Madden 09 News Post

Madden NFL 09 Review

01:49 AM - August 12, 2008 by RaychelSnr

We have posted what is the most comprehensive and in-depth review you will find on Madden NFL 09, written by OS veteran Terry Crouch. Check out his thoughts on the game and be sure to add your own by reading the Madden NFL 09 Review!

Quote:


	"In terms of sports game sales in the United States, there is Madden, and then there is everything else. Every year a new version is released, and routinely it outsells practically everything else sports wise in America. Every year people debate the quality of Madden on Internet forums and around water coolers across the country. Madden is more than a game to many people, and the frenzied mobs that either condemn or curse the game annually are evidence to this. So when you�re asked to review Madden for Operation Sports, you can be assured of two things: that you�ll be told you are the biggest idiot on the planet for your opinion, and that Madden is "arcade" while NFL 2K is/was 'sim'."

Madden NFL 09 screenshot gallery - Click to view

Game: Madden NFL 09Reader Score: 7/10 - Vote Now
Platform: NDS / PS2 / PS3 / PSP / Wii / Xbox 360Votes for game: 88 - View All

Madden NFL 09 Videos

Member Comments

# 41 Brandwin @ 08/12/08 11:33 AM

I enjoyed the review, Terry. I have always trusted your opinion when it comes to football games. You just got me a little more excitied.

# 42 Qrashman @ 08/12/08 11:44 AM

Very fair review. Pretty much spot on from what I've been seeing over the past few days of playing. The Robo QB isn't as much of a problem as other people are saying, but the CPU QB seems to make the completions when it counts, e.g. every 3rd down attempt

# 43 El Greazy 1 @ 08/12/08 11:52 AM

I really respect the reviewer for his opinions. In fact, I've been searching the internet & various forums for 09 reviews (I'm not going to rush out and buy fool's gold) and this is by far THE BEST review I've come across. Great job!

I agree with other posters on here that the AI out-of-bounds issue was glossed over. It, to me, is a gamebreaker because I'd rather lose a game due to me being short-sighted with my gameplan and not because the CPU was too dumb to stay in bounds.

I also agree with the patching issue. EA, especially with the Madden franchise, uses it as a crutch instead of a last resort. While I greatly appreciate that technology has reached a point where we can fix flaws in games, it still irks me that games, especially a big time franchise that sells millions like Madden, are allowed to be shipped & sold without enough testing & quality control.

# 44 Maukey @ 08/12/08 12:06 PM

Best review on Madden period, and one of the best reviews I've ever read! Job well done.

# 45 Shock6822 @ 08/12/08 12:18 PM

Great review, I'm looking forward to picking up the game today.

# 46 Tomba @ 08/12/08 12:20 PM

yes have to agree graphically this games gotten a major overhaul BUT more so towards the last gen look of the game. more moviesh so to speak...

8.5 though? i don't know many critics gave 08 9's and i'm BAFFLED rto see this game getting lower just baffled...

# 47 asu666 @ 08/12/08 12:37 PM

Good review but I didn't see anything on if the Owner Mode was back in full force this year. I stuck with the Xbox version last year because the Owner Mode was so stripped down on the current gen versions.

# 48 TCrouch @ 08/12/08 12:42 PM

Sorry about that...knew there would be some things missed. As for 09 being lower than 08, I didn't review 08, sorry.

Owner mode is there. At the end of the offseason before advancing you are put in owner mode where you can upgrade the stadium, hire and fire staff, relocate, etc. I've never been big on setting ticket prices and whatnot, but there were graphs and charts and all kinds of financial data. Not sure if that's "full on owner mode" for you or not, but that's pretty much what it entails.

# 49 foreversport @ 08/12/08 12:44 PM

Excellent review, Terry!

# 50 asu666 @ 08/12/08 12:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TCrouch


	Sorry about that...knew there would be some things missed. As for 09 being lower than 08, I didn't review 08, sorry. Owner mode is there. At the end of the offseason before advancing you are put in owner mode where you can upgrade the stadium, hire and fire staff, relocate, etc. I've never been big on setting ticket prices and whatnot, but there were graphs and charts and all kinds of financial data. Not sure if that's "full on owner mode" for you or not, but that's pretty much what it entails.

Thanks for responding so quickly. Last year's version didn't let the user set prices. The CPU did it, but it still showed the data. I'm hoping they got that feature working this year as managing a teams finances and cap figure to me is a fun aspect of running a Franchise. I love the hard cap and not knowing who is going to win it all every year. The tough decisions that are needed to maintain a high level of performance really seperate out the best from the rest too.

# 51 walliworld @ 08/12/08 01:02 PM

Thanks for the in-depth review. I would not buy it if there were other options. But I will wait for a patch and used game. There will be plenty of used games after the first week.

# 52 N51_rob @ 08/12/08 01:09 PM

That was a very well written review. Terry great job with it! I played the game with a friend and he is one of those speed burst the whole time guys. He had 26 yards rushing on 25 carries. I was abusing him rushing the ball. Unfortunately I was spoiled by NCAA and having all day in the pocket to throw the ball and my passing game suffered. It was fun to play with him, but I am one of those who is passing on Madden this year. But I do agree with a lot of the things that you wrote in this review.

# 53 vegaas @ 08/12/08 01:36 PM

Lets see in two weeks if the 8.5 is legit or as laughable as the NCAA 8.5 sc ore. I used to trust OS's review scores but after the EA love fest that started with the partnership MM I know am very skeptical of the reviews. It is a shame, I used to be able to know that an OS review was the definitve word on a game.

# 54 asu666 @ 08/12/08 01:41 PM

I think the presentation neeeds to be dialed up next year to include the same elements as an ESPN broadcast. I would like to see the Owner Mode fleshed out like MLB 08: The Show's too.

# 55 Redskins Pride @ 08/12/08 01:57 PM

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.

I honestly think EA should consider putting Madden out every two years, with a large update patch for the tween year. Dishing up a game every year, and they don't even really have a full year to work on it is just too much pressure.

Good business plan, though.

# 56 pietasterp @ 08/12/08 02:02 PM

The text of the review did not seem to correllate with the score they gave the game (seems like you should have more good things to say about a game you are giving such a high score than 'best playing Madden in years', as if that's a compliment), but whatever...It's really the written part that matters. Not going to start a whole "they shouldn't assign reviews numbers" argument here.

Nice job summarizing the pluses/minuses of the game. Although I did take issue with the statement that the game finally hits the target video they released 3 years ago...the game, at least on my TV in the demo, does not look anywhere close to that rendered "target video" they release in '06. And I don't actually even think it's close...

# 57 Chizzypoof @ 08/12/08 02:22 PM

Thanks for the review. Now I'm really on the fence.

# 58 chargerrich @ 08/12/08 04:34 PM

Above average game but the lack of any ability to change the controls is freaking stupid...some of us are left handed and like it that way....L2 for Sprint should be an option like in NCAA 08....

# 59 BlyGilmore @ 08/12/08 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vegaas


	Lets see in two weeks if the 8.5 is legit or as laughable as the NCAA 8.5 sc ore. I used to trust OS's review scores but after the EA love fest that started with the partnership MM I know am very skeptical of the reviews. It is a shame, I used to be able to know that an OS review was the definitve word on a game.

i'm not going to get too into this other than to say two quick things.

First Terry "TCrouch" Crouch has been a member of OS since 2002 with almost 7,000 posts.

And with that said, I will hold our reviews up against any other site out there. If you want to get insight on how a sports gamer feels about a certain game, this is the place you come.

# 60 zeroice @ 08/12/08 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DubTrey1


	The Bug & Glitch thread did it for me... I will still hold out hope that the patch(es) will correct most issues and make this game into the great one it could be -

This is the first year that i will hold off on getting madden, i get it free, but from what i have been reading, i think i will wait a few more weeks, and just play NCAA..When that patch comes out, i might get madden

« Previous 1 234 5 Next »

More Links

Madden NFL 09 Review