Madden NFL 08 - Review

Added September 18th, 2007 by Kisan Parikh

With a huge buildup of hype and anticipation, Madden 08 hit stores hard on August 14th. Both casual and hardcore footballs flooded into shops for the big release. With 896,600 unit sales, the Xbox 360 version soared to the top of the best selling games list for the month. Was this success due to good marketing or is the game really that much better than its predecessors?

Upon loading a game, you will spot a few new changes. At the very start, Marshal Faulk gives you a very forgettable preview of the game and predicted outcome. It was a good attempt to add to the mostly lackluster presentation, but is simply too canned. This is probably true for most of the presentation in Madden 08. The ESPN license seems a bit underused and the radio broadcast style is beginning to lose its appeal due to the lack of variety. After the quick preview, you will see the player intros, which highlight the game’s biggest new addition. To highlight NFL superstars, EA has added Player Weapons. Now star players will have an icon under them stating their particular weapon. These include: Big Hitter, Brick Wall Defender, Possession Receiver, Power Back, and 20 more.

These strengths and abilities allow players in Madden to change the game as their real life counterparts would. This leads to Madden’s next in-game improvement, the Read-and-React System. Madden 08 presents gamers with a slew of pre-snap controls. You can spotlight a receiver to shut down the other team’s big threat, hot route (without having to memorize anything), and even adjust the role of individual players. This leads to a lot of adjusting before plays and allows gamers to utilize or shut down an opponent’s weapons.

The game also has a few tweaks after the snap. The famed Hit-Stick has been reworked. Now you have the choice to make a low hit or go for the knockout high hit. Either way, using the Hit-Stick still makes the opponents fumble more often. Unfortunately, when coupled with the new strip ball button, this leads to a huge amount of fumbles during the course of the game. On chaotic plays I even witnessed multiple fumbles on one down.

Another aspect of the game that definitely deserves attention is the great new animation and physics system. Previous Madden games could not lose the robotic feel due to players awkwardly bouncing off each other. Now, instead of just having defenders bounce off, blockers actually engage them with impact and cut blocks. Additionally, the new animations help give the game some variety. Gone are the days of seeing the same tackling animation over and over again.

The AI has also been improved upon. While the CPU still calls boneheaded plays at times, it serves as a more legitimate opponent (even without playing the higher difficulty modes). This results in a much more entertaining gameplay. Your offensive line actually sets decent blocks and opens up holes to run through. The AI defense doesn’t just sit back as you repeatedly complete long passes downfield. Basically, playing the CPU isn’t such a downer.

The in-game portion of the game not only looks better, but it plays better due to the improved physics and Read-and-React System. Playing a human opponent now requires significantly more pre-snap strategy as you try to outwit and exploit your foe. While there are no revolutionary changes, the small tweaks to Madden’s high octane style really add to the fun factor.

Outside of gameplay, EA has added a few new features. Most evident is the gimmicky Showcase display. Now achievements and rankings are tracked through trophies and Madden 08 Rings of a Champion. The trophies can be risked against friends and the CPU to add some element of risks and rewards to games. Personally, the Jostens sponsored element of the game feels useless. While tracking rankings and achievements is never a bad thing, the ultimate goal of buying your very own Madden 08 ring seems way too cheesy to me.

Next is the Front Office mode in Franchise. This allows you to view finances and even relocate your team. There isn’t a great deal to say about this mode since the game actually doesn’t allow you to change much at all. Another Franchise adjustment is the Super Sim. Instead of playing a full game, you can watch things unfold at the speed you choose and jump in and out at will. This is a fun little addition that may remove the tedious aspect of simulating games. By allowing you to step in when you want, Madden 08 allows you to micromanage your games when you really need to.

The seemingly forgotten Superstar Mode has also been tweaked a bit. In Madden 08, you are able to choose from a created rookie, a true NFL rookie, or an imported player from NCAA 08. As you take your player through his career and hopefully into the Hall of Fame, you will have to handle practices, games, and various other events. Frustrated fans will be happy to know that the Superstar Mode game camera, while still focused on your player, is not as zoomed in as in the past.

When it really comes down to it, the game plays and feels like you would expect a Madden title to. The new features are solid and make the game more enjoyable, especially the new animations and physics. Luckily, the gameplay stays true to its roots, favoring fast paced action over realistic football. As a result, those who have been Madden fans in the past should definitely grab this one, and those who have not enjoyed past titles should hold out against the marketing tidal wave.