EA Sports has a great FAQ about Madden 09 posted in their forum. You can access the full list
here. I'll post a couple of questions that I found interesting.
Why
did you change the controller config on 360/PS3?
Though we realize it is very hard to change a
configuration once you get used to it, we think that the
switch of sprint from the primary X button on PS2 (or A on
Xbox) to the trigger was the right move to make, because:
1.) Every other sports game has R2 / RT as sprint, and 2.)
It was really awkward to do moves like hurdle and spin (and
anything on the R-stick) when you had your thumb planted on
the X button. By freeing up all the face buttons and Right-
Stick, the moves are much easier to pull off. With all that
being said, we have always had a custom controls option
where you can change it to anything you like.
Has the “bowling
pin” phenomenon been fixed – where players all fall away
from a tackle as it happens?This has been much
improved, but since we can’t currently create 5, 6, 7, and
8 man pile-ups or pile-ons, we still do have instances where a
defender gets collided with by a large force (a tackle coming
right at him) - and just he can’t get out of the way, so
rather than interpenetrate he has to play a “fall”
animation. We’ve add a lot more avoidance animations and brand
new physics-informed fall animations this year so you
really won’t see the mass of players all flying everywhere
around the pile nearly as often as year’s prior, but there
is still room for improvement in this area.
Why isn’t the ESPN broadcast package used in
Madden?EA’s relationship with ESPN and the NFL allows
us to provide streamed audio and video directly from ESPN and
the NFL. In Madden NFL 09, we provide our fans with access to
compelling ESPN and NFL content like NFL Total Access,
SportsCenter highlights, PTI segments, etc. We now give you an
incredibly fun and realistic football experience with the
game and also provide access to compelling football news
that only ESPN and the NFL Network could provide.
Have
spectacular catches / jet pack catches been toned down?
Yes, definitely. The spectacular catches have been
toned way down in terms of how powerful they are, and
defenders also have a much easier chance of knocking the
ball out (since the receiver is really putting himself out
there on big leaping catches like that).
What about fatigue…how has it changed this
year? Our very robust fatigue system was brand new to
last year, and it has been tweaked and tuned moreso for
Madden NFL 09 to provide much more accurate results. We really
want to make sure defensive teams that are getting pounded on
with the run game really get tired towards the end of a
long drive, and we also wanted to discourage frequent fly
routes and no-huddle offenses. The system was further tuned to
address these issues.
Have the fumble
problems been addressed?Yes, this was addressed in
a patch for Madden NFL 08, and those changes were carried over
to Madden NFL 09. After those fixes went in, we also re-
factored the way animations, ratings, and weather impacted
fumbling – I think you’ll see it’s much more realistic this
year.
The full Madden 09 FAQ can be read here.