Madden 09: Madden Mondays, Brought to You by GameStop

Although some games are played in domes, football remains one of the sports in which weather can be a factor. Some of the most memorable football moments come when teams battle the elements and each other. Who can forget last year's blizzard-like Seahawks vs. Packers playoff game, or the 1967 "Ice Bowl?"

For our continuing Madden Mondays series, EA Sports has given us another exclusive sneak peek at one of the features of Madden NFL 09, shipping out August 12, as well as the 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition of Madden NFL 09 for Xbox 360 and PS3. In their efforts to enhance the drama and emotion of a real football game, they've taken on the weather.

To give Mother Nature the respect she deserves, they've overhauled everything from Madden 08 to give you a movie-like experience. One of these overhauls is fog, and lots of it. It gives a greater sense of depth and scale and makes the stadiums seem huge. We've heard that no two snowflakes are alike, and although we haven't seen every flake in Madden 09, we can tell you the snow is more realistic than ever. You'll see deeper snow on the fields, with dramatic accumulation and realistic wear from play. Player's footsteps will leave imprints, snow will be piled on the sidelines and the yardage lines will be shoveled, just like in a real game. We probably won't see a snowplow clearing off a space for a field goal since the NFL banned their use after the infamous 1982 "Snowplow Game." But you never know.

Improved color correction and stadium light bloom mean that you'll see the steam of a player's breath on a frosty night, as well as splashes of water when his feet hit the rain-covered turf. And the 3-dimensional interaction that snow and rain particles have with the wind may tempt you to bundle up when you play. You'll see it all at a movie-quality 60 FPS rate on the Xbox 360 and PS3. All of these subtle differences add up to give you an immersive NFL experience that may tempt you to bundle up.

Remember, these exclusive peeks aren't necessarily the main new features. They're just the tip of the iceberg. EA Sports is keeping the rest of the iceberg top secret for now. But we will continue to chip away at the iceberg with another exclusive every Monday for the next six weeks.