Madden 09 News Post

Madden 09: Three Point Thursdays

10:54 AM - April 3, 2008 by RaychelSnr

In this week’s Three Point Thursday, Matt Blumenthal takes a look at the upcoming football title Madden NFL 09.

Game: Madden NFL 09Reader Score: 7/10 - Vote Now
Platform: NDS / PS2 / PS3 / PSP / Wii / Xbox 360Votes for game: 88 - View All

Madden NFL 09 Videos

Member Comments

# 1 rspencer86 @ 04/03/08 12:00 PM

The last paragraph says it all: "This series has let us down time and time again over the last few years, so we shouldn't get too excited about these early revelations." It's time for Madden to back up all of its pre-release talk with a solid game. Until then, I'm not getting excited about promises of "revolutionary gameplay" or "innovated new features." I'm from Missouri, so show me.

# 2 yamabushi @ 04/03/08 12:21 PM

"we’ll finally have new commentators this year – “some of the biggest names in the business” – suggests that at least one monumental change is in the works."

the fact that a change in the commentator is actually considered 'monumental' tells you everything you need to know about madden for the past few years.

# 3 vick5 @ 04/03/08 01:23 PM

wont buy this game, i will be busy playing a non EA GTA IV

# 4 distauma @ 04/03/08 01:55 PM

Am I the only one who is willing to praise EA Sports for their amazing job with creating realistic ball physics and an infinite amount of animations for tackles and catches and such...

Yes the computer AI was a little too good at jumping routes and intercepting the ball but I feel Madden 08 can be to Madden 09 what MVP 2004 was to MVP 2005. There is now a great foundation built. Next step is to take out some bugs and add in some presentation elements.

# 5 ewto16 @ 04/03/08 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by distauma


	Am I the only one who is willing to praise EA Sports for their amazing job with creating realistic ball physics and an infinite amount of animations for tackles and catches and such... Yes the computer AI was a little too good at jumping routes and intercepting the ball but I feel Madden 08 can be to Madden 09 what MVP 2004 was to MVP 2005. There is now a great foundation built. Next step is to take out some bugs and add in some presentation elements.

Yep, you would be the only one, considering the ball physics suck and there is nowhere near an infinite amount of animations. The ball is never effected by wind for one and it certainly doesn't bounce around accurately. Ever seen the ball warp into the hands of a DB in the NFL?

Play one whole season and you will see the same animations multiple times over. Same tackles, same post play animations, same throwing motions and jukes, etc.

I'm really not sure what game you are playing if you don't notice these things.

The AI sucks and continues to stink. CPU still doesn't run the ball well at all and can't throw for crap. LBs still intercept and swat down balls that they never would in real life.

I could go on and on.....

# 6 distauma @ 04/03/08 02:13 PM

Well I don't play franchise in Madden 08, because admittedly I think it's very bare bones... But I do play a lot amongst friends on local multiplayer, and I have never had so much fun playing an NFL video game before. That includes the Joe Montana games, Playstation Madden games, Blitz games, NFL 2k sports series, and even back to Tecmo Super Bowl.

Sometimes I think people complain just because it's EA Sports. I did hate '06 and '07 iterations, but are you gonna tell me 2k5 was the most realistic NFL simulation you ever played? All sports games have aggravating qualities, but human against human Madden '08 is a great game. And that's all that matters to me.

# 7 Methlab @ 04/03/08 02:23 PM

Great article and great points. I really hate EA for what they have done to football gaming. Football games online have the potential to be some of the best 1 on 1 experiences in gaming, but with the stagnation and corporate mentality of EA, this has not happened.

I live 5 mins away from Tiburon and have gone there more then once. The arrogance there is sickening to me. Nice guys, but extremely cocky about a subpar game.

It's like music, look at Sub Pop and their roster of truly innovative bands then go look at a Major labels and their cookie cutter emo rosters...same type of thing...we need more creativity and forward thinking in Madden for it to become truly special. It is the NFL and should be electric..instead, the game feels sterile and predictable.

# 8 ewto16 @ 04/03/08 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by distauma


	Well I don't play franchise in Madden 08, because admittedly I think it's very bare bones... But I do play a lot amongst friends on local multiplayer, and I have never had so much fun playing an NFL video game before. That includes the Joe Montana games, Playstation Madden games, Blitz games, NFL 2k sports series, and even back to Tecmo Super Bowl. Sometimes I think people complain just because it's EA Sports. I did hate '06 and '07 iterations, but are you gonna tell me 2k5 was the most realistic NFL simulation you ever played? All sports games have aggravating qualities, but human against human Madden '08 is a great game. And that's all that matters to me.

Nope, I haven't played NFL 2K5, so I won't tell you that. I will tell you that the Tecmo games are way better than Madden ever will be, but that is a whole different debate.

I don't complain just because it is EA Sports. I complain because I've played Madden since it first hit the Genesis in like 91 and after Madden 2005, it hasn't gotten any better. It is stuck in this cycle of removing features and adding them back in.

The presentation elements that made the game more visually appealing have all been removed. The radio announcer stinks, which I know is changing, but it took too long to make that happen. Franchise on the PS2 ruled. Why does Franchise on the PS3 stink? So many of the smae exact AI glitches exist in the game that have been in the game for the last 5 years, it is frustrating.

I just want good football. I want football that makes me want to play it every day and be irritated when I don't get to advance my franchise fast enough. I don't want to play football for a month, get bored/irritated with the game, and not pick it up until the NFL playoffs, only to trade it once the playoffs are over because I lost interest again.

I wish EA would just make football fun and addicting again.

# 9 BezO @ 04/03/08 02:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by distauma


	Am I the only one who is willing to praise EA Sports for their amazing job with creating realistic ball physics and an infinite amount of animations for tackles and catches and such...

One of a few. Nothing specific comes to mind about the ball physics, but the tackle animations were repetitive & out of context too often. The physics are pretty bad in the game. There are not enough "regular" tackles, and there are still animations like the "shot gun blast to the back". IMO the tackling is one of the worst parts of the game.

Quote:

Originally Posted by distauma


	Yes the computer AI was a little too good at jumping routes and intercepting the ball but I feel Madden 08 can be to Madden 09 what MVP 2004 was to MVP 2005. There is now a great foundation built. Next step is to take out some bugs and add in some presentation elements.

I disagree. I would consider foundation things like the physic engine, blocking interaction, tackling, animations, AI, ect. None of these things are very good. EA seems to ignore the fundamentals of football for the over-the-top. A sim sports game where arcadey strategy beats sim strategy does not have a good foundation.

Quote:

Originally Posted by distauma


	Sometimes I think people complain just because it's EA Sports. I did hate '06 and '07 iterations, but are you gonna tell me 2k5 was the most realistic NFL simulation you ever played? All sports games have aggravating qualities, but human against human Madden '08 is a great game. And that's all that matters to me.

Sometimes I think people ignore the reasons people give for their dissatisfaction. Most post I see complaining about the game give very detailed reasons why they're dissapointed.

NBA 2K8 is the most realistic sports game I've played, maybe Forza 2 if that counts, but 2K5 is the most realistic football game I've played to date. It had it's flaws but it played like football. In contrast, Madden rewards arcadey strategy.

I'm glad you enjoyed 08, but understand why folks didn't. There are some great posts explaining exactly what's wrong with it if you're a sim player. Check them out.

# 10 DLaren @ 04/03/08 04:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stateprop


	Oh man what the hell. What im going to do now i cant even play madden 08 on the 360. I enjoyed more on the ps2 and ncaa 08 also i enjoyed more on the ps2. "Football is Dead Football Football is Dead" Quoted by NAS

...Like hip-hop, football gaming isn't dead yet, atleast not for me...

Madden'09 will also be available on the PS2, so if the "next-gen" version sucks again we still have the "last-gen" version to fall back on...

# 11 Scott @ 04/03/08 10:05 PM

# 12 spankdatazz22 @ 04/03/08 11:09 PM

So the author admits how seriously lacking Madden has been next gen, but of course - "there's reason for cautious optimism" for this year's game. When has that not been the case? You could say that about any game in any given year. People wondering why Madden wallows in muck it's mired in now need look no further than opinions like this. After Madden '06, the game had no where to go but up - yearly improvements should be expected, not surprising/shocking when they occur. The author goes so far as to say we should expect less, that expecting a 2K5-like makeover is "too much". Madden has been on next gen the longest of any sports game, yet we still have people like this author preaching that it's okay to expect the least from it (or at the least, lower our expectations apparently). And that if you expect more, "you're setting yourself up for disappointment". Laughable.

The problem is people expect so little from it. Then wonder why Tiburon feels they're doing a bang-up job. Hey, at least the game has improved "marginally" from '06 to '07 to '08. That's something to hold onto. Let's not forget that '08 was proclaimed to be the biggest gameplay jump the series has seen - receiving all types of accolades and praise all the way up to the day it released. And here we are a year later talking about how disappointing it was.

EDIT: [/quote]However, people expecting the series to undergo a massive transformation in one year to turn into a next generation NFL 2K5 – or even to fully realize the potential of a “next generation Madden” – will find themselves upset once again when August rolls around, so temper your expectations now.[/quote]

Sorry, but this quote says it all. Btw it hasn't been one year, it's been three years -- four, if I'm to take your advice and only have low expectations of the upcoming game. This generation has produced some of the best sports games in their respective genres to date, yet we're constantly steered to expect less from what most people would feel should be the greatest sports game of them all. If only all sports games were allowed such low expectations

# 13 TheLetterZ @ 04/04/08 11:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spankdatazz22


	The author goes so far as to say we should expect less, that expecting a 2K5-like makeover is "too much".

You're missing the point.

I completely agree that the past three releases have been lousy. I said that. This year's game is most likely going to be far short of where it should be at this point in time, given the resources available.

I'm not at all saying that it's acceptable in any way. It's not. They should push the envelope (as I said in the first point).

But do you think that those people expecting - as you put it - a "2K5-like makeover" this year are going to be disappointed? That's all I'm saying here.

Every year people hold out hope that this will be the year that Madden turns it around and releases a revolutionary new game. Then they are tremendously disappointed when the game comes out and it's not what they hoped it would be. So The Point is . . . we know what we're probably getting this year. Don't kid yourself and expect something revolutionary.

# 14 spankdatazz22 @ 04/04/08 12:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TheLetterZ


	I completely agree that the past three releases have been lousy. I said that. This year's game is most likely going to be far short of where it should be at this point in time, given the resources available. I'm not at all saying that it's acceptable in any way. It's not. They should push the envelope (as I said in the first point). But do you think that those people expecting - as you put it - a "2K5-like makeover" this year are going to be disappointed? That's all I'm saying here. Every year people hold out hope that this will be the year that Madden turns it around and releases a revolutionary new game. Then they are tremendously disappointed when the game comes out and it's not what they hoped it would be. So The Point is . . . we know what we're probably getting this year. Don't kid yourself and expect something revolutionary.

I really appreciate your response. Even though I may have sounded like an azz - it's just frustrating to see a sort of "it's okay to be complacent" mentality pushed around here (imo - not saying you were pushing that view, but that's what it sounded like to me). I agree with you that expecting a huge one-year turnaround is impractical. But, I think what many of us are thinking is that it's not impractical to have expected a cumulative such turnaround over several years, at the very least. That's the problem; we're four years in and we're only at this point. And instead of them raising their game to meet our standards (which aren't outrageous), we're having to lower expectations to meet theirs. Because more isn't expected of them, it's okay for them to progress at the glacier-like pace they have. And meanwhile the site has no problems having negative opinions of games they feel aren't pulling their weight, so to speak - well, certain games that is.

I don't doubt that the people at Tiburon work hard - but their games should be held to the same standard other sports games are held to. Would we ever hear talk about people tempering their expectations of The Show? Of NBA/CH2K? People go in with high expectations. Yet with Madden/NCAA, it's expected that people go in with low expectations because it's accepted that the games don't have to meet high expectations to be considered good. Seems like a lot of hypocrisy around here in what's expected of the games, and how they're judged

# 15 TheLetterZ @ 04/04/08 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spankdatazz22


	I don't doubt that the people at Tiburon work hard - but their games should be held to the same standard other sports games are held to. Would we ever hear talk about people tempering their expectations of The Show? Of NBA/CH2K? People go in with high expectations. Yet with Madden/NCAA, it's expected that people go in with low expectations because it's accepted that the games don't have to meet high expectations to be considered good. Seems like a lot of hypocrisy around here in what's expected of the games, and how they're judged

I'm definitely not saying we should hold them to a lower standard than everyone else. If anything, they should be held to a higher standard than other games, given their resources and history. But at some point, you have to stop fooling yourself by expecting the world of this game. If it's not good, then judge it accordingly, and as a reviewer, I'd give such a game a low score. However, the uproar that spills over into the forums every year when the game doesn't play like a "2K5-makeover" - and when everyone already knew that it wouldn't - is a waste of time.

# 16 spankdatazz22 @ 04/04/08 08:38 PM

We can agree to disagree. Any uproar that occurs in the forum is because of the quality of Madden itself - not necessarily because it doesn't measure up to another game. Which btw it should; there's just no reason why games on the older systems compare favorably to next gen Madden, no reason at all. Especially when we're talking about games on older systems that are years old. Yet the standard most reviewers hold Madden to is itself - which means it benefits immensely from having sucked previously. Don't get me wrong, I fault consumers just as much for willingly falling for hype time and time again - we can see that's already happening; many people seemingly will always reach for the Christmas-night feeling of anticipation that comes with hyped games. But reviewers on the whole do their constituents no favors by doing their part to help fan the flames.

Quote:


	Like any rational person, I understand that the move was purely a business decision and there was nothing inherently unethical about the purchase, as the masses who scream of a monopoly protest.

To the author: most people are rational enough to factor that the current situation is far more than just the NFL deal. Okay, maybe not most - but I don't think people are crazy or zealots for saying otherwise. I'm not saying there was anything unethical about the NFL deal myself, but the NFL/NCAA/Arena League/ESPN deals that occurred in relatively quick succession were a calculated effort to eliminate competition or at the very least severely cripple it. I don't see how that can be denied

# 17 countryboy @ 04/04/08 08:51 PM

football must be near...

Hey boys, EA is talking about their upcoming release of Madden"

# 18 DubTrey1 @ 04/07/08 11:33 AM

Please - EA, no gimmicks. Just Gameplay and presentation this year.....please.

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Madden 09: Three Point Thursdays