Madden NFL 08 Review
EA Sports delivers a solid and familiar football game for the PS3.
Posted by Robert Workman on Thursday, August 09, 2007
Once again, EA Sports continues to chase the dream of creating the ultimate football experience with Madden NFL 08. and once again EA Sports has delivered for fans of the sport. Though it has its shortcomings -- especially when it comes to performing on the PlayStation 3 hardware -- it more than makes up for these flaws by continuing to stick to the gameplay that has made the Madden series so popular to begin with.
Care has been taken in improving the game's controls, giving them a better sense of consistency. For instance, quarterbacks are now given a heads up on what "weapons" they have on hand for scoring opportunities. Small icons hover over players, indicating who can be most depended on for executing key plays, such as defenders being highlighted with brick walls and power moves. The Receiver Spotlight option also finds proper use here, as football fanatics can set up blocks and passing lanes before a play. These can also come at a disadvantage if a receiver ends up being double-teamed, resulting in a sack or maybe even a crucial interception. Overall the game's strategic elements come together and click well. Defensive plays come off breezily and the offensive elements show excellent balance, particularly with running. Passing also shows improvement, although players might be a bit frustrated to see a fumble or interception pop up when they least expect it, but even as cover star Vince Young knows every player has their off days.
Though the visuals of the the PlayStation 3 version take a back-seat to the Xbox 360 counterpart, Madden 08 still looks great with attention paid to player and crowd detail. Spectator noise, occasional background music and quotes from the stadium announcer round things out in the audio department, though unlike other version of Madden the PlayStation 3 version lacks running commentary by John Madden and Al Michaels.
As far as play modes go, Madden continues to have an abundant collection to choose from. Several mini-games can be played to enhance both offensive and defensive skills. Superstar mode lets players live the life of an NFL athlete, putting their skills to the test to see if they have what it takes to make it to superstardom. Franchise Mode continues to be amongst the best out there, letting players create a football legacy spanning over several years. Two creation modes allow players to create a team and a player from scratch, allowing virtual coaches to get as detailed as selecting specific hometowns. Madden NFL 08 also connects online to ESPN radio and news services, keeping players in the know on forthcoming NFL stories as well as other related information. Front Office Mode introduces itself in this year's release. Here, players get an idea of how an NFL owner's life unfolds, complete with maintaining a local stadium, pricing concessions and all the other minute details that keep football moguls busy. Unfortunately, this mode is directed more towards truly primed football fans rather than those wanting to jump right in and play. The drafting system holds some merit with a "bust or gem" system, notifying would-be team creators who might be hot stuff and who might be colder than the Raiders on opening day. A virtual shrine can also be built, encasing trophies, championship rings and documents to give your virtual gridiron cred a bit more weight. Last but not least, the game is playable online with the PlayStation Network, where players can interact with other football fanatics via EA Sports World. Nothing amazingly new exists here in terms of extras (the online experience needs more comprehensive features), but at least it continues to work with very little lag and glitches.
While Madden NFL 08 is business as usual for the franchise, it continues to be the solid football machine that EA Sports has built up after all these years. It knows what works best, and rather than reinvent the wheel it focuses on smoothing out the kinks. Visual and performance drawbacks aside, Madden NFL 08 more than suffices, especially to those counting down the days to regular season kick-off.
Final Score: 8/10
