Madden 09 Discussion

seanmac31 · Post by **seanmac31** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 7:00 pm

I'll be 360-ing come tomorrow. I shied away from NCAA, but I've been very impressed with the Madden demo (well, the non-Tron part, anyway). If nothing else, the game play is fluid and fun.

I think I'll spend tonight rocking 2K5 to get me ready.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 7:09 pm

Murph wrote:Just curious if most people here are gonna ditch NCAA for Madden or will you keep them both?

Keeping both and getting HC with Madden.

Congrats to EA. Thats the trifecta for them.

XXXIV · Post by **XXXIV** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 7:13 pm

Leebo33 wrote:I assume most multi-platform guys are going X360 for online? I'm still not sure. I am leaning towards PS3 because I'll mainly be playing at night when everyone is asleep and I don't want to have to crank the TV volume up to drown out the noise of the 360 (wish I was joking...maybe I'm due for another RROD).

Im going 360 with all multi platform games due to Live and the controller.

Plus...My 360(III) doesnt make alot of noise.

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 7:58 pm

Didn't Madden 08 have a good initial response last year too?

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 8:26 pm

I just downloaded a software update that was 24 mb on the PS3. Not sure what it is.

Murph · Post by **Murph** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 8:31 pm

sportdan30 wrote:I just downloaded a software update that was 24 mb on the PS3. Not sure what it is.

I'm assuming it's not the opening day roster update?

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 8:32 pm

Here's what it is:

There's a number of changes in this patch. Most would never be noticed by the average consumer but some were targeted at improving the experience as quickly as we could.

1. Changed default quarter length of online leagues to 5 minutes.
2. Solved a very rare stability issue that occured when using a couple of playbooks.
3. Eliminated a button mashing glitch during high latency online games.
4. Eliminated a stability issue that sometimes occured while viewing the player HUB in online leagues.
5. Fixed a tricky disc eject glitch that occured at specific points of online games.
6. Kick Return Tuning - made improvements to help reduce frequent long kick returns.
7. Safety Tuning - eliminated issue where safeties in deep zone coverage would sometimes not react to a run to their side.
8. The game skill slider for interceptions was tuned to amplify it's affect.

Courtesy of NJPapi1977 at MM.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 8:33 pm

fyi, the 360 version patch is set for 8/14.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 9:17 pm

wco81 wrote:Didn't Madden 08 have a good initial response last year too?

I had a pretty good opinion of it at first, when I was playing Quick Games with different teams. I didn't initially have a lot of turnover games and thought the running was much better. But once I started my franchise, I saw all kinds of problems -- the excessive defensive TDs and stat bugs in particular. The patch actually made the passing game better, but it didn't fix those two problems.

I had to order mine by mail to use my gift card, so I have to wait a few days. I can't wait to see if more impressions will make me look forward to the game or regret the purchase before I've opened it.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 9:46 pm

sportdan30 wrote:I just downloaded a software update that was 24 mb on the PS3. Not sure what it is.

How do you like the controls so far? Debating whether I should go PS3 or Live on the 360.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 11:19 pm

10spro wrote:
sportdan30 wrote:I just downloaded a software update that was 24 mb on the PS3. Not sure what it is.
How do you like the controls so far? Debating whether I should go PS3 or Live on the 360.

Sorry for the late response. I prefer the Sony controller, so it was an easy choice for me. But also, I don't have a 360, but I've always preferred the sony controller for football and soccer games.

Inuyasha · Post by **Inuyasha** » Mon Aug 11, 2008 11:34 pm

sportdan30 wrote:
10spro wrote:
sportdan30 wrote:I just downloaded a software update that was 24 mb on the PS3. Not sure what it is.
How do you like the controls so far? Debating whether I should go PS3 or Live on the 360.
Sorry for the late response. I prefer the Sony controller, so it was an easy choice for me. But also, I don't have a 360, but I've always preferred the sony controller for football and soccer games.

Can you sim to the superbowl and see if they have the 2 team specific paint in the endzones? In NCAA they do not for bowl games.

greggsand · Post by **greggsand** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 12:19 am

From the team xbox review (8.4):

"Every disc access seems to be a struggle for Madden NFL 09, whether it’s a simple video replay, a group of players trotting off of the field or a stadium fly-by. The in-game action isn’t too bad, but almost every other part of Madden NFL 09 is a chug-fest that has gotten old now that EA is on its third Madden SKU for the Xbox 360. It’s also hard not to consider two-user multiplayer– in a sport that features twenty-two players on the field at once– quite archaic as well."

http://reviews.teamxbox.com/xbox-360/15 ... NFL-09/p1/

wco81 · Post by **wco81** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 12:45 am

Interesting review.

Hope more people call for OTP as that review seems to be doing.

Inuyasha · Post by **Inuyasha** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 1:38 am

wco81 wrote:Interesting review.

Hope more people call for OTP as that review seems to be doing.

bbr's gamespot review says something similar about glitches.

seanmac31 · Post by **seanmac31** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 6:46 am

wco81 wrote:Didn't Madden 08 have a good initial response last year too?

It did to an extent- and deservedly so in that it was a significant improvement on 07- but the fact that APF came out a month before it tempered things quite a bit. I know when I threw on 08, I was struck by how inferior the game engine was, and I was never really comfortable playing a game because I felt like I was doing it for the license rather than the engine. With APF now a year old (although still the gold standard, as far as I'm concerned), Madden will get a chance to be judged a bit more on its own merit.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 11:51 am

Terry,

Great Madden review! Very in depth and detailed, and I agree with everything noted.

TCrouch · Post by **TCrouch** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 12:19 pm

Appreciate it, Dan. Being asked to review Madden is like being asked to get kicked in the face repeatedly sometimes.

The worst part is, I didn't think 08 was "pure crap" like a lot of people do. I had fun with it for the most part. It's nowhere near the level that 09 is at, but people make it seem like it was NFL Gameday at the end of its run.

It's tough, because I know that the RB's running out of bounds will absolutely kill it for some people, as it's a pretty big issue. But the frequency of it happening is what doesn't make it bother me so much. They may do it on 2nd and 2, and then be in a 3rd and 4 and convert anyway. It sucks when they do it on 3rd down, though. Either way, I'm having a blast with the game.

I'm just waiting for some random "testers" to find some bizarre bug that makes it utter garbage in the opinion of many, and then a year from now can say "well you thought 09 was good at first too". It is what it is, but I love the game, strangely. Not just like it, but love it.

Head Coach coming with it is just incredible.

seanmac31 · Post by **seanmac31** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 12:44 pm

I've had a chance to bang out a few exhibitions and an online game or two, and there's no question that this is the best EA football game released on the next gen platforms. That said, there are still clearly some of the old problems there, and it only takes playing another human to see them come out. I played a game against a guy using the Eagles where I was the Browns and he was able to roll way back and/or outside the pocket with total impunity. If it wasn't a 30 yard dropback, it was a close relative. He ran three plays all game, and while I was eventually able to shut him down (I knew he was running the out at the last minute and picked him off to set up the winning field goal), it was much harder than it should have been because of my total inability to put pressure on the quarterback.

sportdan30 · Post by **sportdan30** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 12:46 pm

Yeah, the out of bounds issue is a problem. I'm not overly confident it can fully be resolved through a patch. We'll see though.

I guess I'm more frusturuated with the CPU running more than the occasional "robo qb" and out of bounds issue. I wish the running game could be more like the return game on kick offs. The CPU return men will juke and fight for as many yards as possible. If they could somehow implement that kind of intelligence in to the running game, this game would be close to golden.

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 2:05 pm

Pretty detailed and concise review Terry. I decided to pick the 360 version. The Madden IQ and my skill is gimicky and doesn't work nearly as well as EA wants you to think it does. Personally the lack of CPU sliders is a bigger issue than the AI running out of bounds, but so far I enjoyed my couple of games with the Seahawks.

Visually the best looking Madden by far.

fsquid · Post by **fsquid** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 2:10 pm

Anyone play the Wii version yet?

10spro · Post by **10spro** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 2:17 pm

IGN gives it a 8.8:

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/898/898052p1.html

GTHobbes · Post by **GTHobbes** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 2:31 pm

10spro wrote:IGN gives it a 8.8:

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/898/898052p1.html

If someone would've told me when these systems came out that we'd have to wait for year five (5) of the next generation of Maddens to get:

a) multiple playable camera angles;
b) in-game saves;
c) on-field refs;
d) online leagues;
e) accelerated clock; and
f) decent OL/DL interaction

I would've said you were crazy. Considering the ghost juke moves and other problems noted, to see these types of (relatively) high reviews is somewhat of a slap in the face. How this game gets the free pass that it does is beyond me. It's especially insulting, IMO, when you consider that IGN gave MLB The Show 08 a lower score (8.7).

GameSeven · Post by **GameSeven** » Tue Aug 12, 2008 2:37 pm

GTHobbes wrote:
10spro wrote:IGN gives it a 8.8:

http://xbox360.ign.com/articles/898/898052p1.html
If someone would've told me when these systems came out that we'd have to wait for year five (5) of the next generation of Maddens to get:

a) multiple playable camera angles;
b) in-game saves;
c) on-field refs;
d) online leagues;
e) accelerated clock; and
f) decent OL/DL interaction

I would've said you were crazy. Considering the ghost juke moves and other problems noted, to see these types of (relatively) high reviews is somewhat of a slap in the face. How this game gets the free pass that it does is beyond me. It's especially insulting, IMO, when you consider that IGN gave MLB The Show 08 a lower score (8.7).

Just so I understand, you're saying..... you don't like it?