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OS Roundtable: Best New Feature in Madden 09

For NCAA Football the answer is easy - online dynasties.

With Madden, different folks seem to enjoy news of different features. And while we haven't been treated to all "85" of the new features, we have a good amount of information.

So, from what we know about the game so far, which of the new features appearing in Madden will have the best positive affect on the game?

Patrick Williams (BigWill33): Best feature the new Madden will have is a correctly working franchise - assuming we have a correctly working franchise.

That aside I am liking the presentation and weather, to me they are under the same category. There is nothing like being imersed in a game and escaping reality for 45 minutes or so. With the new weather affects and presentation we are a little closer to blurring those lines.

If the gameplay is half decent we should be treated to a very memorable Madden this season. I am not holding my breath, but maybe crossing my fingers.

Will Soistman (wdogf0rel1fe): Well ... if you can really call it a feature I really am looking forward to the new play-by-play commentary that will be implemented. I actually really like Cris Collinsworth and Tom Hammond and cannot wait to finally be presented with a TV style game again.

With a supposed pregame and halftime show with John Madden announced in some previews, I do believe that EA is finally bringing the presentation up to snuff and hope to be immersed once again in a football game

Richard Chavez (Chavez21): I'd have to agree with that. The radio announcer was terrible and I'm happy he's gone for a more a TV style presentation.

Caley Roark (CPRoark): Count a third vote for the new presentation. Regardless of your opinion of NFL 2k5, it seems to be the pinnacle of sports games presentation. I'd like to see Madden get back there - hopefully the new presentation breathes some life back into the franchise mode.

I'm also looking forward to the dynamic difficulty setting. I like the challenge of a real game without modifying billions of sliders combinations. It seems recently I've spent more time setting sliders than playing games.

Chris Sanner (ChrisS): While I do agree the new presentation is HUGE for Madden, I think that Madden's online leagues will be a pretty big deal for folks as well. I know Operation Sports will be running a 16 person league on the PS3 and 360, so there is also my cheap plug for that. However, I just feel that online leagues, no matter what form they are in, are long overdue.

Another thing I think people might be overlooking is the slightly improved visuals. Everyone I have talked to that has seen the game in action so far has commented on how much better the game looks. Some of the screenshot comparisons we did with NCAA (which saw a similar facelift) are night and day. If we can get some new animations to go along with the excellent lighting, we could have a really good looking game as well.

Matthew DiStaulo (distauma): I have to say, I am most excited for the new camera system. Previous iterations of the game always had me favoring my slot receivers and tight ends in the passing game. Frankly, I never knew what to expect when throwing to my outside receivers from the pocket because I was unable to see them half the time! If done well, this new system will be amazing; allowing every receiver on the field to be visible at all times.

Patrick Williams (BigWill33): That is big distauma, but I need to see more before I say it is a winner. I wonder what happens if there are sideline patterns run to both sides of the field. Does the camera just pan back real far? When playing head to head does it bluff pass plays well or do you know from the snap what the play is?

Until those are answered I won't praise that feature.

Chase Becotte (Slizeezyc): It's not an entirely new feature either since a similar camera made an appearance in the series some years ago. If you watch the videos out there though Patrick, basically the camera does just pan back as the routes spread to the sidelines.

Some other things mentioned such as the presentation tweaks and the Madden IQ look interesting and even promising, but I need extended time with those additions to know how good they actually are.

So I'm actually more excited for something that falls outside the field of play, and that is the expansion of the community features. In this case it seems like the series will start small because you will be able to upload Madden pictures to social sites like FaceBook, but nothing else like videos and so forth.

Nonetheless, this feature in addition to the assumed expansion of EA Sports World, which hopefully will become more user friendly and maybe escape the beta phase, gives gamers an outlet to better share experiences. Expanding these areas will give more life to leagues, dynasty reports, and in general should liven up the various communities.

Ryan Spencer (rspencer86): It has been said over and over again, but the addition of Cris Collinsworth and Tom Hammond in the announcing booth is huge. I had no tolerance whatsoever with the "Radio Guy" I turned the radio announcer volume all the way down the first time I played Madden 08. Presentation can go a long way in making a game enjoyable to play, and it looks like Madden has finally taken some steps in the right direction in this area.

Carlos Hernandez (YankeePride): Again, as others have mentioned, it's the announcing team. Atmosphere is an important aspect of sports gaming and a new, fresh announcing team makes playing much more enjoyable. The radio play-by-play was one of the worst ideas in a long time and really made sitting through a game of Madden difficult.

It's possible that even if Madden doesn't improve tremendously in the game play department, the new two-man booth will give the game enough energy to deem the quality of the title vastly improved.


Madden NFL 09 Videos
Member Comments
# 1 BrianFifaFan @ 05/19/08 02:32 PM
Head Coach is the best "new" feature for Madden09! If you buy the collectors edition. LOL....
 
# 2 Brassman @ 05/19/08 02:41 PM
Come on guys, I can't believe nobody mentioned the new "rewind" feature. It's too hard to give us in game saves but we can now replay any part of the game that doesn't go our way. Incredable! This has got to be HUGE.
 
# 3 WDOgF0reL1fe @ 05/19/08 03:07 PM
^ My sarcasm meter went off a little bit.
 
# 4 Phobia @ 05/19/08 03:12 PM
It has got to be the "replay" feature. A-Maze-Ing
 
# 5 Rashad19 @ 05/19/08 03:20 PM
After thinking about this for awhile now I can honestly say that none of the new features introduced really have me chomping at the bit thus far. NCAA's online dynasties on the other hand has me very intrigued!! The thought of being able to include numerous users in one dynasty is exciting to me!! Maybe Madden will unveil some new features in the upcoming weeks that will change my outlook.
 
# 6 labguy @ 05/19/08 03:21 PM
The best feature HAS to be the online franchise mode. How cool is it going to be to be able to play a franchise online with our friends and peers? Complete with injuries, progression, drafts, retirement, etc.

Oh wait.....I got confused for a moment.....Madden doesn't actually offer this feature. Instead they have a league format where 6 players can be the Patriots if they want, no injuries, no divisions, a single season, etc.

Online dynasty = AWESOME feature
Online league = poop
 
# 7 JBH3 @ 05/19/08 04:09 PM
ummm........I guess formation subs.

Can that be considered a "feature" since it was something we had for years until next-gen crossover?

On-line seems gay if you can compete against each other...both using the same team.

Rewind...equals a waste of time.

Ughh...
 
# 8 Phobia @ 05/19/08 04:21 PM
Honestly best new feature: Better player reactions. Better defense reactions. On the field play is my main concern.
 
# 9 Beardown @ 05/19/08 05:29 PM
The features with the most impact for me so far would have to be the new total control animations and the broadcast booth. Playing the games is what I spend the most time doing and thus these changes will affect my enjoyment of the game the most. I look forward to the remaining features being announced as we get closer to release.

Bye bye radio guy and hello to hopefully better interactions between players.
 
# 10 Vikes1 @ 05/19/08 06:22 PM
While gameplay improvements will always be of utmost importance...but I am looking forward to the new Broadcast style presentation. The new Action cam sounds pretty interesting too.
 
# 11 countryboy @ 05/19/08 07:12 PM
I really can't say. Nothing really stands out to me as being the "best". If I had to pick something I guess it would be the new commentary team.
 
# 12 Perceptor @ 05/19/08 10:45 PM
Still waiting to see what, is any, improvements and fixes are going to be made to the franchise mode. I won't be spending a dime on current gen until I know they fixed the glaring bugs from last year's franchise mode.
 
# 13 Shadymamba @ 05/20/08 10:57 AM
I was thinking along the lines with JBH3 and that is formation subs...i used to love that..because i could always have a fresh guy in the game...do my own special team coverage put my TE in the slot when i wanted him in the slot on 4 WR plays so between that and i seen the tackling video i want to see gang tackling on 360 and lets hope we dont need to spend 500 hours on OS loooking for the perfect sliders...I love OS but in 08 i was here all the time and testing my own and eventually gave up on madden
 
# 14 IStillDoWhatIDo @ 05/20/08 11:02 AM
as for what I've seen and what is beneficial to me. i am thankful to see radio guy gone. So, "presentation" is the best feature so far, although I'm not satisfied with that
 
# 15 TheThurmas @ 05/20/08 11:08 AM
What will sell me....

1. Better presentation, TV commentators a must.
2. Better AI: I basically only play vs. computer, and at Pro I win 90% of the
time and at All-Pro I lose 90% of the time regardless of what I seem to do
with sliders. Doesn't matter who I play as, what I set sliders to, I am going
to lead league in INTs thrown, be last in penalties, best in rush defense, near
the bottom in pass defense, etc. I wish that either the AI were more
responsive to my strengths & weaknesses, or sliders were more effective. I
just want a realistic experience.

3. And this for me is key: Customization. I like to play with created teams
(often a full league of 32 created teams) but the create-a-team feature of
the next-gen (360) game is a joke. The uniform designs and logos are weak
at best, and pathetic when compared with APF2k8. They were much better
on PS2 in 2007, so why not upgrade them? Seems an easy fix.
 
# 16 Pared @ 05/20/08 12:14 PM
Hopefully it's the new presentation. We have yet to see it.
 
# 17 TDKing @ 05/20/08 12:50 PM
Umm... Snow ?
 
# 18 Sausage @ 05/20/08 04:28 PM
If done correctly these have me the most intrigued:

The Madden I.Q. thing, that will supposedly adjust the game to your skill level.

The supposed new presentation that is so awesome that other football broadcasts will copy them.

They supposedly fixed all the uniform errors as well. Hopefully added more alternates and throwbacks.

After looking at my measly list, I still need to see more. I am actually not very excited for this game. Hopefully that will change and we have a decent game without any gamebreaking bugs that need a patch to fix; then that patch takes all season to arrive.
 
# 19 Rawdeal28 @ 05/20/08 05:42 PM
the features i like most are the BACKTRACK, ACTION CAM, TOTAL ANIMATION CONTROL, and THE NEW PLAYCALL WINDOW. these will increase my enjoyment much more. i cant wait to take Mcfadden and the raiders to the super bowl!!
 
# 20 BDawg35 @ 05/21/08 11:37 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rashad19
After thinking about this for awhile now I can honestly say that none of the new features introduced really have me chomping at the bit thus far. NCAA's online dynasties on the other hand has me very intrigued!! The thought of being able to include numerous users in one dynasty is exciting to me!! Maybe Madden will unveil some new features in the upcoming weeks that will change my outlook.
Yep. NCAA's online dynasty has me creaming my drawers. Nothing I've seen from Madden has me that excited (probably a good thing).

All I ask for is solid gameplay and a franchise mode with realistic simmed stats and no bugs. I don't ask for much.

Doesn't Madden have an online league capability now? That might be pretty cool, though I haven't played much Madden online in several years.
 

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