I know there are some Madden fans on this board, so we might as well start this with the draft in less than two weeks. Everyone probably knows that Vince Young will be the cover boy for this year.

http://sports.ign.com/articles/781/781174p1.html

4/17/2007 3:36:35 PM

in before the curse

4/17/2007 3:44:26 PM

Quote :

"Vince Young is Cursed rich"

[Edited on April 17, 2007 at 3:45 PM. Reason : .]

4/17/2007 3:45:48 PM

Vince Young?

Are they kidding?

4/17/2007 3:49:21 PM

^^^Good one.

[Edited on April 17, 2007 at 3:50 PM. Reason : ^Titans will go 6-10 this year now.]

4/17/2007 3:49:31 PM

I was expecting the cover to feature Pacman trying to cover Chris Henry

4/17/2007 3:53:59 PM

paging J_Hova

4/17/2007 3:56:01 PM

I wish they'd reveal who all they offered before Vince and in what order. It seems like Peyton and LT had to get asked (just not sure which order) and then there had to be quite a few names before Vince Young's came up.

Oh well, perhaps he'll be Superman again and break the curse.

4/17/2007 4:19:50 PM

They should put a lineman on there.

4/17/2007 4:23:04 PM

I wonder what would happen if you put a kicker on the game?

4/17/2007 4:53:47 PM

some new elite kick control?

4/17/2007 6:14:26 PM

Peyton Manning was the first choice for the Madden '08 cover . . . but they couldn't fit his head on it.

4/18/2007 5:33:07 PM

hahahahahahahahahaha

4/18/2007 7:50:15 PM

IBTL

4/18/2007 8:25:03 PM

IBTM

4/18/2007 8:28:51 PM

I don't know why this deserved to be moved, but I'll just deal with it. If you go to EA Sports, you can get like a wallpaper with your fav team and the Madden 08 logo. They're doing one everyday until the draft.






[Edited on April 19, 2007 at 2:35 PM. Reason : Titans...]

4/19/2007 2:23:12 PM

I bought Madden 07 and took it back shortly after for 2 reasons:

1 - It was worse than 06 and they didn't add anything except:

2 - IN GAME ADS! Are you freaking kidding me? I pay 60 bucks for the game and they insert ads in? Total bullshit.

"Here's today's "Snickers Hungriest Player." Man that pissed me off.

So yeah, I'm waiting for the new 2k football game coming this summer. I know it won't be NFL, but I'll guarantee you the gameplay will be better.

[Edited on April 19, 2007 at 2:42 PM. Reason : .]

4/19/2007 2:41:38 PM

I didn't know 2k was coming out with another football game.

4/19/2007 7:34:42 PM

damn i miss espn football

4/20/2007 3:28:57 AM

4/23/2007 8:55:01 AM

^was that shit made in microsoft paint??

4/23/2007 11:52:03 AM

Ask EA. I didn't make it.

4/23/2007 12:01:32 PM

Quote :

"Madden NFL 08 First Look EA puts the focus back on gameplay. It's about time. by Jonathan Miller April 27, 2007 - Let's get it out of the way now. Madden NFL 07 was a disappointment, pure and simple. With an exclusive NFL license as well as the power of the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, there's no reason why this "next-gen" Madden shouldn't have blown football fans away as one of the greatest sports gaming experiences of all time. That's what we expect when we fork over the dough for high-priced consoles and a $59.99 game. As the only NFL sim on the market, that's what we deserve. With Madden NFL 08, that's what we're going to get. Or at least that's the lofty goal that developer EA Tiburon has set for its flagship franchise, set to release this summer. With a difficult console transition finally out of the way, Tiburon head man Steve Chiang said there are no more excuses with Madden. There will only be results. After visiting Tiburon to take an early peek at Madden 08, we're starting to believe him. The major focus, as it should be, is on gameplay. Remember that old "If it's in the game, it's in the game" line? Tiburon is taking that to heart. If it's on the field -- laterals, gang tackles, diving catches, strips, shutdown corners, hurdles -- it's in Madden, said producer Ian Cummings. His vision? Pure dynamic gameplay. You control the animations -- the animations don't control you. You can see what Cummings has to say in our exclusive video interview. Here are a few examples we saw on some early in-engine videos of Madden 08. Midair Collisions A quarterback lofts a pass to a streaking receiver that is well covered. The receiver jumps and extends his arms to receive the ball just as the corner buries his helmet into his ribcage. The receiver is upended and falls on his back while the ball bounces into the hands of the safety creeping over to help. If you're going to expose yourself in traffic, expect to get hit. We can see the alligator arms growing now. Big Time Catches To balance these big hits in the secondary, EA has made star receivers play like, you know, stars. Guys like Larry Fitzgerald are going to go up and get the ball and they're going to take the hit. What's more, you'll see them reaching out for one-handed grabs and leaping into the end zone for six. That's not to say a good corner isn't going to shut down some of these plays. But a scrub DB? "He's toast," Cummings said. To do this, EA had to better emphasize the roles receivers play by looking at situational awareness and catch-in-traffic ratings. So expect to see a big difference with possession guys like Keyshawn Johnson and showboats like Terrell Owens. Johnson won't stretch the D, but he will do the little things -- in the end zone on a timing patter, he'll catch the ball with his hands and fall right to the turf to avoid the hit and secure the football. Along with highlight catches, you can also trigger possession catches that ensure you catch the ball, get the feet down and tuck it away safely at the expense of some speed running after the catch. Hurdles A few years ago, players were able to cheat with the hurdle button to escape tackles. The easy solution was simply to remove hurdles. They're back in 08, and a great tool for ball carriers looking to evade tacklers going for the knees. On the flip side of that coin, you are exposed in the air, as we saw in this video: LaDainian Tomlinson takes a pitch and sweeps right. As a linebacker bears down, LT hurdles. Bad move. In the air, LT is unprotected. The LB takes his legs out from under him and LT flips over, fumbling the ball toward the sideline. "If a guy is running at you and you jump at him, you're dead," said Cummings. "We emulated that." Hitstick 2.0 If LT is going to hurdle to avoid a tackle, you have to be able to answer on the defensive side of the ball. Enter Hitstick 2.0. This will allow you to tackle high or low by flicking up or down on the right stick, respectively. This opens the door for all kinds of possibilities. If you're an undersized corner and Lorenzo Neal is barreling toward you, you better take out his knees at risk of getting trucked. If it's Warrick Dunn dancing toward you, on the other hand, you may want to hold off on the hit stick altogether at the risk of losing your shoes. But if you're Zach Thomas and the situation is right, a high tackle is going to ring some bells. Gang Tackles We saw a bit of gang tackling last year on the PS3, but this year the feature looks to be fully fleshed out. Cummings said with confidence that it's "the best gang-tackling engine ever created," a bold statement considering the old 2K franchise. But consider this: You can stand a guy up and come in with a linebacker to clean house. Yeah, it's been done before. But from here, Cummings said you can add on dynamically at any point. So maybe it takes two, three, four guys to haul Larry Johnson to the ground. Or if you're running in with a linebacker, you can actually knock the other defenders off the ball carrier with a poorly-aimed hit. Or blockers can come in and try to knock defenders off. Or you can try to strip the ball. A runner can cover it up. The list just keeps going. The Line of Scrimmage EA enlisted an engineer that played offensive line in college and the Canadian Football League to design a new blocking scheme. This season you'll see double teams, stretch blocking and linemen extending to the second level. A lot more holes will open up this year and you'll need to follow the game plan to take advantage. For running backs, that means reading and following blocks. Of course, a few gargantuan defensive tackles can ruin your trap play faster than you can say Corey Simon, so it's important to be able to improvise. Last season if a hole didn't open up, a back would simply run in place behind a lineman-- ice skating as it's known in the biz. This year, big backs will push the pile and force their blockers forward. Smaller backs like Reggie Bush will hesitate behind the line, waiting for an opening to develop before bouncing outside. Both moves are context-sensitive and automatic when you run into a blocker. Fatigue Guess what? Temperature and location play a factor in a football game. If you're a Green Bay Packer playing at Dolphin Stadium in September, you're going to feel the heat while the Dolphins are well-adjusted. And don't start on the Dolphins playing in Foxborough in December. Weather will play into the home-field advantage next season. But fatigue is caused by a lot more than a hot day. Consider this: If Reggie Bush scampers left, then right, then backward, then left and right again and finally into the end zone as only Reggie Bush can, he's going to be tired at the end of the run. In Madden, you'll notice him slowing and, with a different set of running animations, you will see that Bush is gassed. But really, does that guy ever get tired? For those of you that enjoy sprinting from sideline to sideline with Michael Vick, it's time to get a new strategy. Then again, the defense will tire too... After a play, you won't see the same canned animations of 11 players jogging back to a huddle in unison. Players will huff and puff with their hands on their hips, longing for the oxygen tank on the sidelines. This will add a new dimension to clock management as you can't simply run Hail Mary after Hail Mary with a no-huddle offense. Those long patterns (and the jog back to the line) take a heavy toll. Instead, you'll need to complete a pass and -- dare I say it -- spike the ball to stop the clock. Just waiting a few extra seconds to snap the ball will have an effect."

4/30/2007 11:00:53 AM

Quote :

"Celebrate Good Times, C'mon! After all these amazing plays, you have to leave a little room for some player celebrations. Forget about those sluggish cutscenes and shots of the stands from last year. If you blow up a play on defense, a teammate will run over, pick you up off the ground, give you a slap on the helmet and a quick, "Hell yeah!" and jog back to the huddle. This all runs within the game engine and helps keep the action flowing smoothly -- a natural problem in football games. After scores, keep your eyes peeled for signature celebrations like Chad Johnson's river dance, Dante Hall's X and Rex Grossman's gator chomp. EA already has at least 60 celebrations in the game, although we don't know yet if you'll be able to choose one for yourself after a score. Madden's new moves are made possible to a new animation system borrowed from the FIFA franchise and NBA Street Homecourt. The goal is to make players move as realistically as possible. Instead of turning in a lazy arc, players are going to plant their feet, drop their shoulder and make cuts. We watched as LT hit a hole hard and made decisive cuts through the second level to rip off a big gain. It's also important to note that these cuts are quick -- in FIFA, players would often step in the bucket and a foot plant would slow players down. We have nothing else to say. It's Vince Young again. He's on the cover.As LT spun around a defender, cut left, broke a leg tackle and was finally dragged down by a neck tackle, the animations blended smoothly together, inspired by the Homecourt system. Cummings has pushed his team to ensure that players can break out of animations and pull off another move or change direction at any time. When a receiver runs and out and catches a pass near the sideline, he doesn't have to let his momentum carry him out of bounds during the catch animation. Now he can haul the ball in, do a quick chop step and cut 90 degrees up field. It doesn't look like much by itself, but when you compare all these movements to Madden 07, the improvements stand out like Orlando Pace in a buffet line. As for AI, EA wants star players to play like star players. Peyton Manning is going to pick a part a defense, call audibles and shift his team at the line. On the flip side, a QB like Rex Grossman is going to be inconsistent. Cornerbacks like Champ Bailey are going to shut down an entire side of the football field. You've never feared a cornerback before in Madden, but that's about to change. EA is also rewriting the defensive zone AI to eliminate money plays, especially deep balls and corner routes. As such, look for matchups to play a more important factor in 08. Taller receivers will take advantage of small DBs on fade routes. A tight end like Antonio Gates split out wide will burn a slow linebacker trying to play man coverage. EA is trying to emphasize the chess match that is the gridiron on any given Sunday. And don't forget about the defensive side of the ball. If you think you can roll out with a QB right toward a healthy Jevon Kearse without throwing out a double team, you got another thing coming. And finally, EA is bringing back the features that never made the jump from current-gen Madden like owner mode, defensive hot routes and classic rosters. The stellar Superstar mode returns, as well as the Hall of Fame, although EA is missing a few notable players like Montana, Marino and Rice that make appearances in All Pro Football 2K8. Is it a coincidence that Madden 08 will be so feature-rich now that 2K is back in the game? Probably not, and that's a good thing as EA has yet another incentive to make the best football game on the market. Whatever the motivation, it's clear that Cummings and the rest of the development team care about Madden 08, gushing that this year will be the biggest jump in quality over the previous version that we've ever seen. But as the only NFL sim out there, that's what we deserve."

Continuing from the last post...

4/30/2007 11:01:37 AM

I, for one, can't wait to pay my $60 for some sweet new rosters

4/30/2007 1:57:11 PM

....even if it is on a PS2.

4/30/2007 2:21:30 PM

i'll have rosters for ncaa and madden 08...ive done it last 2 years (i have the necessary tools to DL the ones for 360)...i did $5 last year since it cost me to buy a effin memory card and the connection cable

4/30/2007 2:59:46 PM

i might get this this year

4/30/2007 3:37:04 PM

are they going to fix madden for 360 this year or are they going to stick with that shitty product they called "madden" in 07?

4/30/2007 3:51:35 PM

5/3/2007 11:20:57 AM

looks the same

5/3/2007 11:31:25 AM

i still play madden 03 w/ marshall faulk on the cover

5/3/2007 11:37:48 AM

^That was my game freshman year. Man, 2002 seems like forever.

5/3/2007 11:46:43 AM

new preview up at ign

http://sports.ign.com/articles/789/789781p1.html

5/18/2007 4:49:41 PM

I pre-ordered my copy today.

5/18/2007 9:49:28 PM

bump...about two months left...

6/5/2007 4:20:43 PM

Damn, the graphics still fucking suck.

6/5/2007 4:23:49 PM

6/5/2007 4:25:59 PM

Quote :

"Madden NFL 08 Wii Interview by Mark Bozon and Matt Casamassina IGN Wii: Madden 07 was one of the highest reviewed (and most-selling) titles during the Wii launch. How has that changed or strengthened future EA/Wii support, and what have you learned from the first release? Damian Zerr: Madden 07 Wii proved that when done well EA Sports titles translate extremely well to Nintendo's innovative new console. Gesture based gameplay really opens the game up to a whole new playing experience and Madden 07 Wii was an example of introducing a fresh new way of playing a classic franchise. We learned that getting back to the basics and delivering a simple control experience is key for a Wii product's success. Our focus on the control side of things this year was to continue to refine the controls, make them easier to perform, easier to remember and provide instant feedback to the player when they succeed or fail during gameplay. EA is very excited about the possibilities of the Wii and you can look forward to a strong showing this year with great EA SPORTS titles like Madden, FIFA and NBA as well as others hitting the streets. IGN Wii: As far as general gameplay goes for all consoles, how is Madden 08 different from its predecessor? Damian: Madden 08 Wii includes many new features and some exclusive to the Wii version only. For starters, the Wii version will include the franchise's Read and React Player Weapon system. Basically, during gameplay you can manually display and see where your impact superstars are and where best to exploit mismatches on the field. These players are marked with Player Weapon Icons to illustrate their strengths. For example, star QBs can be classified as a Precision Passer, a Scrambler or having a Cannon Arm; the highest honor is that of the Franchise QB. The Wii version will also offer a number of exciting exclusive features. One of those is our brand new Party Mode. We built this mode for those times when you have friends over and you want instant multiplayer action. We worked closely with our friends at Nintendo and have included full support to attach your own custom Mii to track your overall progress in the mode. When first entering the Party Mode you have three distinct games areas: Play Now, Mini-Games and Trivia. All areas fully support four-player action. Once each player creates a profile with their Mii, it's off to gameplay where you can compete in 22 mini-games, a Trivia mode which will test your NFL knowledge or traditional Madden fans' favorite exhibition action. Each time you win or lose at party games it will raise or lower your Party Rating. The sheer number of multiplayer mini-games offered this year is staggering to say the least. On the gameplay side you will see a number of those fun gestures return. We wanted to keep the controls fun and easy to remember so we remapped a lot of the difficult two handed gestures to simpler actions. The result has made the game a lot more responsive and fun to play. IGN Wii: Dealing with the Wii development specifically, what were "must-change" or "high importance" areas when creating Madden 08? Damian: Top priority for us was a combination of refined gesture controls and our new modes like Party Mode and Online Play. On the control side of things we're also trying something very new to Wii sports games, but we'll have to talk about this in our next interview. We're not ready to let everything out of the bag quite yet. IGN Wii: Are there any specific gameplay changes from running, passing, kicking, or play management? Damian: We've done some tweaking in all areas of gameplay to make things easier to pull off. To Kick or Punt the ball now you simply hold the A button down and swing the Wii Remote up to generate power. This gives the user enough time to properly aim their kick before generating power. On the running side we've simplified the Power Move command to barrel through oncoming defenders. This year you just push the Wii Remote forward. These changes are just the tip of the iceberg, which together help make the game easier to play and more enjoyable. IGN Wii: The previous game made great use of controller motion for stiff-arms, jukes, and catching or deflecting passes. Have any more of these motions been added for 08? How is the controller being used this time around? Damian: A lot of those great gestures are back along with some new ones. One of the new additions we're particularly proud of is our new gesture based Audible system. This year we've put your Audible controls on the nunchuk. All you need to do is swing the nunchuk in one of four directions to call an Audible on the fly before the snap. These additions make the pre-snap game that much more interactive, just like in real life. If you don't like what you see on the defensive side of the ball in Madden 08 Wii, make the motion on your nunchuk and watch your team adjust. IGN Wii: One of the most addictive modes in Madden 07 for Wii was the 2 vs. 2 mode, as well as the accompanying multiplayer mini-games. What has been added in the multiplayer department for this year's game? Damian: On the mini-game side there are a number of exciting new games to be played. Our Party Mode includes a four-player Trivia contest that is simple to play yet challenging to win. Under the mini-game umbrella we have games like four-player Rushing Attack where the actions a 2 vs. 2 running game battle, or the 40-yard dash where each player drums their controllers as fast as they can to sprint to the finish line. Drum too early and you'll false start. All in all there are 22 mini-games available in Party Mode made up from a combination of familiar mini-camp drills and new to Wii platform experiences... all of them taking full advantage of gesture based controls. IGN Wii: Along with new roster updates and mini-games, what can Wii players look forward to this year? Have live roster updates, streaming stats, or any other features been added to give the game the NFL feel? Damian: It doesn't get any more NFL than streaming sports scores, which have been added to the feature set this year when you log into our brand new Online mode. IGN Wii: Please go into detail in regards to online multiplayer. What modes can you play? Will it be as robust as, say, the 360 version? Damian: The online mode this year on Wii will allow two-player Exhibition games which can be ranked or unranked matches. Once you've signed into EA Nation you'll have instant sports scores stream into the lobby and have access to quick play features to jump right into the action. Updated rosters, Leaderboards, EA Locker and EA Messenger are all a part of the online package this year. IGN Wii: Does Madden support voice chat or any type of online communication? Also, will players need friend codes to hook up, chat, and play? Damian: Madden Wii does not support voice chat this year. We do have a basic EA Messenger chat service which allows you to keep connected with friends during online play. EA Messenger is separate from the Wii friends list so when you're online you search for people by using their online EA Nation Persona. IGN Wii: Does the online mode automatically import your system code, or do you need a separate friend code to play Madden online? Damian: Madden Wii doesn't support the Wii friends system during online play. This is something we're still working on with Nintendo. For now our online play uses your EA Nation Persona to search and manage your EA Messenger account."

[Edited on June 12, 2007 at 9:58 AM. Reason : for the wii fans]

6/12/2007 9:49:40 AM

i cant wait for this game.

owner mode, relocation mode, and create-a-stadium are all back!!

also, 60 fps!

6/12/2007 9:56:02 AM

part 2

Quote :

"IGN Wii: How many of the game modes are multiplayer enabled? Can you play all mini-games, tournaments, and modes on and offline? Are there any online seasons/tourneys for the Wii version? Damian: Pretty much all of the standard offline game modes are local multiplayer enabled. Social gaming is the big push for us this year with the inclusive of Party Mode and Online Play. We don't support online tournaments this year. However this is something we're looking at for next year. With this being the franchise's first year online on the Wii we have concentrated on delivering the core Madden gaming experience at a high quality. IGN Wii: How does the game compare visually to last year's Madden, and will the Wii version specifically be getting a visual bump? Damian: We put a lot of effort into the Visual and overall presentation this year. From our initial showings of the game people are impressed with the leap the game has made over last year. On the visual side we really tried to push the game's depth of color and richness. Everything from 3D grass to the shiny player helmets pop off the screen, even more so when you're playing in 16:9 with 480p. You'll notice this year that player jerseys and pants have that realistic jersey sheen (reflections) on them that actually adjusts with the camera angle. We didn't stop there, though. Our new in-game presentation includes an overhauled Play Call screen which shares some characteristics of the Next Gen game. Overall I think people will be impressed with what they see when they play the game, especially if you own an HDTV. IGN Wii: Has there been any DS-to-Wii integration for this game for play calling or create-a-play modes? If not, can you use the Wii remote to draw out plays in your playbook? Damian: No DS-to-Wii integration this year but there's always next year. When it comes to drawing with your Wii remote, however, we have got the feature for you. Madden 08 has an all-new Telestrator feature available in Party Mode this year. Basically Telestrator allows you to draw on screen during earned auto-instant-replays after big plays... so you can humiliate your opponent both vocally and visually this year moments after embarrassing your opponent with a punt return for a TD. It's been an office favorite and we're sure it will please those that enjoy heated competitive battles against their friends. Madden 08 Wii delivers John Madden's number one tool of his trade right into the palms of your hands. The possibilities are endless to say the least. IGN Wii: Are there any modes/features that other Madden games have that the Wii version is missing out on? In turn, what content is Wii-exclusive? Damian: Madden 08 Wii continues to have the major features that have become a part of the Madden product like Franchise Mode and Superstar Mode. We have also introduced new exclusive modes like Party Mode and familiar experiences like Online to appeal to both the traditional fan and the casual Wii fan. Also in the mix are new features like the Telestrator feature and other new innovations in this year's product. To get these new major additions into the game we did sacrifice a few minor features, however the pros of the new additions definitely outweigh the cons of the losses. IGN Wii: For fans that picked up the previous game, why should they drop more cash on Madden 08? Damian: It's really quite simple. First of all Madden 08 for the Wii will be one of the first experiences playable online for the Wii. Not stopping there, however, this year's version of Madden is a franchise advancement from last year with the new gameplay systems and features. Also, Madden 08 is going to open the doors of Madden gaming to a much broader level of Madden gamer than ever before with the "simplicity above all else" philosophy. So don't get left in the dark by missing out on Madden 08 for the Wii."

^Yeah, I'm also excited about 60 fps.

[Edited on June 12, 2007 at 9:59 AM. Reason : ahhh]

6/12/2007 9:58:46 AM

probably going to suck on the Wii.

6/12/2007 10:09:19 AM

Probably, but I just put it up here because it's new Madden info.

6/12/2007 10:16:08 AM

I'll probably get it for the Wii, 07 is one of the funniest games for it right now and if they manage to refine the controls more and add more Online play I don't see why 08 will be anything but better

6/12/2007 11:11:09 AM

I just hope the telestrator feature is on all the games. It'd be fun to analyze the plays and run smack on your opponent.

6/12/2007 11:12:19 AM

funny how? Like "ha ha" funny or like "spelling natzi" funny?





[Edited on June 12, 2007 at 11:17 AM. Reason : funniest]

6/12/2007 11:16:28 AM

Quote :

"Madden NFL 08 Extended Hands-On Next-gen football has finally arrived. by Nate Ahearn June 15, 2007 - The last two years of Madden on next-gen have not lived up to the hype. It was the only pigskin offering out there so we tolerated it, enjoyed it as much as we could, and had several nights of heated matchups between friends - though never with two people on one team. This year Madden is back in a big way, with all of the trimmings that you'd expect from a true next-gen football experience. EA just recently played host to its big, blowout pre-E3 event. Nineteen games were in attendance and Madden was easily among the best shown. First off, this year's game isn't skipping out on the features that we've become accustomed to on the original Xbox offerings. Fantasy draft is back for all the fantasy gurus out there, owner mode is in, though EA was mum about the details when we spoke to David Ortiz, the lead producer on the game. Even though we couldn't squeeze out the specifics, it's just good to know that our old favorites are back. At this latest event EA was stressing nothing but gameplay. Editors were commanded to just sit and play, and I was eager to obey. I got a solid hour-or-so in, just enough time to play two full-length games with my hometown Jacksonville Jaguars. Aside from the requisite new camera angles and presentation elements, the game just feels much more like pro football than it ever has on next-gen consoles. Players now respond to your every touch, so there's no more getting caught in catch animations on out-routes and jogging haplessly out of bounds. Running now feels much more natural as well, thanks to some new foot planting technology. The days of sliding around the field are all but over. There are also a bunch of nuances that are original to this year's game. Like different run animations for when your running back is trying to make his way through the offensive and defensive line. There's no more running in place like the Wiley Coyote when you hit the back of your O-lineman. The highlight stick has also been redefined to utilize player specific abilities. A smaller back won't be able to truck over a safety, so flicking up on the right analog will now allow him to break off a nasty little juke move, while bigger backs will still lower the boom. Receivers have also been retooled to allow for several different situations that were previously impossible. Now balls over the middle are genuine health. In past years jumping catches over the middle granted your wideouts invincibility, but this year they can get popped like never before. Now you'll get up-ended if the hit lands just right, knocking the ball out of your hands in the process. Also, like we said before, there's no more getting caught in a catch animation, so as soon as the ball hits your hands the receiver is in your control, and the added responsiveness of the controls really helps in this regard. One instance of the increased sense of control came as I was playing against Dave Ortiz. He was using the Panthers, and I was the Jags. Steve Smith snagged a ball over the middle, and unlike last year where he would have gotten tackled because of being stuck in the same old catch animation, he was now able to immediately use his speed to cut away from a linebacker and then posterize my DB by using the highlight stick to maneuver his 5'9" frame to duck under a would-be tackler. It was an impressive display; it's just too bad it was against me. Defense has also been retooled a bit so that your impact players (known as weapons this year, we'll detail that in a bit) actually have the proper impact on the game. Defensive linemen now play more of a role than simply being a body on the field. You can execute a nice repertoire of moves to try and get past the opposition, or disengage and roam free. Marcus Stroud, a perennial pro bowler at defensive tackle for the Jags, racked up two sacks during the game against the Panthers thanks to some crafty manipulation of the newly bestowed moves. In previous years defensive ends had a tough time having any kind of an impact, much less defensive tackles. The gang tackles were also in full effect, though it doesn't seem that more than two or three players can get in on a tackle at one time, but it's still cool to see the ball carrier realistically react to multiple impacts. The weapon system is totally new to this year's Madden, and feels a bit like the Superstar abilities in past NBA Live titles. Certain players can be one or several types of weapons. There are things like brick wall defenders, smart quarterbacks and linebackers, big hitters, and blanket corners with 24 categories in all. Though players can be more than one type of weapon, only one icon is displayed at a time. The aforementioned smart defensive or offensive players have a special ability of their own that allows them to figure out the tendencies of the other team. Once their icon fills up you can tap the left bumper and the play art (routes, blocking schemes, etc…) of the opposing team will appear, but you can only do it once so you'd be wise to save it for a crucial third-down conversion attempt. There have also been plenty of changes made to the presentation side of things. Like the addition of Marshall Faulk, who now delivers pre-game audio commentary as the players take the field. He gives a breakdown of strong points for each squad as the game highlights the main weapons for a given team, and also hands out a quick score prediction. Thought it is a small addition, it still adds to the legitimacy of Madden 08. There are also two new achievements for players to work towards, and we don't mean things to up your gamerscore. This year you'll be able to earn trophies for certain on-field accolades, and then turn around and bet them before on and offline games. On top of that you'll also build up your own championship ring. When Marshall hands out his score prediction you'll notice a clear ring floating next to your user name. As you continue to progress and up your EA Gamer Level your ring will get more and more blinged out. Things like diamonds, rubies, and a platinum finish will all be unlocked if you're good enough. It was very clear what EA's true emphasis is for this year's Madden, and that is gameplay, gameplay, gameplay. The title harkens back to past Madden titles in that its gameplay is extremely fast, fluid, and responsive. User jukes are back in the sense that you don't really need the highlight stick to make someone look stupid, just contort your player and create your very own juke move. While there are plenty of new bells and whistles that will please a lot of players, the real star of the show is finally the gameplay. As an editor we're never supposed to pass judgment on an unfinished game, but when it comes to Madden 08, we're hard pressed not to chalk it up as a huge win for EA Sports."

6/19/2007 10:44:34 AM

i really like madden for the wii

shit's fun as hell


i like it a lot more than i liked madden for ps3

6/19/2007 10:57:29 AM

http://www.gametrailers.com/gamepage.php?id=4680

this game is gon be raw

6/19/2007 3:42:30 PM

99 overall rated players on page 2

[Edited on June 23, 2007 at 11:17 AM. Reason : x]

6/23/2007 11:15:24 AM