Any opinions on Madden 09 yet?

[BnGhog]

The last couple of years the game hasn't changed much. Wasn't going to buy the 09 just to buy the year. But I've been hearing it's a lot different and the graphics are much improved.

So, I'm getting the itch.


Anyone played yet?

Worth buying or not worth buying?????

Any first hand info will help.

Thanks

[EasyMoney]

I picked it up Tuesday after work and played it for about 5 hours.

My first impressions are pretty good.

Some noticable changes I've seen.

O-Line forms a much better pocket. O-Line slide protection balances out the trenches (D-Line had a huge advantage last year). Instead of the 1/2 second you had to throw the ball last year, you have about 3 this year depending on your pocket presence. As soon as you move outside the tackle box your protection breaks down, so you really have to stay in the pocket.

QB play is excellent and way more realistic. There is a noticable difference in the time it takes the QB's to throw a 10 to 15 yard pass and the time it takes for them to throw deep downfield. The QB will actually wind up before throwing a long ball. You have to set your feet to throw really accurate passes. The precision passing which I thought was absent last year is back this year. The deep ball is a lot harder to complete than last year. It seems they wanted to go in a more realistic direction.

When you're controlling the player with the ball (RB's, TE's, WR's & even QB's) you can use the special moves to create separation and then snap out of it. Last year you had to wait for the animation to finish. It just makes the gameplay a lot tighter. On run plays I've noticed that you have to scroll to your running back before the play so that you can attempt to dodge the first couple of defenders. The DT's come through the line quickly.

Something I've also noticed is that the playbooks on offense have certain packages with different players. One of them has ey lined up as the #4 receiver which never happened automatically last year. Last year you had to flip through the packages to get ey lined up at the #4 spot. You can still flip through different packages but its nice that they have packages that are not from a predetermined depth chart from the roster.

Defense is pretty much the same as last year with the exception of hot routes and coverage shifts. Corners seem to pass off receivers (going through their zone) to the safeties a lot cleaner. Seems like they reworked the DB AI to be more realistic. The corners don't jump every route anymore but 90% of the time if you think you have good coverage, you really do have good coverage. That wasn't the case last year as you could have your DB's in great position and they'd just stand still while the receiver started his catching animation.

I haven't really had a chance to see some of the games faults yet because I know they're there but overall its night and day difference between last year and this year. The reason I say that is because I played two online games and the exploits that you'd see repeated by all users last year are no longer possible. Your receiver HAS to be wide open to complete a deep ball. The nano blitzes are gone. Super human CB's no longer exist. You have to play smart, you have to concentrate more on making first downs than scoring TD's on every play. This is a welcome change because reflects more of what football is about. I haven't seen any cheese... yet.

Overall, I'd say that so far its a much more enjoyable experience.

Also the online lag from the first 3 years is gone. The game doesn't run quite as smooth as it does offline. Compared to years past if 08's offline ran at a frame rate of 10, online it probably ran at a frame rate of 6-7. This year the online frame rate is closer to 8-9. Again, a much more enjoyable experience.

[BnGhog]

I'm thinking...



I'm going to have to buy it.

[Cappster]

I picked it up Tuesday after work and played it for about 5 hours.

My first impressions are pretty good.

Some noticable changes I've seen.

O-Line forms a much better pocket. O-Line slide protection balances out the trenches (D-Line had a huge advantage last year). Instead of the 1/2 second you had to throw the ball last year, you have about 3 this year depending on your pocket presence. As soon as you move outside the tackle box your protection breaks down, so you really have to stay in the pocket.

QB play is excellent and way more realistic. There is a noticable difference in the time it takes the QB's to throw a 10 to 15 yard pass and the time it takes for them to throw deep downfield. The QB will actually wind up before throwing a long ball. You have to set your feet to throw really accurate passes. The precision passing which I thought was absent last year is back this year. The deep ball is a lot harder to complete than last year. It seems they wanted to go in a more realistic direction.

When you're controlling the player with the ball (RB's, TE's, WR's & even QB's) you can use the special moves to create separation and then snap out of it. Last year you had to wait for the animation to finish. It just makes the gameplay a lot tighter. On run plays I've noticed that you have to scroll to your running back before the play so that you can attempt to dodge the first couple of defenders. The DT's come through the line quickly.

Something I've also noticed is that the playbooks on offense have certain packages with different players. One of them has ey lined up as the #4 receiver which never happened automatically last year. Last year you had to flip through the packages to get ey lined up at the #4 spot. You can still flip through different packages but its nice that they have packages that are not from a predetermined depth chart from the roster.

Defense is pretty much the same as last year with the exception of hot routes and coverage shifts. Corners seem to pass off receivers (going through their zone) to the safeties a lot cleaner. Seems like they reworked the DB AI to be more realistic. The corners don't jump every route anymore but 90% of the time if you think you have good coverage, you really do have good coverage. That wasn't the case last year as you could have your DB's in great position and they'd just stand still while the receiver started his catching animation.

I haven't really had a chance to see some of the games faults yet because I know they're there but overall its night and day difference between last year and this year. The reason I say that is because I played two online games and the exploits that you'd see repeated by all users last year are no longer possible. Your receiver HAS to be wide open to complete a deep ball. The nano blitzes are gone. Super human CB's no longer exist. You have to play smart, you have to concentrate more on making first downs than scoring TD's on every play. This is a welcome change because reflects more of what football is about. I haven't seen any cheese... yet.

Overall, I'd say that so far its a much more enjoyable experience.

Also the online lag from the first 3 years is gone. The game doesn't run quite as smooth as it does offline. Compared to years past if 08's offline ran at a frame rate of 10, online it probably ran at a frame rate of 6-7. This year the online frame rate is closer to 8-9. Again, a much more enjoyable experience.

Frame rate of 10 would not be playable. Frame rates would have to be at least between 30-40 for the human eye not to be able to see stutter.

I do not have madden because they don't make it for the PC

[MDSKINSFAN]

its the best madden ever and the best sports game ever. must buy.

[Irn-Bru]

I must say, EasyMoney, you've made the game sound pretty attractive.

[jeremyroyce]

The last couple of years the game hasn't changed much. Wasn't going to buy the 09 just to buy the year. But I've been hearing it's a lot different and the graphics are much improved.

So, I'm getting the itch.


Anyone played yet?

Worth buying or not worth buying?????

Any first hand info will help.

Thanks

If I had the money on Tuesday, or the money today I would have already bought the game. I would suggest, buy the game if you can you won't be disapointed

[Fios]

I must say, EasyMoney, you've made the game sound pretty attractive.

Agreed, I was always turned off by some of the what I called "unstoppable BS" found in the previous versions.

[andyjens89]

Bought it for the 360 and I'm not liking it right now. Maybe it will grow on me, but right now it sucks.

The graphics are WAY TOO CARTOONISH!!

They can't even spell players names right (Tryon is Tyron)

The updated rosters put the Redskins over the cap and you can't even start a season with them unless you cut some people.

The Madden Test does not determine how good you actually are at playing the game.

When you master the Madden test it makes the game impossible to play.

Chris Collinsworth is a bum and nobody should ever have to listen to his voice.

Defensive backs go for interceptions instead of deflections and let the other team score way too much.

The first tackler never brings the runner down (unless it's the QB).

I could go all day on why I'm disappointed in the game.

PS - No progression (the greatest part of the game from PS2 version)

Also, if you buy the 20th anniversary collector's edition ($89.99), Head Coach 09 is a pretty crappy game too... it could be amazing, but they obviously assigned the wrong people to design it.

[BnGhog]

I've never understood the Head Coach.

Is that like an add on or is that a completely separate game.


andyjens89, a lot of your complaints don't sound like they will bother me.

Sounds like your not giving it much of a chance.

When you master the Madden test it makes the game impossible to play.

Chris Collinsworth is a bum and nobody should ever have to listen to his voice.

I don't play the game to hear the comentary or to play madden tests. I just play it for the football, the game itself.

The first tackler never brings the runner down (unless it's the QB).

That sounds realistic, to me, for a good back in the NFL.

[MDSKINSFAN]

Bought it for the 360 and I'm not liking it right now. Maybe it will grow on me, but right now it sucks.

The graphics are WAY TOO CARTOONISH!!

They can't even spell players names right (Tryon is Tyron)

The updated rosters put the Redskins over the cap and you can't even start a season with them unless you cut some people.

The Madden Test does not determine how good you actually are at playing the game.

When you master the Madden test it makes the game impossible to play.

Chris Collinsworth is a bum and nobody should ever have to listen to his voice.

Defensive backs go for interceptions instead of deflections and let the other team score way too much.

The first tackler never brings the runner down (unless it's the QB).

I could go all day on why I'm disappointed in the game.

PS - No progression (the greatest part of the game from PS2 version)

Also, if you buy the 20th anniversary collector's edition ($89.99), Head Coach 09 is a pretty crappy game too... it could be amazing, but they obviously assigned the wrong people to design it.

the grapics are too cartoonish?! they are amazing! the mud looks so real along with the snow. even the small animations look good like the quarterback winding up looks just like eli winding up to throw that tyree catch in the super bowl. not to mention the faces. JC looks like JC and santana looks like santana. sure some are not great but the game looks great. i will agree about the madden test tho. i got all madden on all of them and i could defend the run but not the pass. on offense i couldnt run the ball and when i threw it to the rookie receivers they dropped it. on all madden the skills are too uneven. just becuase malcolm and devin arent randy moss it doesnt mean they cant catch a 10 yard slant thrown right at them

[EasyMoney]

Frame rate of 10 would not be playable. Frame rates would have to be at least between 30-40 for the human eye not to be able to see stutter.

I do not have madden because they don't make it for the PC

I was speaking in terms of the 1 to 10 scale. I know it actually runs at 60 frames per second.

Yeah, it kinda sucks for the PC users. I feel your pain...

Bought it for the 360 and I'm not liking it right now. Maybe it will grow on me, but right now it sucks.

The graphics are WAY TOO CARTOONISH!!

They can't even spell players names right (Tryon is Tyron)

The updated rosters put the Redskins over the cap and you can't even start a season with them unless you cut some people.

The Madden Test does not determine how good you actually are at playing the game.

When you master the Madden test it makes the game impossible to play.

Chris Collinsworth is a bum and nobody should ever have to listen to his voice.

Defensive backs go for interceptions instead of deflections and let the other team score way too much.

The first tackler never brings the runner down (unless it's the QB).

I could go all day on why I'm disappointed in the game.

PS - No progression (the greatest part of the game from PS2 version)

Also, if you buy the 20th anniversary collector's edition ($89.99), Head Coach 09 is a pretty crappy game too... it could be amazing, but they obviously assigned the wrong people to design it.

I downloaded the roster update and started a season and I didn't have the salary cap problem at all.

Agreed, the Madden test is a joke. I was All-Madden on everything but pass defense and it makes the game unplayable. I could only rush for negative yards and the pass rush would come in too quick. It makes playing offense too hard. But if you use the original difficulty settings this problem is solved.

I'm not a Chris Collinsworth fan myself but the commentary this year is SOOOO much better than the generic radio announcer from years past.

I don't see the DB's jumping routes all of the time like they did last year. In fact I've seen them go for the swat instead of the pick the majority of the time. If they are in position to make the pick most of the time they'll drop the ball if you're not controlling the DB as they should. They're not receivers.

The first tackler shouldn't bring the runner down but he should slow the runner down enough for someone else on D to clean up. I didn't realize this until yesterday but once the tackle animation starts you can still use your special moves to break free, if another defender comes in to clean up you're done for. I haven't seen a lot of DL or LB's miss tackles. DB's with the exception of Landry miss them all the time. This is realistic.

I haven't even finished the preseason games at this point so I have no idea what the progression is like. If I remember correctly depending on your preseason performances there should be some type of progression or regression before the actual start of the season. I'll check that out tonight.

[MDSKINSFAN]

is ethan albright in this game? i got the roster update and he isnt in it and our LS stinks. not that the position is important in madden but i dont understand why he isnt in it

[Bob 0119]

I stated that I wasn't going to buy another copy of Madden.

I caved.

I picked up the collector's edition. It came with a copy of Head Coach '09 (a game I wanted to try, but not risk paying $60 bucks for it) and a bonus DVD. It also has a version of Madden '93.

I've only played one game so far, but like the new review and rewind features.

The review feature is kind of neat. If you make a bad throw, it shows you an instant replay of your throw and what you did wrong, then shows who you should have thrown to.

After that you can "rewind" the play and try it again.

If you fail after a rewind, you're stuck with it. Plus you can limit or eliminate the rewinds completely, if you want to.

Rewinds are not accessable in Xbox Live matches.

I found a few graphic glitches (big blue patches appear in the middle of the end-zone after a score sometimes), but wasn't unhappy with the graphics or gameplay overall.

Keep in mind that was only one game, but so far it's better than the previous two.

[jeremyroyce]

I stated that I wasn't going to buy another copy of Madden.

I caved.

I picked up the collector's edition. It came with a copy of Head Coach '09 (a game I wanted to try, but not risk paying $60 bucks for it) and a bonus DVD. It also has a version of Madden '93.

I've only played one game so far, but like the new review and rewind features.

The review feature is kind of neat. If you make a bad throw, it shows you an instant replay of your throw and what you did wrong, then shows who you should have thrown to.

After that you can "rewind" the play and try it again.

If you fail after a rewind, you're stuck with it. Plus you can limit or eliminate the rewinds completely, if you want to.

Rewinds are not accessable in Xbox Live matches.

I found a few graphic glitches (big blue patches appear in the middle of the end-zone after a score sometimes), but wasn't unhappy with the graphics or gameplay overall.

Keep in mind that was only one game, but so far it's better than the previous two.

Hey I have a question. I will finally be getting a copy of Madden in the next couple of days, but I wanted to ask. Can you view instant replay before you challenge the play?

[MDSKINSFAN]

I stated that I wasn't going to buy another copy of Madden.

I caved.

I picked up the collector's edition. It came with a copy of Head Coach '09 (a game I wanted to try, but not risk paying $60 bucks for it) and a bonus DVD. It also has a version of Madden '93.

I've only played one game so far, but like the new review and rewind features.

The review feature is kind of neat. If you make a bad throw, it shows you an instant replay of your throw and what you did wrong, then shows who you should have thrown to.

After that you can "rewind" the play and try it again.

If you fail after a rewind, you're stuck with it. Plus you can limit or eliminate the rewinds completely, if you want to.

Rewinds are not accessable in Xbox Live matches.

I found a few graphic glitches (big blue patches appear in the middle of the end-zone after a score sometimes), but wasn't unhappy with the graphics or gameplay overall.

Keep in mind that was only one game, but so far it's better than the previous two.

Hey I have a question. I will finally be getting a copy of Madden in the next couple of days, but I wanted to ask. Can you view instant replay before you challenge the play?

no i dont think so

[MDSKINSFAN]

I stated that I wasn't going to buy another copy of Madden.

I caved.

I picked up the collector's edition. It came with a copy of Head Coach '09 (a game I wanted to try, but not risk paying $60 bucks for it) and a bonus DVD. It also has a version of Madden '93.

I've only played one game so far, but like the new review and rewind features.

The review feature is kind of neat. If you make a bad throw, it shows you an instant replay of your throw and what you did wrong, then shows who you should have thrown to.

After that you can "rewind" the play and try it again.

If you fail after a rewind, you're stuck with it. Plus you can limit or eliminate the rewinds completely, if you want to.

Rewinds are not accessable in Xbox Live matches.

I found a few graphic glitches (big blue patches appear in the middle of the end-zone after a score sometimes), but wasn't unhappy with the graphics or gameplay overall.

Keep in mind that was only one game, but so far it's better than the previous two.

the big blue patches are where you can go and celebrate after you score by hitting Y

[Bob 0119]

the big blue patches are where you can go and celebrate after you score by hitting Y

Hey you're right! I wouldn't have known that, but I tried it last night and it unlocked a 30-point achievement!

Here's what's going to sound like a stupid question.

How do you download roster updates?

The 'Skins don't have Jason Taylor, but do have Schwiegart in mine.

[MDSKINSFAN]

the big blue patches are where you can go and celebrate after you score by hitting Y

Hey you're right! I wouldn't have known that, but I tried it last night and it unlocked a 30-point achievement!

Here's what's going to sound like a stupid question.

How do you download roster updates?

The 'Skins don't have Jason Taylor, but do have Schwiegart in mine.

you can go to the xbox live part of the menu and go to drills and it should ask you right when you go into it if you would like to download the rosters.

or you can play a game on live and it wil ask you to download them. i just did it the other way because i didnt feel like playing live yet

[Bob 0119]

you can go to the xbox live part of the menu and go to drills and it should ask you right when you go into it if you would like to download the rosters.

or you can play a game on live and it wil ask you to download them. i just did it the other way because i didnt feel like playing live yet

Sweet! I looked all over the place trying to find a place where it said "Download Updated Roster"

[Sir_Monk]

I just got Madden '09 for the PS3, never done the online thing before. As the season goes on, do they have roster updates that modify player raitings?

[Bob 0119]

I just got Madden '09 for the PS3, never done the online thing before. As the season goes on, do they have roster updates that modify player raitings?

I don't think anyone knows yet.

That hasn't been the case in the past. Typically they only update the transactions, putting the right players with their current teams.

I guess it would depend on how drastically the player improved this year.