Are You Ready for Some Football? Tech-Gaming Previews Madden 09

It’s been two decades since John Madden Football first
appeared on Apple II computers. While we didn’t jump aboard the Madden Bus
until the game’s first console release in 1990, we’ve followed the popular franchise
ever since.  From the peaks- once the development
teams got to know the hardware, to the reduced-framerate valleys of last year’s
PS3 game, we’ve observed it all. This year, EA has promised us both consoles
will be running at a rock-solid 60 frames per second, and will include 85
improvements over last year’s game.  But will
game offer enough improvements to justify the $60-$110 price of admission?

The first time you boot the game, you will be given an
assessment of your Madden IQ- Your play will be evaluated in twelve different
areas, from passing, running, throwing , and tackling. After this brief
evaluation, the game’s AI will be adjusted to your skill level. Perhaps this
new addition is part of EA Sports honcho Peter Moore’s goal to make the
franchise accessible to a wider audience.

While golfers may be familiar with the concept of a
‘mulligan’; many football fans may not. Madden 09’s rewind system allows
players the ability to retry a play without punishment. Miss a kick through the
uprights, and you can now do what Scott Norwood still dreams about- getting a
second chance. Of course, football purists will want to turn this option off.

This year, the game will attempt to continue its effort to
replicate a TV presentation. Shots from outside and above the stadium will be
intercut between quarters, while real weather effects will be added. Players
will now see snow accumulate along the sidelines, as well as footprints left by
backpedaling quarterbacks. Cris Collingsworth and Tom Hammond of the NFL
Network will be replacing Larry O’Brien on commentary.

Only gamers that purchase the ninety dollar special edition,
will be able to enjoy the updated version of NFL Head Coach. Although most fans
and critics were lukewarm about the 2006 Xbox/PS2 title, players will now be
able to create their own plays in Coach and import them into Madden 09. The
collector’s edition will also include an emulated version of Madden ’93 with
updated roosters.  We were always partial
to ’92, if only for the homicidal ambulances.

Additionally, for players who plunk down fifteen dollars on
the Marketplace or PSN to host a fantasy draft league, players will be able to
import their teams into the 360/PS3 versions of Madden 09. Budding sports
statisticians will be able to manage all drafting, trades, and seasonal tracking
duties. Electronic Arts will squeeze an extra five dollars out of players who
requite instantaneous statistical updates on gamedays.

Public reception of last year’s entry in the perennial Madden
series was disappointing-sales dropped about 40% from the previous year. This
season, EA Sports looks to increase the revenue by offering multiple ways of
hitting the player in the pocketbook. We hope to find out if these new
additions are worth the extra cost before gameday, August 12^th.