Madden NFL 09 (Xbox 360, 2008)

Graphics are great. The new textures for the field and player give an nice visual appeal.

The new animations offer a fresh look to the already in-depth gaming experience Madden has offered over the years. The "Beyond Presentation" fixes some of the annoying things that have plagued football games for decades...excessively repetive commentary. Still some repetition, but better than past games.

This year Madden goes a step farther than the competition, making an effort to teach players more about the game. The EA BackTracker gives you a nice look at what went wrong with a play,and possibly what you missed.

Overall, I am looking forward to jamming on this game all season long.

Graphics 8.7
The graphics in this game are good. They need to add more tackles beacause it just gets old after a while. Graphics on the fans in the stands needs a little help, they look all messed up. There is not as much body warping as in earler Madens but the problem does still pop up every now and then. On fiels condition are very good in graphics and players look very good.

Gameplay/Controls 9.9
Gameplay controls are simple. Even if you have just started to play Madden it is very easy to learn and is self explanatory. There is help with all the controlls so you don't have to stop everything and refer to the manual while in the middle of a game. New Madden players may have a little trouble with the punt or field goal controlls but gets very easy around the 3rd try.

New Features 7.8
The new big feature this year is Madden backtrack. My personal opinion on this is that it is horrible. Making the big mistake is what the fun of Madden is all about. It can make a lose into a win in the touch of a button. This feature makes the game very unrealistic and very predictable. I personally never play with it. Some people do like to win all the time though so some people love the new feature.

Overall 8.6
Great game but didn't live up to my full expectations. Worth my 60.00 but expected more.

Big improvement in the Madden series. Graphics are much more realistic. Gameplay is even more realistic. In the older Madden's when running with the ball you could simply hold turbo and juke and break away, but not in 09. This really separates the good Madden players from the bad. You have to have skill to be able to play and win.

Neat new features like Madden IQ. I like that the different parts of the game adjust to your personal level of skill and after each game you IQ can improve or decrease. Super Star mode is pretty much the same. Fantasy draft is back for franchises. Online gaming is much better in both Madden 09 & NCAA Football 09 with the addition of 'online leagues.' In Madden 09 you can have an online league with up to 32 total players and 11 games plus playoffs, this is a great features that brings the video game experience totally to a new level.

Virtual Trainer is neat, helps you understand the game and what to do in certain situations. Backtrack is cool, but when your trying to play and it comes up it sometimes gets annoying. Passing is more difficult, not as simple and easy as before. EA Rewind is helpful if your trying to improve your gaming abilities. If you make a mistake or would like to retry a play you can rewind. This can help not so good players learn from their mistakes and improve. The new touchdown celebrations are better than 08. They get boring quick, but are a cool improvement and make celebrating a TD more interesting, like the slam dunk.

There are only 25 achievements to get. I got mine within about 10 hours total of gameplay in under one week. They are things like TD celebrations, 10 receptions with 1 player, 50+ yard FG, and so on. I have a blog describing each of them and how to get them at: www.muzikblog.today.com
There are team based ones also like get 300 rushing yards with the Jets.

One thing that I do not like at all is that for some stupid reason they changed one buttons feature. In Madden 08 'RB' button was a receiver button and 'LB' was pump fake. But in 09 they decided to switch them, why? It is hard to adjust to and has cost me some plays. That is just something EA shouldn't touch and leave alone.

Overall is this the best Madden yet to come out. Gameplay is great, graphics are perfect, live is better, and features are amazing..Get your copy..

I have never played a Madden game this bad, and I have been playing Madden since 2004. First of all, the screen is always so dark, it's almost depressing.

This next part I will go into more detail about. The game experience is the worst ever from Madden. When the players run, it is far from realistic. EA Sports Backtrack is just pathetic. If you throw a pick they go back and try and tell you who you "should have" thrown the ball to. At least half the time they are double or triple covered and are by no means "open". Then there's the TD celebrations. There are about 3 of them and they get old really quick. Finally, the tackling is as bad as the running, far from realistic.

Now I'll talk about the dynasty mode. This is always my favorite part of any football game. But it is just pitiful in Madden 09. Once again, the screen is very dark and some of the controls are questionable. When you want to see positions on your roster, you press RB or LB and scroll through. Not a big deal, but it was better the old way. Trading for decent value is almost impossible. You always are getting ripped off in trades. Also, during the season you can scout prospects for the next years draft. It does nothing and it takes forever to do. This leads me into my final point concerning dynasty. The draft leaves a lot to be desired. None of the players are good and there is no way to prepare for the draft. You pretty much walk in blind.

Do yourself a favor. Don't waste your money.

The 2009 Madden is once again the best simulation of football money can buy. This year EA Sports did not sit on its laurels and produce a cookie cutter game off of last year. Graphics, game mode , and computer controlled players that adjust to your game skill as you progess are just some of the amped up features for this addition. Keep up to date rosters of your favorite team for online play, start a ten year franchise for a chance at a dynasty, or create your own player and launch a future hall of fame career; in this game the NFL is yours to control. This a great game for novice players or fans as well as the die hard rabid fanatics. It is definatly a must buy.