Madden '09

[Sainters7]

Really? Madden came out today and there's no thread about it? Just picked er up an hour ago, so far I'm very impressed. I just got an XBox 360 last month so I'm still very much a rook, and from my limited time with '08, I thought it was decent but I definitely wasn't in love with it. But '09 seems like a significant upgrade on '08, I think it looks better, handles better, and has alot better features(eg the IQ thing is great). Anybody else pick up this bad boy today? IMO this is the biggest one year jump in Madden I've seen since '04 to '05.

[Yeah_Baby]

Did you immediately download the Favre up date?

[Sainters7]

Originally Posted by Yeah_Baby

Did you immediately download the Favre up date?

No, that was actually my next question. How do you update rosters? I'm a total rook with XBox. I don't give two dumps about Favre, I just want Shockey on the Saints baby!

[Yeah_Baby]

Originally Posted by Sainters7

No, that was actually my next question. How do you update rosters? I'm a total rook with XBox. I don't give two dumps about Favre, I just want Shockey on the Saints baby!

If it's anything like NHL try through the online menu or My Madden or something like that.

[Russic]

i believe you do have to go to the online mode and it will download them automatically. Just save and quit online mode and you should be good to go.

[babs]

Originally Posted by Russic

i believe you do have to go to the online mode and it will download them automatically. Just save and quit online mode and you should be good to go.

Does that mean that you have to have an XBOX Live Gold account? Sorry for the dumb question, but I'm a bit of a rook too.

[FlamesKickAss]

I downloaded the demo this morning. Seems pretty decent. Still wary of buying it though

[fredr123]

Anyone pick it up or try it out on the Wii? I'm tempted...

[Sainters7]

So here's another rook question for ya...so for XBox Live...I need to be able to hook up my ethernet 360 connection into my computer, correct? Because my computer and my XBox are in complete opposite ends of the house, so that's not an option. Do I need a wireless adaptor then?

[Yeah_Baby]

Originally Posted by Sainters7

So here's another rook question for ya...so for XBox Live...I need to be able to hook up my ethernet 360 connection into my computer, correct? Because my computer and my XBox are in complete opposite ends of the house, so that's not an option. Do I need a wireless adaptor then?

Someone needs a wireless network....

[burnin_vernon]

I've never played a Madden before but thought I'd try this one. Is it just me or is this frickin tough?! While my running game is ok, I complete maybe 3 out of 10 passes! My knowledge of playbooks is minimal at best; do I have a chance at this game?

[JD]

Originally Posted by burnin_vernon

I've never played a Madden before but thought I'd try this one. Is it just me or is this frickin tough?! While my running game is ok, I complete maybe 3 out of 10 passes! My knowledge of playbooks is minimal at best; do I have a chance at this game?

Yeah, that's been my beef with the Madden series. Way back in the early 2000's the game was simple enough to be fun but complicated enough that you could become an advanced player with enough time invested.

Then as the decade progressed, they kept adding things and adding things and now it's become far too complicated for me. I'm definitely an avid football fan and know enough about the sport, but I don't know how to run a lead blocker. I don't know what blocking audibles to call. I don't know when to shift my LBers and D line. It's become too much.

That said, I'll probably pick this one up and give it a whirl.

[Sainters7]

Originally Posted by JD

Yeah, that's been my beef with the Madden series. Way back in the early 2000's the game was simple enough to be fun but complicated enough that you could become an advanced player with enough time invested.

Then as the decade progressed, they kept adding things and adding things and now it's become far too complicated for me. I'm definitely an avid football fan and know enough about the sport, but I don't know how to run a lead blocker. I don't know what blocking audibles to call. I don't know when to shift my LBers and D line. It's become too much.

That said, I'll probably pick this one up and give it a whirl.

Ya I hear ya. On offence I'm still pretty solid(although I'll admit passing is REALLY tough on this year's version, I think All-Pro's a little too steep for me at this point anyways), but defence I'm completely lost, there's just way too many options you can do. And if you play someone who actually knows every little in and out in football, youre toast. I feel I know the game pretty well, and think I'm one of the more knowledgeable fans who didnt grow up playing the game, but I sure as hell couldn't dissect an NFL playbook or anything. I played my buddy one time who's the defensive coordinator for a local H.S., he was constantly dipping around into the pre-snap options...putting his offence in motion to see what type of D I was in...I couldn't even keep up to what he was doing. And conversely I couldn't for the life of me get a first down on him, nor could I stop his O whatsoever.

I actually like how it's become so realistic - especially in the pre-snap options - that it mimics a real NFL game. But there's no way in hell I'll ever be good enough to compete with the best of the best in that game. I think you'd have to have played ball your whole life and really be able to grasp a real playbook and when to do what to even have a shot in that regard.

[goeagles]

A bit off topic but has anyone tried the EA Sports Fantasy Draft tracker. It's seperate from Madden (though rosters can be downloaded to Madden).

We were thinking of using it for an offline draft, just wondering if anyne had tried it out...

[SteveToms]

Like it so far, also got NCAA Football.

[fredr123]

Originally Posted by burnin_vernon

I've never played a Madden before but thought I'd try this one. Is it just me or is this frickin tough?! While my running game is ok, I complete maybe 3 out of 10 passes! My knowledge of playbooks is minimal at best; do I have a chance at this game?

Once the game learns that you suck, won't the new Madden IQ feature help adjust the difficulty? Or is that a feature that just levels the playing field between human players?

[Joborule]

Originally Posted by fredr123

Once the game learns that you suck, won't the new Madden IQ feature help adjust the difficulty? Or is that a feature that just levels the playing field between human players?

It adjust to the player skill level. So if your great at running the ball, suck at passing, decent on run D, and excellent on pass D, it will adjust the game difficult for those four aspects of football.

[zukes]

played for about half an hour and then jumped into Head Coach, haven't turned Madden back on yet..... I was away from Wednesday until Sunday though.

[J pold]

Originally Posted by Sainters7

Ya I hear ya. On offence I'm still pretty solid(although I'll admit passing is REALLY tough on this year's version, I think All-Pro's a little too steep for me at this point anyways), but defence I'm completely lost, there's just way too many options you can do. And if you play someone who actually knows every little in and out in football, youre toast. I feel I know the game pretty well, and think I'm one of the more knowledgeable fans who didnt grow up playing the game, but I sure as hell couldn't dissect an NFL playbook or anything. I played my buddy one time who's the defensive coordinator for a local H.S., he was constantly dipping around into the pre-snap options...putting his offence in motion to see what type of D I was in...I couldn't even keep up to what he was doing. And conversely I couldn't for the life of me get a first down on him, nor could I stop his O whatsoever.

I actually like how it's become so realistic - especially in the pre-snap options - that it mimics a real NFL game. But there's no way in hell I'll ever be good enough to compete with the best of the best in that game. I think you'd have to have played ball your whole life and really be able to grasp a real playbook and when to do what to even have a shot in that regard.

In terms of defense just keep it simple the Jets run a 3-4 package (which I don’t like but hey) I just run cover 2 and highlight the star play on the offensive side of the ball. Than in a 3rd and long situation I switch to nickel package and run cover 3…this usually works for me and the odd time it doesn’t I just switch to man coverage with the odd blitz package.

I’m fortunate that I played football in high school and was defensive captain and had to know the playbook which works to my benefit when playing Madden.

But you’re right about football knowledge, if you don’t have much you are going too get killed in Madden. My good friend and former neighbor was our high school QB and knows an insane amount about football. Every year he makes his own playbook for both sides of the ball, I must have played him over 100 times over the years and I never bet him once.

[mykalberta]

Originally Posted by Sainters7

So here's another rook question for ya...so for XBox Live...I need to be able to hook up my ethernet 360 connection into my computer, correct? Because my computer and my XBox are in complete opposite ends of the house, so that's not an option. Do I need a wireless adaptor then?

I am a huge powerline fan.

I have mine setup with powerline networking.

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/power-network.htm

http://www.bestbuy.ca/catalog/prodde...04&catid=26076

As someone who works in the IT field I dont like Wireless for this type of continuous access.

Works best if you have a new home +/- 10 years old, as well as have your own power circuit where you live, example if you a apartment, do you pay for power for your own suite, if you do you are likely good to go.