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'."

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

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Member Comments

# 61 BlackRome @ 08/12/08 05:54 PM

I'll go into it. Terry could be a member since Jesus was born but your NCAA review was terrible. The game sucked. Just like Madden does now. With all the bugs they released the game with EA should be gettign killed. How did they allow a game that was so buggy to be released. I've had the game since Friday. All pro will let you complete certain passes no matter what. I thought I was playing NCAA as I watched a guy complete slant after slant even without me rushing a defensive lineman. ALl Maddden is playable but the D will catch every mistake you throw. Demarcus Ware with 3 int's come on. The best madden ever made was XBox 06. This Madden is no Madden 06 on XBOX. I guess I'll have to wait for 2k9 bball to play the most realistic sports game. I play for money. I won't be playing Madden for Cash anytime soon. To many problems with it.

# 62 aholbert32 @ 08/12/08 06:26 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.

If this review was from anyone else here but Terry, I would agree with you. Terry is about as through as you can get when it comes to reviews and totally unbiased. I understand your doubts and skepticism though.

# 63 g2thecore @ 08/12/08 06:32 PM

Great read! I agree with everything.

# 64 walliworld @ 08/12/08 06:36 PM

With all that glossy, manicure look, you telling me EA still Can Not put REFEREES ON THE FIELD? I'll wait until a $30 used Madden is available which should be about a month. How can you pay $70 for a game with obvious bugs. I'm still playing Madden 06 on my Xbox. I'm waiting for NBA 2K9 for a realistic sports game.

# 65 walliworld @ 08/12/08 06:41 PM

Anybody dumb-founded as me as to why I have to goto a "spot" in the endzone just for a celebration?? Why can't I just press a button with a preset celebration?

# 66 Marino @ 08/12/08 07:02 PM

good read...i feel it was a just score...i may say an 8 but i agree with 8.5

# 67 fistofrage @ 08/12/08 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BlyGilmore


	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.

I think that was a true statement up until a couple months ago. A game with bugs, shipped incomplete, and with features that don't work shouldn't be given an 8.5. NCAA was and until its patched its an excercise in frustration because I can't adjust AI sliders and even then it won't be a fix-all.

So given that, Madden receives the same score? So Madden is broken, incomplete, and frustrating? From the review Madden sounds much better than that, but I can't rely on that score to tell me anything.

# 68 K_GUN @ 08/12/08 07:16 PM

from a former 2k fanboy...

agreed 100% with terry's review

good read terry!

# 69 aholbert32 @ 08/12/08 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by walliworld


	Anybody dumb-founded as me as to why I have to goto a "spot" in the endzone just for a celebration?? Why can't I just press a button with a preset celebration?

Pressing b on the 360 gives you a preset celebration no matter where you are.

# 70 fishepa @ 08/12/08 08:05 PM

Great review Terry.

# 71 spankdatazz22 @ 08/12/08 09:02 PM

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

# 72 xylocaine @ 08/12/08 10:38 PM

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!

# 73 jackw @ 08/12/08 11:43 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.

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!

# 74 Marino @ 08/13/08 12:02 AM

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

# 75 texbuk84 @ 08/13/08 01:02 AM

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

# 76 FutureVol @ 08/13/08 05:20 AM

"You have this game that looks like a Victoria�s Secret model, and then you notice she has a really messed up grill. "

i almost busted out laughing @ this..but o how true it is.. this is a good review and will go a long way to making my decision to either make the jump to Madden and NCAA or be forever stuck in college......my decision as well will be made friday when i am walking by my local gamestop.....

# 77 Benzhiyi @ 08/13/08 05:23 AM

Good review, and I like Collinsworth, but the comms still don't come anywhere close to those in MLB 08: The Show.

# 78 colley_05 @ 08/13/08 11:56 AM

I have heard that the 360 version runs in 1080, while the PS3 version only runs at 720p. Is this true? And why did they make them different?

# 79 asu666 @ 08/13/08 12:10 PM

Likes: Animations, some presentation elements, the feel of throwing a pass, Madden Moments

Dislikes:

The CPU has no sense of timing with the snap. It snaps the ball after a couple of seconds have run on the play clock even if you are trying to play 15 minute quarters. It should know the difference between someone playing a rushed 5 minute quarter and someone playing a sim like 15 minute quarter game and adjust the amount of time it takes at the line.

No rapid clock advancement. This option was in the last gen versions and helped eliminate the problem I mentioned above by rapidly runningly the play clock down to 20 seconds after a play is selected.

No Owner Mode. I know a lot of play just want to sit on the couch and mess around, but I like being able to run a franchise and its finances over multiple seasons.

Limit on how many players can be released to the Free Agent List. I try to cut extra players off the teams before I start my Franchise so they are not burdenened with extra Cap money on playiers that are barried so deep in the depth chart that they will never see the field. This gives the AI teams a better chance of giving me a run for my money because they can use the cap space to pick up good players in areas they are weak.

The lack of adjustable game style sliders. Let's face it, not every one enjoys playing the game the same way. Advances in a series should add options, not remove them.

Limited Edition:

Head Coach appears to be a waste of my money. Madden Classic is funny for about two seconds and then done.

# 80 StormJH1 @ 08/13/08 12:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by asu666


	Likes: Animations, some presentation elements, the feel of throwing a pass, Madden Moments Dislikes: The CPU has no sense of timing with the snap. It snaps the ball after a couple of seconds have run on the play clock even if you are trying to play 15 minute quarters. It should know the difference between someone playing a rushed 5 minute quarter and someone playing a sim like 15 minute quarter game and adjust the amount of time it takes at the line.

I noticed this too! Experienced Madden players are always saying that if you suck at defense, it's probably because you don't make the right adjustments at the line. But how can you do that when you literally have 2 or 3 seconds to even see what the offense is doing? There's a bunch of cinematics where the camera sweeps down, they show the line briefly, then the ball is snapped.

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