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Madden NFL 09
It’s impossible to imagine the NFL without the Super Bowl, and it’s just as impossible to imagine videogames without Madden. Since 1988, the franchise has blitzed umpteen home consoles and handhelds with all-out gridiron mayhem, delivering Xbox and Xbox 360 owners some goodies (2005, hail) and some, well, not-so-goodies (2006, fail). With the series celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, EA couldn’t go the shovelware roster-update way. Accordingly, we’re happy to report that Madden NFL 09 represents the pinnacle of the modern Madden era.
The game begins with the marquee senile pontificator himself walking you through the Madden Test (you can skip it, but don’t — you’d miss the awesome Tron-like holographic presentation). These tests drive a new adaptive difficulty setting, which is a brilliant improvement on the catch-all difficulty of yore: you can now set four offensive and defensive pass and rushing difficulties independently. This fine-tuning approach carries over into the playbook as well; you can still choose plays based on formation, but now you can also choose by type. Don’t know what a Singleback Tight Doubles Slot Corner is? Call a Run Right, QB Run, or Pass Left. Easy as pie.
As you’d expect, you get the usual Franchise and Superstar modes, plus Virtual Trainer, Madden Test, Madden Moments, Mini-games, and Practice. Whatever you choose, everything goes toward building up your coveted championship ring. Oh yeah, the ring temple is back, too, with five tiers — the fifth level demanding you earn 1,497,546 points to ascend to God of Madden status. Yeah, totally.
Gameplay-wise, the controls are tight, last year’s Weapons system returns (the icons are silver grey this time, not the annoying gold), as does the Hit Stick. Graphics-wise, this is just about the best-looking Madden yet. Gone are the slick, shiny model textures from last year, replaced by a grittier-looking field and more realistic player models (except for some of the arm modeling; does 
every NFL player have totally ripped triceps?). The reaction animations look sweet, sending the secondary cart wheeling end-over-end with big hits. There’s still a bit of bad collision and floatiness when players return to the line of scrimmage, but nothing horrible.
Online, Madden 09 really brings it; in our tests, the online play was as clean and fluid as any offline play, and with the long-awaited addition of 32-player leagues and online tournaments, this is the definitive online Madden experience. Add to all of that the top-notch commentary by Cris Collinsworth and Tom Hammond, a brand-new dynamic Fantasy Football mode, and the choice to upgrade to the chockfull-o’-goodness Collector’s Edition (see sidebar, left) for 30 bucks more, and you have yourself a winner in almost every respect.
On Xbox 360
+ Great graphics, gameplay, and adaptive difficulty.
+ Online leagues, yaaaaaaaay!
- Floaty line of scrummage, wonky-looking arms.
? Why can't we play a whole game in the Tron-like Virtual Trainer mode?
9.0
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delly66
December 29, 2008 at 9:36pm
i agree with eviltattoo on the halftime presentation, that made the game for me when i played 2k5. i didnt have to go back and watch the plays on my own by seeking them out, i had chris berman commenting me on how i broke 8 tackles and ran it in 92 yards for the touchdown. and another thing, about the graphics, bout damn time!! the graphics on madden have been crap, year after year, up until this point. it was truly sad, especially on original xbox, when compared to 2k5. i still mourn for the death of the espn series...sniff..
Paul OXM
August 25, 2008 at 11:24am
Updated the review to remove a factual error -- you can't import a Madden 08 franchise into 09. Apologies for the mistake.
woltersfamily
August 17, 2008 at 5:30am
I agree...all of the previews I read for Madden 09 said it would have a save game feature and why it isn't there is so upsetting. It was actually the number 1 selling point for me, as I usually buy Madden's a year last (i.e. when 08 came out, I got 07 at a discounted price.)
Eviltattoo
August 16, 2008 at 6:33am
I have a couple of questions that maybe some of you can answer here: 1) Why in this day and age, is there no save option during a game??? I've got a family and responsibilities, and I can't always finish a game I started, and I don't want the game to sim to the end for me during franchise games. I don't get it. 2) Why the limited replay option? NFL 2k5 allowed us to save any replay at anytime, and view it at anytime from any angle. Why not here? I appreciate the upload feature, but what about viewing in-game rather than on EA's website. 3) Why hasn't EA even TRIED to copy NFL 2k5's INCREDIBLE half-time presentation??? This 4 year-old game STILL kicks Madden's ass in presentation. Granted '09 does a LOT of stuff well, and there's no question the graphics are amazing, but come on EA...USE the ESPN license you secured. Just my thoughts...otherwise the game deserves an 8.5 for sure.
xpects the xpctd
August 14, 2008 at 10:34am
Gotta love the new Madden, they always surprise us somehow. I need to get a copy of my own soon, before they change the cover. I'm a Pats fan, and I've always loved Brett Favre, but I can't see him in another jersey. I don't mind him on the Jets, but I don't want to look at it everytime I got to play some Dynasty mode.
aznsens8ion54
August 13, 2008 at 12:49pm
when i try to do resume franchise it doesnt detect the madden 08 save i have....im kinda disappointed cuz this is 1 of the reasons i bought the game
Paul OXM
August 13, 2008 at 9:38am
Hey guys, I think it might be the Resume Franchise option that you can select. But I don't have an 08 franchise to confirm that with. Casey's checking and will let us know hopefully tomorrow.
PaperLantern
August 13, 2008 at 8:57am
No, I specifically remember the devs talking about being able to import your 08 franchise...
realfreakaynaughty
August 12, 2008 at 4:51pm
Sweet. The game looks awesome. I'm about to pick it up.
aznsens8ion54
August 12, 2008 at 1:46pm
how do you import your franchise from madden 08 to madden 09?
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