FanNation - The Republic of Sport

MADDEN 08 IS HERE! 

This is a time for nerds into sports all over the globe (and by globe, I mean the U.S.) to come out from their respective hiding places, or lairs, and if they don't see their shadow, buy the new copy of Madden and play it all darn week long. 

It is also a time, for the girlfriends of the 6% of said nerds who actually date, to buy a cucumber.  Or to dump the guy for a real football player.  Would every man in the audience, whose girlfriend left him for Stoney Case, please raise your hand?  Thought so.

The Madden video game franchise is one that has seen its fair share of ups and downs.  The first Madden NFL game came out for the Apple II computer, which had the power to run 11-11 play, and had several original features that are still part of Madden 08.  Making their first appearance in 1984 were the Ask Madden option (it was terrible back then too), play editing, and a behind the back rather than sideline camera perspective.

What can Madden do now?  Other than kill your parents and eat your children?

Actually, it can do quite a bit more now than it could one year ago on the XBOX 360 or PS3.  For example, Madden 06 on 360 and Madden 07 on 360 and PS3 were both watered down versions of their older-gen counterparts, with many features missing (most importantly, the god of all features, the fantasy draft) and no real depth or sense of grandeur to the game.  Also, they were both laughably easy. 

Madden 08 addresses most of those problems, and addresses them seriously.  Especially the too easy part.

Madden 08 is, for the first time on a next-gen (although now they feel like the current gen) system, a great football game.  Not just a great football game, but a great and fresh football game.  Madden has never felt like this.  Not on Genesis, not even for you poor saps who played the garbage released for SNES and N64 (anybody remember when Mike Vick's speed was 80?  Ha!).  This is a whole new animal, which uses its new-found power to present a helluva football simulation.  For starters, there is the all new weapons system, which I'm sure most of you know all about by now.  Similar (acutally, exactly similar) to the rating system in All-Pro Football 2k8, the weapons system allows you to take advantage of a specific player's abilities like never before.  There are 21 weapons in all, including accurate QB, press coverage defender, crushing run blocker, and spectacular receiver.  Each weapon has it's own strengths; for example, a canon arm QB will throw deeper balls and can throw faster, harder passes.  You can even charge up abilities like the QB abilities to the point where you get a bonus.  Used right, the weapons can turn the tide of a game.  Press the left trigger at the line of scrimmage on offense to see any potential miss-matches.

The weapon system is great also because each weapon aside from speed has a counter.  A possession wide receiver excells at catching the ball across the middle and in traffic, and also isn't afraid of being hit.  So they usually won't drop the ball.  But take a big hitter like, say, Sean Taylor, who can lay a hit stick on someone (and brother, the hit sticks hit hard this year) like none other, and their abilities cancel each other out.  So while you can reap the benefits of a weapon, be careful to watch out for the opposing weapon that can render yours irrelevant.

Now, finally, there are the full range of pre-snap options on both offense and defense on 360 and PS3.  In fact, the defensive pre-snap options are so varied I couldn't hope to cover them all here.  Individual playmaker assignments, including assigning lbs or dbs to hook zones and curl to flats, are back.  Also, you can now aim high or low with a hit stick tackle, by eithing pressing the right analog stick up or down.  Want to take down Jamal Lewis with a cornerback?  Aim low and sweep his legs.  Be aware, that also making a return appearance for the first time in a while is the manual hurdle; pressing the Y button will cause the runner to jump.  If the defender goes high, and the runner jumps, there is a higher chance of a fumble.

So how is it so much harder?  Well, remember how the cornerback and safety robots in the past versions of the game were, how to put this, not good?  They're good now.  Very good.  In fact, one of the few gripes I have with this game is that the cbs may be too good.  It seems a tad hard to shake off corners in this game, whether they have a weapon stat or not.  They just seem glued to most wide receivers; and brother, do they create turnovers.  Think you're going to pass across the middle with Tony Romo like you did last year?  Not against a team with a competent safety.  Even out routes are harder to complete now.  But this isn't a criticism as much as a commentary on how the game is a challenge again.

Online play is the same as last year.  No real changes made there.

The sound is an issue.  I don't give a d*mn about the crowd, or the sounds from the field, nearly as much as the commentary.  The commentary in Madden 08 is its one true failing.  The EA Sports Radio guy just isn't any good.  I remember in 04 and 05, when I'd say, "Gosh, nobody could be worse than John Madden."  Well, I was wrong.  I don't understand how both NCAA Football and All-Pro Football 2k8 can have such high quality commentary, and yet Madden cannot figure it out.  Marshall Faulk adds a little before and after the game, but he's awful at it.  Also, Madden still doesn't know how to make the player feel immersed in the game.  I know this isn't a role-playing game, but most games these days have role-playing elements.  In 2k8, there is a halftime show that has video highlights and commentary.  Mel Kiper and Mark Schlereth are both in Madden 08, but just to guide you through a few tutorials.  Boring.  Seeing as how EA has the ESPN brand, they should use it. 

All in all, Madden is a good game, the first great football game to come out in a long time.  So now, I have to see how it compares to 2k8.  I'l be back after I play them both, in succession.  Right now, I have no idea which game is better.