EA Sports throws up a lame duck with new features in 'Madden 08'
Marshall Fleming
Issue date: 9/28/07 Section: Arts & Entertainment
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For 15 years the Madden NFL series has been the gold standard for sports video games. The 2008 version may be the beginning of the decline of the dynasty.
Madden 08 tries to get users to do more things on a single play than the average player has the ability to do. One of the most touted features - the "Read and React System," where each player has greater abilities equivalent to their real life counterparts - actually makes game play worse. I'm going to try to explain this as best I can, but the system is complicated: Dominant players will have an icon appear near them that show what they can do better than the average player at his position. Donovan McNabb for example may have the "Bullet Pass" icon appear, meaning he can throw the ball farther and with higher velocity than other quarterbacks. Game designers expect you to use this to exploit the weaknesses of opposing players. The problem is that when I was playing, the icon that is allegedly a speeding bullet looked more like a carrot. What the hell does a carrot mean in football?
If you can figure out what the icons under your players mean, you then have to try and decipher the icons under your opponents. Once you snap the ball you then have to actually use these abilities. When playing as a receiver like Randy Moss, that can shake defenders with ease, cutting in and out is way too loose and you end up losing your route, and aggravation ensues. Because of the difficulty of utilizing this feature, only the highest tier of Madden gamers will be happy with the addition. In next year's installment, the designers need to give the option of turning that feature off.
In terms of design, the newest version does some things better and some things worse than previous years. The graphics themselves are slightly better than in the past, but the athletic motion of Brian Westbrook (I always play as the Eagles) when running with the ball was the most awkward thing I've ever seen in an Xbox 360 game, leading me to reminisce about playing Madden 96 on my Sega Genesis when I was 8. In fact I find it funny that on the Madden 08 web site they say, "ultra-smooth gameplay provide the most realistic NFL gaming experience ever." They are lying.
Madden 08 tries to get users to do more things on a single play than the average player has the ability to do. One of the most touted features - the "Read and React System," where each player has greater abilities equivalent to their real life counterparts - actually makes game play worse. I'm going to try to explain this as best I can, but the system is complicated: Dominant players will have an icon appear near them that show what they can do better than the average player at his position. Donovan McNabb for example may have the "Bullet Pass" icon appear, meaning he can throw the ball farther and with higher velocity than other quarterbacks. Game designers expect you to use this to exploit the weaknesses of opposing players. The problem is that when I was playing, the icon that is allegedly a speeding bullet looked more like a carrot. What the hell does a carrot mean in football?
If you can figure out what the icons under your players mean, you then have to try and decipher the icons under your opponents. Once you snap the ball you then have to actually use these abilities. When playing as a receiver like Randy Moss, that can shake defenders with ease, cutting in and out is way too loose and you end up losing your route, and aggravation ensues. Because of the difficulty of utilizing this feature, only the highest tier of Madden gamers will be happy with the addition. In next year's installment, the designers need to give the option of turning that feature off.
In terms of design, the newest version does some things better and some things worse than previous years. The graphics themselves are slightly better than in the past, but the athletic motion of Brian Westbrook (I always play as the Eagles) when running with the ball was the most awkward thing I've ever seen in an Xbox 360 game, leading me to reminisce about playing Madden 96 on my Sega Genesis when I was 8. In fact I find it funny that on the Madden 08 web site they say, "ultra-smooth gameplay provide the most realistic NFL gaming experience ever." They are lying.
Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 1
marc
posted 10/27/07 @ 7:06 PM EST
wow is madden 08 really that bad? i mean madden 07 was really good, new features, the whole highlight stick with the RB, i dont have madden 08, but i might get it unless im convinced otherwise. (Continued…)
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