Madden NFL 09 for Xbox 360 has a number of features designed to address the steep learning curve associated with the series. This year's game is clearly one of the most user-friendly versions in recent years, but unfortunately, beginners will still probably have a tough time learning the ropes, in spite of these new features. If you throw an interception or take a bad sack, Cris Collinsworth will break down the play for you and explain not only what you did wrong, but what you should have done instead. Collinsworth's analysis during these backtrack segments is startlingly accurate and useful--it's just a shame these moments occur at random. It would have been nice to call them up at any time. Another useful yet controversial addition is the ability to rewind plays and try them again. This is a great way to help you learn from your mistakes and it's nice to have a do-over if you get cheesed by the CPU, but it takes self-control not to rewind anytime you make a bad play. Rewinding a buddy's touchdown is also a surefire way to prematurely end your friendship.
There are a series of gameplay enhancements that make Madden NFL 09 play better than 08. The ability to bluff plays from the line of scrimmage lets you view your play and then display fake routes to mislead your opponent. You can also quickly call audibles without changing your formation and inadvertently tipping off the other player. Another excellent addition is that you can now tell individual receivers to run smart routes on third down. This will ensure that they don't stop their routes short of the first-down marker. It would be nice if receivers were smart enough to adjust on their own, but at least the smart-route option is available. On the defensive side of the ball, you can spotlight a receiver. This puts an extra player on a receiver to ensure double coverage on the play. By no means does it render that receiver a nonfactor, but it's now a great way of slowing down an opponent who passes to the same guy over and over again. The only problem with the number of pre-snap adjustments is that it's near impossible to perform many of them when you're on defense due to the short amount of time between when you come out of the play-calling screen and when the ball is snapped. Sure, there are Madden savants out there who can call an audible, shift the line, highlight a receiver, tell the left outside linebacker to spy on the QB, and fake a blitz in five seconds, but most people can't.
Madden NFL 09 for Xbox 360 is easily the best-looking Madden to date. The presentation now features more dynamic camera angles, and player emotion is a bigger part of the game than ever thanks to new touchdown celebrations. By running to a highlighted area of the end zone and pressing a button after a score you can dunk the ball over the goalpost, climb up the wall to bask in the admiration of the fans, and more. The dunks often don't work and they look kind of terrible, but the rest of the celebrations are cool, especially when you steal another player's move. You can do Chad Johnson's River Dance or Steve McNair's hands-to-the-helmet pose, or you can taunt Denver fans with the Mile High salute. Other player animations are top-notch, and if you play enough you'll notice some great little touches, such as kickers tackling just as awkwardly as they do in real life. You'll see some odd transitions and quirky moves upon close inspection of replays (which can be uploaded and shared online), but you'd be hard pressed to notice most of these instances during gameplay.
The Madden series has been so good for so long that the bar for each yearly release is extremely high. And it's because standards are so high that, while it's still great, Madden 09 could have been better. For every addition, like the backtrack feature, Collinsworth, or improved visuals, there's a problem that rears its ugly head, like the unchanged Superstar mode, poor pass coverage in the middle of the field, or underwhelming online leagues. Newcomers will still face a steep learning curve, but if you're a football fan or series veteran, you can't go wrong with Madden 09.
Game 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
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