Electronic Arts today began shipping Madden NFL 09 for the PS3 and Xbox 360. Now in its 20th season, the game introduces more than 85 new features and enhancements to its 2009 version.
Madden NFL 09 will continuously assess players’ skills and adjust the gameplay to keep the experience both fun and challenging. Madden NFL 09 also includes a new broadcast presentation featuring Cris Collinsworth and Tom Hammond, as well as online leagues.
Of course, Madden NFL 09 also features Brett Favre on the cover — complete in a Green Bay Packers uniform. We’re holding out hope that the Madden Curse has already happened, and that Brett’s move to the New York Jets is sufficient enough and he won’t endure any non-emotional injuries.
Not that we really feel sorry for him. The idiot reportedly turned down $20 million to sit on his ass all season. Idiot.
But yeah…if you buy Madden NFL 09 and want to see Brett Favre in a Jets uniform, you’ll have to download the new cover from EA Sports’ Web site. A roster update with Favre as the Jets’ starting quarterback is already available for those with Xbox Live and/or PlayStation Network access.
What else is new? Well…included in the 85 new enhancements is the Virtual Training Center which establishes a player’s gameplay difficulty. It is a new interactive tutorial mode, set in a holographic environment that aims at teaching gamers fundamental concepts about football strategy and how to use the controls in quick, fun and stylized drills. After players complete these drills, a Madden IQ score is given, and their “My Skills” difficulty settings are automatically set based on their strengths and weaknesses. Throughout their Madden NFL career, the all-new Adaptive Difficulty Engine will continually tailor the difficulty settings as the gamer’s Madden IQ score evolves.
In addition, a new replay learning tool called BackTrack dissects plays and shows the player what they should have done in certain circumstances. When a mistake is made, Collinsworth will breakdown where the user went wrong and what they could have done better.
