Madden NFL 09

Hitting the Gridiron for Another Season

It may be a little hard to believe, but Madden NFL 09 is actually the 20th anniversary of the series. The first few seasons didn't really have real players or the pizazz that we've come to expect, but it's been 20 solid years of tossing around the old pigskin in a virtual fashion. There's even a special 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition of the game that includes NFL Head Coach 09, a special case, bonus content, and an exclusive version of John Madden Football '93.

Much like previous Madden NFL games, Madden NFL 09 brings all the roster updates that you'll need. Didn't have a chance to keep up with the personnel changes from last year? Don't worry, because EA has you covered.

Madden NFL 09 is available on a number of different video game consoles, including the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, PlayStation 2, and the original Xbox.

What's New with Madden NFL 09?

If you are looking for a splendid football game to play, you've definitely come to the right place. Madden NFL 09 comes with a series of updates and changes over previous iterations of the football franchise. For the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game, for example, you get the commentary of Cris Collinsworth and Tom Hammond.

Some of the other highlights are an enhanced play calling system (picture-in-picture), new camera angles, improved sideline graphics, improved online leagues, a revamped franchise mode, Madden moments from the 2007 season, special user celebrations, weather specific animations, and a new running "total control" system.

All Play for Wii

Madden NFL 09

The Nintendo Wii gets a special version of Madden NFL 09 called All-Play. This is in line with the rest of the 2009 EA Sports lineup, opening up the sports game arena to people who may have previously been intimidated by the increasingly complex controls.

The All-Play variant doesn't convert the simulation game into an arcade style game, but it does offer more intuitive and simplified controls. This is meant to open up the football game to casual players, however, so it may not appeal to the "hardcore" Madden fans.

Brett Favre and the Madden Curse

Legendary quarterback Brett Favre is on the cover of Madden NFL 09. Interestingly, at the time that announcement was made, Brett Favre was officially retired from the sport, so people questioned the decision to put Favre on the cover. Later on, however, Brett Favre announced that he would like to come out of retirement. The drama and complexities of the story proceeded for a number of months, but the long and the short of it was that Favre wanted to play.

On the cover of Madden NFL 09, you'll see that Brett Favre is in a Green Bay Packers jersey. He has played for Green Bay his entire career, but just before the game was getting ready for release, Brett Favre signed with the New York Jets. As a result, the cover wasn't completely accurate. Thankfully, EA Sports followed up by releasing downloadable cover art that features Brett Favre in a New York Jets uniform.

Some people may have heard about what is known as the "Madden curse." History has shown that players featured on the cover of a Madden football game have gone on to have less than stellar seasons. Will Brett Favre suffer the same fate? Time will tell. The Spanish version of the game will feature Roberto Garza of the Chicago Bears.

Get Ready for Some Football

Are you ready for some football? Based on everyone's prior experience with Madden football games, Madden NFL 09 looks like it's going to be another instant classic. If you have the itch for some football, this is the game for you.