Football
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Written by Scott Hemphill
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Thursday, 08 May 2008 |
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First, let's start with the visuals. Last year's game looked good. Madden 09 looks better. We were shown side-by-side in-game screen comparisons from Madden 08 to 09 and the difference was clear. Player models look much more realistic and there's also a nice little depth of field effect presented from the standard gameplay camera angle that makes everything look that much cooler and sleeker. It's a small addition but it really emphasizes the on-the-field action more than in years prior. Obviously we aren't just basing our critiques on screenshots, the devs from Tiburon fired up a snowy game at Lambeau Field (something everyone should get used to given the fact that Brett Favre is the cover guy) and played right in front of us. Speaking of snow, that's also something that the team has worked on over the off-season. Footprints are now in, as are flash bulbs from the crowd at exciting moments of the game, though those obviously aren't unique to snowy tundras. I was a bit disappointed to learn that the snow won't deform in any way when players are brought to the ground – the idea of doing a snow angel touchdown celebration was completely squashed – but the fact that footprints refill as the snow continues to fall will have to suffice. There's also a cool blue hue that is added on to snow-filled games to accentuate the feeling of actually being in the cold. It may sound a little funny but it actually looks really cool in-game.
The Virtual Trainer was seen in motion for the first time as well as the new BackTrack and Rewind replay features that we've talked about previously. The Virtual Trainer, something that every Madden fanboy was undoubtedly skeptical of when the news of its inclusion was first announced, features a cool holographic overlay that replaces the standard Madden visuals. Your players are glowing green and the opposition is glowing red, but none of the traditional uniforms or player models can be seen. The field is coated in black with hologram goal posts. The whole look of the Trainer lives up to the "Virtual" part of its name... Read Full Story HERE from IGN.com
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Written by Scott Hemphill
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Thursday, 08 May 2008 |
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From 1up.com Senior producer Phil Frazier gave us an early look at the plans for Madden NFL 09 last week, but now we've finally seen the game in action. At the EA Sports Showcase event up at EA Canada's studios, Frazier gave Madden 09 its first public demo. During the show, he emphasized that EA focused this development cycle on two key upgrades that both the gaming press and the fans have clamored for: a significantly improved presentation and online leagues. We got the scoop on those online leagues already, but now we're flowing with more details (some are good, and some aren't as good). The good: You can play up to 32 teams, flex scheduling allows you to play games in any order, you can pull off 1-for-1 trades, you can conduct a fantasy draft with every user involved, and the commissioner can allow users to choose any team they want (so there could be three players with the Dallas Cowboys, for example). The not-so good: There aren't any divisions. That means teams will be jockeying for playoff spots against everyone involved, lessening the impact of rivalry games. Even if you have all 32 teams in the league, it won't change the setup. As for the presentation, it's downright sharp. Everyone always claims living, breathing environments in their videogames, but the sidelines in Madden are abuzz, and this ratchets up the energy level in the stadiums. It's not just the players milling about; you'll see sideline cameras, cheerleaders -- even piles of snow during winter games. Beyond that, fog hangs in the air, adding depth (last season, devs achieved the same effect with blur), and the completely reworked grass looks good enough to eat, er...run around on. What's special, though, are the new presentation elements that finally make Madden feel like an NFL broadcast. Cris Collinsworth and Tom Hammond are in the booth (no more echoey doofus speaking through a tin cup), and the semi-robotic-looking onscreen scoreboard looks stripped straight from Fox's TV broadcast. When you're playing in single-player, the playcalling menu sits on one side of the screen while the instant replay sits opposite. Even better, for those who take their Madden more seriously, there's no longer a need to go into the pause screen for substitutions or tweaking your depth chart; the instant replay is seamlessly replaced with pop-up menus for those options; the pop-up menus for those options will now seamlessly replace the instant replay... read full story HERE.
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Written by Scott Hemphill
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Tuesday, 06 May 2008 |
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From The Official Madden 09 Site Finally the wait is over! Brett Favre has been announced as our cover guy, the new features have been unveiled, and we can finally talk about what everyone has to look forward to with Madden NFL 09. Let me tell you that I have been waiting a long time for this day and it is time to get down to business. By this time you all have a high level idea of the new feature set, but I am going to go beyond the marketing and press release information to give you a first-hand look at some of our personal favorite features. Our goal over the next few weeks is to hit you with a blitz of new information and features. We have so many exciting additions to the game this year and we want to make sure that the fans know what to expect come August 12th. I personally see Madden NFL 09 as the biggest year to year leap in the history of the franchise- so I am chomping at the bit to start talking about it. We'll also be releasing a blog about some of the new stuff we are doing on the animation side this year, so check that out as well. Please keep in mind that we are still hard at work on the game and that the one downfall of us getting such an early start on releasing this type of information is that most of the screenshots won't be final. So if you see something that looks a little unpolished or unfinished-don't be alarmed! Let's get started! The beauty of having a blog is that I get to talk about anything I want- so while we have many other huge features such as Commentary, Virtual Training Center, and Online Leagues- I've decided to start with something that hasn't gotten a lot of press, but will definitely get the hardcore community excited about this year! Continued HERE
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Written by Scott Hemphill
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Saturday, 26 April 2008 |
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Read full story HERE from Gamespot: "Okay, we'll admit right now that, beyond a few screens and a single movie, we haven't seen Madden NFL 09. However, that doesn't mean we haven't found out a whole bunch about the game in the past two days. EA Sports is in New York City this week to unveil NCAA Football 09 and also announce former Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre as the cover athlete for Madden NFL 09, the twentieth anniversary of EA Sports' football series. Though EA isn't quite ready to show the game yet, they were definitely talking about the new features and improvements that should make their way into the game when it's released later this year. Today we met with EA Sports' senior producer Phil Frazier for a "pre-season" discussion of what this highly anticipated game will offer. We already know that NCAA Football 09 is taking online play seriously with the introduction of online dynasty, but it seems Madden NFL 09 is looking to up its online game as well. Online leagues will be one of the biggest features in the game this year, allowing up to 32 real players to take each other on in a real competitive environment. According to Frazier, this is something that's been wanted by the fans and developers alike for a while now. "We're real excited about it," Frazier said. "It's one of those features that has been called out in reviews, it's been called out on message boards; we know people have wanted online leagues and we're finally delivering." Up to 32 players will be able to compete in games, participate in the NFL Draft, conduct trades between one another and more in this mode all on a schedule that works for each player in the league. "The nice thing about it is flex scheduling," said Frazier. "You can play your games in any order, at any time. You don't have to play one game a week, you can play five games a week if all five of your opponents are online." The ability to skip games sounds like it will be a crucial tool towards ensuring that your online league--many of which fall apart because of the rigorous scheduling--continues through multiple seasons..."
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Written by Scott Hemphill
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Friday, 25 April 2008 |
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From ESPN Videogames : "..Madden NFL 09 strives to take authenticity and depth of gameplay to an new level with more than 85 new features and enhancements, including the all-new Total Control Animation system. This system will allow players to perform combination moves like never before and includes an innovative picture-in-picture playcall window. In Madden NFL 09, the game engine is continually assessing the player's performance and will adapt a custom experience to every type of gamer, from newcomer to the veteran Madden NFL player. Madden NFL 09 will also feature a network-inspired broadcast presentation. Players will benefit from the authentic football knowledge of an in-booth play-by-play and color commentary team featuring Cris Collinsworth and Tom Hammond. In addition, numerous graphical enhancements have been made, including realistic weather and grass, sleeker player models and exterior stadium views. Madden NFL 09 gives gamers the ability to create online leagues. Fans can now take their rivalries online and compete in leagues with up to 32 teams. Online league play will feature in-depth stat tracking and a flexible scheduling option..."
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