EA Sports' Reveals More For Madden 09'

Madden NFL 09 strives to take authenticity and depth of gameplay to a new level with more than 85 new features and enhancements, including the all-new Total Control Animation system. This system will allow players to perform combination moves like never before and includes an innovative picture-in-picture playcall window. In Madden NFL 09, the game engine is continually assessing the player’s performance and will adapt a custom experience to every type of gamer, from newcomer to the veteran Madden NFL player.

-The fact that EA appears to be giving the user more control when attempting to avoid oncoming tacklers is one aspect that should please many people. Last year, the only step required to get past a defender was basically just flicking up on the right analog stick. Flicking the right analog stick up to run over a smaller defender with a bigger running back made sense, but far too many times it felt like a broken tackle was simply left up to the AI and not the person actually controlling the stick. This is one change that I know I'm excited about for the upcoming season.

Madden NFL 09 will also feature a network-inspired broadcast presentation. Players will 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.

-Boy, did I let out a sigh of relief when I saw that it was actually Tom Hammond's name lined up next to Chris Collinsworth. I thought for sure the second name I was about to read was Bryant Gumble because both Gumble and Collinsworth worked together announcing games on the NFL Network. I'm sure Gumble's a nice guy, but I think I'm with majority when I say that hearing him announce an NFL game is awkward at the least.

Madden NFL 09 gives gamers the ability to create online leagues. Fans can now take their rivalries online and compete in leagues with up to 32 teams. Online league play will feature in-depth stat tracking and a flexible scheduling option.

-The all-new online league play feature should be the big hit for Madden 09'. For years gamers have had to find alternative ways to keep stats and records for their own created leagues. Now, EA Sports has apparently taken the next step and provided this service for hardcore football fans.