Madden 2009

Let me start off by saying that I am huge fan of Madden, not as big as some but I play about 1 or 2 games a day. That being said I will try not to be biased during this review. The content in this game is great for anyone, there is no cursing, killing or zombie cheerleaders in this one. As long as you don't think that "Foolsball is the devil" you should be good letting your kids play this one.

From a gameplay standpoint this game is great. This years Madden is much faster then previous years. For the most part the controls are great, I think that the hit stick still needs some work and I dont really like the hit or miss highlight stick. Running the ball is pretty tough if your using this years new feature the "Madden I.Q." When you start the game you go through a kind of madden test to see how good you are at certain things. Lets just say that I think my 2 year old daughter could get a perfect on the rushing test. This means that your rushing offense is going to be so jacked up that it is almost impossible to get over 100 yards in a single game. I'm torn with this though, I somewhat like it because it makes it more realistic but it is also annoying because sometimes you just want to run like O.J. and feel good about yourself (pride thing I guess). Anyway for the most part gameplay here is tight.

I love the franchise mode but I'm not really sure why. Its very bare boned and limited in things you can do during the regular season and especially the off-season. But for a franchise junkie like me I can't stop playing it. On the other hand I hate the superstar feature, controlling one player is lame especially because you can not call your own plays. On-line is fun but tough and I wouldn't let my kids get on there just because of other peoples potty mouths.

Graphically this game is very nice. Animations run smooth and there are a bunch of new ones. The commentators are okay the first 5 games you hear them but after that you can pretty much quote what they will say next. The music in the game is annoying but I just like to turn off the default music and put on the NFL films music (much classier).

Pros: It's Football

Gameplay and Graphics are the tightest to date

Great for anyone

Cons: Bare bones franchise mode

Comeback A.I. is brutal

On-line weirdos

From a Christian perspective this game is harmless. The only thing to be concerned about is its addictive nature and the online wackos. Like I said in the review unless you think football is evil this game is great.

Rating: 10 out of 10

Would Jesus Play this Game: Yes