Customer Reviews

Madden NFL 09 All-Play

5 star:		(33)
4 star:		(19)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is the ultimate football game for the Wii, hands down. EA got this one right. If you've played 07 and 08, then it's basically the same game control-wise, but don't let that fool you. On the surface, it may seem to be the same, but when you launch the game, there is so much more there.

First off, All-Play. What is it? It allows the novice to get into the game and start playing without having to worry about learning all the different control moves to play the game. You can have Madden suggest all the plays for you, you can use a simplified playbook with common plays or else, you can use the team's playbook and have at your disposal an arsenal of plays to beat down your opponent with. You can switch between the different playbook options easily while in the game.

Whether you are a rookie or an All-Pro player, everyone can compete against each other with their own style, at home and online! Oh, and no Friend codes are necessary to play online! Great move, EA!

Control-wise, you can just hike the ball, run it with a few moves (jukes, spins, etc) and pass it to the open receiver all with minimal controller moves and/or button presses. When passing, look for the receiver whose icon turns green and swing the Wiimote forward to pass it to that receiver. You don't have to select him to do it. As you get better at the game, you can then move up to the more complex controls from last year's game.

The all-new Call Your Shots is the hot route option on steroids! In this case, you select your receiver whose route you wish to modify and then using the Wiimote, you draw your own route for him to run! This option is NOT available on any other console. It is specific to the Wii and it's easy and it works great. You can still use the old hot-route option if you want to, but why would you?

When you score a TD or a big hit, jump up and start dancing as hard as you can, waving your nunchuck and Wiimote around using different gestures. The more you do it, the more you boost that player's gameplay rating and it gets the crowd into the game.

5 on 5 mode is akin to playing backyard football. You start at midfield and have 4 plays to score a TD. It's over the top and fun. Unfortunately, it can't be played online.

The graphics, while still PS2-ish, have been upgraded on the Wii and look better than previous versions on the Wii. Heck, it definitely looks better than the 2008 PC version. It's not next-gen but what really makes this game shine is the ability for novices, intermediate and hard-core Madden-ites to be able to play this game. I've never had more fun with Madden than I have had with this version and I'm in no way an expert on this game. I can barely play on All-Pro and All-Madden is just nuts for me, so now I can hang pretty tough and learn what to look for as Madden gives me tips.

And finally, the passing bug of years past is gone! They fixed this and refined the way it registers your movements so that it seems much more natural. Also, players getting stuck seems to have been removed as well. I haven't experienced it yet, though, but I've read accounts of others seeing it once in a great while, but nothing like in the previous versions.

Now, why 4 out of 5 for the game overall? First off, the Miis. The refs are Miis. Madden is a Mii (that is scary!) and you cannot turn this option off. I believe it's Nintendo's way of trying to make the game appeal to the family crowd and it probably works. I didn't find it too bad, but I wish it could have been an option to turn on or off. But, it definitely plays into the way Nintendo wants to market the Wii which is it's a family/group system that encourages people to play together, so it's not all bad.

I'm having problems when receiving a pass manually. You must raise both the nunchuck and the Wiimote up at the same time to make your player reach/jump for a pass. I've practiced this as much as I can and I just can't seem to get it to work consistently. In fact, one time I swung both controls up so fast that the cord from the nunchuck to the Wiimote came up and smacked me in the face. OUCH! I guess I just need to keep practicing this one, but all the other motion controls work great.

Finally, 5 on 5 not being online brings the score down a bit as well.

Overall, this game is worth it and is deserving of the 5-star fun factor rating. It's the best Madden yet for Wii and it shows EA listened to the gripes from people about last year's version.

I was among the many disappointed football fans when EA snagged the exclusive NFL license and killed Take-Two's superior ESPN series, just as it had surpassed the always fun but overrated Madden series with NFL 2K5. It's been a few years now and, though I've moved on from the XBox and am fully addicted to the Wii, I still pull out 2K5 for a quick game every now and then when I need a football fix. After a few intense games getting a feel for Madden NFL 09 All-Play this weekend, though, that nostalgia bug may finally be dead.

For me, the two most important features of a good football game are realistic passing and logical controls and All-Play delivers both in spades. The motion controls are pretty intutitive, most involving movements I often made anyway with a traditional controller -- think old-school pinball -- but now actually having an affect on the gameplay. Power moves, jukes, interceptions, even celebrations are easier than ever to pull off and are believable in translation. And the passing game -- still a bit too arcade-like for my tastes -- is much smoother with everything from hiking the ball to tossing a lob or a bullet controlled by intuitive motions.

While the All Play features definitely make the game more accessible (and are optional; hard-core tradionalists can still use standard controls), it doesn't quite acheive the literal "All Play" as the inherent learning curve of any decent football sim remains rather steep. I certainly won't be playing against my 7-year old any time soon.

The best feature, though, is "Call Your Shots", the ability to customize an audible by using the WiiMote to reroute any or all of your receivers after the play is called, telestrator-style, in any direction, cut or curl you can imagine. It works flawlessly and elevates Madden 09 to a new level that almost justifies the exclusive license.

There are an incredible number of options to make this game as simple or as complex as you'd like. That's very refreshing considering how complex football games, especially Madden, became over the past decade.

First, the "All Play" option simplifies the game to the lowest common denominator. There are just a few motion controls for offense and a few for defense. Passes automatically go to the first open receiver yet you retain the basic option to throw left, right, or down the middle. Defense is even simpler. Wiggle the wiimote just before a hit to land a "Big Hit" to try and force a fumble. Basic running moves include sprints, spins, and jukes.

Next, there are 3 playbooks to choose from. Madden's recommendation, the Basic Play Book, and an Advanced Playbook. Choosing the Basic Playbook gives you about a dozen plays on offense and defense. No more scrolling through screen after screen of baffling formations, routes, and coverages. Also by default in "All Play" mode there is no play clock, which means you can take your time selecting your play.

The motion controls add an element to the game that is very fun, especially for the quarterback. A quick snap of the wrist throws a bullet, while a large sweeping motion lobs a bomb. It's a great feeling to drop back and lob a pass to a wide open receiver for an 80 yard touchdown. The motion-control passing controls are very satisfying in this regard.

If this is all too simple for you, you can disable "All Play" and play with all the Advanced Options that hardcore gamers are used to, including setting men in motion, formation changes, audibles, stiff arms, and on and on and on. Of course you can adjust just about every element of game play including quarter length, injuries, penalties, fatigue, and so on.

The game naturally allows you to advance at your own pace. After you've mastered "All Play" with the Basic Playbook, start using the Advanced Playbook. Mastered that? Turn off "All Play" and enable the Rookie difficulty mode. Mastered that? Move on to Pro. Then All Pro. Then All Madden!

Outside of an ordinary football game, you can play a 5-on-5 game, play in Franchise mode, play in Superstar mode, play trivia in Party Mode -- it just goes on and on.

Years ago many of these football video games just became too complex for the casual gamer. Madden All Play finally changes that and allows the game to be legitimately casual, fun, and enjoyable. Yet, you can slowly adapt the game to become more and more complex, if you want.

Hardcore gamers should still find everything they're used to just by disabling "All Play" and choosing an appropiate difficulty level.

The best football game on the best platform. Highly recommended.

I am a nearly-senior American (I'll leave the interpretation to you) who enjoys a challenging video game but hasn't the patience or the coordination to use either Playstations or X-boxes; naturally I was attracted to the Wii. I have played any number of Wii games, many of which I find more tedious than fun.

Madden 09 is both fun and challenging and a marked improvement over Madden 07. The All-Play feature permits geezers like me to play a sensible game of football without having to spend considerable time learning a bunch of complicated controller combinations. Once a few All-Play football games are under your belt, I found it quite natural to actually WANT to learn some of the more advanced controller moves.

Others have done an excellent job of extolling the virtues of Madden 09. I will simply emphasize the well thought-out structure of the game, which permits enjoying it from a completely-green novice through to a demanding gamer.

It is rare for a video game to be this well done. I can recommend it to those who like strategy games as well as those who like sports games.

I have owned every Madden series on the Wii ('07, '08, and '09) and while this version is better than '08( which i sold back quickly) this is still not better than Madden '07. I wish they would take the '07 series with their control scheme and simplicity and add online play, better graphics, and a new roster and I would be happy.

Pros
-call you shots mode is fun and intuitive
-graphics are a little better but not up to par with other first party titles
-5 on 5 mode is fun with big heads
-online play works as advertised(finally!)

Cons
-same crappy control scheme as '08 and they give you no option to change this or opt for another configuration. for instance, to attempt a stiff arm you need to press the z button on the numchuck and then waggle the wiimote. This rarely works against the defense. The great thing about '07 was the stiff arms and jukes were easy to perform and worked well against the defense. Now its close to impossible to get by one defender with any move.
- bullet pass vs lob pass does not work as advertised. I regularly do a bullet passes when attempting a soft lob with the wii mote and vice versa.
- dancing after a touchdown is ridiculous. What happened to the feature in '07 where after an offensive player got enough daylight, a wiimote waggle would taunt the defense by high stepping or posing as you run down for the score. This has been eliminated and was a lot when playing with friends.

Overall a fun experience but its just pathetic the potential that is there with this series on the Wii and they leave it untapped. Come on EA listen to your customers. I own a ps3 and always opt for this game on the wii b/c of how perfect football could be with the wii motion controls but EA just hasn't gotten it quite right yet.

I hate this game! As soon as my husband begins playing it, I must leave the room. He becomes so engrossed & intense in the game I take the dogs upstairs & read.

An hour to 2 hours later, he comes to bed refreshed, smiling, relaxed & wanting to tell me all about the game he just played. (He has yet to lose to another team.) Just what I want to hear all about @ the end of the day, right. My suggestion, don't let your husband purchase this game. You won't be able to deal w/ a relaxed, refreshed husband.

Going back to Madden 1997 on the Super Nintendo system, I have purchased and enjoyed every single installment of the Madden Football series. The main two reasons I enjoyed this series so much were its featuring of "real" players, as well as the congruence of the controls from system to system and game to game. Whether on the SNES, Nintendo '64, or Gamecube, the button configuration was laid out basically the same, ingraining that pattern in your head for years and years.

With Madden '09, however, I had a bit of difficulty at first adapting to the new controller scheme (Wii remote and nunchuk). I found myself moving the Wii-mote around too much, causing crazy things to happen, and throwing to the wrong receiver because I was so used to "A", "B" or "X" "Y" buttons instead of a control pad. Plus, the fact that two hands are constantly in use (at least more than other systems) means that the level of difficulty is ratcheted up even further.

Now, don't get me wrong...Madden '09 is still a tremendously fun game (even if my more Wii-experienced younger brother beats me at every game!), not having lost anything from previous installments and gaining a Party Mode (something the Madden franchise severely lacked). The only potentially frustrating aspect of your Madden '09 experience (if you don't want to play in the too-easy All-Play mode) will be learning an entirely new set of controls. Once you have those picked up, though, you will eventually get back in the swing of things!

I rented both over the past few days to see which one I should buy. The PS3 was first and it was alot harder than any version I had ever played on the PS2. It looked really sharp but it was very frustrating to play. Next came the Wii version as soon as my wife and I put it in we were playing a few minutes later both having alot of fun in the process. I had orginally planned to get the PS3 version because of graphics and the realism, but it was just so hard to get it started and figure it out. Now I wouldn't call myself a Madden master but i could hold my own on the last PS2 version I played. The PS3 just seemed like it was going to take alot of time and effort I don't have to give. I had never played any Wii version, but i am definetly going to go with the Wii version just cause it was so easy to start it up and start to play.

the dual controller action is more fun than the standard/normal control pad. gives you a whole new experience. take a little time to get used to it. but, once you're used to it, it's a lot more fun.

Well, I have been a Madden fan since not so long ago. I have not played them all, but I can tell you I have played quite some of them and this is the best one so far.

For a beginner, it is VERY user-friendly. No complicated controls on the in-game screen while choosing plays, etc...

For more advanced players, making your own plays, strategies, etc... is very comfortable and much more simple than in previous Maddens.

The 5 on 5 game is great for learning and getting used to the controls. Also great for beginners to start learning basic rules and simple plays.

Bottom line, Best Madden I have ever played! I really recommend it if you really like Football. Cheers!