Madden NFL 09
With the release of the 20th Anniversary Edition of Madden NFL 09, another football season is officially upon us. We hit up game designer Daniel Castorani for an inside look at the new Madden arsenal. Trust us when we tell you: regardless of your skill level, this Madden is for you.
Maden NFL 09 [EA Sports] Overview: Designers of the 20th edition of the Madden franchise kicked it up a few notches with 85 new features, including adaptable gameplay. Castorani says, “[We did this] to make the game more accessible to people who had not played the game before [and] to add depth for our hardcore community, our Madden faithful.”
Systems: Xbox 360, Xbox, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii
Release Date: Aug. 12
STACK’s Favorite New Feature
BackTrack: Learn plays on both sides of the ball, then use the customized feedback to learn from your mistakes. Castorani says, “If you make a wrong call, we detect that. …We show you a replay, and say ‘Hey, you made a bad call, [which is] why the offense was successful. Here’s what you should do next time.’” Every player will benefit from this feature, according to Castorani. “We’re talking about football things that people might not inherently know, and play call is one of those things,” he says. “I really think it’s going to be helpful to new users, and people who are more experienced are [also] going to get something out of it.”
STACK Honorable Mention
Virtual Trainer: According to Castorani, this feature teaches you how to play the game—for example how to read blocks as a running back. “You have the ball, and you need to make it to the end zone,” he explains. “We give you light blockers, [so] you learn really quickly that if you outrun your blockers, you’re getting tackled. We teach you the mechanics.”
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Madden NFL 09
With the release of the 20th Anniversary Edition of Madden NFL 09, another football season is officially upon us. We hit up game designer Daniel Castorani for an inside look at the new Madden arsenal. Trust us when we tell you: regardless of your skill level, this Madden is for you.
Maden NFL 09 [EA Sports] Overview: Designers of the 20th edition of the Madden franchise kicked it up a few notches with 85 new features, including adaptable gameplay. Castorani says, “[We did this] to make the game more accessible to people who had not played the game before [and] to add depth for our hardcore community, our Madden faithful.”
Systems: Xbox 360, Xbox, PS3, PS2, PSP, Wii
Release Date: Aug. 12
STACK’s Favorite New Feature
BackTrack: Learn plays on both sides of the ball, then use the customized feedback to learn from your mistakes. Castorani says, “If you make a wrong call, we detect that. …We show you a replay, and say ‘Hey, you made a bad call, [which is] why the offense was successful. Here’s what you should do next time.’” Every player will benefit from this feature, according to Castorani. “We’re talking about football things that people might not inherently know, and play call is one of those things,” he says. “I really think it’s going to be helpful to new users, and people who are more experienced are [also] going to get something out of it.”
STACK Honorable Mention
Virtual Trainer: According to Castorani, this feature teaches you how to play the game—for example how to read blocks as a running back. “You have the ball, and you need to make it to the end zone,” he explains. “We give you light blockers, [so] you learn really quickly that if you outrun your blockers, you’re getting tackled. We teach you the mechanics.”