The Official Madden 09 Discussion Thread

[Crippa]

Well since the release of Madden 09 is scheduled for August 12th, I think a thread to discuss new features and all of that kind of stuff should be made, so here it is. Brett Favre on the cover is a great choice as the 20 year anniversary of Madden is this year, a great tribute to a great player.

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SCREENSHOTS:

http://au.ps3.ign.com/dor/objects/14...005732655.html

http://i.cdn.turner.com/gametap/web3...09_1_75111.JPG

http://i.cdn.turner.com/gametap/web3...09_2_5eaf1.JPG





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TRAILERS/VIDEOS:

29th June







5th July




8th July





11th August



13th August

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PLAYER RATINGS/TEAM RATINGS

Player Ratings

Team Ratings


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ALTERNATIVE PS3/PS2/XBOX360 COVERS (FAVRE JETS UNIFORM)

XBOX 360

PS3

PS2

[Crippa]

Originally Posted by Madden09 Interview

Everything you need to know about EA's new game.
By Jon Robinson | JRobandSteal
Apr 25, 2008

GameTap: What features are you most excited to finally showoff in Madden 09?

Phil Frazier: There are three really big things this year that I'm really excited about. The first is actually a collection of features that we call Real Football Intelligence. That's the theme for this year's product. Part one of that is a feature that looks really cool and that's a holographic training environment. In this mode, you choose to go to the holographic training center and you have a bunch of training drills for you to practice. You can do things like work on pocket presence, you can work on receiver timing, focus on defense. I believe we have a total of 12 different drills that you can try. The mode looks really nice -- the players are holographs, you're in a holographic stadium -- it's pretty cool looking. And coming out of that mode, we actually assess your Madden skills, giving you a Madden IQ. Obviously, you want to do as good as possible in those drills, and from your Madden IQ, we actually set your game skills, so if you have a high score, we're going to make the game really challenging for you. So the folks that are really hardcore with the game are going to get a really challenging experience right out of the gate. Those who aren't so good, we'll adjust the game accordingly so the game is still fun for them, just not quite as hard. This is what we call Adaptive AI, setting the game up to be played on your level. It's one of the first sports experiences where the game actually adapts to you without having to adjust the game yourself.

The last part of the Real Football Intelligence feature set is something we call the EA Sports Backtrack. This is our chance to give you feedback as you play our game. What good is letting you practice these drills if we're not going to give you feedback along the way. As you're playing the game, when the game recognizes that you're doing something improperly, we're going to break the moment down for you. It's a higher, nicer version of instant replay with the graphics laced on the field. We actually showcase guys with colors and arrows -- very cool. So if you take a sack for example, when there was a receiver wide open in the field, we're going to tell you that. We're even going to show you why he was wide open and how he ran into the space between the zones. And for those who have a high Madden IQ, we even add another layer of information where we break down the actual plays that were used, the hot routes that were called, and we show you on a statistical basis how successful that play typically is versus that defense. And the nice thing with backtrack, we don't want to just tell you what you did wrong. We're actually letting you rewind a play now. We call it EA Sports Rewind, and by just hitting a button, that situation actually rewinds and you're able to try the situation again, and hopefully take the game's advice. That's the big feature.

Outside of Real Football Intelligence, the next thing that really has me excited are the visuals. I believe this is the biggest graphical improvement we've ever had year-to-year in Madden. You could argue that the jump from PS1 to PS2 was a pretty big jump, but Madden 09 looks absolutely stunning. All new lighting models, all new player models -- we actually went in and did full body scans of real athletes. We have shadows over the field, we have field goal nets, and footprints in the snow. We actually have snow. Last year, the rain and particle effects were so expensive that we couldn't put too many on the screen at the same time without impacting the framerate, but this year we've actually upgraded our particle system and we can have lots and lots of snowflakes. The field is covered in snow. There are shoveled lines on the field. Then lumped in with these visuals, we have all new presentation. We're going back to broadcast. We've used the radio guy ever since next-gen came out, and I think at first people were okay with it, but we received a lot of feedback from fans and media that said this guy's got to go. We've got Tom Hammond and Cris Collinsworth as our play-by-play and color guys. We didn't have any in-game stat banners in next-gen at all, but we have a lot of them now. After every play almost, we have banners animating in like you see on broadcast, and I'm pretty sure a lot of our fans will appreciate this level of polish and presentation.

GameTap: How are online leagues going to be implemented in Madden 09?

Phil Frazier: For the first time ever in Madden, you'll be able to get together with 32 of your friends and participate in a league where you can play through a schedule, play through the playoffs, play your own Super Bowl. There's draft support, there's trade support, and we actually implemented flex scheduling in the online leagues. We've had tournaments before online, but the problem with tournaments is that having more than two or three people together at the same time to complete a series of games is very, very challenging. So with flex scheduling, you can actually play your games in any order. It's more like a round-robin style. We did this because it's online and we wanted to make sure people can actually play through their seasons. If you and I are scheduled to meet in Week 10 but we're both online today, we can just play our Week 10 game now. I know there are possible issues or questions about what happens to the rosters if you get injured, but we're not worrying about that right now. We wanted to set up a system where leagues would actually get used and are very user-friendly in terms of the coordination required. It's all server based. There are no files to manage. There's no data whatsoever being saved on your box.

Part 2 of the interview coming .

[Crippa]

Originally Posted by Madden09 Interview

Everything you need to know about EA's new game.
By Jon Robinson | JRobandSteal
Apr 25, 2008
Part 2

GameTap: Favre is on the cover, but not currently in the league. How are you going to incorporate him into the game?

Phil Frazier: Favre isn't on the Packers roster…at this point, but if that was to change we could always add him back in the game using a roster update. Brett will be the starting quarterback of our NFL Greats team. You'll be able to play as him on the team and you'll also be able to bring him into franchise mode because those players are available in franchise. So if you want to sign him to your Packers roster as part of your franchise, that's all you. If you don't want to have to admit the fact that he's officially retired, you can live the dream through our game.

GameTap: Have there been any enhancements to the game's franchise or owner mode?

Phil Frazier: The big thing we did with franchise, and it's a really big one, is that we completely re-did our simulation engine within franchise. The simulation is what drives the games you play, the statistics, the offseason, whether or not players get traded, and last year we received a lot of feedback that our simulations weren't perfect. The simulated statistics -- we had too many running backs over 2,000 -- so now the results you'll see in Madden 09 will be much more realistic. Now when you go to make trades or go through the various functions in the game, it should be a much more realistic experience. We've also added a rivalry mode so when you play a rivalry game, we really up the intensity. Graphically, rivalry games look different. The colors of the game are a little more dark or colorful, and on top of that, rivalry games are going to be a little harder. Even if you have the two worst teams playing against each other, when they're rivals, they still bring their A-game and it's special. We want you to have that same feeling when you're playing Madden, so if you're playing a rivalry game in your season, it's going to feel special. We even use specific cameras in rivalry games that you won't see anywhere else. For example, if your running back has a breakaway run, the camera will zoom in on the player to help heighten that intensity.

GameTap: Celebrations have also been given an overhaul with hot spots in the end zone. How is that going to work?

Phil Frazier: When you cross the line of scrimmage, we leave you in control of the player. Typically in Madden, when the play is dead, we give control over to the AI, but now when you score a touchdown, you still have control and if you run to one of the hot spots and hit the Y button on the 360 or the triangle button on the PS3, he'll do a celebration depending on where you are. So if you're under the goal post, he might dunk the ball or if you run to the hot spot by the wall and you're in a stadium that supports it, you can do the Lambeau leap. Hit the button and jump up in the crowd. You won't be able to do anything that would draw a penalty in the NFL, but that doesn't mean that you can't have a little fun.

GameTap: What other AI tweaks have been made to the gameplay?

Phil Frazier: Everything. The biggest thing in gameplay is something we call Total Control Animation. The game is much more responsive now and you don't need to wait for animations to completely play out before starting a new animation. Now you can string together jukes or do a double juke or a triple juke as you come up on a guy. You can also now do animations while you're involved in a wrap. That's something we've never been able to do in Madden before. In the old days, once a tackle animations started, you were done. The game determined whether or not that tackle was successful. But now, once a tackle starts, you still have a window where you can hit spin and try to break out of the tackle. The play lasts longer now as a result giving you an added level of control.

Other things of note: Smart routes are back, we have formation subs, you can return field goals this year. Just all around Madden you're going to see improvements.

GameTap: What's the one new animation you've seen in the game that has blown you away?

Phil Frazier: The biggest thing is bobble catches. We had a lot of drops in the game last year and it's no fun when you drop a pass. We're going to turn a lot of those drops into bobbles. It's definitely cool when you see the ball hit a guy's hands then it goes flying into the air and then he goes and tries to make that catch. It looks really cool the first time you see it because you think he's going to drop it but then he turns around and makes the catch.

GameTap: What about the PlayStation 3 version? Are we finally going to see a Madden that's equal on the 360 and PS3?

Phil Frazier: They are equal, and they're both running at 60 frames-per-second this year. An interesting thing to point out is not only are they both running at 60 fps, but we've also made a huge leap in terms of graphics. It was definitely a struggle. We had to go back and rebuild assets. We had to rebuild stadiums and players so they were a little more economical in terms of how much memory they took and how much space they took, but we finally found a way to get to 60 fps on both and the game looks better than ever. We're proud of that and I think our fans on PS3 this year should have no reason to feel disappointed.

I'll post more later, but as of now I guess just post what you think about the game, if you're getting it or not, or how you think your favourite team's ratings look compared to the rest of the league.

[Fresh27]

nice idea for a thread. i was thinking about this a few days ago and i really dont want to play madden on a console. i'll probably stick with madden 08 as ive heard that someone is going to make a roster update for the pc version so there will be new rookies

[Favre]

Originally Posted by Fresh27

nice idea for a thread. i was thinking about this a few days ago and i really dont want to play madden on a console. i'll probably stick with madden 08 as ive heard that someone is going to make a roster update for the pc version so there will be new rookies

but consoles have better graphics and features

your missing out on so much by not getting a console.

@ Crippa: are you buying the Anniversary Edition? If yes, where from?

[Crippa]

Originally Posted by Favre

but consoles have better graphics and features

your missing out on so much by not getting a console.

@ Crippa: are you buying the Anniversary Edition? If yes, where from?

I probably won't be buying it. What for really? Another game, which I probably won't play at all because I'll be too entertained with Madden. They have a few extra NFL.com videos on the Anniversary Edition and that's about it. I'll just pre-order Madden09 from JB Hi-Fi, and get it on release date. The game looks amazing though. I'm nearly as in much anticipation for this game as I was for GTA.

[Fresh27]

^yeh i know consoles have way better features then pc ever had but i just like the gameplay on pc. maybe i need to get use to the console gameplay though

[Crippa]

Originally Posted by Fresh27

^yeh i know consoles have way better features then pc ever had but i just like the gameplay on pc. maybe i need to get use to the console gameplay though

Yeah I'd definately get a new console for Madden if I didn't have one. I got a PS3 entirely for GTA.

Originally Posted by Madden09 IGN News

Madden Monday: New Stadiums and Weather
Take a look at how stadiums look totally different in Madden '09.
by Bill Barnwell
US, June 16, 2008

This week's Madden Monday details some of the changes EA's made in an attempt to improve the look and feel of Madden '09; specifically, we'll be focusing on the stadium models, and how new shots, modeling, and weather effects dramatically affect the way each appears.

Obviously, stadium models are a more subtle effect than other additions in the game -- improving the player models you stare at constantly are one thing, but accounting for such a large expanse and all the things that affect it (including everything from crowds to weather) can be a daunting task at times. While stadiums aren't always going to stand out as an obvious improvement, they do actually make a difference in bringing Madden closer to reality, something you can feel while playing the game, and see in the screens we've captured. We've detailed three different situations and compared how they look in Madden '09 to last year's model.

Note that all screens are clickable and will take you to the corresponding image in our Madden '09 gallery. In all shots, Madden '09 is on the left and Madden '08 on the right.


Arizona Cardinals (Dome)


University of Phoenix Stadium only opened in August of 2006, currently making it the NFL's newest stadium (with Lucas Oil Field set to supplant it shortly). As a stadium with a retractable roof, Arizona can choose to either let a blinding, searing sunlight in, or cool the stadium with some of the strongest air conditioning this side of Las Vegas. We chose the latter.

What stands out most dramatically is something Nate mentioned in his review -- the grass. It's immediately apparent how much more authentic the grass (in this case, Tifway 419 Hybrid Bermuda Grass) looks -- in addition, the stadium looks and feels more alive by virtue of improved lighting.


Seattle Seahawks (Rain)


Again, light plays a big role in making Qwest Field feel more authentic despite a steady mid-afternoon rainstorm that dampens things. In Madden '08, the game looks like it's being played in the apocalypse, or at least like that weird block-shaped thing from Independence Day is hovering nearby.

The difference in Madden '09 is the effect of improved, more expansive lighting, revealing a crowd that otherwise was shrouded in darkness. Note how each light is reflected on its own and reveals the rain falling in front of it, while lights previously were just blotches of white.


Green Bay Packers (Snow)


Of course, we have to include the Packers and a snowstorm, since Brett Favre is on the cover. The difference in the two snow games is the most dramatic, and reveals the blue tint that Nate's been talking about snow games having.
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It's immediately apparent that the look is totally different -- instead of the previous Madden, where flakes are falling but only some sticking and forming on the field, Madden '09's field is covered in snow, with yard markers plowed out.

In addition, a new aspect of the presentation included in Madden '08 are exterior shots of the stadiums, something not seen in Madden '08, whose initial shot always included a seemingly-random interior shot of the stadium that didn't budge until player introductions.

The exterior establishing shots are reminiscent of the shots you'll see on television from helicopters or blimps before the game, fading in to reveal the monstrosity holding 60,000 rowdy, drunken fans. We've included shots of the aforementioned stadiums here.

University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ


Qwest Field, Seattle, WA


Lambeau Field, Green Bay, WI

[caleb3030]

wats up with the speed burst?

like in 2 videos it shows somebody taking off to the house
but in a Gears of War type camera movement

[Crippa]

More new videos from PSN network;