improve in a big way?

After last year's release, which was based off of more hype than I can remember this side of Madden 2001, there has been a huge backlash among Madden fans who have said they will not be buying the game on the release date this year. Of course every year there some people who say this only to turn around and buy the game the first day yet again; but, based on my observations from browsing through the community, the number is significantly larger than in previous years. I think it's pretty obvious that if the sentiment across the country is somewhat similar then EA could be taking a hit in their sales numbers once again.

The big question then is, does EA feel the same way I do when it comes to the pulse of Madden fans across the country and, if so, how do they plan to remedy it this year?

My first gut reaction, and based on what we are seeing so far with NCAA, is that a focus on the gameplay and the little things to try to make the experience more authentic and more fun is in order. Does that mean we will see Madden back in the booth this year? All indications point to yes, or at the very least we will get some form of a TV presentation. And if EA doesn't do that, then frankly I fear for the sanity and business savvy of EA's leadership.

Another thing I hope we see EA successfully pull off is a polished and relatively bug free release. I know I shouldn't have to say that, yet it's definitely a priority. And yes, every game ever made has bugs, but a major title like Madden simply can't afford to ship with game breaking bugs. This might sound strange for someone to say of a longtime developer, but after last year you just can't take anything for granted. Peter Moore has hinted that this is something we can expect to see remedied somewhat this year, so let's keep our fingers crossed.

One more thing I think we will see is a continued overall improvement of the gameplay this year -- an obvious point I know. But if you played Madden simply head-to-head last year, you actually got to play a pretty decent game sans the fumbles. With some tweaking and balancing by the developers, Madden could at the very least play a good game of football this upcoming season.

Last year's title sans the bugs was very close to being a title that did turn the corner. Instead, inexcusable bugs ruined the day and sent the Madden franchise into a possible tailspin. Looking ahead and this is now year one in the Peter Moore era, and let's not forget there's been a new Lead Producer on board for the last few months, so there's some fresh faces around EA.

One year later, with an added year of polish and work hopefully completed on the key aspects of the title, along with the addition of a quality TV-style broadcast, and I think that Madden NFL 09 could be a return to something we can recognize as a quality Madden title.

Of course, last year many believed the same could happen and we all know what happened next: we were treated to one of the worst Madden titles since, well the year before. However, one thing is for sure: with the newly renewed NFL exclusivity, this is now a make or break year for the Madden franchise. Either get the franchise back on the right foot, or be swallowed up by the swarm of negativity surrounding exclusivity in sports videogames.

And right now, there are no guarantees.