Madden NFL 08
Score: 87% ESRB: Everyone Publisher: EA Sports Developer: Tiburon Media: Blu-ray/1 Players: 1 - 2; 2 (Online) Genre: Sports (Football)/ Online
Graphics & Sound: Madden's transition to "next-gen" hasn't been the smoothest. While the visuals have managed to show off what the new systems can do, some of the gameplay was left behind. With this year's appearance, EA Sports has managed to make up for past deficiencies, resulting in the most complete version of Madden to show up on next-gen consoles. Visually, Madden NFL 08 is a big improvement over last year. Though much of the news has centered on the PS3 version running at a slower framerate than the 360 version, there are still a number of good things happening here. The best is the dynamic animation system. Transitions between moves are much smoother and make for a faster-paced game. Players look exactly as they should and, except for a few minor elements, stadiums look great. However, the framerate issues do pop up now and again. Most of the time, the game runs smoothly, though there are a few moments where the framerate will stutter or drop noticeably. Sound quality is pretty standard for the series. A number of rock and rap artists appear on the soundtrack, so there is something for just about every taste. On-field commentary has been added and refined, giving players a little more personality. Commentary is simply okay. On the plus side, there isn't much in the way of repetition; though at the same time, it slips up and makes a number of suspect calls.
Gameplay: The big addition to this year's edition is the new Weapons System. Most of your high-profile players are tagged with icons that designate what sort of weapon they are. Players can have any of a number of designations (there are around 24 categories) which indicate what sort of player they are at that position and what advantages they have. For example, a receiver who seems to be able to catch everything that comes his way is designated as a player with good hands, while a receiver who makes every catch a highlight reel candidate is tagged as a big play receiver. Players aren't defined by one trait and can be designated as a multiple weapon threat. For example, when lined up as a running back, Reggie Bush can be a hard guy to pin down. However, he is just as dangerous when lined up as a receiver. In order to get the most out of a weapon, you have play to that strength. If you try a lot of fancy footwork with a power back who is more comfortable running full steam ahead, you won't go anywhere. Every weapon also has a counter. Going back to our power back, he may be able to barrel through guys easily, but a low hit to the legs should take him down. Other players may be easy to rattle with a big hit or susceptible to high hits. In terms of features, Madden NFL 08 is extremely deep - especially when compared to previous "next-gen" versions. In addition to playing through a season, you can enter Franchise mode and manage nearly every aspect of the team, including drafting new players, coming up with week-to-week gameplans and managing your roster. Madden 08 also features an in-game rewards system. As you reach milestones in the game, such as reaching particular yardage gains or winning the Super Bowl, you unlock trophies that are on display in your personal trophy room.
Difficulty: Madden NFL 08 feels slightly more challenging when compared to past seasons. Last year's A.I. has been reworked. Few completions are really easy; actually, at times completions feel outright impossible. One of the complaints leveled about the series in the past was that receivers always seemed to be in the vicinity of the ball, resulting in several unbelievable catches. This year, defensive players seem to be the ones who are always around the ball, resulting in several unbelievable swats. You can, of course, adjust these settings in the Options Menu. Unlike Impact players in NCAA, not every team will have a set of weapons. Some, like the New England Patriots, have more weapons at their disposal than the Houston Texans. As in real life, these differences are pretty apparent, but won't mean that you can't upset a team loaded with Superstars - especially once you learn how to counter certain players. Since these players are denoted with icons, it is easy to know who to watch for, especially if you're not familiar with a particular team. The only problem that the Weapons system introduces is that the game is almost too dependent on it. If you don't take advantage of the system, don't expect to go very far.
Game Mechanics: As with just about everything else in the game, the controls have been tweaked. The scheme still retains the same playability as past games, though just about every button on the controller does something at any time (especially pre-snap), so there are a few new complexities added to mix. The defensive playmaker controls still allow you to indicate coverage assignments before the ball is snapped, though now you can also focus coverage on certain players (like your icon-marked Superstars). The trade-off is that doing so will leave other receivers unwatched. While on defense, you can also use the right stick to lay in hits by pressing up or down, causing a high or low hit. These hit types play into the counters for each of the offensive weapon types. Hitting a big play receiver high could rattle him and even result in a fumble. Actually, fumbles are pretty common, even without being hit. For whatever reason, players have the hardest time holding on to the ball. Early on, I thought it was because I was trying to be too fancy with the game's various functions, but even when I didn't use them, players would fumble for no real reason. Although they aren't as frequent as in NCAA 08, they still happen enough that it can become annoying, if not frustrating. The Weapons system also influences other aspects of the general game. The running game has been vastly improved on the inside. Rather than always wanting to take guys to the outside, you can go for inside routes with success. The passing game has also been tweaked thanks to distinctions in different receiver types. These changes are even more apparent with players designated as "smart." After a particular scheme or play has been called a number of times, a player with the "smart" tag will be able to see what play is being called. Although it sounds like it might introduce a number of balance issues, it can easily be thwarted by mixing up your playbook. All in all, Madden NFL 08 is as good an entry as ever in the series. The number of changes may add a steeper difficulty curve for players (especially more casual ones), though these can be tweaked in the settings. If you're a football fan with a PS3, Madden NFL 08 is a buy.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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