Madden 09 News Post

Phil Frazier Says No 3rd Patch or DLC For Madden 09

06:02 PM - October 17, 2008 by AndyP

Madden Planet has the scoop.

Quote:


	"Update #3? At this point, we are not planning to release another update. We will continue to listen to our fans and if any other widespread issues come up we may change this plan but the fixes made in update #2 solved all of the major problems people were experiencing with the game. Those that continued to have problems had success after completely wiping their old Madden data from their hard drive. DLC? Shortly before the release of Madden NFL 09, we had mentioned that we were looking into the possibility of releasing some post-launch DLC. At this point, DLC isn�t in the cards. Providing DLC is something that will stay on our radar down the road and is certainly something we�d love to provide to our most passionate fans, however at this stage we are no longer actively looking into this for 09."

Game: Madden NFL 09Reader Score: 7/10 - Vote Now
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Member Comments

# 41 TheBadazz @ 10/18/08 02:03 AM

Well I'm glad I gamefly'd Madden. I have bought Madden since 2004.

# 42 kehlis @ 10/18/08 02:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kmart2180


	God I Ian is for real. He is mine/our only hope.

Just like Obi Wan Kenobi!!

# 43 Danimal @ 10/18/08 03:03 AM

I'm glad I finally know what is going on and what I am dealing with. I'm just making one post and I am going to tell you that you lost a loyal customer today. One person may mean jack in the big picture and since you really have no idea if I am loyal or not it could be an empty threat to you.

But I was a loyal supporter and defender of your game, some of the anti-EA people like GT who I have battled with and repeatedly stuck up for EA over the years on other forums will probably be in shock by seeing this statement.

I'm done, you're disingenuous people who are only out to market a game. Well played you and Ian fooled me and you will continue to fool many more people next year and probably for years to come. You're snake oil salesmen and good ones, I hope you make this product better in the future but you have no track record of being honest so my hopes aren't high.

No need to ban me or anything like that I will go back into lurker mode for games who do deliver like The Show, NHL and Fifa. Good day, good riddance and good luck to all the people who will endure the same BS next year.

# 44 dkrause1971 @ 10/18/08 03:26 AM

I think the real issues are
1) why did it take this long to state DLC isn't happening? This is what would really have me ticked if i was more into Madden.

2) I don't' really understand all the threats about not buying the game. I get your mad but hardcore fans are not really the target. We are the indirect target. The only reason we get as much voice as we do is because EA know that hardcores are the ones most the casuals go to for information.

An Example, your a computer geek- your not computer geeks will ask you about what CPU to buy since your into that stuff. Its the same with games- my casual gamer friends will ask me what games i would recommend. We effect the sales to a point but not enough to really bend over for.

3) People really need to stick to their guns for once. Hardcores also tend to be pretty forgiving because they want to love the game. So they buy it each year after hearing the sales pitch. Many times the same guys who are telling me Madden sucks from Oct thru the super bowl are the same clowns telling me the new features in June.

This is the first Madden i bought since 2004. Its probably the last Madden i buy for a few years or at least on day 1. If you want to vote- vote with your wallets. Don't sell your friends on how this is the year next June, July and August.

# 45 BayAreaRYder226 @ 10/18/08 04:05 AM

i can read it on the back of the 2010 box now "new feature:Computer Sliders, a new way to play the game"

# 46 DIESEL @ 10/18/08 04:53 AM

After not buying Madden for the last few years I have to admit they got me this time. I guess I should have known better. Let's just have a quick review of the chain of events.

1. EA has the brilliant move of removing CPU sliders that have been a part of the franchise for probably the last decade.

2. The EA reps are on here pre-release discussing Madden 09, but never mention this major design decision that would disappoint any sim gamer who likes to customize their game.

3. Early impressions come out from Abner and others saying there are no CPU sliders. EA reps start scrambling with no one taking responsibility or explaining why the CPU sliders were removed in the first place.

4. EA reps give a glimmer of hope by saying they are working on DLC that could possibly add CPU sliders to the game and tell us they will keep us posted.

5. A couple of months go by with the customers left totally in the dark in regards to the DLC

6. EA finally comes out and tells us no DLC, see ya in 2010.

I'm sorry if I missed anything, but I think that's a pretty good summary.

Since the Madden guys appreciate the feedback here is a little bit more:

"Next gen" is NOW and your product is becoming an embarrassment. The EA NBA Live, NHL, and FIFA series have all improved by leaps and bounds over the past few years while your product has remained stagnant. Games like MLB the Show and NBA 2k are breaking new ground every year while Madden is trying to catch up to a game that's been dead for 3 years.

I know you guys crush all these games in sales and there is no financial reason for you to push the envelope at this time. I would just hope as gamers you would have some pride in your product and a little more respect for your fan base. Good luck on 2010, my copy will be traded in tomorrow.

[End of rant]

# 47 carnalnirvana @ 10/18/08 06:08 AM

somebody mentioned its $ 27 at gamestop well thanks because i just got my pre-order on COD WaW money........

with fifa and live being good i'll get my franchise or online fix somewhere else.......

devs stay off the boards because even though you come here and blah blah we get garbage ......

# 48 bcruise @ 10/18/08 08:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carnalnirvava


	somebody mentioned its $ 27 at gamestop well thanks because i just got my pre-order on COD WaW money........ with fifa and live being good i'll get my franchise or online fix somewhere else....... devs stay off the boards because even though you come here and blah blah we get garbage ......

Yeah, because then we'd be left totally in the dark.....that'd be SO much better.

Wouldn't really blame them if they packed up shop after all the abuse they take here, though...

# 49 Jistic @ 10/18/08 08:47 AM

It was obvious that bone they threw out about possible DLC the day before release was pure strategy and was never gonna happen. Why anyone thought any differently is beyond me. It's human nature to believe/hope for the best no matter how many times we're mislead.

Anyway, without CPU sliders this game isn't worth my time making this the umpteenth Madden in a row that I can't even get through one season of.

Well done guys! Can't wait to see all the great videos next spring showing how awesome 2010 is gonna be!

# 50 JMD @ 10/18/08 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carnalnirvava


	somebody mentioned its $ 27 at gamestop well thanks because i just got my pre-order on COD WaW money........ with fifa and live being good i'll get my franchise or online fix somewhere else....... devs stay off the boards because even though you come here and blah blah we get garbage ......

I suggest getting your money back on that pre order COD 5 WAW is a horrible game. I've been playing the beta. A better title for the game would be COD 5 Spawn killing. Just another bunch of tiny maps, and the same old crap run & gun gameplay, SNOOZE.

# 51 faster @ 10/18/08 09:20 AM

I can't take it. EA, you are simply a disgrace. Ban me, I don't care. Enough is enough. Madden has been a sorry excuse for a football game for quite a long time now. EVERY SINGLE NEXT GEN game been absolute crap. Yes, Madden 09 does some good things, but the bad HEAVILY outweigh the good.

I do blame you for the extinction of the NFL2K series and I've been able to get over that because it's business. But the fact is, you extinguished that series and brought us NOTHING in return.

Phil and Ian, you should be ashamed of your product. The community here at Operation Sports is your most loyal, most vocal, and most honest. Most of us will buy the game yet again next year, expecting, hoping, praying, that things will have changed. Will they? I don't know.

How about you get this community TRULY involved in the process next year? Make some of us testers for your game and let us tell you where it's lacking. Yes, others will see your efforts and your game beforehand, but SO WHAT. I've just been on 3 different beta projects and they aren't perfect -- heck no. But, they ALL have turned out quite well and there's no way they would have been the same without real input from REAL, DEDICATED, HARDCORE user opinions.

I'm sorry, if anyone from the Madden team comes on here and even tries to give me a line of BS about their thorough testing procedures, I will strangle my cat. There's no feasible way any long time Madden gamer, football fan, or living, breathing homo-sapien, could have tested this game and missed SOOOO much.

Take a long look at your team members, your direction, and if this is really what you want out of your final product this year. Look at the team you have for next year. Look at your processes and procedures, and see where they have failed not just this year, but every year for quite some time. Then, and only then, will you be on the road to truly creating a game that's worthy enough to bear the great John Madden's name.

Thank you and good luck.

# 52 Old Mr T @ 10/18/08 09:28 AM

No CPU sliders is very poor.

# 53 spankdatazz22 @ 10/18/08 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MJenness


	When the CURRENT dev team made decisions to "fix" broken elements of this game by 1) turning OFF fatigue to balance online no-huddle, rather than making OFFENSIVE fatigue higher (thereby punishing the cheesers by having the offense make errors such as false starts, errant passes, etc) and 2) "fixing" the QB throwing beyond the LOS (which should be a penalty, plain and simple) by having it so the DB doesn't leave the reciever wide open.

Frankly those are the things that concern me more than the lack of a DLC patch for '09. And there's a host of so many other things to add - QB animations that haven't been fixed four years in. The misdirected attention to the OL/DL play and interaction. The complete lack of WR/DB interaction. Stiffarms which seem predicated on which player "wins the button battle" and laughably results in smaller offensive players slamming larger defensive players WWE-style. Etc., etc... There's just so much that can be said that a DLC patch wasn't going to fix. Really the blame lies with Tiburon. There was a conscious decision made to remove cpu sliders - that hurts worse than a bug causing the cpu sliders not to work. The lack of additional camera angles, or things like accelerated clock - in Madden's fourth next gen iteration...? And still Madden is looked as being *that* close to greatness (and Tiburon devs that think it's already great lol) because it's not "as disappointing". It would've been nice if Tiburon threw a bone to it's fans and released the DLC, but people shouldn't fool themselves into thinking it would've fixed most of the game's problems. Unfortunately I think a lot of people have lowered their expectations beyond low for Tiburon's football titles.

Next year it'll be interesting to see if the same people complaining are the ones most excited and willing to hop on the hype train soon as it kicks off. While it should be the hardcore demanding a quality football title it will likely be the so-called casuals that actually force change.

# 54 Garrett67 @ 10/18/08 10:18 AM

There was a point in the recent past where one of those two guys mentioned that the DLC was coming soon, or it was near completion. So obviously they were working on it.

What happened? Could they not figure out how to implement it? It didn't work? The game kept freezing on them?

I will most likely sell my CE version on Ebay. I haven't even taken Head Coach out of the case and haven't played Madden in a month because I was WAITING for the DLC.

# 55 SkinsBoYee @ 10/18/08 10:20 AM

Anyone else feel duped or cheated? No new camera's for 4 years?...oh, we are working on it. Its in the DLC. Oh, but there is a chance its not..but there is a chance there is.

No competition means one company can put whatever they want out... THERE IS NO COMPETITION. Its funny...football, I am sure if we took a pole, would be the clear favorite sport of the majority here. I am just basing this off the popularity of the game as a whole compared to the other big 3 sports. Yet, in the video game sports world, It is only the football game (Madden) that seems to not be ascending to the heights of the other 3 big sports games in terms of quality on the next gen.

Basketball - Two great games this year.
Hockey - Two great games this year
Baseball - I digress to MVP 05 on the PC as the king, but you have The Show and 2k...I am sure quality that people like.
Soccer - Fifa taking huge steps it looks like, and that other game that Evo Pro.

All in all...consumers have a choice, and it seems like the COMPETITION of a competing company is driving the makers of any of the games for video sporting game...DRIVE HARDER TO PRODUCE THE BEST POSSIBLE PRODUCT ON THE MARKET TO INCREASE THEIR MARKET SHARE.

I wonder if the producers of Madden have that sort of drive pushing them? Oh ya, they don't...cause there is no competition. Till this ridiculous exclusive rights agreement is broken, we the consumers of video football games are just going to get a half arsed product. Time to wake up to that realization.

# 56 steelersfan7 @ 10/18/08 10:20 AM

Well so much for the CPU sliders and some other things that could be addressed.
I just said heck with the sliders all together and went to the IQ/myskill thing. No messing with sliders and I'm getting great games. Just takes a while for everything to even out. Also using the IQ I haven't seen ROBO QB much at all. The game feels and plays so much different using the IQ thing then with custom sliders. I hope they don't trash it next year.

# 57 TheWatcher @ 10/18/08 10:21 AM

There are some serious reamings going on here. I'm seeing some guys here who--just from me searching a bit--l see have been the staunchest most fiery supporters of Madden over many years, now exploding. Shocking stuff.

I rented Madden 09 this year after the tragedy that was Madden 08 (one of the worst football games of all time in my view). I liked Madden 09 after that rental, and I still do. But there is no way I can deny that this game is way behind and with a lot of sloppy mistakes. But a lot of the things are just a result of making bad design decisions, not giving the user more say-so over their experience, and having what appears to be an internal confusion as to whether this game should be presented as an non-serious presentation of football (not even the casuals want that!), or a TV Football broadcast (which is what it should've been from day one with Madden 06). When you begin to run down all of the broadcast elements missing from a game that was touted as "beyond broadcast presentation" you can't help but laugh a bit. You almost want them to make a public apology for that slogan, lol. The disparity between that slogan and the reality that played out in Madden 09, would be akin to your friend telling you he has a HOT girl for you to meet, you show up, and then he introduces you to Rosie O'Donnell...

Still, I acknowledge the improvements in the game. I honestly didn't expect much more than what Madden 09 is after playing Madden 08. I do expect Madden 2010 to be that pivotal game, even though the thought of that is a little ridiculous going now 5 seasons in. But, this is where we are. Sad, but this is where we are.

Testing/Quality Control is obviously a problem with this product, and after reading through posts here, watching Youtube videos, and also personally agreeing, it would be wise for the devs to just acknowledge the definite problem and take some extreme measures to rectify it. Denying the testing/quality control issues isn't helping the product.

By now, I'm sure they've all had the opportunity to identify which guys in these communities have the most insight on what's wrong with the game. It's time to start making some private invitations to get some of those guys into the testing and concept development process, and I'm sure most if not all would do it for free. Public Beta demos would be the smartest way to go, but for streamlining purposes selecting a smaller group might be more effective.

Now, let me talk about why I wonder about their overall knowledge of pro football as a whole which I think is a problem. I'm not talking X's and O's. I'm talking about basic, natural occurences, and history. Little things reveal issues as much as big things. There are extreme things like how players can make plays that defy the laws of physics on a regular basis, and then there are small things like during the loading screen where NFL Facts that any NFL fan would know are wrong. I laughed when one fact said that the Steelers won Super Bowl 30, but we all know they were beaten by the Cowboys 27-17, and there are a few more that just make you shake your head and laugh. You know 10-year old little Billy wouldn't notice, but gamers have grown up. A lot of the 25 yo+ crowd is still playing and they will notice things like that.

Then there are the obvious mistakes with the Hall of Fame players. In '07 they did a decent job, but since then they've been totally screwed up. When you don't get Joe Montana right, a GOAT QB, it's time to just stop even making HOF players. It's disgraceful to have Joe Montana in the game and then give him the wrong equipment... And what makes it worse is that you can't edit the HOFer's. And you know what? He was screwed up in '08 too, so obviously the guys working on this have no clue as to what Joe Montana wore and what he looked like among other players. Guys, it's time to hit the books, grab some NFL Films and study up hard on the history of the NFL. When you start from there and digest this into your thinking, you will almost certainly be looking at Madden in a whole new way. I promise that doing this exercise will make the game better just by it having an influence on your approach.

... I think the problem isn't just programming, it's also mindset and philosophy. The core philosophy of Madden is not serious football, and that issue carries over to how the game is presented, too.

There are guys in communities like these that could help them eliminate a lot of these problems. It just comes down to whether they're going to use them or not. Wishlists aren't enough. The inolvement has to be direct. If not, we'll be right back here year after year, talking about the same problems.

# 58 Garrett67 @ 10/18/08 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SkinsBoYee


	Anyone else feel duped or cheated? No new camera's for 4 years?...oh, we are working on it. Its in the DLC. Oh, but there is a chance its not..but there is a chance there is. No competition means one company can put whatever they want out... THERE IS NO COMPETITION. Its funny...football, I am sure if we took a pole, would be the clear favorite sport of the majority here. I am just basing this off the popularity of the game as a whole compared to the other big 3 sports. Yet, in the video game sports world, It is only the football game (Madden) that seems to not be ascending to the heights of the other 3 big sports games in terms of quality on the next gen. .

Oh, we took a pole alright!

# 59 TheWatcher @ 10/18/08 10:36 AM

^^^^^^^ Hilarious!

# 60 tigers2314 @ 10/18/08 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by steelersfan7


	Well so much for the CPU sliders and some other things that could be addressed. I just said heck with the sliders all together and went to the IQ/myskill thing. No messing with sliders and I'm getting great games. Just takes a while for everything to even out. Also using the IQ I haven't seen ROBO QB much at all. The game feels and plays so much different using the IQ thing then with custom sliders. I hope they don't trash it next year.

How tough is running the ball with IQ?

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