You know how I roll with video games. I wait to buy them until they're used on eBay for 60% of the original MSRP or less. Turns out when you buy last year's sports games after the newest ones out you can get a pretty sweet deal. The only downsides are when you are playing a Franchise in the year 2009 (this is in reference to Madden 07) and you get wiz-orked by Shaun Alexander and Michael Vick in the Super Bowl. In that sense, Madden is usually best when played up-to-date. In the other sense, the old GamePro Fun-Factor is probably about the same, even if it is a year old.
Overall this game is pretty good. There are more infuriating things that I could list than things that I would say truly make the game great. We all know the main knock on Madden games - no competition. There is a fear that since there is no competition the game can't progress - to Madden and EA's credit, they've seem to always try to advance the game in some way shape or form each year.
Last version I purchased was Madden 08 (that's another thing I started doing, purchasing sports games every other year). A few differences, not all for the best, and anything that was for the best I wasn't able to tell it was so much different.
One definite positive: I don't know if this was possible in other versions, can't remember now, but setting individual pass routes pre-pass, setting blocking patterns for the line, and pressing and holding a players receiving button immediately following the snap will force a quick one step pass. All of this allows for active defense reading and reaction that goes further than basic audible calling.
Negatives: The half-time show, and the post-game show. It's a waste of disc space and I'm glad they got rid of it in the newer one, so I'll enjoy the day when I can play that way. All in all, you can't finish a game with 5 minute quarters in under 45 minutes or so. Even 45 minutes is pushing it.
"Fight for Every Yard" - it also is part of the "Fight for the Fumble". Not every fumble is fought for through button mashing, but it's probably about 95% "fought for". That makes it even worse when a fumble is taken from you and you don't even have a chance to fight for it. It's random. As is when one of your receiver (PC or NPC) jump to catch an interception and drop the ball like they don't have hands or opposable thumbs.
The "Fight for Every Yard" basis also pertains to ball carrying. The first hit rarely takes a player down, and depending upon your timing, elusiveness and break tackle ability and the tacklers tackling ability, and the button you press, you can break the tackle when wrapped up. I have been one inch away from being entirely horizontal, my legs already off the ground, and hitting the right button allowed me to pop up, force a straight arm, and gain an extra 2 or 3 yards. Sometimes completely ridiculous. Again, random.
Commentating - rarely do these automated voices say anything related to the play at hand, and if I hear Cris Collinsworth say that he admires my quarterbacks toughness, or says a rookie starting the first game of his life throws 1 TD after throwing for 3 INT's has done this time after time, I think I might just shoot myself.
Finally, the Franchise mode is super stingy with trades. Costs an arm and a leg to trade up or down. CPU teams give up almost nothing. One glitch is that they'll trade one draft pick for another draft pick of the same round, regardless of team standings. Make it so there are no trade deadlines, then trade all your picks for the 1st round draft picks at the end of Week 17. Cheap, but whatever, fuck you. Also, if you trade a 3rd, 4th, and 6th round pick for a 3rd, 4th and a 5th round pick, the CPU will usually allow it. Again, cheap, but you turned a 5th round pick into a 6th round pick without breaking a sweat. Tougher to get the right mix, but it should work to get a 3rd round pick by trading 1's, 2's and then your 4th. Just a thought.
That's all I got.
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