...polished as a helmet

By David Wilcox

Much of the talk surrounding “Madden NFL 09” has concerned its surface. By shedding his long-time Packers jersey for Jets colors, cover boy Brett Favre has fulfilled the “Madden Curse,” an all-purpose malady afflicting many of the previous athletes who graced the game's art.

EA (Electronic Arts) quickly addressed the problem with a new printable cover and a downloadable roster adjustment that outfits Favre in the green and white. This devotion to the physical detail of “Madden 09” fully extends to the game itself, which renders NFL action with a degree of realism far beyond that of previous games in the series.

I remember playing “Madden 01” on the PlayStation 2 when that system was first released and unfocusing my eyes to trick myself into thinking there was a real football game on the TV screen. No longer is such trickery needed. In “Madden 09” more than ever is the mud dirty, the snow powdery and the muscles veiny.

Beneath that glimmering surface beats a mighty heart of game play that will appeal to both casual football fans and the most hardcore. The Madden IQ measures a player's natural running, passing and defensive skills and tailors the AI's difficulty in agreement with that number. The test itself is simple enough - and the core controls accessible enough - to engage players new to “Madden,” while the lengthy playbook and more strategic controls are at the command of series veterans.

With the Madden IQ system balancing the play, few players will be the New England Patriots in their first seasons - but few will be the Miami Dolphins either. Still, the AI continues to show some improbable behavior at times, such as completion percentages wildly uncharacteristic of the quarterback.

A few new flourishes refresh the package on “Madden's” 20th anniversary. With rowdier crowds and TV production upgrades, rivalry mode intensifies match-ups like the Buffalo Bills versus the Dolphins and the Philadelphia Eagles versus the Dallas Cowboys. The Total Control Animation System also maps dodges and power charging to the right analog stick for an intuitive defense against tacklers.

Perhaps the most fun of the game's myriad modes are the Madden Moments, which place players in the cleats of 2007 NFL teams at clutch moments in their seasons, leading up to the New York Giants' upset of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. This play mode manages to surpass even the Play Now games in accessibility with the added drama of the scenario and the satisfaction of affirming - or avoiding - history.

The traditional mixture of bludgeoning modern rock and obnoxious rap graces the game's menu soundtrack. The commentary provided by Cris Collinsworth and Tom Hammond refrains from the redundant no-brainer statements that popped up in previous editions, but more insightful remarks remain a source of presentation in the “Madden” series ripe for improvement. For now, EA has driven the game's visual element to the goal line.

David Wilcox

253-5311 ext. 245

david.wilcox@lee.net