For the first time in a long time, I'm happy to report a noticeable difference in the visual quality of EA Sports' long-running footballer, Madden NFL 09. The player models look absolutely outstanding this year, even on my nearly 15-year old television. True to form, the environmental aspect of the game offers a whole lot of eye candy as well. Playing in the rain, for example, will become a grimy Mud Bowl soon enough, even making it difficult to distinguish between the players from the two teams on the field because of the filthy uniforms that it produces. In fact, it made me bust out laughing when some fresh blood came in with a spotless uniform, reminding me of my freshman year of high school, I suppose. Yes, I was the kid in white.

Amazingly enough, I also didn't find the on-screen text to be extremely difficult to read as I have in past games (and other EA games that almost force you to play on an HDTV), and I can generally read it from a distance. The on-screen presentation of each game is equally visually pleasing, with an outside look at each stadium and fireworks to kick off each game. The Training Center offers X-rayed players, and while a bit gimmicky, it still offers a fresh look at this new feature (see Gameplay below).

On the field, you'll also be treated to subtle comments that follow the action, according to your teammates or the opponent... a nice touch of polish. Unfortunately, however, I missed the commentary in some of the games, as Cris Collinsworth and Tom Hammond were nowhere to be seen (depending on the game/mode). When they were on the sidelines they had good play-by-play, and even better color commentary, yet I somehow strangely miss the namesake of the game, John Madden, calling the action. I know, I can't believe that I said that either, but he does offer a familiar face/voice once in a while to break things up. One of the coolest subtleties of Madden 09 came from the PA announcer, in fact, as he called my name during recaps between plays. This added greatly to the realism that was lacking during the times when "player 1" or your created player's number would be called instead in previous titles. Kudos goes out to Tiburon for a presentation well done.

With 20 years of gameplay behind the Madden franchise, it's no wonder that this year's anniversary edition is on par to be one of the greatest football games of all-time. It almost makes me wonder if the developers have been working on Madden 09 for years, because it is definitely the one to get for those of you who don't buy the yearly updates. The sheer number of improvements and additions (too many to mention here) is worth the price of admission, yet you also get great gameplay beyond that.

Madden 09 take those 20 years of experience and combines it into one great title. First and foremost, those of you out there that are signed up with Xbox Live are in for a great treat with the addition of Online Leagues. Invite your friends and play online for the coveted crown of being the best Madden player in your social network. You'll have different options to choose from, but the fact that you can play up to eleven games, plus playoffs, without having to pass a disc and/or memory card around and can now take on your friends from around the world is worth its weight in gold.

In addition to Online Leagues, Madden 09 offers up a Superstar Mode in which you'll take on the NFL from the point of view of one individual player of your choice. You'll have the opportunity to choose from any current star or create your own that needs to be drafted and brought through the ranks as a rookie. You can alternatively import a Legend from NCAA Football 09 if you choose. The premise of becoming a Superstar has you only controlling the action while your player is on the field, be that offense, defense, or special teams, allowing you to skip subsequent plays. In addition, you won't have the luxury to call your own plays (with the exception of audibles), so you will be heavily reliant on both your skills and the play-calling ability of your coach. Unfortunately, the latter was often almost embarrassing in many circumstances, so be warned... this was the only time I felt let down by Madden 09's Artificial Intelligence (A.I.). I do wish there were an option to watch each/certain plays, however, because there may be a clutch play that goes unnoticed as the play-by-play text scrolls by. Regardless, Superstar Mode is a great way to play very quick games.

Of course, you'll also have the standard gameplay modes in Madden 09, so feel free to take on a single game or start up a Franchise with your favorite team(s). One other addition to mention comes in the form not of a game mode in itself, but in the all-new Virtual Training Center. Here you will learn to take on the opponent in both offensive and defensive situations to help improve your skills and hone yourself into a veteran Madden gamer (see more about the My Skills feature below).

Only a few things stand in the way of giving Madden 09 a full one hundred percent rating, and they are (somewhat) minor in comparison when you look at the full package as a whole. Beside the other mentions elsewhere within this review, it is worthy to note that without a widescreen TV, you are missing out on field vision. Unfortunately, it is impossible to determine when the corner blitz is coming from a normal camera angle. Fortunately you can, however, zoom out pre-snap, but you then have to hike the ball before the camera returns to the close-on-the-quarterback view, and when you do get the play off, the camera is now zoomed so far out that many details are lost when trying to read the field. The other main factor is in the difficulty of Madden 09. Believe it or not, this year's edition may have you pulling your hair out, but I suppose that is better than running through every opponent that you meet.

Once again, I have to use the "For the first time in a long time" phrase when it comes to the difficulty of Madden 09. In most sports games, the difficulty section can often be a generic mumble of text that is interchangeable between series years, and once in a while even can be substituted between totally different sports games. While this year's Madden does have the standard difficulty modes, and in fact it is truly still at the game's core, there is something that I'm pleased to inform you of that is drastically different with Madden 09.

You see, when you first boot up the game, you'll be offered a chance to take the Madden Test. While you certainly could decline (you can always get to it later on), I highly recommend that you take the time to go through the entire training exercise that is put in front of you. You may even get bored while doing it (it does feel a bit drawn out, after all), but hang in there, for something good is about to happen.

Upon completing these tests, you'll be given a Madden IQ/My Skill score for different categories, including Rush Offense and Defense, and Pass Offense and Defense. These scores directly relate to the four difficulty settings, and automatically adjusts the game's A.I. based on your performance. Do yourself a favor and don't cheat to get a lower score... you'll be happy that you did.

Truth be told, you may be more frustrated than happy at first (or in my case, for a long time) because you may very well end up facing a difficult computer until you begin to master the idiosyncrasies of the game. Doing horribly also won't take that much of a toll on you in the long term because at the end of each game, you're My Skill score will auto-adjust based on your in-game performance, making future games retain their challenge, yet not be impossible. If you're a veteran to the series, this can also help you out by increasing your scores and upping the A.I.'s difficulty until you become an All-Madden player yourself.

With that said, it has to be mentioned that the most frustrating aspect of Madden 09 came in the form of the interception. For me, it wasn't uncommon to throw a ridiculous amount of picks because the A.I. pass defense has been ramped up. Look out, Brett Favre (the cover athlete), I'm coming for your Most Interceptions in History record!

The gameplay of Madden 09 is enhanced once again by the pre-snap play-calling abilities given to the player. There are tons of audibles, formation tweaks, and other goodies available with an on-screen HUD to help you remember how to adjust your offense or defense. I only have two main gripes when it comes to Madden 09's interface. The first and most important issue shows in-game during pass plays. In past years, the icons above individual receivers had a consistency about them in terms of button association, but this year's game doesn't always split the field from left to right correctly, especially with the running backs. The second concern is minor, but annoying. Simply put, the Start Button must be pressed to bring up previous Menus at times when you are backing out of subsequent game modes. At least the addition of a one-button press to bring up a save GUI relieves the pain a bit.

It's been a fair number of years since I fell in love with a Madden game, noting that the overall quality has been declining for some time. In fact, after that stinker that debuted on the Xbox 360 (Madden 06), I haven't had a whole lot of desire to give EA another chance to win my heart back. With that said, I know there are more of you out there with the same thoughts of disappointment, but I'm hear to tell you that this is the absolute best Madden game in a long, long time.

The amount of polish that this game has makes up for some of the small shortcomings that are present. EA has finally got it right, and I'm proud to offer my stamp of approval for the first time in a long time (oops, there, I said it again). While you will undoubtedly be frustrated with the difficulty and overall speed of the game if you are a newcomer or haven't played the series in a while, a challenge is always a welcome thing. Madden 09 will definitely offer you up a challenge, especially with its new My Skill addition. Every fan of the National Football League that owns a 360 deserves this title.