Madden NFL 08 Xbox 360 Review and XBS RB Pick

As we discussed on our last podcast, Madden 08 is out and fans have been outspoken about this year’s version. I have always enjoyed the Madden franchise even though I do miss the competition of the 2K brand. I enjoy talking about Madden but never liked the term “Armchair quarterback”. Madden players know what they like and will brag when its there. Then again when something is not right, they will complain just as loud. GameStop started the fuel this year earlier when they were trying to get pre-sales by saying order the last Madden ever. We all know this is untrue and the Madden franchise is not going anywhere. EA has continued to show quality changes in their games this year. Well, the pre-game talk is over now on with the full review and my overall thoughts of Madden NFL 08.

Let me first say this year’s Madden starts off with an impressive NFL film at the beginning and perhaps the best one to date. I noticed right away a lot of new features and expanded touches on previous features. The menu lobby for starters looks great and will get any NFL fan in the mood to play the game. Tiburon Studios decided to bring back every missing feature of past Maddens and improve on them. They also found a way to bring in new ones to make Madden a real next-gen Football game. Those new to the series may be taken back at the amount of modes and features but with some time in the mini-games and a few play-it now games, soon everyone will get a decent idea of what Madden 08 is trying to bring to the Xbox 360 this year.

Players now have weapon icons underneath them. Each icon represents a different ability and attribute. As well for each weapon a team has, another team can counter these weapons. At first it can be a bit confusing but you can go into the mini-tutorials and see and hear an explanation of each weapon. I cannot urge gamers enough to take the time and view these tutorials. It will pay off later and avoid being stomped on during online play by someone who knows how to use them effectively. You now have wide receivers that can make quick routes and beat defenders leaving themselves wide open for the ball. You also have WR’s who can snag a ball in tight areas and not miss. Defense players have weapons as well like the ability to make pancake tackles and lightning speed to get past the line and sack your quarterback. Once players learn the weapon system, matching up players is a learning process but not hard. It’s more of just practicing by playing. The overall control schemes have been beefed up and allow for a more realistic way of changing up calls and throwing in audiles that make the gameplay more realistic. I will touch more on this in the control section.

Madden 08 can truly be called the greatest football game for the Xbox 360. I know some will argue it’s the only true NFL licensed, game but after 3 years the 360 has a solid overall game with tons of modes and revamped franchise with an owner mode that works. I never want to contradict myself as a reviewer, but I have to say that while it is the greatest one out there, it is by all means not the perfect game. It has some flaws. The biggest one during gameplay has to be easy fumbles. If you are not new to Madden, this can be adjusted in your line up fairly easy, but even then it seems more fumbles occur than ever before. It also seems overall Tiburon focused more on the running game and defense this year. While overdue, this can be used against less experience players to throw the long ball often.

The new improvements to the HitStick 2.0 are great and very useful. I also like the ring and trophy angle this year and the website tie-in buying clothing and extras for your avatar. There are issues with slowdown even in single-player mode that at times makes me want to shake my head and ask the football gods why. Then again, I pull off a great play and watch it and think what a great game. The single-player modes offer something for every football fan and shows this is not just another hew Madden with limited features shipped out for the quick cash. The list of changes they made would take several pages and still not cover everything. So instead I’ll say Madden 08 in single-player mode gives a realistic feel of being on the field and in the game. To me that is why I play sports games.

Being a fan of football video games, I was amazed at all the controls you have to use this year. While it can be confusing at first, they work great. You will see that control options are now displayed on the side of the screen. The key to learning the more advanced controls is practice; no cop out, no excuses. The learning curve is ongoing and most fans will enjoy this. If you find you’re getting overwhelmed or confused by the amount of options and new controls, just go into Play Now mode and test them out. The Prima guide is helpful for those wanting extra help as well.

Overall, the basic controls are great and easy to learn no matter what experience you have playing Madden. There is one exception to the great controls and that is a flaw that has plagued Madden in the past. When you need to get to the closet player near the ball carrier, you hit the B button. The flaw is you lose a few steps and in some cases will actually be moved back enough never to touch the player you are chasing. I hope one day Tiburon will find a way to prevent this but if this is my only complaint with the controls this year then I will learn to live with it but not like it. The amount of controls you have as a player is remarkable and I need to praise this overall. It really is the deepest control scheme I have ever seen in a Madden version.

The ESPN radio feeds are an excellent way to start off the online lobbies. Just like last year you can go into a public room, make your own private room with a password or just search for a game. Ranked and unranked games are easy to find and the lobby is set-up very well and easy to navigate. I want to touch on something. I did notice you will see the person’s record and how many times they dropped or DNF for short. I never play against someone who won’t answer me when I say hello and there is a good reason for this. Some have found a way not to use the updated roster and will use say the Saints with Vick as QB. This is cheap and once in the game you have two options, play on or drop and have it marked against you. The one person who pulled this on me lost Vick anyhow, but like any public games just use caution. Other than that EA shows a solid online mode and I enjoyed it.

I have to bring up the frame rate issue since while playing online it can slow down at times and hinder your game or big play. I know others have brought this up on the forums so I hope this will be fixed next year. I like the fact you can challenge online and you can decide who to play against. I would love to see a 4 on 4 mode or tournaments, but they need to work on why the game slows down. Overall, the online mode is solid. It is easy to find a player that matches your skill level.

Graphically Madden 08 looks great in many key areas and captures the realistic look right away. There are some very cool new animations added and the replays are top-notch. There are some glitches that when they show up will make anyone shake their head and ask WTF? Every game has something that pops up, but this year Madden seems to have some real scary looking things. Thankfully these are not things that repeat over and over, but they should have been fixed. Football is not an easy game to reproduce and the team did a great job. It’s the small (and at times idiotic) ones that stand out. Perhaps a few of these can be fixed with a patch, but I hope I don’t see them back next year.

I also really want to know if Tiburon hates Andy Reid. He looks like a walking walrus guys! In fact, the amount of new details in the players and coaches are amazing and look fantastic. Take away the frame rate issues and glitches and man it looks very realistic. The also seemed to make the replays flow smoother and even the booth reviews look great. Graphically Madden 08 shows off in many ways and will catch the eye of anyone watching. Just needs polished and the problems fixed.

Madden NFL 08 Screenshot

Madden NFL 08 Screenshot

Madden NFL 08 Screenshot

See all Madden NFL 08 Screenshots

The sports radio broadcast method is back and I like it since it sets the mood right away. The extra comments by the players are entertaining and a few offer some great one-liners. At times you will hear the stadium announcer say one thing and the broadcaster say another, but if you have been to a live football game, this happens a lot. Each hit, helmet and pad touch is reproduced with great authenticity. I even liked the EA Trax picks this year so overall in the audio no complaints at all.

Even with the slow down and glitches this year, Madden delivers in a huge way. The amount of modes and options available will keep any football fan happy. A solid online mode with ranked or unranked play will also keep online fans playing. The new weapons system makes it a more realistic game and will also offer more replay for fans who want to play through the franchise and owners mode. Throw in the mini-games that are fun but also teach and Madden 08 is certainly loaded with replay value to the max. No one can honestly look at this year’s version and say it is not loaded with replay value. I will say the same thing I always say: when it comes to any sports game, replay value is going to boil down to what the player wants and makes of the game.

Overall Score: 8.4/10 [not an average]

Madden 08 Contest Alert: Here we have a bit of a change in our normal review flow. If you listened to our podcast show number 5, you know about our Madden 08 contest. So here is the XBS Fantasy Running Back: Steven Rashad Jackson number 21 of the Saint Louis Rams. He is going to have a breakout season and that is why he is our top pick!

Madden NFL 08 is the best version out there overall as far as options and controls. It really shines in the areas important to football fans. I would have loved to give it a higher score but the slow down issues and odd glitches prevent me from doing so. I can and will say that this year Madden showed off some impressive things making it a solid football game and the best one yet on the Xbox 360. I just hope they take what is great and even step it up more for the next version. Hands down Madden NFL 08 is impressive and gives fans a realistic feeling of the game.

• Madden Cheats and Codes – Madden NFL cheats and codes for all Madden NFL video games.
• Madden NFL 08 Xbox 360 Screenshots
• EA SPORTS World
• Madden NFL Home Page

Filed under: Reviews • Xbox 360

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