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Madden NFL 09

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4.5 User Score:

Generally favorable reviews

Based on 38 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 117 votes
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Game Info

Publisher: Electronic Arts

Developer: EA Tiburon

Genre(s): Sports, Football

Players: 8

ESRB Rating: E (Everyone)

Release Date: August 12, 2008

Summary

For passionate Madden NFL fans, this year's iteration promises to take authenticity and depth of gameplay to an entirely new level with more than 85 new features and enhancements, including the all-new Virtual Trainer tutorial mode. Utilizing a holographic environment, this mode teaches gamers simple concepts about playing football and how to use the controls in quick, fun and stylized drills. In Madden NFL 09, the game engine is continually assessing the player's performance and adapst a custom experience to every type of gamer, from newcomer to the veteran Madden NFL player. Madden NFL 09 also features a network-inspired broadcast presentation. Players 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. Avid Madden NFL fans can now take their rivalries online and compete in leagues with up to 32 teams. Online league play features in-depth stat tracking, player trades and a flexible scheduling option. [Electronic Arts]

Also On Metacritic

GAMES: Madden NFL 06 Madden NFL 07 Madden NFL 08

Cheat Codes & Hints: Cheat Code Central

Also On The Web: Official Website

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

1UP

The mud-caked Slop Bowls, bustling sidelines, and significantly varied player physiques mean that Madden 09's finally lived up to EA's next-gen target video from three years ago that -- for three years -- looked way better than the games themselves.

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100

G4 TV

The new commentating team, Backtrack replays, soundtrack, and improved graphics really packs that extra punch of realism making this game a must buy.

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Game Chronicles

Once again this year is far better than last year with better online play, your Madden IQ, and if you want to practice before you play the big boys online; you can play a game and use the rewind to help develop your gamer eye.

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Gaming Age

Everything from the visuals, audio, and presentation have been bumped up a notch to a level that would make any fan who has turned their heads for the last 3 years take notice.

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GameFocus

This 20th version of Madden NFL will sure be known as one of best of the series and will sure keep the whole Madden Nation happy…until next year of course. Expectations will continue to grow.

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GamerNode

Madden 09 is the best Madden of this generation. It's the first of the series which feels like it actually belongs on these consoles, and wasn't just ported with prettier graphics.

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GamePro

Madden's controls are so sophisticated and complex that I'm surprised more fans of shooters and other action games don't play.

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BigPond GameArena

With new features like Backtrack and old features like Superstar and Franchise mode, Madden 09 is probably the best Madden yet.

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Playstation Universe

A true next generation football experience unlike any other.

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DarkStation

Madden 09 is a great sports game with its only major flaw being one of many sports games, and that is that it didn’t change drastically from the previous year.

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PSX Extreme

Tiburon has done a fantastic job at bringing us a game that controls superbly well, looks smooth, runs quick, and boasts a horde of enhancements to make this the best Madden game ever.

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PSM3 Magazine UK

There's more quality sports action here than you'll ever need. [Oct 2008, p.74]

GameZone

While the main modes feel relatively the same, this year’s gameplay is a clear indication that this franchise is getting closer to perfection.

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IGN

Madden NFL 09 is the most loyal translation of America’s favorite sport I’ve ever seen. It looks great, plays great, and despite its few moments of inaccuracies, is still one of the best sports games in memory.

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Da Gameboyz

The graphics and overall presentation has been considerably improved.

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Cheat Code Central

There are a lot of new features this year, but none of them are of much consequence. If you own Madden 08, there is no truly outstanding aspect that makes a repurchase necessary. In fact, the Superstar and Franchise game modes are nearly identical, and the Online Leagues aren't impressive enough to outshine the excellent online play of last year.

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GameTrailers

There’s a whole lot of game here, but that was true last year, and for every gameplay improvement there’s something annoying to dampen the enthusiasm. It’s still an excellent football game, but the casual player is going to like it a lot more than the grizzled vet.

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Gamer 2.0

The team behind this year’s Madden certainly has the right ideas for where this franchise should be heading, as Madden 09 clearly shows.

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GamingXP

Series are hard to evaluate: On the one hand, every sequel should be reviewed as a stand-alone – Madden NFL 09 is a great game on that account, not only in the football-segment, but generally in the sports genre – on the other hand, owner of Madden NFL 08 don’t have to buy the sequel, because the changes are not that big.

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Gaming Target

Even for all of its faults, Madden NFL 2009 is still a damn good football game and that's what's important.

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Console Gameworld

While it's hard to justify spending 60 dollars on a yearly series, Madden NFL 09 offers up just enough tweaks to make it worth consideration.

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TotalPlayStation

EA Sports has, year after year, put out a Madden title that made playing professional football that much more real to the millions who will never get a chance. Madden NFL '09 is no exception.

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Play UK

Another positive step forward for EA’s Madden and one which stands tall against the PS3’s other offerings, including 2007’s entry. No one does gridiron quite like the guys at Electronic Arts. Brilliant.

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Game Informer

While the play-to-play action has some awesome moments, the Franchise mode is stuck in a boring rut.

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MEGamers

Even with all the new features and promised tweaks, Madden 09 still feels a bit too familiar and some might even have a hard time separating it from last year’s game.

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Game Positive

Ultimately, Madden NFL 09 offers just enough to fans to warrant a purchase. Although meager, the new additions do help the game feel like it's worth the price of admission.

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Console Monster

Madden has gotten better, but it hasn’t progressed much in my view.

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AceGamez

Yes, the Madden IQ is a miscue, and they've fumbled the online leagues, but Madden 09 is a much more rounded and refined game than 08. It has all the basic components for perfection but can't quite bring them together so, in this respect, it's much more like the 2004 Steelers than the '72 Dolphins.

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Playstation Official Magazine UK

American football mixes brain and brawn like no other sport, and it's something Madden 09 reflects beautifully. [Oct 2008, p.96]

DarkZero

This is a game that has successfully changed my opinions on American Football, and could do the same for you.

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GameSpy

Online play is a very enticing part of what Madden brings to the table this year.

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Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)

If this year's incarnation is a reinvention, a launching pad for 2010 and beyond, the Madden future is bright, even if the old fella is piling on the years! [Sept 2008, p.74]

GameDaily

A couple of the newer additions don't work as well as they should, such as the unbalanced Madden Test and the cheat-happy EA Rewind. Others, though, are spectacular, such as the Virtual Training Center and the new Online League play.

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GameSpot

For every addition, like the backtrack feature, Collinsworth, or improved visuals, there's a problem that rears its ugly head, like the unchanged Superstar mode, poor pass coverage in the middle of the field, or underwhelming online leagues. Newcomers will still face a steep learning curve, but if you're a football fan or series veteran, you can't go wrong with Madden 09.

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Games Radar (in-house)

We’ll happily play all season long, during which we’ll invent a thousand more reasons to love and hate it all at the same time. No matter what, though, we’d be lying if we said we weren’t a tad disappointed that this year’s version didn’t make the same jump we’d gotten accustomed to the last two years.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

Madden NFL 09 has the details, but lacks the elegance of a seamless recreation.

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Destructoid

A mixed bag. It’s vastly better than its predecessors in many ways, but there are a few areas -- big ones -- where it falls flat. Still, I can say without hesitation that it’s easily the best Madden game since the franchise entered the high-definition era.

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GameShark

What you are left with is a great 2-player game, a lot of features that the well established fan base most likely won’t care about (even though Backtrack and Rewind are both pretty good ideas), a half-baked online league system, and gameplay that is at times highly polished and entertaining yet also plagued by AI issues.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this game is 4.5 (out of 10) based on 117 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Tyeson gave it an8:
This game is much more better than any madden game so far. The switching ability on defense sucks. I can so many user picks online. most the time i can't cause they don't let me switch. doesn't let me switch on time. switches me to the wrong dude. I'm just tired of that but I'm pretty good. I'm ranked 5000 online. Can't wait till 2010 hope they fix that.

Eraldo U. gave it a5:
This is about an average game to me. The superstar is completely wrecked; they should have kept the old superstar from 08. In the 08 version of superstar, the player actually had to put effort into becoming a hall of famer; in 09, it can be beat in 1 season.

Ron W. gave it a10:
this game is amazing all you people that say it sucks, well thats cause u suck at it. how is that the games fault u morons ha ur sad. and whoever likes anything less then 09 more is dumb you only like it more cause you can break a 90 yard td run everytime u touch the effin ball. so quit complaing and grow up.

Brian L. gave it a3:
Wow look at all the madden fan boys complain about how low ppl are rating this piece of crap. if you say this game is good then u are sad. it is terribly broken. AU (Artificial Unintelligence) is worthless. and most ppl who are not on their knees to EA can see this. you want proof look at the dozens of videos on youtube showcasing this broken EA crap. i paid 60 bucks and ended up throwing it away 2 weeks later....... worthless. open your eyes and see that just because millions of ppl are buying it dosent make it good. the best part is when your passing the ball, when you hike it ,your offensive line ALL just stand thereblocking no one, and let the defensive line sake you unless you throw it away or try and make a quick pass which will usually result in interception. this is just one of MANY problems. these are not just rare occurances, these are problems that occure a MAJORITY of the plays. like i said go to youtube, im not the only one who thinks this. as for those of you who disagree, open your eyes and form your own opinion and quit being a bunch of followers. football is a great game but EA has butchered it and they are getting rich from it.

Eric J. gave it a9:
While it has it's glitches, this is the best game of Madden I've played yet. Yes the running game is hard, BUT THAT'S FOOTBALL. When you're playing somebody who understands and appreciates the game of football, this game is most rewarding. When you play somebody who tries to exploit the game just for a cheap win, that's where this game loses it's merit.

Jonas W. gave it a6:
It's fun vs another person, but the CPU AI is just terrible. The OL/DL and WR/DB interaction needs a major overhaul. CPU playcalling is very predictable, and the same team to team. Also, CPU QB is unstoppable while CPU HB is horrible. Challenging system doesn't work, and there seems to be no awareness of the sidelines or LOS either.

Bryan M. gave it a6:
at first I thought this game is pritty cool, but boy did It turn bad quick! after your first year in Francise mode you can not save it because it keeps frezzing! I noticed this also in the other Maddens that are for the next gen! so that gets me mad, I mean why buy the game if all you can play is the first season? the 2nd thing is the Superstar! it was bad in 06 but now its just crap! why even play its not fun! you can be a 93 ratting and you will still be picked in the 3rd round I mean your better then the other players so why would the teams wait untill the 3rd round? its not really a draft you just get picked like trash! the other thing is even if you go to the draft its like your not! you don't know where you get picked only by what team! I am sorry, but I liked 08 better and thats sad! maybe its good to play with your friends but other then that its no fun!

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Madden NFL 09

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