TGR - "It's August, and as every sports fan knows, that means football is right around the corner. What better way to get ready for our favorite teams to take the field again than play this year's installment of Madden, which is exactly what I got to do this week. Madden '09 is more than just a reiteration of a yearly staple: it's arguably a return to the glory days of Madden past.
When you first start Madden, you take part in one of its newest features: the Madden virtual trainer which tests your "Madden IQ" through a series of challenges. These challenges will test your skills in various aspects of the game, like passing, running, rush defense, pass defense, and receiving. The challenges start out being quite easy (for example, running single coverage routes against lackadaisical defensive backs) and become progressively harder, like attempting to run against three linebackers. Your performance on these challenges will set the difficulty level of your AI opponents, but don't worry if you disagree with Madden's assessment of your skills, or if you just want to take the easy route; the difficulty can be set the traditional way."
