Madden NFL 2008
Reviewed by Rick Tittle
rick@ricktittle.com

Maddenites, rejoice!  The new and improved version of your favorite game is now available for just about every format on earth.  From the PS3, PS2, XBOX 360, XBOX, Wii, GameCube, PSP, DS, PC, and even your cell phone, Electronic Arts has ensured that your football jones can be cured at a moment’s notice.

All the high polish and gloss we’ve come to expect from the number one football franchise are here, along with some new features.  This year you can utilize “weapons” (talents of certain players) to make a bone crushing hit or throw a laser-like pass.  You also don’t have commit to a certain move when carrying the ball, so if you don’t like the potential outcome of your first move, you can now change it midstream.  In Madden ’08, you can also pick a team in the new Fantasy Mode, comprised of stars both past and present.  If you appreciate the business side of the NFL, you’ll love the Franchise Mode, where you can virtually own a team and check their weekly progress and tinker with the roster as you see fit.

This is the best football game ever, right?  Of course.  But do you need it if you have Madden NFL ’07?  In my humble opinion, no.  The gameplay is 95% the same.  Are the little improvements really justification for splashing out another 50 bucks?  Not for me.  If you really need updated homes for vagabond players and draft picks, then you can always make them with the create-a-player feature found in earlier versions.  In other words, if you simply must have Trent Green in Dolphin teal, then make a quarterback that has brown hair and write GREEN on the back of his Miami jersey.

For you people who quite literally camped out in front of your favorite purveyor of video games to acquire Madden ’08, then the minimal additions to this year’s game will certainly suit your fancy.  I understand.  Truly, I do.  If I had never seen Madden before, I would be in raptures about it.  But for the rest of us who think football games are cool but can still live without a new version every single year, go ahead and spend your cash on another game or buy Madden ’08 from EA Mobile for your cell phone.  It plays better than expected and is surprisingly good. 

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