More On: E3 2008

One of the longest running franchises in all of gaming is back for yet another installment, with guaranteed changes to the gameplay and overall feel of the game itself. EA has certainly made some upgrades with their staple franchise, but it still seems that something is missing in Madden 2009.

The interface has changed, becoming a little more simplified. Instead of the entire scoreboard spanning across the screen, it has changed to only take up about a third of the top of the screen. It’s noticeable, but it’s a nice fix to something that perhaps was a little annoying. The new scoreboard keeps the bare essentials, showing the time, period, score of both teams, and time outs. Nothing mind-blowing, but the fact that it has been condensed is a welcome addition.

Gameplay has stayed intact, for the most part. A good thing is that I didn’t see any of the glitches that plagued the last game, such as the moonwalking quarterback. Running the ball has become a little easier, with more wide open rushing lanes than in past versions. This was something that was implemented in both Madden and NCAA to help out those who had an issue running the ball at all.

Personally, I’ve never been a fan of the arcade style special abilities, such as Peyton Manning’s ridiculous field vision and awareness, but I understand why it’s in the game. It’s a nice change to a franchise that certainly needed something, and it seems that a couple of new abilities have been added to this year’s game.

Unfortunately, I still feel like there are some broken aspects of the game. There are still some glitches when it comes to defensive players seemingly getting lucky breaks when it comes to picking off passes. In other words, I had two instances where a ball magically went from my receiver’s hands into the defenders. If Electronic Arts really wants people to continue buying the same style of game year in and year out, these issues really need to be addressed.