Madden NFL 09

Overview

Madden NFL 09 is an American football video game based on the NFL, published by EA Sports and developed by EA Tiburon. It is the nineteenth annual installment of the Madden NFL series. It came out for the Nintendo DS, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, Xbox, Xbox 360 and mobile phones. It was the last game for the original Xbox and the last Madden game for the Nintendo DS. There was no PC version.

The game was released on 12 August 2008 in North America. Brett Favre is on the cover. When the game was announced he had retired as a member of the Green Bay Packers, which made him the first non-active player to be a cover athlete. About a week before release he came out of retirement and was traded to the New York Jets, but the cover still shows him in a Packers uniform. Instead of reissuing the packaging, EA offered a free alternative cover of Favre in a Jets uniform to print. A roster update on 12 August 2008 put Favre on the Jets as their starting quarterback in the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions.

Play-by-play comes from Tom Hammond and color commentary from Cris Collinsworth in the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions. John Madden still guides you through the Madden IQ feature, and he appears at the start of games to describe the matchup. The quarterback passing cone that debuted in Madden NFL 06 and upset fans is gone. The soundtrack has 26 songs, including Shinedown, Disturbed, Innerpartysystem, The Offspring, Trivium, Wale, Kardinal Offishal, Linkin Park, K'naan, Gym Class Heroes and Busta Rhymes.

A 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition was sold in North America only. It includes NFL Head Coach 09, an alternative case, an exclusive version of John Madden Football '93 with updated teams and rosters, and bonus video content. It has no cover athlete and instead shows a larger version of the Roman numeral XX logo. A Spanish-language version for PS3 and Xbox 360 followed on 17 September 2008 with ESPN Deportes announcer Alvaro Martin and Chicago Bears guard Roberto Garza on the cover. A demo was released on Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network.

Reception was positive. On Metacritic the Xbox 360 version holds 83 out of 100 and the PS3 version 85. The Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences nominated it for Sports Game of the Year at the 12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards. By 30 September 2008 EA said it had sold 4.5 million copies, and it was the ninth best-selling game of 2008 in the US with more than 1.87 million copies on Xbox 360.

Shortly after release, players reported freezing errors in the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions. EA confirmed the problem and said it would work on a patch. The episode led many players to question whether patching let companies release games unfinished.

Official trailer

Madden NFL 09 Trailer, EA SPORTS MADDEN NFL. Watch on YouTube

Gameplay

MADDEN NFL 09 | Xbox 360 Gameplay, BenedictPlays. Watch on YouTube

Screenshots

Game details

Genres

Sports, American football

Developer

EA Tiburon

Publisher

EA Sports

Series

Madden NFL

Modes

Single player

Yes

Local multiplayer

2

Online multiplayer

2

Release dates

Editions

Buy this game

Achievements

Achievements25 (1,000G)

1000G possibleYes

Total

25

Gamerscore

1000

100% time

5 to 8 hours

Difficulty

2 out of 10

Playthroughs for 1000G

6

Playthroughs for 100%

6

1000G without online

Yes

Online trophies

0

Online note

All 25 achievements are offline. The online service closed on 8 February 2011.

DLC has trophies

No

1000G includes DLC

No

100% includes DLC

No

DLC still for sale

No

DLC note

No DLC achievements.

Missable trophies

0

Separate trophy lists by region

No

Only in a language other than English

No

Languages

English, Spanish

Online-only version

No

Digital-only

No

Disc-only

Yes

Players with 1000G

15.08%

Gamerscore, base game

1000

Gamerscore with DLC

1000

Grind

• Single-game stat targets, easiest on Rookie with fatigue and injuries off

• 2 TD Kickoff Returns in a game Return 2 Kickoffs for a TD in a game (non co-op) 75G 23.72% of players
• Shut out Rival in a Franchise Shut out Rival in a Franchise game (non co-op) 50G 33.74% of players
• Kick a FG for over 50 yards Kick a FG for over 50 yards in a Franchise game (non co-op) 15G 28.1% of players
• Complete a game without an INT Complete a game without an interception, 5 min+ quarter length (non co-op) 30G 73.57% of players
• 6 Rush TDs with the Dolphins 6 Rush TDs in a game with the Dolphins (non co-op) 50G 24.92% of players
• Catch 10 passes in a game Catch 10 passes in a game with one receiver (non co-op) 50G 53.89% of players
• Complete game without fumbling Complete a game without fumbling, 5 min+ quarter length (non co-op) 25G 84.28% of players
• 2 TD Punt Returns in a game 2 TD Punt Returns in a game (non co-op) 65G 21.9% of players
• Intercept 6 passes in a game Intercept 6 passes in a game (non co-op) 50G 47.22% of players
• Hold a Rival to under 300 yards Hold a Rival to under 300 yards total offense in a game (non co-op) 50G 71.84% of players
• Score 60 points in a Rival game Score 60 points in a Rival game (non co-op) 30G 36.82% of players
• Score 40 points in a Rival game Score 40 points in a Rival game (non co-op) 20G 50.31% of players
• Record 12 sacks in a game Record 12 sacks in a game (non co-op) 50G 23.94% of players
• 6 sacks with 1 player in a game 6 sacks with 1 player in a game (non co-op) 50G 24.39% of players
• 80% completion for a game 80% pass completion in a Franchise game, 5 min+ quarter length (non co-op) 50G 46.14% of players
• 7 Pass TDs with the Falcons Throw 7 pass TDs in a game with the Falcons (non co-op) 50G 24.11% of players
• 550 Pass Yds with the Titans 550 Pass Yds in a game with the Titans (non co-op) 50G 23.66% of players
• 300 Rush Yds with the Jets 300 Rush Yds in a game with the Jets (non co-op) 10G 22.37% of players
• Hold a Rival to under 20 points Hold a Rival team to under 20 points in a game (non co-op) 10G 69.07% of players
• Now Here's a Guy... Thank you for purchasing Madden NFL 09. Here's to another 20 years! 50G Hidden 33.12% of players
• Midway Monster Create a legendary player from the past. 50G 30.91% of players
• Can You Believe These Seats?! Celebrate a touchdown in a wall hotspot 30G 70.96% of players
• Steal Their Thunder Steal an opposing player's touchdown celebration 30G 46.19% of players
• Slam Dunk All-Star Dunk the ball over the goalpost (or at least attempt to) after a touchdown 30G 86.83% of players
• Shine In The Spotlight Celebrate a touchdown in an endzone hotspot 30G 85.11% of players

Space and patches

Space neededPlays from the disc

Update patchTitle update 2

The title updates on record for this game.

Playable today

Playable offline todayPartly

Every offline mode plays from the disc, including local play for up to four. Online play ended on 8 February 2011.

Online

Online servers runningNo

Plays offlinePartly

EA closed the online service for the Xbox 360 version on 8 February 2011. Every offline mode still plays from the disc.

Services

Service	Status	Shutdown date
EA online multiplayer	closed	2011-02-08

Reception

Aggregates

Outlet	Platform	Score	Scale
Metacritic	Xbox 360	83	100

Critics

Outlet	Score	Scale
IGN	8.8	10
GameSpot	8	10
Game Informer	8.25	10
GamePro	4.5	5
GameSpy	4	5
GameTrailers	8.7	10
GameZone	8.9	10
Eurogamer	7	10
Destructoid	7	10
411Mania	8.5	10
Official Xbox Magazine (US)	9	10

Staff and cast

Staff

Role	Name
Play-by-play commentary	Tom Hammond
Color commentary	Cris Collinsworth

Notes for collectors

• Brett Favre is on the cover in a Packers uniform even though he was a Jet by release day.
• EA offered a free printable cover of Favre in a Jets uniform, and the roster update on 12 August 2008 put him on the Jets.
• The 20th Anniversary Collector's Edition was North America only and has no cover athlete.
• It was the last Madden game released for the original Xbox and for the Nintendo DS.
• A Spanish-language version for PS3 and Xbox 360 came out on 17 September 2008.
• Early copies froze on the Xbox 360 and PS3 and needed a patch.
• Now Here's a Guy... is a hidden achievement worth 50 points. Its text thanks you for buying the game.

Credits

Publisher

EA Sports

Developer

EA Tiburon

Released

2008-08-12

Age rating

E (Everyone)

Disc ID

45410864

Region

US

Time to beat

about 14.9 hours

Copies in the shop

• Madden NFL 09 (XBOX 360) CA$14.99