2008 Football Rundown

Football season is quickly approaching and this year EA and Take Two are going head-to-head with fresh new titles.

It's no secret that Electronic Arts and Take Two have a long standing rivalry between their successful Football franchises, EA Sports and 2K Sports. The competition between the two produced innovative and refined titles every year. However, in December of '04 the scales tipped, seemingly placing an advantage in EA's favor.

That year the NFL granted EA the exclusive licensing rights to their name, teams, stadiums, and players. In the blink of an eye it seemed EA Sports no longer had any competition when it came to football titles. To many fans the quality of EA's top two football franchises spiraled down the metaphorical drain, while the future of 2K football seemed lost in the mix and benched for an indefinite amount of time. All that may be changing though.

In 2008 2K Sports might just pull itself off the bench. Though EA's exclusivity deal with the NFL doesn't expire for another two years, Take Two is picking itself up by the bootstraps and working on a new title, All-Pro Football 2K8, that could potentially steal the spotlight. EA is not resting on their laurels though and is bringing the fight with what looks to be their finest offerings of Madden NFL and NCAA Football.


The Madden Challenge: Madden NFL 08

The transition to next-gen systems proved painful for Madden fans. The improved quality in the graphics department was matched with abandoned features. Madden games got simultaneously prettier and emptier. The challenge facing developer EA this time around is ensuring that Madden NFL 08 gets those features back, along with enough additional content to maintain its standing amongst gamers. It's a challenge the team is meeting head-on.

For starters, every missing feature of previous Madden titles -- customizable players, draft picks, the Owner mode, and more - is returning. On top of that, a completely new, branching animation system is now the driving force behind what the development team calls "dynamic gameplay". Animations now chain together in an utterly fluid, fully exchangeable manner. This means that the movements of the athletes are no longer driven by fixed animation cycles. If you want to cut back during a headlong charge in order to stay inbounds, you'll be able to plant your feet and make the jarring turn in real time -- no more waiting for that running animation to finish up beforehand.

EA is also implementing an interesting new addition to whet the appetite of gamers. Instead of acting as simple powerhouses on the field, 'Superstar' NFL players now have unique abilities that can be used to turn the tide of the game. Some of these abilities, such as Stiff Arm Ball Carrier and Speed, provide a general boost to an athlete's actions; others like Smart Quarterback allow you an occasional glimpse into the defense's playbook before the ball is hiked, thus giving you time to adapt your strategy.

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