Stage 1: Impressions |
Stage 2: Analysis |
Stage 3: Evaluation |
Madden NFL 08 is a better game than its predecessor, and that will be reflected in its final grade. That said, 08 is harder to recommend than last year's effort.
Although the Weapons, Defensive Playmaker, and Receiver Spotlight options provide a more balanced game of football, there is no one feature in 08 as revolutionary as FreeMotion Controls were last year. They are improved in 08, but they suffer from the same epidemic plaguing the entire game: for every improvement, there is a step backwards that makes 08 feel rushed.
Most of the two-handed gestures from 07 have been replaced by one-handed gestures. This makes Power Moves and Big Hits, vital gestures for running and defense, more accessible and therefore, playable. Reducing Big Hits from 07 to a one-handed gesture in 08 also allowed EA to include a second Big Hit gesture. Push the Nunchuk forward and your defender will dive for the ball carrier's legs. This not only increases the chance for fumbles, but results in cool animations like the ball-carrier flipping upside down.
Party Mode, not Family Play, will bring families together.
FreeMotion controls also come with a newfound glitch. Sometimes if you snap the ball too quickly, the quarterback will take the ball and instantaneously throw to the play's default receiver. There are ways this glitch can be overcome, the easiest of which is to hold the Z button when snapping. Holding the Z button while making a throwing gesture will cause a pump fake instead of an actual throw, which means that if this glitch happens to you and you're holding Z, you will see an innocuous pump fake instead of an ill-timed pass. If you snap the ball and you see no pump fake, then it is safe to release Z and throw a regular pass. The glitch is neither prevalent nor game-breaking, but it can be bothersome .
One glitch that is less forgivable involves instant replays. Sometimes if there is an instant replay on second down, the blur effects from the replay will stay on the screen for up to fifteen seconds. This can make completing the third-down play unfairly difficult. Again, there are ways to overcome the glitch, like simply turning replays off during single-player matches. The Telestrator is unavailable in single-player matches anyway, and I have never seen the replay-blur glitch during or after the Telestrator, or at all online.
Madden's graphics need to join the gameplay in the 21st century.
Even with this major hit to Madden's presentation, it deserves some credit for improvements, however slight. The improved animation - like running backs squirming through holes in the offensive line instead of bouncing off them like ping pong balls - has a positive effect on gameplay. So, too, do improved receiver and secondary animation. It has never been easier to identify exactly where to be in order to catch the ball, so more players will be taking it into their own hands.
Of course, most of the game's character models are unchanged from last year - which means they are virtually unchanged from how they looked five years ago. If anything, the overall presentation is even uglier with another year passed and the overly-large controller icons introduced. However, poor graphics have become a way of life for Madden players. They cannot, and will not, be overlooked for another season. Until then, EA gets begrudgingly commended for improving the animation - the aspect of the presentation with the most effect on the gameplay.
Kicking is reliable this year!
The gameplay itself has been improved for 08. Running backs are still a bit too powerful, but they can be better contained with the advanced defensive controls (hint: always spotlight LaDanian Tomlinson!). Party Mode gives casual users a fun way to experience the game's fantastic controls in a variety of arcade-like situations, while simultaneously giving dedicated users the most powerful practice tool in series' history. The addictive and varied gameplay for single- and multiplayer alike is enough to easily award 08 with Infinite Replay and Multiplayer Mayhem.
That's even before EA Nation is considered. The most notable change from 07 to 08 (other than the addition of the Telestrator, which is sure to lead to some mortifying insults being hurled between friends) is the addition of online play through EA's proprietary online interface. It's hard to make any meaningful comparisons with the Wii's online experience so new, but there are is a lot to like here: easily manageable friends lists, lobbies, leaderboards, a sports ticker, and the first (however limited) instance of player-to-player communication online.
The experience isn't lag-free. When lag occurs there is typically a difference of a second between the player's input and the on-screen action, which can be a killer in such a fast-paced, motion-based game. Lag, however, has been minimal, and EA seems to be offering Wii players its full support: not four days since the game's launch, they've already provided a roster update and a server upgrade to accommodate the rising number of players.
There is a ton of replay value in 08.
Last year, I concluded that Madden NFL 07 was such a revelation on Wii that it should be played by everyone, even those ardently opposed to football. Let me echo that sentiment here: if you haven't yet experienced FreeMotion Controls, go get Madden NFL 07. The game can be had for under $20 nowadays, and it's still one of the best experiences available on Wii.
Who should get Madden NFL 08? If you're a serious football fan, you need this game. The increased pre-snap options on defense and the more aggressive secondary AI make the game much more balanced, and the Weapons make finding and exploiting mismatches easier than ever before. If you're someone who plays most of your sports games with other players in the same room, you should choose 08 over last year's effort. The Telestrator is hilarious, and it can only be experienced during local multiplayer games. If you're serious about online play, 08 is your only option.
If you're new to Madden, content with last year's game, or someone who plans to do most of their playing against the computer, go with 07. It's a comparably inferior product, but it can be had at less than half the price and comes without some of 08's disappointments. There are no glitches in 07, the screen is less busy, and the passing icons are normal sized. If you can live with a weaker defense and the lack of online play, there's nothing wrong with living in the past.
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Telestrator is hilarious
Animation is improved
Other graphics, audio are not
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Stage 1: Impressions |
Stage 2: Analysis |
Stage 3: Evaluation |
