Season Update: What's new in Madden 09

by Ross Miller { Aug 12th 2008 at 5:58PM }

The biggest question we hear every single year with the Madden franchise (and in fact, most EA Sports titles) is, "How is this game any different than last year's?" Snarky responses about the roster change aside (and even that gets fumbled sometimes), the gridiron gang at our sister site X3F have assembled the Season Update, calling out the differences (both good and bad) between Madden 09 and its immediate predecessor. For those still on the fence about picking up a copy, click here for the play-by-play.

Tags: ea, ea-sports, madden, madden-08, madden-09

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

shrapnel09 @ Aug 12th 2008 6:11PM

wonder how many people didnt even know this update existed because of the dark night post right above it, occurring at the same time...... anyway i have never been a big fan of sports games, particularly FOOOOTBAAAALLLL!!!!! I just want to play tecmo bowl 360... is that so much to ask? Not this madden 09 nonsense.

RavenPaul @ Aug 12th 2008 6:43PM

I got it today. It's ok. I immediately turned off the announcers voices and that stupid "Rewind" feature. Thank God it's not available online. It looks pretty good, nothing that blows me away but it's my 1st one for my PS3 so I'm happy. The menu's are a little too cluttered for me but I guess I'll get used to it. I'm just glad to have a Madden game again. I haven't played since March when my PS2 finally gave out. And I personally don't care about Tecmo 360 nonsense shrapnel09

vidGuy @ Aug 12th 2008 7:03PM

Haven't read the article yet, but I can say after a good five hours with the game that 09 is a large leap forward, even more so than 08 was over 07. I'm happy with the purchase, and I really like the new TV-style presentation, but if you aren't a die-hard Madden fan, at least wait until April of next year when the game will be $30, if you buy it at all.

Rorschach @ Aug 12th 2008 7:27PM

I was looking at the back of the boxes, I have a PS3, 360, and a Wii, and noticed that the PS3 outputs at 720p while the 360 outputs at a max of 1080p. Which version did you think I got? The PS3 version last year was inferior too.

vidGuy @ Aug 12th 2008 8:14PM

I think Joystiq should do a poll to see what version the readers are buying. At the midnight launch I went to, the breakdown was about:

2 copies PS3
4 copies Wii
25+ copies 360

kansanpoker @ Aug 12th 2008 8:02PM

well from what i read , both the xbox 360 and ps3 version are native 720p but the xbox 360 upscales it

Bleu @ Aug 12th 2008 9:01PM

EA made it better for the 360...with that said fuck EA and FUCK MADDEN!

Rorschach @ Aug 12th 2008 10:01PM

According to the box it supports resolutions up to 1080p. My Samsung scans it as 1080p when checking the source. And considering that the level of detail on my 52 inch LCD screen, I'm going to go out on a limb and say its 1080p.

Rorschach @ Aug 12th 2008 10:03PM

And yes this is one of the best Maddens I've played. Ever.

Misfit Toy @ Aug 13th 2008 12:22AM

I like football, but the last time I played a Madden game it was so dang technical. You practically need to have football as an obsession and memorize football playbooks to get the most out of it. Unless they've simplified it, I will yet again pass.

Bring me NFL Blitz.