Madden 08: Game Review

Standing in line at midnight for a video game? That is the reality that is Madden NFL '08. Many hardcore gamers sat outside their local Best Buys and Circuit Cities to be one of the first on their block to get their hands on probably the most anticipated sports games of all-time, but was it worth it?

If you have played any of the Madden franchise before than you know what to expect. Decent graphics, nice gameplay, new players and a whole lot of football action.

One of the best parts of Madden is the addition of that year's rookie class and this year is no different. With Adrian Peterson, Marshawn Lynch and other electrifying rookies entering the league some can't wait to play as their teams new weapons. There are also the trades and free agent signings that have rebuilt each team and make getting the new Madden game a necessity. Of course if there were no roster changes, getting the new Madden games would not be so crucial.

The gameplay is much like Madden '07. If you have the XBOX 360 you will not really notice any difference to the control scheme. If you own the Wii than you will notice that the remote controls have gotten crisper and big hits and ball-carrier power moves have been moved to the Wii remote instead of some on the nunchuck and others on the remote.

Another '08 innovation is that power moves will depend on the player that you are in control of. If you have a big running back running with the ball than he will bowl over defenders. If you have a scat back they will try to duck and dodge when you use the power moves button.

One of the disappointing features that has been added to the Wii game this year is the family play feature. You select this option and you remove the nunchuck. When you do this the computer takes over all of the movement controls and you only control the motion controls via the Wii remote. This really cuts the gameplay in half and is not very useful or fun.

A new feature that is part of the games on the XBOX 360, Playstation 3 and the Wii is the new weapons system. In this system it will tell you if your QB has a rocket arm, if he is a pocket passer or an intelligent QB or if the corner on the other side is a shut down corner. This will help you make decisions on where to throw the ball to and what to do in certain game situations.

This years version of Madden includes 22 minigames to keep you entertained when the real games get old. While none are new games, the people a Madden have included the mincamp drills as minigames this year. Also, a new mode called party mode can be used in the minigames section. You can now square off against your friends to see who is best in each of the minigames. The minigame section also features a trivia game so you and your friends can test your knowledge of the game against each other.

The biggest new feature of Madden '08 is the online gameplay. This year you can sign up to go on the EA site on the console and you can play one-on-one games against people across the country. It would be nice to play the minigames against other people online, but at least you can find an opponent over the internet this year.

A disappointing thing about this Madden is the presentation. The graphics engine has not been updated, so you will not see much of a difference in the graphics, even if you have one of the new high-end video game systems. The players faces are recycled and it is about time they updated the graphics all together.

Overall Madden '08 is exactly what you would have expected from a new Madden franchise game. The same old Madden feel with some added tweaks and the new players and roster moves. Isn't that really why we buy Madden?

Pros: Minigames, Online Multiplayer, New Rosters, Party Mode, Weapons Mode, Crisper Controls
Cons: Graphics need work, Family-play option,