GENRE
	Sports
	DEVELOPER
	EA Tiburon
	PUBLISHER
	EA Sports
	NUMBER OF PLAYERS
	1-4
	WI-FI ENHANCED
	Yes
	DS COMPATIBLE
	No
	BUY NOW AT

Last year’s iteration of Madden saw EA Sports intelligently utilize Wii’s motion sensing abilities to breathe new life into the series, making the entire Madden experience much more immersive for veterans and, more importantly some might argue, intuitive to casual gamers who were put off by the franchise’s growing tilt towards hardcore followers.

How does this year’s version try to improve on last November’s release? Largely by following standard EA Sports protocol for yearly title updates: update the rosters, keep the core mechanics of the game intact, add a couple new features and give the graphics engine a thin fresh coat of paint.

visuals

For better or for worse, Madden NFL 08 still uses Madden’s last generation graphics engine much like the 2007 edition did. While the game looks better than GameCube efforts, it shares many of the visual problems that last generation titles had: player models have no real variety. For example, kickers largely have the same physique as a hefty linebacker. That’s no disrespect to kickers, but it’s fairly common knowledge that 'backers are generally in better shape and differ in profile when compared to their special teams brethren. While the game runs at a smooth framerate the majority of the time, portions of the game that are accompanied by EA Trax, the title’s custom licensed soundtrack, stutter when an info box slides onto the screen to inform the player of what track he or she is listening to at the current time.

But 08 does improve on some graphical aspects. The grass on the field appears to have depth to it -- an improvement on the flat playing surfaces of years past. A few new animations also pop up from time to time, most notably some bone-rattling tackles. On a whole, however, it’s time for EA to give some serious thought to overhauling this aged engine.

audio

This version of Madden differs from those released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in that Al Michaels and John Madden still team up to provide a broadcast booth presence for every virtual NFL matchup. They share many of the same dialogue veteran Maddenites have been listening to -- or putting up with, as the case may be – since 2003, when Al first joined John to provide commentary for Madden. There are some new sound bites that Al and John recorded for 08, but given the lack of fresh material, those audio quips grow stale quickly.

What’s truly a letdown is when Al Michaels fails to refer to a star player by name, instead opting to refer to him by his position or number. In a recreation of last year’s Super Bowl matchup, Michaels didn’t mention Chicago Bears special teams stud Devin Hester or then Indianapolis Colts rookie sensation Joseph Addai by name, referring to them instead by their positions. It’s one thing if a third-string quarterback doesn’t get his name into the game,but when star players of the NFL don’t get proper props, it’s quite disappointing.

Otherwise, the rest of the audio is solid, if not particularly exciting. EA Trax returns with a hodgepodge of licensed hip-hop and alternative fare to please a variety of musical ears. Classical and country music fans, however, will be sorely disappointed. The usual football sound effects provide a solid, if somewhat muted, aural experience.

gameplay

While the graphics and sound of Madden NFL 08 are rather unspectacular, the gameplay is where most gamers will be won over. The mechanics of the game function just as they did a year ago, with some refinements made to the control scheme. You’ll still juke and stiff arm opponents with nunchuk and Wii Remote waggling respectively, but power moves on offense are handled with just the Remote this year, as last year’s nunchuk and Wii Remote combination was an exercise in frustration. It’s downright fun to emulate a throwing motion with the Wii Remote and being able to put zip or touch on the ball as seen fit. For the most part, all the adjustments are made for the better, and the end result is an engaging, immersive game of football.

That’s not to say the experience is perfect. The artificial intelligence still makes a number of head-scratching decisions. Whether it's a CPU coach using both of its challenges before the end of the first quarter, a defensive player hanging out in the offensive backfield before the snap without penalty or a free safety caught running mindlessly into another player in a failed adjustment to stack more men in the box, computer opponents will make some bone-headed decisions and glitches will occur regardless of the difficulty selected.

This problem plagues the new Family Play option, which allows casual gamers the opportunity to focus on making athletic moves like stiff arms or swatting the ball away, while letting the computer handle the business of running around on the field. The mode succeeds in allowing players to spend their time gesturing without the burden of running, but the AI makes some dumb decisions that might frustrate gamers into turning the feature off.

One of the larger additions to the game is the Player Weapons system. Pulling the camera back pre-snap reveals a set of icons showcasing your most able players and what skill set they possess. Some running backs might be characterized as Elusive Backs, meaning they rely on shiftiness to escape from tacklers, while a Power Back will opt to run through defensive players, rather than around them. The mode works to help players identify who their most effective players are. While playing as the San Diego Chargers, for example, it helped strategically to know that their offensive line featured three Run Blocker weapons on the left side. Player Weapons don’t necessarily take over the game, although they play a major role in determining the score. Just don’t expect super-human efforts from them. Player Weapons also have the positive side effect of allowing more casual NFL fans to pick up the nuances of the game already second nature to seasoned vets, as they now have a quick, easy-to-read system to figure out the key players on their team.

multiplayer

Online is the biggest addition to the Wii side of Madden football this year. The first year of online football is largely a successful one. After setting up a free EA Nation account, getting online and finding a match is a painless procedure, largely due to the fact that Madden 08 does not use Friend Codes. Standard online features like friend lists and leaderboards are all present, although the game severely limits communication between gamers by declining to include full chatting options, choosing instead to let players talk to each other with a repertoire of twenty canned messages. Since voice has yet to be implemented online, voice chat is not an option, either.

Online matchups, which are one-on-one affairs, are relatively lag free provided you game with someone who has a solid internet connection. Of a handful of online games, only once did the connection completely drop out -- a good first step for Madden’s inaugural foray into online Wii gaming.

If you’d rather experience your multiplayer with other human beings in the same room as you, Madden NFL 08 has got you covered as well. There are a bevy of modes for two to four friends to engage in, from 2 on 2, a backyard football game of sorts featuring a quarterback and wide receiver facing off against a linebacker and cornerback to see who can score the most points, and a more peaceful trivia mode for more cerebral pigskin followers. Telestrator mode is the normal Madden game experience with a twist, as particularly exciting plays are replayed with the player who made the play given the ability to diagram the play or write funny messages for their friends courtesy of an onscreen telestrator.

overall

The game’s presentation might not show it, but beneath the rusty yet serviceable hood lies an engine firing on most of its cylinders. Madden NFL 08 isn’t the quantum leap that last year’s version was, but in most respects, it’s better. A new dimension has been added to the game with the advent of online Madden for Wii, and the title’s new features should make it more appealing to gamers who don’t purchase every year’s Madden installment. Most importantly, it plays a darn good game of football.

8.25/10