The Madden video game franchise not only became popular because it is an NFL-licensed game featuring irreplaceable personality of John Madden, but because of the stellar gameplay.

Yesterday, I wrote about the new features in the game. I was not very impressed.

I'll just get this likely hypocritical point out of the way immediately: It is highly impossible for a Madden football to not be enjoyable.

However, Madden NFL 09 is mostly an avoidable game if you have a previous version and don't mind updating your own rosters. This is not to say the gameplay in the '09 version of the game is poor, it just hasn't improved. While EA Sports has gone out of its way to include mostly forgettable new features into the title, the gameplay has really stagnated due to neglect.

It is still much too easy to stop the run playing against both a the computer and a human opponent. (Writing, "human opponent" makes me seem super nerdy.) Manually trying to defend the pass as a cornerback is difficult. There also remains the problem of magnetic blocking, where the player you're blitzing as gets sucked into a lineman, instead of the lineman shuffling around to pick up a block. But those things are routine annoyances that by now are forgivable.

The biggest gameplay flaw in this year's version of the game is running the ball. While I have not had played as every team and every running back, it's clear there are problems with this aspect of the game. In most I-formation sets, the fullback doesn't pick up the correct block. Or, unless you're playing as Reggie Bush or Darren McFadden, it can be difficult to burst outside and break a long gain. Mostly, my runs go between one and three yards. Occasionally, I'll get lucky and break one out. Comparatively, it's really easy to pass the ball, especially in the flats.

Another big problem with this game is the player progression. Looking over the EA forums, several people have the same complaint. Because I'm a gamer geek, the process of simulating through seasons is enjoyable. You continue to run the franchise, sign free agents and draft players. Over the seasons, your players should get better or worse. While this still happens, it's not executed as well as previous years. That's what makes it a puzzling problem. How could something that has been fine in previous years not be good anymore?

The easy answer to that question is that no other game developer can make an NFL game so Madden can coast. But all this is another post for another time.

Back strictly to Madden. The game also lacks formation substitutions, there's a small bug with the salary cap and it's very easy to get an interception (which makes pass coverage extremely hit or miss).

So, Madden certainly looks neat and is mostly fun to play, but if you have a previous version of the game, stick with it unless you really need updated rosters. And fear not, EA is already making patches for most of these problems.

Writing a review of sports games can be difficult immediately after they come out, which is why there hasn't been a review here yet.

Now that the game has been out for a while, I've been able to sit with and digest the different features, new and old. Typically I only buy the NCAA Football franchise (on XBox 360) and not Madden. I decided to switch things up this year after being incredibly underwhelmed by the NCAA demo.

What the latest version of Madden offers is, generally, more of the same as year's past. The biggest additions this year are online franchises, a play rewind option and skill testing that accordingly adjusts opponents' AI.

Mostly, all of these new features are worthless.

Unless you have upwards of 20 people with the game, doing an online franchise just isn't appealing. I joined a league to try it out. Of the 32 NFL teams, 19 were filled by humans. Already, half of the league has already quit interacting. Could this be a neat feature? Sure, but it would require serious dedication. If you have trouble even keeping up with your fantasy football team, this is pointless.

If you're a true football fan, does an argument really need to be made about including the play rewind mode? Didn't think so. Most like Madden for it's realistic gameplay. Nothing is more fraudulent than a mulligan in football.

The idea of skill testing is a great one. In principle, this should allow the opponent AI to adjust to your running, passing, pass coverage and run coverage. In fact, this is a brilliant idea. Unfortunately, the AI adjusters don't really seem to apply correctly. And, as any longtime Madden players knows, stopping the run is always easy, no matter the level you have it on.

Coming tomorrow, I'll talk about the actual gameplay aspect of Madden NFL 09. The new features aren't doing much for me, so maybe what made the franchise appealing in the first place will.