Electronic
Arts announced the release of
Madden NFL 09
today,
the 20
th
installment of the
Madden NFL
video game franchise, and the release of the
special Madden
NFL 09 20
th
Anniversary Collector's Edition
.
This year's installment gives a whole new meaning to progressive
gameplay, as EA is calling it the “first sports game that adapts to
you”. Whether this is your first time playing
Madden
or
you're a seasoned pro, the game constantly assesses your skill level
and adjusts to keep the gameplay experience both fun and challenging.
As
EA SPORTS sports simulation games often take a number of cues from
the professional sports they are modeled after,
Madden NFL
09
includes an updated broadcast
presentation system featuring Cris Collinsworth and Tom Hammond. Some
versions also includes online leagues, but all versions includes the
most realistic graphics in the franchises' 20 year history.
You can really see the cold
There
are a total of 85 enhancements in
Madden NFL 09
over
last year's installment, including the Virtual Training Center, an
interactive tutorial mode that teaches players football strategy, how
to play the game and tests their skill with a number of drills to set
the initial difficulty level. Once players complete the drills, they
are given a Madden IQ score and the game automatically adjusts their
“My Skills” difficulty settings to fit their strengths and
weaknesses. During their
Madden NFL 09
career, players will continually be challenged by the game as its
Adaptive Difficulty Engine constantly tailors the difficulty settings
to their changing Madden IQ score.
EA
also made some last minute changes to the game because of cover
athlete, Brett Favre's return to the NFL, and his subsequent trade to
the New York Jets. EA has made new packaging available for the Xbox
360, Playstation 2, Playstation 3 and PSP versions of the game,
featuring Favre in a Jets uniform. You can find and download the new
packaging here,
but finding the glossy paper to print it on is up to you. There is
also a roster updated available for the Xbox, Xbox 360, Playstation
2, Playstation 3, PSP and Wii versions of the game, which puts Favre
in the starting quarterback position for the Jets. Users who do not
download the update will find Favre on an all-time greats team
in
the final packaged version of the game and can place him on whichever
team they choose.
Favre as a Jet
For
those of you who were paying specifically close attention, you did
read correctly,
Madden
NFL 09
is
available for the original Xbox. Though
Madden
NFL 08
was
thought to be the last title that would ever appear on that console,
it was so popular that EA made
09
for
it too.
In
related news, Sony released its latest PSP Entertainment Pack today,
the
Madden
NFL 09
PSP
Entertainment Pack. Included in the pack is a “Metallic Blue”
PSP-2000 system,
Madden
NFL 09
,
NFL: In Just
One Play
UMD video, a Playstation Network voucher for
Beats
,
a new music player game, and a 1GB Memory Stick Pro Duo.
The
Madden NFL 09
PSP
Entertainment Pack is available across North America now for $199.99
USD/CAD.
Madden
NFL 09
is
available for Xbox, Xbox 360, Playstation 2, Playstation 3, PSP,
Nintendo DS, Wii and the mobile platform and is rated E for Everyone.
Prices vary by version. The
Madden
NFL 09 20
th
Anniversary Collector's Edition
is
available for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 for $89.99 USD/CAD.