Madden NFL 09 (Wii) Review

Posted by Sean Garmer on 09.10.2008

Get ready to teach everyone how to play the game with Madden 09 for the Wii.



We all know about exclusives for certain consoles or the PC, but the Madden franchise became the first franchise to sign an exclusive for an entire genre. For the last three years, Madden has been the only game to have the NFL logo on it, and truly, there isn’t even a point for first party developers to even try, because Madden’s name is huge. While it seems Madden has finally made a significant improvement on the XBOX 360 and PS3, there are Nintendo Wii owners that are wondering how their version stacks up. EA has slowly been trying to bring the Wii its own unique feel for the NFL game, and this year they made their most significant step forward. How did they do that you ask? Well, read on to find out.



Updated with Wii screenshots


Graphics:





As with most Wii games of this type, it is expected that if you are buying this it isn’t for the graphics, however, Madden 09 actually improves on the graphics from the 08 version, with better facial animations, better looking stadiums, and other little touchups here and there, mainly having to do with a bolder color scheme that makes the graphics look better than last year. Since this is the Wii version, there is only so much they can do with the graphics for this system. The use of the Mii’s as referees and the cartoony look for the 5 on 5 game fits the casual intent of the game well too. In the end, think of it as a little better look than what you saw on the original XBOX and you have the look of this game. I think what is more relevant is that I had more fun playing this game than wondering whether Tony Romo looks right.


Gameplay:





The first thing most players will notice even on the cover of the box is the all-play feature (that’s right I said feature, because it’s optional) it is designed to let Madden novices and the kiddos learn how to play the game. Before the game begins, you will see icons appear on the screen to tell you how to perform the functions of learning how to pass, catching the ball, swatting, and how to perform moves too. They all work fine except for the catching mechanic, which I found to be rather inconsistent. One minute I could catch the ball four straight times, the next I couldn’t catch the ball in ten tries. Ultimately though, the A.I. will still catch the ball for you, so it isn’t that big of a deal. The All-Play makes passing easier by using D-Pad buttons as passing icons and you can make jukes and spins by just shaking the Wii Remote. They have also simplified the play calling to give you three different options, very simple, easy, and normal (using the formations and such). The simple format is great for the kiddos that don’t understand a lick about football, as they can just pick between a couple of pass plays or run plays using ask madden. The other one uses plays like an HB Dive or a WR Slant that aren’t complex plays that anyone can understand. Don’t worry though, if you are a hardcore player the All-Play features can be removed. Making people have to press certain buttons to perform the skill moves on offense, and a “Blitz” type passing game where the players highlighted relates to where the player is pointing the Wii Remote. It works for the most part, but it does get annoying when the ball goes to the wrong receiver and causes an interception. It doesn’t happen all the time, but if you have two receivers going the same way it does make it difficult for the game to understand who the ball should go to.

EA found a way to allow players to correct that on their own by implementing a wonderful thing called “Call Your Shot” to the Wii version. “Call Your Shot” is almost like an on field telestrator that allows you to create pass plays on the fly for any receiver in the play. So if you call the wrong play or perhaps want to dupe the defense, change that slant to a streak and watch your receiver catch a 50-yard bomb for a touchdown, or you can even create your own trick play too. I thoroughly enjoyed this feature and I hope that EA finds a way to adapt this to the other versions of Madden. Truly, this is the big reason to own the Wii Version it makes creative use of the Wii Remote, almost like an art brush and the field is your canvas.





The other new mode is the 5-5 mode that is essentially there to get people familiarized with Madden and provide a fun diversion from the full game. Players have big heads and play on a smaller field and plays are at their NFL Street simplest. This is a great way for players to practice the call your shot or to master the gameplay controls, not to mention pop in a friend to play a short offensive minded game. It does have one quirk in that if the defense decides to blitz they are most certainly going to sack the opposing QB because the blockers completely miss them. So that’s something that needs to be fixed, but maybe you can tell your friend to limit the blitzes to one for a set of downs or something, like you used to play on the schoolyards back in the day.


All the other modes you are accustomed to seeing in Madden are back, but pretty much the same as the previous season. Franchise and Superstar mode remain almost untouched including your agent possibly referring to you as “the next Michael Vick” personally; I don’t think I would want to get compared to him at all. The Party mode returns with a mixture of mini-games, trivia, and some other things, but again, it hasn’t changed much from the 08 version.


Sound:

The Wii version of Madden does use John Madden and Al Michaels as the commentators but it is all recycled stuff from years past, and it is rather obvious when they hardly ever say a player’s name and refer to them by number. The sound effects also sound recycled, and since you don’t have the Music play option like on the 360 or PS3 this is not a good thing to have to listen to. I still like Michaels and Madden more than the new team put in this year, but it would have helped to put them in a studio and add more lines. As has been the custom for many years the EA Trax on Madden are a mix of rap and rock. With nice tracks from All-American Rejects, Linkin Park, and some not as familiar, while others are just terrible to listen to, but there is always the great NFL Films soundtrack in there too. I can never get enough of listening to those old school classical tracks. Overall, everything is ok, it is just old and needs to be improved for next year’s version.


Lasting Appeal:





Madden 09 does have online play for the Wii and I think many will be happy to know you can play without those festering friend codes too. The online has a few times where it lags but for the most part it works well. One thing is that EA didn’t provide the opposing player a way to know when the other person is using call your shot. So there will be many times where you are just sitting there waiting for them to snap the ball, which can be bothersome sometimes. The game does give fans the ability to dance and perform after a touchdown. An icon will appear on screen telling you to celebrate like a fool to earn that player a special boost. I didn’t really understand how the boost worked, but for anyone that isn’t a kid or drunk, they will probably want to disable this feature as it can really make you look like an idiot. I enjoy dancing, but this is a tad silly. The mini-camp stuff is back, and the game provides a football 101 to attempt to teach those that may not be well versed with the workings of America’s new national pastime. Pretty much, whatever you do, to get this game to last you till the next game’s release is available here on the Wii. Just not with the full fleshed out options of its other next-gen brethren.


Fun Factor:





This game is really fun with friends as you get to see them mess-up on passes and school you with the call your shot with up to four playing at a time it can provide some great hours of play time. The Call Your Shot provides a new way to play, and the All-Play gets anyone into the game in a quick fashion. In the end, it’s Madden, you know what you are getting when you put this into the system, a great game of football, regardless of how many new options each version actually has.


The 411: Ultimately, this Madden is compatible on the field with the other versions. However, if you own a XBOX 360 or PS3 to be honest I would stick to that. Using the Wii Remote to play this game is not for everyone, especially those hardcore Madden players that play a couple of games every day. This is for the kid that wants a simple game of football, your girlfriend that wants to learn about the game, or even those casual fans. EA has done its best job of representing Madden on the Wii, hopefully, they continue on the upward trend for next year.

Graphics	8.5	It looks a little better than last year, but then again, this is only the Wii
Gameplay	8.0	The All-Play features work, Call Your Shot is awesome, and the 5 on 5 is fun, but no change to franchise and superstar hurts it.
Sound	7.0	The Trax are fine, but the commentary and sound effects are old and recycled.
Lasting Appeal	8.5	There is a party mode, franchise and superstar are back but the same as last year, however online has no friend codes and that's good.
Fun Factor	9.0	This game is more fun with friends but the very good online play allows players to kick butt online too, call your shot gives you so many different ways to pass too.
Overall	8.5   [ Very Good ]

Screenshots
All 8 Madden NFL 09 Screenshots