Yep, that's a screen shot from Madden NFL 09 one that goes a long way toward explaining what John Riccitiello meant when he touted the game's "holographic interface." It's not, as you might immediately think, a fantastic looking update to Discs Of Tron but one of Madden's new features, known as "Madden IQ." Using a series of (wait for it...) minigames to determine your skill level at passing and running, both offensively and defensively, the game is said to adjust its difficulty based on your Madden IQ.

That feature and the "Backtrack" function—which illustrates how you blew a play with on field graphics and voiceovers—look like they're going to go a long way to help relapsed Madden players and noobs figure out the intricacies of the venerable football series. GameSpot's preview of Madden NFL 09 is far more enlightening, should you be interested in seeing what this year's entry has to offer.

Madden NFL 09 First Hands-On [GameSpot]