Madden NFL 08 Review

Madden NFL 08 Review
Madden lands on Wii again with higher highs, and lower lows.
by Bozon


August 13, 2007 - During the Wii launch Madden 07 was a no-brainer for sports fans that were looking to get a solid Wii experience, and an amazing introduction to the world of motion control. Everything from stiff-arms to jukes, big hits and interceptions were handled with simple flicks of the wrist. What was even more of an accomplishment, aside from the general gameplay itself, was the fact that EA was taking its time in creating a unique, enjoyable Wii experience that really set itself apart from the other versions, and that Madden 07 was - above all else - better because of Wii. Now that the Wii has had an extremely successful year under its belt our expectations rise, but for the most part so have those of EA itself, as Madden 08 brings another enjoyable football experience to Wii; as long as you can get past a few "last-generation" flaws.

With Madden 07 it was all about getting players involved with Wii's new input devices, and Madden stepped up to the challenge beautifully. This year, it's about depth and options, particularly those in the multiplayer department. Madden 08 takes what 07 began and unloads a barrage of gameplay options on users, whether you're looking for a better way to play Franchise mode, a stronger Superstar Challenge, more local multiplayer in Party Mode, or online play against users all across the world via EA Nation. The core of Madden remains, and now it's about taking that design and spreading it across as many options and modes as possible, and in that sense 08 is a huge success.





For starters there's the new single player effort. This year's Madden features the same offerings as last year, along with a few improvements as well. For 08 all console versions now include "Player Weapons," which is a new on-field icon system designed to show users which players are an automatic threat play-by-play, in any and every situation. Simply hold C while waiting for the snap and the camera pulls back, showing off a varying list of icons over players. You'll know who has speed, which blitzers are known for being powerhouses, and whether or not your running back has the speed and agility to take his route. Mix this with the automatic (and customizable, of course) button or gesture-based audible system and hot routes and you've got an offense that's always ready to morph given the situation. On defense, Player Weapons can also be used to scout potential threats, shift the D line to exploit a weak offense, highlight key players to gun for, and allow you to also call defense audibles, should they be needed.

In addition to the Player Weapons you can also look forward to a vastly improved NFL Superstar: Hall of Fame mode, which gives you the option of creating a new rookie or selecting from the 07 class. Then you progress through the life of a superstar rookie, including everything from agent signing, press conferences, drills, and games. This year EA has spared us the annoying "random parents" stat-assignment from last year, where players would essentially shuffle through random outputs of their parents' traits to determine what their superstar would be good at. This year you select your position, create your player, distribute a full mass of stat points, and jump on in. It's faster, more user-friendly, and a far better Superstar mode than last year. Along those same lines there's an updated Franchise mode that - aside from a few basic changes - is still deep and intuitive, though we're a bit saddened to see that this is yet another year where classic "Season" mode has been omitted. If you want that season experience from older Madden games you'll need to play Franchise mode and just refrain from screwing with rosters, salary issues, or prices of hot dogs at the Metrodome, as the classic Season mode seems to be entirely dead.