At midnight on August 12th I found myself waiting in line for the newest edition of Madden. I have owned and played Madden since 96, before Madden was no longer on the cover and being on the cover entailed any curses. The release date for Madden has been a day of celebration for the past 10 years now. Yet over the years a lot of things have changed, most notably EA sports getting an exclusive licensing agreement with the NFL. This shut out the competitors that could possibly overtake Madden as the go-to NFL game and for the first couple of years since. EA seemed to lack inspiration to make big changes to the newly monopolized game.
So I went to my local gamestop to join the other players that couldn't wait to get the game, so I could see if EA would even try this season. During the months leading up to the release the trailers I had seen focused on end zone celebrations and the 20 year anniversary of the game, so I really wasn't sure of what to expect. As I got home around 12:30 at night, I was ready to see what this edition would bring. I was surprised from the jump, it brought me to this new Madden IQ screen. Where it tests your abilities in running offense, passing offense, running defense, and passing defense. I took the test and scored a 597. I wasn't sure how good a score this was, but they give you a sliding scale to let you know. All Madden in offensive categories and all pro in the defensive categories. Here is a clip for those that have yet to play.
After my IQ test I decided to play a game, so I picked my favorite team the Oakland Raiders and went up against the Chargers. Here are the most important changes (in my opinion) that I noticed in my first game.
- The difference in game play. It is much harder to pull off moves and big hits with the hit stick/right joystick, but spin moves are actually useful now.
- On the defensive side the hits look a lot cleaner and the team tackling is awesome, but my favorite is the punishment you can put on receivers in the air.
- The ability to run back short field goal attempts. In my opinion this is the best game play addition for Madden 09, it's a shame it took this long for them to implement this.
- Each stadium has a unique feel. You can definitely notice the difference between playing in Kansas City and Seattle.
I have played since and the Madden IQ has been interesting as it adjusts after each game you play, adjusting to your skills and giving you a better challenge each game. I am genuinely surprised Madden took so many steps in the right direction, they haven't made so many strides since 2Ksports was kicked out of the game. One thing hasn't changed though Favre keeps the chances of another Madden curse occurring, and I wouldn't have it any other way. In the end I would rate this game as a must buy for sports fans and gamers alike.
