By Erik Norris

It’s about that time again. When gamers start frothing at the mouth in anticipation of the new Madden game. It’s really mind-boggling how intense people get over this franchise but we might finally have a year where the game lives up to the hype. A few days ago the demo of Madden NFL ’09 hit the internet and I’m here to give some early impressions of my experience.

Madden NFL ’09 has been reworked from the ground up. EA has received so much shit from hardcore football gamers for turning out basically the same product each year that with their 20th anniversary of Madden they plan to acknowledge and remedy that. You can tell a lot of hard work was put into the product simply by the main menu of this demo. We are treated to a cyber display version of Mr. Madden himself, giving a little rundown of everything you will run into during the course of this demo, and then you’re off. The only option available from the get-go is the “Madden Test” which pits players against four types of challenges (run, pass, rush defense, pass defense) to configure their “Madden IQ” which is essentially calculating how difficult to make the computer for a fair experience once you hit the gridiron. The mode is basically the exact same thing as the training grounds in previous Madden games expect with a radically different design layout.

I, for one, welcomed the look of the “Madden Test.” Everything has a cybernetic look to it with players emitting orange body heat and the ground looking like it’s made of glass. It’s also neat the game really gives you a helping hand if this is your first exposure to the Madden franchise, telling you which jukes, spins, and power-throughs to perform, and when. Once you have figured out your Madden IQ, mine was a shitty 568, you are off to the “Madden Moment” where you relive last year’s Super Bowl XLII. Here you get to play in a game as the Giants, starting on 4th and 1, and have to score a TD against the Patriots. I had a blast even with such a short demo. The graphics look crisp and more life-like than any previous Madden game. Players also finally pivot correctly, giving a sense of realism to their movements. I also went out of my way to test the consistency of Hail Mary type pass receptions because every previous Madden game has been plagued by this flaw. However, I found that the defensive backs in Madden ’09 live up to the word “professionals,” swatting and intercepting my telegraphed passes more times than not.

Overall the impression I got from the retooled Madden NFL ’09 just from the demo is a great start. For being such an avid hater of the franchise over the past few years, to get me to turn 180 degrees on the notion of playing a Madden game is reason enough to pay attention.