Madden 2009 - Demo out now

Elki

Demo impressions: It's fucking short.


After showing off Madden IQ the demo drops you into Giants - Patriots (a "Madden Moment"), where you control the Giants offense, down 4 points with 1:40 left on the clock. If you score, the demo ends. You don't get any taste of defense. Lame, I know. Tiburon says it's intended to rope in new fans.

I can't really judge the IQ. I did trash the offensive test, earning All Madden in both rushing and passing, but it's hard to evaluate how well it works without seeing how it adjusts to play. At any rate, I don't think I'll be using it. CPU sliders get the job done.

What little I saw (I played that little bit many times, because..) wasn't bad. It's a good looking game, and the running game is much improved. It (the running game) is a lot of fun, but not overpowered. The pocket is almost real, and QB animations have improved.

Issues:

A very old Madden problem. Back-of-head-eyes AI; streak/corner passes, having my slot take the corner into the deep zone, only for him run back to contest the open pass that he didn't see.

Too many dropped balls. Goddammit.

Animations could be smoother, especially in transition.



I'm cautiously optimistic, but after getting burned on NCAA 2009, I'll wait for the reviews / my friends to get it.

Nitsua

That sounds like a horrible demo - should just be called a teaser or taste or something. You play one small scenario and that's all? EA really are full of themselves, but people are going to be picking this up in droves anyhow.

Kris

That NCAA 09 video is absolutely ridiculous.

Wiley

They should at least allow a whole game, even if it is only two or three minute quarters. My major beef with the game over the years has been the lack of advancement on defense. I hate that the best defenses to stop the run are the blitzes out of the nickel.

That_Guy

Don't mess with football.

Trevor

This is fortuitous. The amount of Madden I need per year is about the length of a demo.

Kagera

I don't know how good the IQ test is. With the blockers the running test is too easy because you hardly have to worry about making the moves they want you to do until the later trials and even then it still cues you on which moves to make to avoid the tackle unlike during a real game where you have to do it on your own.

Same with the run defense although it's more challenging facing the blockers.

The pass defense tests can be a bitch since in order to advance you have to hope the ball is thrown in your direction or else hope the AI defense is good enough.

Smudge

I am looking forward to "Backbreaker" this year. Euphoria is PERFECT for football if they can get the control down. I love the direction they are going with their concepts, moving it into more of a third person perspective for an on the field feel to it. I loved ESPN 2k5's first person football, but third person would give some much needed peripheral vision that was lacking. Also the heavy use of the analog sticks for controlling movement and the different 'stances' (aggressive, evasive, neutral).

I really want to love that game. Wish they would release the tackle alley minigame as a teaser. I could just get tackled all day in that thing.

Elki

If you use your RB to get a safety and then punt, you'll get a chance to nail some returner if you're quick enough.

JustinSane07

The eyes-in-the-back-of-the-head AI is probably the most annoying thing about Madden. It really makes those soft drop passes over the head of the CB a pain in the ass as they get intercepted most of the time.

That said, I already paid in full for the game. I'm looking forward to this year's game and hoping I can use it to kill Eli Manning over and over again.

truck-a-sauras

The rushing part of the IQ test was so easy I got bored after a while and was wondering when it would end or ever become a challenge. The only time I got tackled is when I purposely blasted past the blockers and was actin' a fool. defense on the other hand....I stink. I got rookie level there. No surprise though, always hated D and just let the Ai do all the work for me.

Kris

How is catching the football acting in '09?

I ask cause the last Madden I owned was '07, and quite frequently receivers in the open would drop balls, even though no one was around them, as if the game were just randomly deciding whether he was going to catch the ball this time or not. Or even worse was how many times my DB's would get in front of a pass, again with no pressure from a receiver, and somehow manage not to intercept it. I mean, my great-grandmother could intercept some of those. This was probably my biggest complaint against Madden. Has it gotten better?

Elki

No.

MikeMan

Kris wrote: »

How is catching the football acting in '09?

I ask cause the last Madden I owned was '07, and quite frequently receivers in the open would drop balls, even though no one was around them, as if the game were just randomly deciding whether he was going to catch the ball this time or not. Or even worse was how many times my DB's would get in front of a pass, again with no pressure from a receiver, and somehow manage not to intercept it. I mean, my great-grandmother could intercept some of those. This was probably my biggest complaint against Madden. Has it gotten better?

Single most annoying part of Madden, hands down, right here.

mugginns

It will have the same problems that NCAA released with, and the patch may release quickly

Elki

I believe they said the patch will be released on day 1, so I'll be waiting to see what it fixes and what it doesn't.

NickTheNewbie

As short as the demo is, it was still a pretty good play.

Kagera

Really though, it didn't feel all that different from the Madden games before it. They shouldn't hype it as such when it's not.

zychi

Elki wrote: »

I'm cautiously optimistic, but after getting burned on NCAA 2009, I'll wait for the reviews / my friends to get it.

The key to not having this happen is turn fatigue ON. I understand EA sports games have flaws, but that is easily fixed by turning it on.

Elki

zychi wrote: »

Elki wrote: »

I'm cautiously optimistic, but after getting burned on NCAA 2009, I'll wait for the reviews / my friends to get it.

The key to not having this happen is turn fatigue ON. I understand EA sports games have flaws, but that is easily fixed by turning it on.

The problem is that the AI is stupid.

AI players don't recognize that there's a sideline, and often react to changes in direction by running away, and take crazy pursuit angles because of the aforementioned lack of sideline awareness, and never try to funnel you or anything but run at you, and occasionally run back.

Ah_Pook

Kagera wrote: »

Really though, it didn't feel all that different from the Madden games before it. They shouldn't hype it as such when it's not.

i cant tell if this post is a joke or not.

i'll probably buy this madden just because i like having a madden around and because i like football, but i sure as hell wont buy it because im expecting a revolution in football videogaming.

Kagera

Ah_Pook wrote: »

Kagera wrote: »

Really though, it didn't feel all that different from the Madden games before it. They shouldn't hype it as such when it's not.

i cant tell if this post is a joke or not.

i'll probably buy this madden just because i like having a madden around and because i like football, but i sure as hell wont buy it because im expecting a revolution in football videogaming.

I think the revolution would be in non-shitty AI and defense. I think Madden could have a revolution there.

Call me kooky but I'm not going to be happy with the same old bullshit every year just because EA trained football fans to expect it.

Kyougu

That video is hilarious.

Does NCAA let you record plays now ala Skate? That's pretty cool if so.