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| From: Electronic Arts
Category: Video Games
List Price: $59.99
Buy New: $54.99
You Save: $5.00 (8%)
New (34) Used (10) from $34.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  66 reviews
Sales Rank: 234
Platform: Playstation 3
ESRB: Everyone
Media: Video Game
Edition: Standard
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Age: 5 - 20 years
Operating System: PlayStation 3
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 0.1 x 0.1 x 0
MPN: 15462
Model: 15782841
UPC: 400009415599
EAN: 0014633154627
ASIN: B0012N7BSI
Release Date: August 12, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
 Madden Improves Some Issues but Worsens Others October 5, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I would like to first point out that, in general, the game has been improved over previous versions. There's no doubt about that. Not only is Madden gaming incredible in high definition, but the way the game analyzes and adjusts to you is simply amazing. Because the game's difficulty level automatically adjusts based on your gameplay, the game is constantly challenging. All of this makes the game worthwhile.
My biggest gripe, though, is that they have all but done away with the so-called "front office," where you can manage your team, tickets, and finances. And while I understand that the new graphics mean a ton of data to load, the amount of time you spend waiting for the game to laod quickly becomes annoying.
Overall, though, 2009's version of Madden is greatly improved over anything else ever released, and if ever you buy a copy of Madden, make it this one because it's simply unlike anything else you've ever played before in your entire life.
 It's Still The Same Game - More EA Gimmicks September 29, 2008
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I wrote a review of Madden 08 on here last year so I'd thought I'd follow it up with a review of this years edition. Or should I say Madden 2000.9?
Now before you pass this off as a Madden-bashing review let me give you my qualifications. I bought every version of Madden from the Genesis all the way to Madden 05 on the PS2 (which I happen to believe is still the best version of Madden ever made) and then Madden 08 last year on the PS3. I have been a Madden fan since the first day I could get my hands on a three button Genesis controller and threw a pass to an open receiver in the window based passing back then.
So first lets start off with some nitpicking and EA's famous saying, "If it's in the game, it's in the game."
Here is what is not in the game:
*Once again, EA bought up the ESPN license a few years ago and they have yet to implement any ESPN presentation into the game like 2KSports did so well before EA got the exclusive license. The absence of any ESPN presentation in EA's flagship game certainly solidifies that EA's agreement with ESPN was an anti-competitive move.
*No on-field referees or chain gang on the sidelines. Two staples of football once again ommitted from the game. Sure they added unnecessary security guards and even more players and non-player personell on the sidelines, but the most important staples of the game are not there, even though they were there in versions prior to the current gen systems.
*Instant Replay challenges of sideline catches are still ridiculous. Every year whenever I challenge a sideline catch and a receiver has one foot clearly out, the call goes against me.
*Sideline animations - Yes there is a two feet in animation when you throw to a receiver near the sideline but if a WR's route takes him towards the sideline and you throw towards that receiver his animation more often than not will take him out of bounds and result in an incompletion. Unacceptable.
*Clock stopping on defensive penalties within 2 minutes of the half or 5 minutes at the end of game. I drove to my opponents 20 yard line with 20 seconds left, got an encroachment call on the defense, accepted the penalty and figuring the clock was stopped, I took my time selecting the next play, only to have the clock run out as I broke the huddle. Unless there is some new NFL rule regarding clock stoppage, this is a severe oversight.
*Stable playing surface. Where did EA get the playing surface model from? The old Veterans stadium? When viewing replays from the game, you can clearly see players feet sink below the playing surface on a dry gameday.
*NFL ice-capades. This is definitely still in the game, even with today's precision controllers. If you jump just a little with a DE pre-snap without encroaching, good luck getting him back even close to his original starting point. This is frustrating to say the least.
This so far might sound like petty griping but here is the thing, this Madden franchise has been around for 20 years now, it is the #1 selling football game and the only game on the market. These little details should have been long since addressed, yet they continue to resurface with every version of Madden.
EA is great at repackaging Madden every year with a new gimmick to make it look fresh. Anyone remember QB vision a few years ago? This year Madden IQ is the latest and greatest invention. What this IQ system does is evaluate your skill level and adjust the AI sliders accordingly to tailor the game for your set skill level. However this system completely replaces all the specific AI sliders that were available to players to adjust freely. There are some very general sliders that can still be adjusted but nothing like in years past.
I would be all for this IQ system if there was a way to turn it off and adjust multiple sliders to the specific way a player wants the game to run. Look, anyone who has played Madden for any extended amount of time knows exactly where they stand as far as skills in the game they don't need the game to tell them where they stand. Other human players will be sure to remind you of that.
What is the most irritating of this new system is you cannot adjust any sliders for an overcompensated AI. In the past I was able to tune down the AI QB accuracy and AI WR catching, especially when the AI's second string QB would complete 20 straight passes on me. The ability to adjust the sliders allowed for a more realistic simulation of the game.
Not anymore, unless you dumb down the generic sliders all the way, be prepared for the opposing AI QB to march down the field with Joe Montanaesque accuracy against every nickel and dime coverage you have in the playbook.
Now for the good:
The graphics are a nice improvement from last year. The stadium models are clean and the lighting effects are top notch. Though I think the player models seem a little more "stiff" from last year and it really often looks and feels like the players are running in mud compared to last year.
The branch animations have improved fairly well. Last year this feature was very impressive and this years crop of new animations improves on it. Well done!
The commentary is vastly improved. Gone is the radio announcer who I felt sounded like he was yelling into a tin can. And in his place is a new broadcast crew featuring Chris Collinsworth. As much as I despise Collinsworth on TV, he does an excellent job as color commentator in this years Madden.
The players models are properly proportioned for each postion.
There really is not a lot of good to report over last years version and that is unfortunately how little EA has went to inmprove the overall game experience. Madden 05 was the last year that EA truly innovated their game and brought a deeper experience to it's faithful fans. Is it any coincidence that was one the last years the 2K sports NFL game was around to push the EA team?
Next year, EA is going to have to show me something good in order for me to dole out any more money, paying for the same repackaged game. I've learned my lesson, 20 something years later....
Good, but shoulda been better September 29, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Been playing Madden football ever since it first came out 20 some years ago- long story short: Madden '09 isn't nearly as good as several previous years' versions, mainly for the following reasons.....
1- The lack of slider bars for gameplay adjustments (instead relying solely on how you "test out" on your skill level drills)is a MAJOR negative aspect to Madden '09. Mainly because of this: say you play at an all-pro level in every area but one (how about pass defense, where no matter how hard you try to improve by retesting, is still totally impossible against the CPU)- do you REALLY want to spend all your time testing, or would you rather just have the option to tweak ONE slider bar, to make pass defense a little easier? I find the %completions for the CPU (and the human controlled player, for that matter) to consistently be way too high: usually 80% of passes are completed, regardless of who the QB is, too. Bring back the slider bars!!!!!!!
2- The commentary is awful, particularly the play-by-play guy: incredibly canned dialogue, and Collinsworth's droll voice also gets old way too fast. You'd expect more after 20 years, but apparently this is one area that EA Sports just doesn't care to improve.....and it's real possible to do, too: just check out the hockey game series, for one example of how good this can be, and how much it can add to the gaming experience.
3- There still is the very frustrating CPU-will-catch-up-with-you-no-matter-how-well-you-are-playing thing. Example: I'm leading the Panthers 27-9 (with the Bears) late in the fourth quarter- I've played a sound game on both sides of the ball, and deserve to coast home with an easy win. But NO: the CPU suddenly is unstoppable, goes down the field like it's a practice field and score, AND THEN: they recover not one, but TWO successive on-sides kicks, and I only wind-up winning by the skin of my teeth, 27-22, stopping them on my 7 yard line as time runs out. Was this enjoyable because it was exciting? Big-time NO, because it was so unrealistic (I was in an on-sides kickoff set both times, and they STILL get both kicks....yeah, RIGHT!!!!). I'd rather save the nail-biters for a game where both teams DESERVE to be in a nail-biter.This aspect of Madden has always been frustrating- but '09 seems the worst yet.
There's more, but that's enough for now.
Don't get me wrong, this is still the best football game out there, but it should be better, particularly for $60 bucks.
 madden09 September 28, 2008
0 out of 2 found this review helpful
intense game online play is awesome anyone can play out of the box a real must buy!!!!
 Inexcusable September 26, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
I'm sure this game would be fun if I could get through a game without the thing freezing up. I bought it the day it released and have MAYBE finished 3 to 4 games. The freeze issue has frustrated me to the point that I can't bear to put the game in my PS3. Oh and it may be a coincidence, but another reviewer mentioned this as well, but the day after I bought Madden 09 and played that night, my PS3 crashed and had to be sent to Sony to be repaired. (Blu-Ray drive went kaput)
I'm not a Madden vet by any means. This is the first one I've purchased since probably the days of Sega Genisis and what I played of the game I liked. I expected a huge learning curve and I'm fine with that as I haven't played this series in probably over a decade and the difficulty level adjusting to your skill level seemed to be comparable and fair. But like I said, no point in really playing if there is a very good chance you're not going to get through a whole game. I find this fact inexcusable.
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