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Madden NFL 08 Review (continued)
More User Submitted Madden NFL 08 Reviews
Date: 2007-08-24
Madden 08: Signs that EA Sports Has Lost Touch with Fans
$60+ dollars lighter in the wallet and no better for it--that's what you'll be if you plunk down the money for Madden '08. That's what I am. I bought Madden O8 for my 360. It was my first Madden purchase since Madden 05 on the PS2--why, you might ask? Well, to tell you the truth, I was angry at EA Sports because I feel like they continue to pursue their own ideas with little or no concern for what the fans want in a video game.
So it was with much apprehension and angst that I bought Madden 08. I figured, sheesh with three years of fan mail, and three years to improve the game, and a brand new state-of-the-art game console--surely EA could make a game that would satisfy.
Uh...not so much.
EA Sports no longer seems to understand what the fans are looking for in a football game. And it seems they do not care either because fans, much like lemmings, will stream into stores and buy anything that has Madden Football on it.
Here's why I say EA has forgotten its fans:
#1: Madden Football no longer has Madden in it. Hello? Are you serious? Pop the game in and start playing. There's no "Boom!" There's no "Now that was a bigtime run!" There's nothing to give the player the sense that he is actually playing in a live NFL broadcast game. There are no cool graphics popping up. No in game analysis. No Al Michaels play by play. I'm serious. Madden Football does not have Madden in it any longer. All you get is this terrible tinny, radio announcer in the background. Turn on any real NFL game...you get an actual broadcast team, not some lame radio voice.
Note to EA #1: Fans of football video games want to vicariously live out a dream of actually being an NFL football player--with all the pomp and circumstance of broadcasting goodness. Even if Madden and Michaels cost too much to get a new set of broadcast blurbs, 95% of us would rather have you harvest old audio from the many previous Madden games than have some nasally robot radio voice. At least put in a feature where you can toggle between the traditional Madden/Michaels Soundtrack or Radio Tin Man. You could even get a lesser known ESPN broadcast team. ANYTHING would be better.
#2 There's NO Custom Playbook. Okay, I know that this will probably only frustrate die-hard Madden Fans. But for MANY of us, having the ability to design and use our own plays is exactly what gives Madden Insane replay value. We love to kick back like a mad scientist and conjure up plays to daunt our opponents. And we get pretty good at it. Some of us get delusions of grandeur, believing we could become offensive coordinators in the NFL. That's how much fun having the custom playbook feature is. But apparently, EA doesn't care about its die-hard fans.
The lack of this ability is why I quit Madden after 05. With 06, EA left the custom playbook in, but made it so you could NOT use your custom plays in franchise mode. Who wants to play Madden only in exhibition mode?
Note to EA #2: Hardcore Madden fans want to use their creativity and football knowlege to design AND use custom plays. I sent emails to EA to voice my frustration, but 07 didn't fix it. I went to my local video game stores and they told me that many fans have complained about the lack of custom playbook. And now 2008 comes along, and there is NO Custom Playbook at all. EA, come on, I'm willing to be a fan for life. But you don't seem to care.
Instead, EA goes to great lengths to control the business side of the NFL. Yay, we can negotiate contracts, set stadium ticket prices--why we can even decide what food is bought and sold at the snack bar. Yay. I don't know about most folks, but I feel like I have enough beaurocratic crap in my life already. I balance checkbooks, pay bills, go grocery shopping, research insurance companies--who needs more of that stuff? Maybe some folks would rather be an NFL owner than a player...uh, but not most of us, I'll wager.
This reminds me of how some bestselling authors get fat and happy with their stardom, forget the kinds of stories that made them big in the first place, and just start floating anything out there because they know their name will sell. "People are lemmings," they think...that is, until folks stop buying their product.
Sad to say, but I won't buy another Madden Game until they fix these features. And the good news is I don't have to. I can enjoy playing Madden 05 on my old beat up PS2. I'll just use my free rental coupon to rent the new Madden games, hoping against hope that they will fix the game. But if not, I won't be buying anything.
Bottom line: if you have never played Madden, go ahead and buy it. You won't know what you're missing. The graphics are pretty. The game play is somewhat interesting. But if you are a Madden Lifer, a die-hard, or a football geek--save your money. Remember, Madden 05 for the PS2 will probably cost you $3 at a used gaming store.
Date: 2007-08-21
Hmph...
I went from playing Madden on my PS2 to the 360 and the gameplay is insanely different. Maybe it will grow on me, but putting in the time might be tough. Considering that it is hard for me to score on pro difficulty haha. It becomes boring and I end up turning it off. The features are cool though and you have to love the updated rosters.
Date: 2007-08-21
Madden 08
I have been playing Madden since 1993, and I've pretty much enjoyed it a lot. This game is a dramatic improvement over last year. After playing the game a little bit, here are my observations
CONS:
1. Like most people, bring MADDEN back into his game. "He got up looking out his earhole." I never thought I'd miss it, but I actually do. He's nowhere near as annoying as vitale.
2. Put the referee and other officials back into the game. I miss using them as an extra blocker or getting stuck behind one like on the ps1.
2a. It's nice that ea tried to at least put a ref in the game unlike
ncaa, but it sucks when he comes on the field, and instead of
facing the stands, he is facing the endzones. a lot of good that
does.
2b. i play the game with 5.1 dolby surround. I can not hear the his
announcement of challenges. I have to go on the crowd noise to see
which way the challenge went.
3. speaking of challenge, madden use to give you the option to back out
of a challenge. For example, it would say, "do you wish to challenge
the spot of the ball?" Now it just goes straight to challenges the
ball spot.
4. if i lose a challenge, i do not need a cut away to the scoreboard that
states that I lost my timeout. No duh.
5. also, on challenges, come up with a different or better animation of
the opposing coach giving the "what gives? hurry up." motions while
everyone is awaiting the call.
6. I might be missing something, but it sure would be nice to at least
save a replay instead of just being able to see it at halftime or
after the game.
7. Please bring back the ability to do a squib quick. with the present
kicking system which is great, i find it very difficult to pull a
squib w/o just kicking it lightly and short.
8. at least point out who gets injured.
9. go back to the snes way to pick a play. the current way is way too
easy for your human opponent to see your choice. I know that you can
bluff, but it's not as easy as it was.
Pros.
1. fantastic animations. it makes you almost feel the hits that are
taken in the game.
2. fantastic stadiums as usual.
3. graphics and gameplay are vastly improved.
I don't want it to seem that there weren't any pros about the game. It just isn't as exciting as it used to be. ncaa is the way to go this year. I enjoy this game a lot. there were a lot of subtle improvements to the game.
Date: 2007-08-19
Still Fumbling Along in Great Fashion
No doubt about it, Madden 08 for the 360 is the best football game out there. Period. It's also the best Madden football simulation since Madden 05 (of current-gen consoles). Madden made its debut on the 360 two years ago. I still see too much of it in 08. First off, the color announcer is still the drone voice from 06; I'm still baffled by this because EA has ESPN license and should take advantage of using some of their broadcasters. The overall atmosphere of the game has not changed since 07 or 06 versions. The game engine is basically the same, too. It is, however, tweaked and improved since last year's copy.
Overall, the game looks amazing!
No question about the graphics. The game play too is quite good. However, there's still some glitches that pop up now and then, but it doesn't distract from the overall play of the game. I've read there's quite a bit of fumbling going on than should be, but I think that's good because it makes the game interesting and fun. I would like to see more injuries from all the hard hits, which by the way, are a nice touch of realism that lacked in previous versions. So far of what I've played, the injuries that pop up are really not from the hard hits.
Madden 08 offers a little revamped Franchise. The only addition is now "Owner mode" features are added to teams' functions and financial statements. You can add various upgrades to your stadium or build a new one. For the most part, though, the Franchise mode has been untouched from Madden 07. Yes, you can still import your NCAA Football Draft Class as well.
I give this game 3 starts because EA could have done a better job with its announcers and ESPN license. They also could have made for a better TV-style presentation. Keep in mind this is just cherry picking on my view, and I'm not complaining because EA had done a good job on its lucrative football franchise.
Date: 2007-08-18
Frustrating yet WHAT OTHER CHOICE IS THERE???
To start, I have been playing Madden since the series started and have been pleased with its progress. That is until it came out on the next-gen systems! Now it seems EA is more concerned with looks and graphics then gameplay. Example - Madden 07 for regular Xbox was GREAT, I still play it. Madden 07 for 360 was a lot more confusing and had a lot more problems.
Now, Madden 08... been waiting months and was hoping not to be dissappointed. Well... EA Sports did it again. They failed on the little things and made BIG changes where tweaks were necessary. The defenses in this game are a little too overwhelming if you ask me! I did a fantasy draft and had a hard time passing the ball from Peyton Manning to Andre Johnson! Something wrong there! These are players with 94+ ratings. I barely got the ball to the receiver!!!
Other big problems:
*FUMBLES FUMBLES AND MORE FUMBLES... have not played one game yet without 3 or 4 fumbles and this is on ALL-PRO!
*Injuries - I like to try a bunch of stuff when I first get the game and was sad to have my star HB hurt in each of the seasons I started in the very first game!! Way too many injuries.
*Where is the accelerated clock?! I don't like to wait 30 seconds after I choose a play to hike the damn ball! But if I don't my players will get tired too fast!!!
*Offensive Line Shifts- the best thing in Madden 07 and its gone!! Can't pick up d-line changes. FANTASTIC! You need Vick to get around the defensive packages thrown at you.
*Superstar Mode- why can I not start Superstar mode in anything but ROOKIE difficulty???? I don't want my Superstar to be a SUPERSTAR that fast!!! He needs to work for it just like in real life!!!
* The "RING" thing takes too much time and just gets annoying watching that screen come up every game! Show it once, that's it!
The only good thing about this game as every year is the graphics are outstanding!!! But I guess that's where EA puts all its money seeing as how they don't have to worry bout any competition out there!
ALL PRO FOOTBALL 2k8 was a joke and its concept pretty much sucked! But besides that there is nothing!!! Hopefully EA doesn't screw up it NFL Street Series as well. It's not realistic but its not supposed to be and you have to admit its fun to play with a bunch of people!!!
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