Madden NFL ’08: XBOX 360

Overall score:

"Maddenites Unite,” was the call from EA Sports to its loyal Madden fan base as they prepared to launch their 18th version of the game. Since 1989 the game has been a must-have for many gamers and it has only grown in popularity. Madden has been the number one selling football franchise and has appeared on every console from Sega Genesis to the Playstation 2. Every year Madden updates itself with new features and upgrades and only continues to get better. Now the game has survived into the next generation of gaming on the XBOX 360. Loyal fans will notice great differences and new players will experience the most complete game NFL football game on the market.  

The first big difference from previous versions is the main menu screen. You will find yourself in your trophy hall where you can see your accomplishments and your ring builder progress. The ring builder is a new feature this year that allows you to build and collect five accomplishment rings as you play games and add points to your profile. It’s a way to measure your progress and experience with the game. The more you play the more points you will get. After any game played the ring builder will automatically add points to your profile and build your rings. When complete, the rings serve as trophies that will be showcased in the trophy hall in the main menu.

By pressing the start button you can bring up the menu and select from the usual game modes. You can head into a game immediately with Play Now or start a season in Franchise mode where you can take a team through an entire season up to as many as thirty seasons. If you would rather focus on one created player you can with the in-depth Superstar mode. Not only will you play as your created player, but you will also experience the media and the drama behind the football business, full of agents, fans, and reporters. There’s also mini-games and practice, which is like training camp where you can sharpen your skills while adding points to your profile and building your rings. 

As with most games of any genre these days, Madden has the ability to let you play online against players from all over the world in either unranked matches that are for fun only, or ranked matches that will either expose you as the joystick jockey that you are or the pretender that everyone will see you as. Other than Play Now mode, online games are the only multiplayer option in this game, but at least with online play it is possible to keep a record of your wins and stats. However, during online game play the game doesn’t run as smoothly and if the connection isn’t perfect there is some delay. The lag can be barely noticeable or it could be so bad that it can affect the outcome of a game.

On the other hand, offline play runs much smoother and the power of the 360 is unleashed in this game through ultra smooth player movement and graphics. The motion is very real in this game and doesn’t become predictable like in previous versions, as many avid Madden players will attest to. However, some of the tackles and juke moves look unrealistic because they seem to occur very rarely in real-life football games. The graphics are very sharp and depending on what kind of display you’re playing on, it looks different. For example if you are playing on a standard definition TV then you might not notice any real difference from the original XBOX version. The players might look less pixilated but nothing will look impressive. If you are playing on a high definition set, then you can see why the 360 is the next generation in gaming. The textures are clearly defined, the helmets have real-time reflection, the sweat from the players’ forehead is clearly visible, and the lighting is incredibly life-like.

One real flaw is the increased complexity of the controls, which are much different than previous versions. The juke buttons are all different and the highlight stick, which controls all the fancy, over-the-top maneuvers, is accidentally pushed too easily. The passing controls are still the same, however; passing is more difficult because the defender's awareness is much better than before and you will often find yourself on the wrong end of an interception. Also, fumbles seem to happen on every other play and this can only be relieved by holding down the “protect ball” button when coming in contact with a defender.

While turnovers are more difficult to avoid, they will keep you on your toes and force you to step up your game. This added pressure is something that many Madden followers have been asking for because there has been little change in game play until now. There are four difficulty levels (rookie, pro, all-pro, all-madden) and they all live up to there name.

Madden NFL 2008 is replayable and with no other NFL game out there for the 360, it has to be. EA Sports has once again outdone themselves and this year Madden brings many new features to the pro football genre and shows why it has been the most popular football franchise for more than a decade. I give Madden NFL 2008 for the XBOX 360 five clocks for its deep gameplay, amazing graphics, and fresh, new features. Loyal fans and new players alike will remain playing this game until the next installment comes around next August.

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Written by Alonso on March 03rd, 2008