Review: Madden NFL '08
If you're one of the diehards who stood in line at midnight to snag a copy of Madden, stop reading and go get some sleep: you'll need the rest to keep on playing later tonight. But if you're still on the fence about whether or not this year's Madden is worth the money, let Lunchbox tell you all the reasons why you need to get yourself a copy right now!
Lunchbox is the world's biggest Madden fan but he's also the series' biggest critic. Thankfully, this year's version is pretty damn awesome.
Madden fans will be happy to know that the latest incarnation of the game sets a new high mark for on-field action and overall depth. Negatrons will sniff their noses at the fact that, save the Weapons system, there are no significant new additions to the game. But the reality is that Madden 2008 has undergone myriad refinements at both the gameplay and visual levels.
The end result is an extremely polished, highly playable experience that I will play all season. In fact, it's extremely difficult to find anything wrong with Madden this year.
Here's a quick breakdown of the four most significant changes in Madden 2008:
1) Vastly improved animation system
As Borat would say, "Wowee wow wow!" Madden's new animation system is head and shoulders above the ones found in previous installments. The most noticeable improvement occurs when a player is tackled. Prior to Madden '08, runners and receivers behaved in a decidedly non-human manner when they were hit or tackled. Now, players struggle and fight and push and pull when defenders try to bring them down. You can even continue to control the player while they're being tackled. This is much more realistic and adds a new level of excitement to the game.
2) A more playable Superstar Mode
Last year, Madden introduced a SuperStar Mode that allowed gamers to build their own player and embark upon an NFL career playing solely as this single player. This mode tantalized with me with potential but was overly difficulty. This year's version has changed considerably. For starters, the camera angle is now the default mode for the rest of the game, not first-person. Additionally, you can now take on the career of a real-life rookie (such as Viking RB Adrian Peterson) instead of creating your own player. This new mode is now awesome in all ways. It really feels like you're living the NFL experience.
The on-field tackling animations are much improved from years past.
3) Weapons
No, this does not mean that Peyton Manning fires lasers from his eyes. The introduction of player weapons is a brand new feature that aims to differentiate star players from regular players and each other. Each team's best players have special abilities that you can use to change the outcome of the game. Intelligent quarterbacks can literally read what defense the other team is in by pressing a button combo before the snap. Safeties have the ability to deliver ball-popping tackles on receivers, and so on.
4) Fantasy Draft
Finally, we can now draft our own team and play with in franchise mode! Absent in all next-gen versions of the game, fantasy drafts finally reappear in Madden 2008.
Add it all up and there's no denying that Madden '08 is the definitive football game to buy this season. Sure, in a way it's the only football game you can buyif you want to play with official NFL teams, that isbut the game is so solid that there really is no reason to complain about the lack of choice.
Pros: Excellent on-field animations, same great controls and gameplay.
Cons: If you're not experienced with Madden, it's hard to get into.
Curious as to how the competition stacks up? Check out our review of 2K Sports' All-Pro Football 2K8!
Chad Johnson might be a demanding receiver but Carson Palmer's got plenty of options here.
Look at how Marc Bulger fakes like he still has the ball in order to try and trick the Bucs defenders.
We hate Tom Brady, with his good lucks, his Super Bowl wins and his supermodel girlfriend. Boo!
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