Madden NFL 09

List Price : $24.99
Price : $6.89
You Save : $18.10 (72%)

Product Description

Platform: PLAYSTATION 3|Edition: Standard
Amazon.com
Two decades ago Madden NFL exploded onto the scene with staggeringly authentic football action and a strategic, by-the-playbook approach to the game previously absent in sports video games. With Madden NFL 09, 20 years of innovation culminate in a new apex in the series' groundbreaking realism. Savor the pulse-pounding excitement as Madden NFL 09 delivers an intense, real-world pro football experience like only legendary coach John Madden can. The action of the gridiron comes alive with stunning graphics, innovative plays and multiplayer competition that thrusts you into the center of the game with no nonsense and no mercy.

Key Features

• Step into the world of pro football like you can experience only with the legendary John Madden
• Play like a pro no matter what your skill level with the Adaptive Difficulty Engine that tailors your experience to suit your proficiency
• Hone your skills in the Virtual Training Center, featuring a holographic environment designed to help you fine-tune your game
• Execute plays and celebrations like never before with the Total Control Animation System that delivers the most authentic gameplay ever in the series
• Receive customized feedback from EA Sports BackTrack to learn from your mistakes as you play and correct them so you can achieve total dominance on the field
• Access stats, customized tips and in-game options without pausing the game and losing your momentum by using the new Options OnDemand Picture-in-Picture
• Battle it out on the gridiron with up to 32 teams in Online Leagues,complete with trades and statistical tracking
• For 1 to 4 players

Thrilling Next-Gen GraphicsView Image
Total Control Animation SystemView Image
The NFL bursts from your screen with multiplayer action and gameplay that pushes you to the limit, no matter what your skill level. In Madden NFL 09, the play is more realistic than ever before with the all-new Total Control Animation System. Execute instantaneous combo moves, bobble catches, user-controlled celebrations and more for a game that looks and feels like it's straight out of the NFL. Stadiums leap off the screen to dazzling effect with an enhanced graphics engine that delivers turf and grass so realistic you can almost feel it give beneath your feet, as well as authentic weather and stadium lighting effects. New player models more genuinely replicate the real physiques of the pros, from sleeker receivers to bulkier linemen, to provide an even more authentic experience on the field. Immerse yourself in the full NFL experience with an all-new network television-style broadcast featuring Cris Collinsworth and Tom Hammond. The new Options OnDemand Picture-in-Picture window gives you instant access to stats, tips and more without having to pause the game. Plus, for the first time make a run for the postseason online as you battle among up to 32 teams. Live the NFL experience in all its brutal glory with Madden NFL 09 as you savor the thrill and punishment of professional football like you can find only in this renowned series.
Madden NFL 09 PS3

Product Details

• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B0012N7BSI
• Product Dimensions: 6.5 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches ; 4 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: August 12, 2008
  

Product Features

• Published by Electronic Arts
• Game Genre: Sports, Game Sub-Genre: Football
• John Madden Theme
• For 1 to 4 players

 

Madden NFL 09

 

Customer Reviews

It truly is a sad day for NFL video game fans. Way back in the day we used to have options. Tecmo and Super Tecmo Bowl for a quick and fun arcade experience, and games like Madden on the Sega Genesis for a more realistic approach.
With Madden 09 the only licensed NFL game in the world, you no longer have those options. For someone looking for a realistic and fun experience, over the years Madden has mostly satisfied that itch.
The problem is, in 09 EA focused almost exclusively in it's new animation system (that started w/ FIFA). The producers and developers will often be seen online congratulating themselves on how amazing their animation system works.
While it is true that the animations are better than ever, the problem is how this affects gameplay. This "branching animation system" means that players are no longer "cylinders" that you move around on the field with animations attached to them. In the words of EA, now when you press a direction on the controller you input a command to the player and the dynamic animation will decide what happens next in order to be more natural looking and have less of that "floating" feel of the former maddens.
They are correct, it does indeed look more natural. Unfortunately all players share the same system. This will result in Peyton Manning shucking players to the ground in the same fashion that Lawrence Maroney stiff arms. (Despite Manning having a stiff arm rating that is 70 points lower than Maroney)
The problem is another player comes in to tackle, you press the stiff arm button, the new animation system decides on the fly which stiff arm animation is suitable for the interaction, and boom. Peyton Manning is doing hip throws like Reggie White tossing around weak offensive lineman.
This problem affects not just stiff arms but every animation in the game, tackling, passing, running. Every player animates the same way, negating their stats and turning Brett Farve into the next Marshall Faulk.
Inside linebackers will leap 42" into the air and intercept passes with their backs turned.
Essentially the only stat that matters is as usual the speed rating. To make matters worse there are dozens of freezing issues, crash bugs, franchise bugs, clipping issues etc...
Once I had to watch a replay 10x over because I was amazed that the football had literally passed right through the chest of my TE to appear on the other side, and get intercepted. A condescending Chris Collinsworth can not wait to do an "EA BACTRAX" on that play and explain what I did wrong.
The problem is I didn't do anything wrong, the football phased through the TE like Martian Manhunter.
Clearly EA recognized that the game is cheap and broken, so they included the ability to "rewind" and erase any play. You can of course turn this feature off but you have to wonder why would they make a feature that allows you to reverse time in a realistic sports game?
Clearly the answer is people realized that Madden 09 is no longer a fun game, its frustrating and cheap. The Offensive line can not block the CPU pass rush and even an All Pro Left Tackle will get beat for 3+ sacks per game on All pro or All madden.
There is nothing you can do about it either. If you hold in running backs or TEs to block, they will simply miss the blocking assignment about 60% of the time.
in the real NFL if you miss a blocking assignment even 2 times a game, chances are you will get cut. In madden 09 the best blocking RBs in the game will miss 2x PER DRIVE!
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Update one of the main producers of Madden has left the series. The new producers have OWNED UP to the myriad of flaws in the animation system and admitted that the reason it's broken is because they would speed up or slow down specific animations like the full back hand off, and after time everything became out of sync.
FB hand off became an exploit because it was so fast the defensive lineman would still be getting out of their stance and the FB would be 2 yards into his run. That is just one of the examples, QB drop back was broken as well, the Olineman did not have enough time to start a pocket.
So at least EA has admitted they had a broken pile of code that they had to throw away and start over with. Even tho 09 sold MILLIONS

I wrote a review of Madden 08 on here last year so I'd thought I'd follow it up with a review of this years edition. Or should I say Madden 2000.9?
Now before you pass this off as a Madden-bashing review let me give you my qualifications. I bought every version of Madden from the Genesis all the way to Madden 05 on the PS2 (which I happen to believe is still the best version of Madden ever made) and then Madden 08 last year on the PS3. I have been a Madden fan since the first day I could get my hands on a three button Genesis controller and threw a pass to an open receiver in the window based passing back then.
So first lets start off with some nitpicking and EA's famous saying, "If it's in the game, it's in the game."
Here is what is not in the game:
Once again, EA bought up the ESPN license a few years ago and they have yet to implement any ESPN presentation into the game like 2KSports did so well before EA got the exclusive license. The absence of any ESPN presentation in EA's flagship game certainly solidifies that EA's agreement with ESPN was an anti-competitive move.
No on-field referees or chain gang on the sidelines. Two staples of football once again ommitted from the game. Sure they added unnecessary security guards and even more players and non-player personell on the sidelines, but the most important staples of the game are not there, even though they were there in versions prior to the current gen systems.
Instant Replay challenges of sideline catches are still ridiculous. Every year whenever I challenge a sideline catch and a receiver has one foot clearly out, the call goes against me.
Sideline animations - Yes there is a two feet in animation when you throw to a receiver near the sideline but if a WR's route takes him towards the sideline and you throw towards that receiver his animation more often than not will take him out of bounds and result in an incompletion. Unacceptable.
Clock stopping on defensive penalties within 2 minutes of the half or 5 minutes at the end of game. I drove to my opponents 20 yard line with 20 seconds left, got an encroachment call on the defense, accepted the penalty and figuring the clock was stopped, I took my time selecting the next play, only to have the clock run out as I broke the huddle. Unless there is some new NFL rule regarding clock stoppage, this is a severe oversight.
Stable playing surface. Where did EA get the playing surface model from? The old Veterans stadium? When viewing replays from the game, you can clearly see players feet sink below the playing surface on a dry gameday.
NFL ice-capades. This is definitely still in the game, even with today's precision controllers. If you jump just a little with a DE pre-snap without encroaching, good luck getting him back even close to his original starting point. This is frustrating to say the least.
This so far might sound like petty griping but here is the thing, this Madden franchise has been around for 20 years now, it is the 1 selling football game and the only game on the market. These little details should have been long since addressed, yet they continue to resurface with every version of Madden.
EA is great at repackaging Madden every year with a new gimmick to make it look fresh. Anyone remember QB vision a few years ago? This year Madden IQ is the latest and greatest invention. What this IQ system does is evaluate your skill level and adjust the AI sliders accordingly to tailor the game for your set skill level. However this system completely replaces all the specific AI sliders that were available to players to adjust freely. There are some very general sliders that can still be adjusted but nothing like in years past.
I would be all for this IQ system if there was a way to turn it off and adjust multiple sliders to the specific way a player wants the game to run. Look, anyone who has played Madden for any extended amount of time knows exactly where they stand as far as skills in the game they don't need the game to tell them where they stand. Other human players will be sure to remind you of that.
What is the most irritating of this new system is you cannot adjust any sliders for an overcompensated AI. In the past I was able to tune down the AI QB accuracy and AI WR catching, especially when the AI's second string QB would complete 20 straight passes on me. The ability to adjust the sliders allowed for a more realistic simulation of the game.
Not anymore, unless you dumb down the generic sliders all the way, be prepared for the opposing AI QB to march down the field with Joe Montanaesque accuracy against every nickel and dime coverage you have in the playbook.
Now for the good:
The graphics are a nice improvement from last year. The stadium models are clean and the lighting effects are top notch. Though I think the player models seem a little more "stiff" from last year and it really often looks and feels like the players are running in mud compared to last year.
The branch animations have improved fairly well. Last year this feature was very impressive and this years crop of new animations improves on it. Well done!
The commentary is vastly improved. Gone is the radio announcer who I felt sounded like he was yelling into a tin can. And in his place is a new broadcast crew featuring Chris Collinsworth. As much as I despise Collinsworth on TV, he does an excellent job as color commentator in this years Madden.
The players models are properly proportioned for each postion.
There really is not a lot of good to report over last years version and that is unfortunately how little EA has went to inmprove the overall game experience. Madden 05 was the last year that EA truly innovated their game and brought a deeper experience to it's faithful fans. Is it any coincidence that was one the last years the 2K sports NFL game was around to push the EA team?
Next year, EA is going to have to show me something good in order for me to dole out any more money, paying for the same repackaged game. I've learned my lesson, 20 something years later....