Madden NFL 08

"Madden: Impossible 08"

How does a game seem to go backwards as the years progress? Thats what Madden seems like to me. While I didnt own last years Madden, I played it several times and didnt buy it because of how it played, which was terrible. I did however own the previous 5 Maddens and a few NCAAs all on PS2 and I think the game has done terrible since 06 when the obviously went to a totally new interface and design. Anyways heres my reveiw for 08

Graphics: 7/10
The players are the, as is the field and stadium but they dont look special. The players look like who theyre supposed to be but nothing else seems to pop out and grab your attention. The fans are the same graphic over and over. The player animation are mostly the exact same from player to player while they did add some signature animations like LTs touchdown ball drop or Steve McNairs arm thing he does above his head. The sidelines still just have random dudes standing around instead of crowded by the sidelines. They rarely show the coach or anyone else for that matter. The ref is defintely Ed Hochuli....I wonder if he got any money out of the game.......

Sound: 7/10
The announcers are terrible. Marshall Faulk is terrible. Payton Manning does sound like Payton when hes calling audibles but thats about it concerning voices in the game. The tackles and crowd sound the same as always which isnt a big deal. The crowd is very monotonous and the cheering doesnt change noticeably if you get a safety like it would normally.

Controls: 6/10
Using the d-pad can get frustrating since its not pressure sensitive like Im used to on the PS2. What this means is running is either straight or at a 45 degree angle and no in between. The fact that the players slow down when you change direction is what frustrates memost about this. All of the different defensive tackles using the right stick dont seem to make any difference.

Gameplay: 4/10
This is where games are supposed to shine especially Madden.....but not in this case.
First off, get used to turnovers because there will be lots of them. Your quarterback no matter how good really likes to throw the ball to the other team no matter where you direct the pass. And since, just like in real life, every defensive player on the field knows where the ball is at all times even when theyre covering another receiver (sarcasm). DBs still think theyre WRs and will still go through the catching animation even when the WR is catching the ball 10 feet in front of them. The Qb still throws the ball unrealistically close to the ground allowing for interceptions 25 yards out on a 50 yards pass. Even if you make the passing really easy through the AI adjusters, the QB can still throw the ball nowhere near the receiver even on a perfecdt throw. The running game is pretty solid except for the tackling. Some players like LT are really good, but he cant break away from 4 people tackling him at once and then break three more tackles....and do it consistantly. My other gripe about the running is the even if youre running full speed forward youre running back will be sucked into the defender to do the random tackling animation. It almost looks the runner is getting into position to be tackled. Kicking is very easy except that its nearly impossible to kick a 50+ yard fg with a non superstar kicker. The franchise is very boring and has little to do except for playing games. Some of the training is unnecessarily complicated especially the 40 yard dash and cornerback challenge while the lineman challenge and rb challenges are quite easy. One more thing I miss is create and play or playbook. And of all things they forgot to add/fix they made sure to add the most useless thing in the game and Im referring to the weapons. Im fairly certain most weapons have no effect on the game. For example J. Ogden on the Ravens is one of the best tackles in football yet he has let twice as many sacks as anyone of my other linemen. Or Derrick Mason who has the "hands" weapon, meaning he can catch anything that touches his hands, has dropped several balls.

Overall: 5/10
It does seem like have a lot of problems with the game but it is still playable to a degree. If you prefer to run instead of pass then this game is much more enjoyable. Or if you are just a smarter passer than me you might also like this game more than me. And even though there seems to be a fair amount of problems in my eyes, its still not preventing me from playing!

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 09/04/07

Game Release: Madden NFL 08 (US, 08/14/07)