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| Madden NFL 09 | 
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| From: Electronic Arts
Category: Video Games
List Price: $59.99
Buy New: $47.00
You Save: $12.99 (22%)
New (30) Used (12) from $47.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  35 reviews
Sales Rank: 39
Platform: Xbox 360
ESRB: Rating Pending
Media: Video Game
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.5
MPN: 15600
UPC: 014633156003
EAN: 0014633156003
ASIN: B0012N5MUC
Release Date: August 12, 2008 (New: Last 30 Days)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
Madden NFL 09 delivers the most complete NFL football package ever. Whether you're a seasoned veteran or picking up the game for the first time, you will enjoy a unique yet challenging experience, thanks to the innovative Adaptive Difficulty Engine, which tailors the game to match your playing style. Instantly improve your game with the all-new virtual Training Center or incorporate feedback with EA SPORTS BackTrack, allowing you to learn from your mistakes on the fly. With a new broadcast presentation and online leagues, plus more than 85 new features and enhancements, Madden NFL 09 is the most authentic and adaptable game in sports video game history. An all-new Adaptive Difficulty Engine assesses your proficiency in the core skills areas of football. An innovative, Virtual Training Center allows you to fine-tune your game in a holographic environment, while EA SPORTS BackTrack provides customized feedback, giving you a chance to learn from your mistakes. Take what you've learned and run the play again with EA SPORTS Rewind. Set your sights on the Vince Lombardi Trophy in an all-new network television-style broadcast as Cris Collinsworth and Tom Hammond call the action from the booth. A more immersive and visually stunning presentation package also includes a new Options OnDemand Picture-in-Picture playcall window giving you access to a wealth of stats, customized tips, and in-game options--all at your fingertips without having to pause the game. Make a run for the postseason for the first time online. Featuring trades and statistical tracking for Online Leagues, up to 32 teams can battle it out using all-new flex scheduling. With an enhanced graphics engine and new player models, linemen battle in the trenches with more bulky physiques while backs and receivers fly around the field with a more sleek and slimmer look. Featuring the most realistic-looking grass and field turf ever in a sports game, new weather and
Amazon.com
Two decades ago Madden NFL exploded onto the scene with staggeringly authentic football action and a strategic, by-the-playbook approach to the game previously absent in sports video games. With Madden NFL 09, 20 years of innovation culminate in a new apex in the series' groundbreaking realism. Savor the pulse-pounding excitement as Madden NFL 09 delivers an intense, real-world pro football experience like only legendary coach John Madden can. The action of the gridiron comes alive with stunning graphics, innovative plays and multiplayer competition that thrusts you into the center of the game with no nonsense and no mercy. | | Key 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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Thrilling Next-Gen Graphics
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Total Control Animation System
View Image | | | The NFL bursts from your screen with multiplayer action and gameplay that pushes you to the limit, no matter what your skill level. In Madden NFL 09, the play is more realistic than ever before with the all-new Total Control Animation System. Execute instantaneous combo moves, bobble catches, user-controlled celebrations and more for a game that looks and feels like it's straight out of the NFL. Stadiums leap off the screen to dazzling effect with an enhanced graphics engine that delivers turf and grass so realistic you can almost feel it give beneath your feet, as well as authentic weather and stadium lighting effects. New player models more genuinely replicate the real physiques of the pros, from sleeker receivers to bulkier linemen, to provide an even more authentic experience on the field. Immerse yourself in the full NFL experience with an all-new network television-style broadcast featuring Cris Collinsworth and Tom Hammond. The new Options OnDemand Picture-in-Picture window gives you instant access to stats, tips and more without having to pause the game. Plus, for the first time make a run for the postseason online as you battle among up to 32 teams. Live the NFL experience in all its brutal glory with Madden NFL 09 as you savor the thrill and punishment of professional football like you can find only in this renowned series. |
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| Customer Reviews: Read 30 more reviews...
 QA problems September 3, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I've played the game just a few times so far, all single-player.
The adaptive difficulty engine is interesting in theory. At the start of the game, you are walked through a series of simplified game scenarios and tested on your ability to react appropriately. At the end of each test you are rated. The scenarios are in four general categories (pass offense, rush offense, pass defense, rush defense).
The problem with the adaptive difficulty engine so far is that it measures you on things that do not equate well with the hard parts of the game. I was ranked "All-Pro" in pass offense and "All-Madden" in rush offense, yet in my first couple of games I threw tons of picks and had several runs totally stuffed. So my ranking in those skills has gone down. My skill hasn't changed -- it was just mismeasured at the start.
Additionally, I've had the game crash (totally freeze up) once -- which I've literally never seen before on my 360 -- and one of the allegedly-exciting touchdown animations didn't animate at all.
I think there's a lot of potential here but so far I am unimpressed.
 Bad Online Play August 31, 2008
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I have Been Playing Madden online since 2004. The 2004 online madden was GREAT! but every year since it has just gotten worse and worse. The server is very very slow, the online game play is laggy. EA should be ashamed of them selfs, if I ever see an EA employee in the street I will no doubt spit in his face.
 What a disappointment.... August 27, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
EA Sports is abusing their monopoly on NFL football right now, and it is very disappointing showing compared to past years of this title. My biggest gripe is that the on line play is buggy, and it is far less entertaining than the last seven years I have purchased it.
Freeze Frame August 27, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Great graphics but again EA being the Monopoly that they are finds a way to ruin things and their cockiness won't accept the fact they messed up.
My game freezes randomly. In franchise mode I know for sure if i play a second game it will freeze if the first game doesn't already. It has froze online and on the play selection menu sometime the instant replay will be all black and white (think like old tv static with no reception)
They patched the game the first week becuase there were so many bugs.
I called EA on Sunday and the Tech guy EVEN SAID "I have a 360 and it freezes on me too we have been receiving alot of calls about this...THE PATCH SHOULD BE OUT IN LIKE A MONTH"
Isn't this why EA has game testers? to find bugs to find glitches..Like I said before the cockiness is too point where we are the BETA we test the games but we don't get paid we pay to test the game.
I can understand bugs but a game that completely freezes or says unreadable disc (new game no scratches) is ridiculous.
The one thing you can always say with a EA game good graphics as far as gameplay, controls, and overall enjoyment????
Madden-Defective-Trash 09 (FREEZE) August 25, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This game is seriously horrible, which is why EA is now on its "second patch." I few reasons will be stated.
LOS LIMIT
The line of scrimmage (LOS) limit is useless during gameplay. The quarterback can scramble from the backfield while being pressured, pass the line of scrimmage and complete a pass to his receiver without any penalty. More devastating to the defense is this: the defensive back (DB) breaks coverage and leave the receiver wide open, causing the QB to complete a deep pass.
To combat this glitch, Senior Designer Cummings states: "We addressed this by making sure the DB will no longer break on the ball when the QB crosses the line while throwing."
This means that the QB crossing the line of scrimmage (even though it is a violation/penalty) will remain in the gameplay, while the defensive back stay with his man and not break coverage.
USELESS PLAYER RATINGS
This glitch is perhaps the most disheartening glitch during gameplay. Players' ratings are put in the game for a reason and expected to have an impact and mean something, but they do not mean anything. EA developers added the ratings for the hell of it and for show - knowing they will be useless on the field and hoping gamers would not realize its uselessness. There have been many instances where QBs run over defenders and dishrag them around as if the defenders are Barbie Dolls. During a game against the New York Jets, QB Chad Pennington trucks DE Jason Taylor and then MLB Channing Crowder, and was later gang tackled. Such nonsense like this does not happen in real life and never would; it's impossible, especially against DE Taylor.
To show how useless and unrealistic the players' ratings are, three of these players will be evaluated. Because there are so many attributes, only the important ones will be mentioned: Overall, Strength, Trucking, and Tackle.
QB Chad Pennington's (6'3"/255 LBS) ratings: Overall: 81; Strength: 49; Trucking: 40; Tackle: 14.
DE Jason Taylor's (6'6"/260 LBS) ratings: Overall: 98; Strength: 77; Trucking 10; Tackle: 80.
MLB Channing Crowder's (6'2"/242 LBS) ratings: Overall: 85; Strength: 77; Trucking: 10; Tackle: 89.
The disparity in Jason's and Crowder's trucking compared to Pennington's is fickle and quite funny. How can a QB have a better trucking attribute than defensive players? Moreover, how could the strength of both Taylor and Crowder have no ability to render a tackle when their strengths are higher? Quarterbacks are not known for their trucking ability because they don't truck. When QBs break the line of scrimmage, they run for yards and slide on the ground or run out-of-bounds to avoid a hit (that's common), so for Pennington to have a trucking ability is fantasy; he doesn't even have the strength to truck.
Although he rarely did, it would be believable if a former QB like Michael Vick trunks and abuses a defender because he has the speed, agility, power, elusiveness, and more. In fact, he was known for making players look silly on the gridiron, but Pennington and other present QBs? Get out of here! It's foolish.
Strangely, there are even punters/kickers who have better trucking ratings than defensive players, which makes this glitch even more absurd: Dolphins' B. Fields, 45; Eagles' S. Rocca, 74; Jaguars' A. Podlesh, 35, etc. Never have a punter truck anybody in the NFL; it if occurred, it was rare. Basically, anyone can truck and throw aside any player in this game; the difficulty levels (even on All Madden) and ratings mean nothing. The physics is severely broken and means nothing. What a con.
POOR TACKLING
The tackling ability is poor at best. There is no other way to say it, because the tackling EA implemented this year is not authentic. Everyone (especially CPU) in this game seems to have the ability to breakaway and spin away from unexplainable easy tackles like never before, even when tackled by two players simultaneously. All the players on the field appear to be on superman mode. A player such as a RB can actually get hit by a defender, fall back and lose leverage, and without even putting his hand on the ground to gain his balance, he breaks the tackle(s) and continues running. The Laws of Physics demonstrate that such occurrence can not happen. This kind of absurdity can happen with any player, from a QB to a WR, from a DB to a PR. Don't weight, force, leverage, power, motion, and other physical mechanics matter anymore?
Hall of Fame RB Barry Sanders (the best RB in NFL's history) defied the laws of physics by doing some incredible things - and simply murdering and making his defenders look stupid: breaking 3 to 4 tackles at the same time; leaving his feet and landing on his feet; losing leverage and mysteriously rebounding; breaking heel tackles; trucking defenders; sniff-arming defenders with ease; escaping from two defenders while wrapped up; making defenders embarrassingly jump one way as he gained more yards or scored a touchdown; dragging defenders forward as he ran, etc. It wouldn't be problematic if a few players had some of these abilities, but everyone on the field? Not only do players embody the Sanders' motif, but their uniform seems to be drenched with Vaseline, which makes tackling a chore.
USER CATCH/SPIN-CATCH
In Madden NFL 08, the user catch was good and not so irritating. This year's Madden version is a different story. Under user control, a WR can run down the field open and have a clean bomb, but once the ball is about to be caught, the WR jumps up and does a strange spin-catch, allowing defenders to gain ground and make a tackle. There is no way a WR can be running down field alone at full speed and mysteriously turn around and do a spin-catch, when he could have easily continue his stride and catch the ball by turning his head around. (At times, the WR doesn't even react to the ball, even if it's at arm reach, when he is guided by the user.) Maybe this happens because the QB leads the WR poorly by throwing a bad pass, which is a common problem too, but it still shouldn't happen because receivers don't do such a thing.
The spin-catch affects the offense tremendously and seems to be an often occurrence. Spin-catches are done in real life, but the way EA executed this feature is unrealistic. When a receiver lines up and does a slant route, he does not jump and spin, showing his back when the ball is in the air, to catch it. In a slant route, a WR runs to the ball and reach out for a catch; if the ball is thrown high (beyond his ability to catch it), then he jumps for the ball with his face focused on the position of the ball in order to catch it. A receiver never turns his back, losing the sight of the football, and catches it in slant routes. It's not possible nor is it logical.
Moreover, there have been times when a simple screen play is done, and for some reason the RB spins and jumps and catches the ball by turning around for no reason. There is no way to explain why stuff like this occurs, and why EA implemented a dismal/impractical spin-catch feature when the game is marketed as a "real" football simulation.
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE?
By definition, artificial intelligence (AI) is the ability of a computer to execute functions that usually require human intelligence. No one expects the AI to be perfect, because humans are not perfect. However, people don't expect AI to lack the intelligence of common sense, and that's what they lack in this latest installment. They don't block nor do they care to block; they stand around and investigate the scene as if they are FBI agents; they miss easy interceptions by not putting up their hands, and more. These unresponsive issues are a headache. The user can only control one player at a time instead of his entire team, so he expects computer backup. Sometimes they act on impulse, and most of the time they don't. When the latter occurs, it is simply a mess.
For example, when a RB play is called, an offensive lineman (OL) could be directly in front of him as he runs and for some strange reason, the OL moves out the way and just stands there, leaving his own teammate defenseless while defenders are converging. Why would an OL abandon a block and simply stand there or aid another OL hold off a defender that is irrelevant to the play, allowing his RB to be tackled? This lack of common sense is mind-boggling, and would never happen in a real life football game. This is not AI; this is what I call PD, Pure Dumbness.
In Madden NFL 04 and 05, EA added a great feature that allowed anyone running with the ball to facilitate a lead block by pointing his hand, which was great for RBs (unlike the pointless OL Lead Blocking feature). Strangely, this feature was gone in the later installment. This is what EA is known for; developers put a feature in one year and it vanishes the following year.
The AI flaws occur in every aspect of the game. For example, on offense, a WR could be the intended target and when the ball is in the air, he doesn't even try to catch it. He doesn't even react to the ball. Many times, the ball hits him directly in the back. Every WR knows that when the ball is in the air, he needs to react and attempt to catch it, or knock it down if the defender is in position for an interception. Therefore, why is this realism not in the game?
Another case in point occurs on defense when the DB has a clear-cut interception and doesn't even put his hands up to catch the ball. Because of such stupidity and lack of common sense, the ball hits him directly in the face or chest. This is what gets one's veins boiling. At least attempt to catch the ball. If things like these occurred in the NFL with a WR or DB, he would get a tongue-lashing from his coaches and probably released the following week.
EA claims to have enhanced the AI yearly, but it is slim at best because there's really no headway. In truth, the AI in Madden has been stuck on pure dumbness for years (even when the AI slider is at its max) and it continues in the latest installment - and developers at EA haven't done anything to address the problem which is sad.
FREEZE ISSUE
This glitch is the biggest killer. The freezing occurs in Play Now and in every area of the game at random, but where it happens the most is in Franchise mode. It affects the Franchise mode tremendously and happens constantly, 100% of the time.
As a Dol-fan, the team of choice in Franchise was the Miami Dolphins. In Season 1, everything was going fine (including the "Training" mode) until the latter. Around week 14, the Training mode and games being played started freezing. The freezing in Training mode happens when one leaves the menu to see their players' earned points. When one continues to player's two earned points, it just freezes (bringing back memories from Madden NFL 08 and 07).
Frustrating as this glitch was, the console (Xbox 360) was turned off and restarted. The Franchise was loaded and Training mode was tried again, and the same thing occurred. Again, the console was turned off and restarted. Rather than going back to Training mode, it was skipped, opting to only play the game.
From then on, only the games were being played without training any players. Subsequently, the games started to freeze up too. In fact, I played the same team three times because it was continuously freezing; one game froze in the 4th quarter, but I remained persistent with anger. With all of these difficulties, Season 1 was finally completed.
Season 2 is when things really started to act up. The game started to freeze while trades were being executed, while players were being signed, and the whole roster adjustments. After some turning off and restarting the console, my roster was finally set for pre-season. Training mode was tried again, and again it failed via freeze. Instead of wasting time trying to combat this annoying glitch, the entire pre-season was simulated. This is where it gets worse.
I enter Season 2 and play game one. The 15-minute quarter game goes well without any glitch; I return to the menu and attempt to use the Quick Save feature, and it freezes. No longer could my anger be contained. My controller nearly flew out of my hands and into the TV screen. And yes, several expletives were said, especially having difficulties prior. Trying to simulate the week thereafter with the Quick Save feature still didn't help because it froze.
This is when I went into troubleshooting mood. Each game was simulated one by one which worked. However, every time simulation (and Quick Save) was used to advance to week 2, the game froze. This method was tried more than ten times straight and it failed. I then tried to save the game the normal way and it froze. In other words, there is absolutely no way to advance to the following week, because it freezes in simulation and during saving.
Trying to find some answers, Training mode was selected again, and this time, the game froze while showing the NFL facts. The Training mode can not be entered, period. The game freezes in every aspect of Franchise. After trying so many things, the conclusion was simple: there is no way to fight this issue. For example, a new Franchise was started and it too froze. Moreover, the game disc was exchanged for another new one, and the same thing continued to occur, proven that the game is, in fact, broken, poorly developed, and has a major freezing bug. This is just unacceptable.
The NFL, NFL Players Association, and John Madden should be embarrassed for having their names and likeness involved with this game. The NFL should revoke their exclusive license from EA, for their name is being exploited.
All in all, this game is great in regard to graphics; the same can not be said for the players. The gameplay is okay but it needs an overhaul. However, because of so many glitches (especially the constant freezing), Madden NFL 09 is PURE REFINED GARBAGE.
EA is a multi-billion dollar company and has conned its loyal Madden supporters by constantly putting out defective products. Moreover, EA uses consumers as beta testers and later releases "patches" to remedy the problems.
The so-called patch that should be out in about 3 weeks shows how lethargic their work ethic is, and most likely will not remedy the freezing bug. If released through Xbox Live only, what will happen to those customers who have no access to the Internet? Will they be out of luck or will EA come up with a solution?
EA ought to be ashamed for such disaster. All of the employees that were involved with this game's development should take a sock, fill it up with ice, and slap themselves in the face for releasing MADDEN-DEFECTIVE-TRASH 09. Electronics Arts should be renamed to Electronic Faults, because majority of their games are embedded with bugs.
Congratulations EA for defecating on your loyal Madden fans once again.
COMPLETE REVIEW can be found here (rendered AUG 30): http://www.helium.com/items/1168363-video-game-reviews-madden-nfl-09
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