It doesn’t take a genius to know that American Football does not sit well with non-American nations with their own sporting codes. Even the few who can wrap their head around all the details of this foreign sport can still have trouble finding a way to get into what is considered one of the most complicated series out there in terms of gameplay options and controls. For the series 20th anniversary EA Tiburon are trying to bring a new generation of football fanatics to the field with Madden 09 All-Play.

While most attempts at making a sports title for the Wii involve scrapping all recognizable elements found in other games in favour of colourful minigames, Madden 09 still retains all the main modes from past games such as Franchise and Superstar mode. Taking a single player through an entire playing career or managing a sports team through to the Superbowl is as deep as it’s ever been, although the modes don’t seem to have been updated much from past games. Having your star player being named the next Michael Vick hasn’t been a good thing for a few years, unless serving a federal prison sentence is something to cheer about.

While the main game modes seem to be a ‘ctrl c + ctrl v’ those previously mentioned colourful Wii extras are what Tiburon hope will bring a new audience to the Madden series. The new 5 on 5 game mode removes almost all elements of the real game. Touchdowns are only worth 1 point; there are only 4 plays available for offence and defense, and everyone has giant bobble heads. While this does nothing to help teach newcomers about the sport, it is a fun arcade-like alternative for about 10 minutes.

The main game of pigskin hasn’t changed much since the series popped onto the Wii with Madden 07, but what’s here is still a solid control setup that easily beats out most games in terms of functionality and reliability. Renamed and refined from 08s Family Play, the new All-Play controls aim to make the game playable by first timers of all ages. While All-Play succeeds at making the game simpler for everyone, it can feel too basic for anyone who has been playing games (not necessarily Madden) for a long time. However, jumping straight into the traditional controls is no easy feat with most of the small details absent from ingame tutorials. In short, while the control options work well they could do a better job easing in newcomers who want to improve.

Once you wrap your head around the smaller details and pre snap options the game becomes extremely enjoyable. Flick the Wiimote up to snap the ball and begin your play, target your intended receiver with the D pad and move the Wiimote down to make the pass. Catching is done by raising the Wiimote and Nunchuck upwards, usually followed by run with the anagloue stick and using basic movements to push off oncoming tackles. The best part of the controls are definitely the single new addition called ‘Call Your Shot’ giving the player the option to draw new pass routes just before snapping the ball. Tiburon should be pat themselves on the back for finding a new gameplay mechanic that works on the Wii and really makes Madden 09 feel like it was made for the console.

Also the developers should be commended for not only including online play in their Wii game, but finding a way around using the much hated Friend Code system. Instead players create an EA Nation tag which allows for friend rosters, text messages and everything you wish Nintendo did for their own online games. While online players are typically absent (possible from region locked servers) matching up with a friend seems to work without a hitch.

Presentation for the most part is identical to previous Wii Madden games, which means slightly improved PS2 quality is the norm here. Colours appear brighter and fuller, and some new animations are thrown in but to the untrained eye it would be hard to spot the difference. There are still plenty of visual quirks to pick up, but they never hamper on the experience. Commentary is accurate for the most part, although repetition rears its ugly head very quickly when you hear the same lines about how you frequently fumble the ball on the third down.

Madden is still one of the top sporting experiences on the Wii, but the core game itself feels ready for a massive overhaul in the next year. While the new All-Play content is a nice way to bring in a new audience it feels like a separate entity to the main game of football. If this trend is to continue there needs to be a better fusion of the casual content and the hardcore modes instead of trying to make two different games on the single disc. Anyone even remotely interested in the game of pigskin shouldn’t hesitate in picking up Madden 09 All-Play, not because it’s the only game in town but because it is one of the best sport experiences on the Wii.

Platform reviewed: Wii

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