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MADDEN NFL 09 ALL PLAY Posted by Dan Pearson on Sep 2, 2008 08:26 (Sep 2, 2008 08:26) |
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EA’s Madden series celebrates it 20th Anniversary with this release, and for the first time the wealth of consoles on the market allow EA to bring some interesting new concepts to each one. Whilst the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions go for all out realism in play and looks, the Wii version has taken into consideration the processing power of the Wii and focused more on family, but don’t be fooled into thinking this is a weaker version than the power house consoles games.
As with the other versions, you have the huge Franchise mode were you can either just play the games and let the CPU do all of the hard work or be more involved in the managerial aspects of the games, hiring and training of members and striking new deals. The Superstar mode also has the amazing customization to create any kind of player. If you want a quicker play on this mode you can also go for an exsisting rookie from the current roster. The Superstar mode differs from the Franchise mode in that you control just the one character, your skill on the field and training will determine if you get picked for the games and if other players will listen to your commands.
The Wii version clearly does not have the same power at the top end and it does show mainly in the graphics, to combat this there are two distinct looks to this version, the arcade look of the party plays and the more serious look of the main games. The realistic look is really let down by the Wii, the players look grainy and dated, whereas the arcade look gives the players a better, more rounded cartoon edge. What also helps is that there is a good mixture of body shapes on the field as well, the large meat mountains that are the blockers, the muscled quarterbacks and the receivers all have their own look and feel when controlling them.
Madden NFL 09 All Play improves quite a bit on last years outing, offering a lot more in the way of team play and keeping fair and balanced games for beginners and the more experienced players. You have the option to use just the Wii-mote to throw and choose plays or combine it with the Nunchuck to control players on the field and make more moves, this allows for a great bit of pick up and play instant action. In some areas, the Wii version has been simplified, the Play Call option streamlines the choice before each play, allowing you to choose from the basic, advanced and a Mii version of Madden giving tips. For the more experienced players you are also able to alter each play as you see fit, just use the Wii-mote to select your receiver and change their running pattern. This opens up a whole new area of customisation that is not available on the Xbox and PS3 versions. The unique control method has a few one ups on its big brother counterparts, allowing you to celebrate your success after a touchdown by drumming the controllers like crazy to pull of a celebration move. Madden also utilizes the inbuilt speaker on the controller by playing game hints and tips through it, a player will occasionally shout instructions like "they are using the same play" or "watch the Quarterback". This again allows the beginners to be more alert and gives a more realistic feel to being on the field.
On top of the main modes there are the Play modes such as Party mode which includes the same mini games as last year and a trivia mode that really did not mean a thing to me. Another Wii exclusive is the 5 on 5, this has a more arcade feel and consists of players with big heads running around the field, with your Mii acting as a ref. Plays are very simple as there are only 4 to chose from with the press of the cross pad and the scoring is high due to the quick pace of the game.
A surprising inclusion in the Wii version is the online mode, the server is very easy to navigate and you can choose from friends or an open game, with no lag this was an impressive mode. The only real downside to this is that there is no voice chat to flame your opponent or even give tips.
Madden NFL 09 All Play improves greatly on last years Wii effort, there is a bit of retreading on old ground, especially in the Party Play area but in all it makes for a great family game, keeping a sensible balance for beginners and experienced players.
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