Madden 09--Review
I normally stay away from doing sports games reviews, but since Madden 09 was the first sports title I purchased on launch day in a long time, I guess I should review it.
For the first time in a while, I was actually excited for the release of a Madden game. Since this franchise has gone "next gen" it has suffered from a lack of content. Its taken them three tries but it looks like there finally starting to figure it out again.
The biggest selling point to me this time around was the overhaul of graphics and in game UI. For the most part they did a great job with all of it. (Especially the grass). But there are still problems with the UI. When the play calling screen appears and goes away, I notice some frame rate issues. Its not necessarily a big deal, but I still don't understand why they cant smooth things out between plays. The main menu system as suffers from these same issues also at times.
From a content stand point, I'm really pleased with the game modes. Franchise is fun as usual and superstar mode has also seen some improvements. I havent really touched any of the other modes as I always do with madden games, but from what I have seen, its all there and working.
On the other side, the game does suffer from a number of unwanted glitches. Some are miner like sound or clipping issues, but last night I ran into a glitch where the game actually loaded the wrong staudium. It really disappoints me to see such awful glitches in a game they should be spending more time develeping.
Overall, Madden 09 is still a great NFL game (even if it is the only NFL game). If EA they would give the developers more time to work on it instead of making them pump out a game every year, Madden would probably be able to live up to its legandary name.
