Madden NFL 09 Review

[fishepa]

Great review Terry.

[steveo]

To me it comes off as the conclusion is simply it is what it is and better than previous Maddens but it still has issues after all these years that should not be there. Basically, the game gets compared to past maddens as nothing is out there to compare it to and because it is better than madden 08 or whatever other year it is seen as a good game.

What I read does not sound like a realistic game especially with the bugs but again, because it is mainly being compared to madden 08, the game is said to be fairly realistic.

A good review regardless.

[spankdatazz22]

Quote:

What you’ll find in Madden 09 is an incredibly enjoyable game that is finally taking steps forward without quite so many steps back.

Very well written and exhaustive review. I do wonder how the game is being judged though. In closing, it was said the game is on the cusp of "legendary" status... Personally I feel the game benefits immensely from a) being the only NFL game available, and b) Tiburon's other subpar Madden releases. I guess I could throw NCAA '09 in there too, since a decent number are commenting that they were disappointed by it. From what I've played of Madden, it's definitely much improved over '08 - but I really feel Madden gets judged differently than any other sports game out there - frankly it seems it benefits for having sucked so long. I don't think it should benefit from "finally taking steps forward without quite so many steps back".

Again, I say this year's game is definitely more enjoyable than last. But horrible QB anims 4yrs into next gen? Would a baseball game get away with horrible pitching animations 4yrs into it's next gen life cycle without it being mentioned or held against the game? Players that lack distinctiveness? I was hearing Chris Collinsworth (who's great btw) mention double team blocking, and I don't even think it's in the game. Tiburon consciously taking away cpu customization options - that they're going to try to add back via patch - but that doesn't factor into the game's review? Sure, no game is perfect and it's guaranteed pretty much every game releases with issues. But I fail to see how this game is that close to excellence. Next year, maybe. I think Madden still has hurdles to leap both large and small - '09 seems like a competent release but I don't think it would compare favorably with the more exceptional next gen sports titles we've gotten to date. I say that with the caveat that I haven't played the game extensively of course. Either way, it was a nice read and I like that so many aspects of the game were touched on

[xylocaine]

I thought it was a great review. I wish it went into online play a little more in depth but I score the review 9.5! LOL reviewing reviews now that's funny right there!

Anyways I'm dying waiting on Gamefly to deliver madden 09. From the review, countryboy and other positive impressions I'm actually thinking I will be able to stomach this Madden. I swear in 07 I preordered after Ortiz (AKA Suge Knight) swore it was the game to end all games, and I had it for sale on ebay less than 2 hours after breaking the plastic seal!

As a APF 2K8 and NFL 2K5 fan I have very high standards and Madden 09 may just do it finally. Sounds like Madden made huge strides this year and now has a foundation to add too. More with the leagues, tweaking gameplay etc.

Great review!

[jschultz1226]

Good. Thank-****ing-God those stupid and useless sliders are not in the game! All of you idiots spending hours and hours trying to pin down the perfect game...Too bad! Why don't you turn your attention to moronically filling your NCAA rosters before you play one game. Dumb asses. WHY! In four to five years all of the REAL players are OUT OF THE GAME! Why waste your ****ing time! JUST PLAY, PEOPLE...JUST PLAY!

[jackw]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bahnzo

Terrible point of view, IMO. Because companies now have the ability to patch, they are more apt to release games with clear flaws in them because they would rather meet a deadline than release a quality game. I like they ability to patch, but it's become clear that developers rely on them rather than use them as a last resort. Madden is the perfect example of this..a patch was being planned as soon as the game went gold.

So what! If they use patches to make the game better. The point is... IT'S BETTER. EA could ignore our complaints and put the game out as is. As much as people complain about the game, are they going to buy it? YES, because if you're a football junkie, it's your only option to gaming.

I applaud the patches. At least they're trying to make it better for all!

[Marino]

Quote: Originally Posted by jschultz1226

I have nothing good to say in a conversation and i apologize my nonsense that i posted in this review thread

i fixed it for you...got to say very nice review here agree with alot of points you made here

[texbuk84]

htat was a great read and much needed but i would have given madden a 9.2 just for them actually getting it right. this year is the best year for madden football period