Anyhow, yes, the graphics are much sharper in the Xbox 360 version we were shown, with tons of new animations for the players an much smoother transitions in-between the motions. They've also returned to the Sports Center style, television-centric coverage, complete with a new "Backtrack" feature, where Cris Collinsworth will "telestrate" on the screen and highlight what you did wrong. Apparently, "You hit the wrong button, bonehead!" isn't in his repertoire. It's a bit like a mulligan in golf, and lets you learn from your mistakes.
EA was keen to point out the accessibility of the game, showing the ability to change your team's abilities in multiplayer on a sliding scale and pitting yourself against a friend who'd never picked up the game before. You can crank up their pass and rush defense, while turning down your offense in an attempt to create a more balanced game. Plus, you know, it'll keep players like us from getting our **** kicked by 10-year-old kids. The single-player game also keeps track of your stats internally and will adjust the A.I on the fly, enabling you to constantly "step up", as the kids say.
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Not getting beat by 10 year old kids anymore? I'm there man ...
"Madden NFL 09 introduces 85 new features and enhancements, including
the ability to adapt gameplay to the player’s skill level. Whether you
are a veteran Madden NFL player or a newcomer to the game, everyone can
have an enjoyable and competitive gaming experience. Madden NFL 09 will also feature a network-inspired broadcast presentation highlighted by the commentary team of Cris
Collinsworth and Tom Hammond. The game also features online leagues,
allowing players to take their rivalries online and compete in leagues
with fans from around the country."
Thursday, June 12, 2008, 01:30 PM EST [Video Games]
"Two gamers have filed a lawsuit against Electronic Arts, alleging that
the publisher's exclusivity agreements with the NFL, NCAA and Arena
Football have led to anti-competitive practices. The focus of the suit,
according to Gamespot, stems from EA's actions after sales of Take-Two's NFL 2K5 pushed the publisher to drop Madden 2005 from
$50 to $30. Instead of competing with Take-Two, according to the suit,
EA entered into multiple exclusivity agreements and was able to raise
the price of Madden 2006 back to $50." - Via Joystiq
I've always found the NFLs exclusivity agreement to be shady, glad to see its being taken to court. Madden is good but imagine how much better games would be if they actually had to compete with other companies for your dollar? I'm all for that.
"Some of our guys play Madden better than they play on Sundays. And they spend more time talking about playing Madden."
And then overheard later by a janitor down the hall, "back in MY day, all we had was Tudor Electric Football, and we LIKED IT! And we had to walk in the snow 10 miles uphill just to go buy one!"
Favre also said, "I'm not savvy enough to play this game," Favre said. "Most of the younger generation has no idea [John Madden] coached."
Thats because the thought of Madden on a sideline daydreaming about ham sandwiches while yelling at us to get it in the a hole scares the bejeezus out of most of us.
