Honestly, Madden 09 the game that's sucked the enthusiasm out of me

[dave374]

Before Future15 calls me a hater, let me preface by saying I bought Madden 09 CE for the PS3 and regular Madden 09 for the 360. I have purchased every version of Madden since 1992.
I am anything but a hater. I loved Madden, football is my favourite sport, I was a Madden online junkie for a long time.
Those days, however, appear to be over.
Why?
A) An incredibly buggy game online and off
B) A game - offline - that in no way resembles real NFL football. When I play the Falcons, I look forward to a challenging run game and trying to contain Michael Turner. What I get instead is a 60-40 pass/run ratio from the start of the game - and no challenge from Turner, despite the fact that my run defence sliders are at absolute zero - which means Turner should break the odd tackle.
C) Playbooks that have no reverses, despite the fact that my team (Philly) uses them throughout the game
D) A game that's virtually unplayable online because everyone plays the same way now - all zone D, every pass under 10 yards, absolutely insipid offensive line blocking.
E) Quarterbacks in the real NFL have some recognition how high they have to throw a football - not in Madden: http://www.easportsworld.com/en_US/video/1598456
F) Not existent fatigue ... just because you guys thought you should turn it off because of online cheesers. Thanks a lot.

I enjoyed Madden 08 more than 09. That should never happen.

Madden used to be my #1 choice for gaming, by a wide margin.
Now it's fallen so far down my rotation I'm tempted to trade both versions in.
I used to look forward to every week's game (like Philly vs Atlanta), now I could care less.

Somehow, some way, EA managed to take my love of video football away.

It's a sad day when NBA Live is a better game (by far) than Madden.

Again, feel free to call me a hater. I just want realistic NFL football ... and Madden simply doesn't deliver it.

This guy http://www.operationsports.com/forum...314-post1.html and Gideon Prime have nailed it, but I suspect major surgery is needed before either guys' concerns are addressed.

[SCOTTFREE226]

i feel your pain... i traded my CE in saturday. got MLB TThe Show for 3 bucks used at gamestop. enjoying myself now.. now looking for a transfer cable so i can enjoy a real video football game. but hey, theres always next year.. right

[MJenness]

I could not agree more with your points....plus a ton of other problems that exist. But, be prepared for the flames, because some people are SO loyal to this game or company, they have lost all objectivity. I swear, EA could re-package least years game with a new label and some people would claim it's the greatest game ever made......which is EXACTLY why this game has fallen so far.

From a business standpoint, WHY should EA put tons of money and time into making the game better when it is simply a cash cow for them??....the LESS time and money they put into it, the higher their profits. And they KNOW it will sell millions of copies simply because it is 1) Madden and 2) the ONLY NFL game available.

It sure sucks for real football enthusiasts looking for something that resembles a sim. Now, if you're looking for a fun, arcade style game, then it is great. just not my cup of tea.

[countryboy]

Look, I am one of the biggest "fans" of EA and Madden, I love the series, but as I said in another thread, the game is flat out boring. Atmosphere is nonexistent. Nothing pulls you into the game.

And as you said Dave and MJ has pointed out, there are way too many quirks and bumps in the road that prevent this game from being enjoyable over time. In my opinion, this is the game we should've gotten in '07, not '09.

I do think the game is making steps in the right direction, unfortunately given whats happened with '06-'08, the game needs to take strides, not steps. Somewhere, Ian/Phil/EA need to make up for 2 "lost" years.

[rgiles36]

Quote: Originally Posted by countryboy

Look, I am one of the biggest "fans" of EA and Madden, I love the series, but as I said in another thread, the game is flat out boring. Atmosphere is nonexistent. Nothing pulls you into the game. And as you said Dave and MJ has pointed out, there are way too many quirks and bumps in the road that prevent this game from being enjoyable over time. In my opinion, this is the game we should've gotten in '07, not '09. I do think the game is making steps in the right direction, unfortunately given whats happened with '06-'08, the game needs to take strides, not steps. Somewhere, Ian/Phil/EA need to make up for 2 "lost" years.

[Segagendude]

Not to mention these are NOT "next-gen" worthy graphics. I'm sorry, but besides the grass, the players look like something cut and pasted out of a comic book. I tried playing this on an HDTV; I had the feeling I would've had better results playing on my mom's 32" standard tv,complete with rabbit ears.
EA, "step your game up!"

[Details]

Great post, countryboy.

The whole situation is sad. I didn't think I would lose interest in Madden 09 this fast.

Quote:

Look, I am one of the biggest "fans" of EA and Madden, I love the series, but as I said in another thread, the game is flat out boring. Atmosphere is nonexistent. Nothing pulls you into the game.

This is one of my biggest problems with the game right now. It's boring. The lack of atmosphere is brutal. As countryboy said, nothing pulls you in.

I've been playing NBA 2K9, and the atmosphere is fantastic in it. NBA 2K9 has made me depressed about Madden 09. LOL

Quote:

In my opinion, this is the game we should've gotten in '07, not '09.

Absolutely.

Quote:

I do think the game is making steps in the right direction, unfortunately given whats happened with '06-'08, the game needs to take strides, not steps. Somewhere, Ian/Phil/EA need to make up for 2 "lost" years.

I think Ian/Phil/EA will make Madden 2010 a great game, but I'm already worried that there's too much on the plate to implement.

[briax87]

Quote: Originally Posted by dave374

Before Future15 calls me a hater, let me preface by saying I bought Madden 09 CE for the PS3 and regular Madden 09 for the 360. I have purchased every version of Madden since 1992. I am anything but a hater. I loved Madden, football is my favourite sport, I was a Madden online junkie for a long time. Those days, however, appear to be over. Why? A) An incredibly buggy game online and off B) A game - offline - that in no way resembles real NFL football. When I play the Falcons, I look forward to a challenging run game and trying to contain Michael Turner. What I get instead is a 60-40 pass/run ratio from the start of the game - and no challenge from Turner, despite the fact that my run defence sliders are at absolute zero - which means Turner should break the odd tackle. C) Playbooks that have no reverses, despite the fact that my team (Philly) uses them throughout the game D) A game that's virtually unplayable online because everyone plays the same way now - all zone D, every pass under 10 yards, absolutely insipid offensive line blocking. E) Quarterbacks in the real NFL have some recognition how high they have to throw a football - not in Madden: http://www.easportsworld.com/en_US/video/1598456 F) Not existent fatigue ... just because you guys thought you should turn it off because of online cheesers. Thanks a lot. I enjoyed Madden 08 more than 09. That should never happen. Madden used to be my #1 choice for gaming, by a wide margin. Now it's fallen so far down my rotation I'm tempted to trade both versions in. I used to look forward to every week's game (like Philly vs Atlanta), now I could care less. Somehow, some way, EA managed to take my love of video football away. It's a sad day when NBA Live is a better game (by far) than Madden. Again, feel free to call me a hater. I just want realistic NFL football ... and Madden simply doesn't deliver it. This guy http://www.operationsports.com/forum...314-post1.html and Gideon Prime have nailed it, but I suspect major surgery is needed before either guys' concerns are addressed.

B, E and F are my biggest problems with this game, apart from the lack of atmosphere, every game feels the same. Your so right about playing teams like the falcons, even with the rush D sliders all set to 0 you dont feel threatened by Turner. The same goes for other teams that rely more on running the ball. I've just about given up on this game, it has some good points, all hidden behind obvious "in your face" bad points.

[simgameonly]

I think it is absurd the OP has to be concerned about being flamed for expressing his opinion. He is a paying consumer bottom line with the right to express his opinion. I completely concur with him also, its not representative of an nfl simulation and never has been, no different for this installment. Football in a morgue just does not cut it for 60 dollars. No cpu sliders, the list goes on and on. The best thing that came from this game was the frustration that lead me to update rosters on the "other game" That 2.00 I spent has 500 times the enjoyment and that's with a 4-5 year old game lol. At least they let me trade it in at my local store, being that it is essentially worthless in my estimation I was happy to take the 35.00 credit and apply it to another game that is actually worth a f***.

[kcxiv]

Holy crap. Countryboy has seen the light. This is an epic day indeed.

When you first turn on Madden and start playing, you think to yourself. Hey, this game isnt half bad. It has some potential, then after a few days of playing it, you realize how bad it is. Like CB said, they are going in the right direction, but they are far from any goal on the game. There is nothing that sucks you into the game.


If you play 10 games in Madden, you have seen everything. Every animation, just about everything that game has to offer. It just doesnt keep you wanting to come back to keep playing. I lasted about 12 days before i just couldnt do it anymore. Once in a while when my nephew is over, he fires it up and he loves the game, but he's only 10 years old. (yeah, i know, their target audience). hehe, quick cheap shot, sorry.


Anyways, i am serioulsy thinking of trading it in next week and paying the difference for Fallout 3.