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CNET editors' rating:
4.0 stars
Excellent
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Product summary
Madden NFL 08 is a solid, feature-rich football game. Furthermore, all of the various minor improvements make it the best Madden to hit the DS yet.
Specifications: ESRB: Everyone; Genre: Sports; Number of players: 1-2 Players See full specs
Price range: $10.54 - $19.79
Gamespot editors' review
- Reviewed on: 08/22/2007
- Released on: 08/14/2007
Every year, EA Sports releases a new Madden NFL football game for the Nintendo DS. And every year, it makes a few improvements that entice football fans into dishing out another 30 dollars for the most up-to-date portable football fix. For Madden NFL 08, those improvements come in the form of minor graphical and gameplay enhancements, along with the inclusion of online play. Obviously online play is a huge boon, but even the smaller changes made to this year's game combine with its many great features to create a substantial game of football.
Compared to last year's game, the graphics in Madden NFL 08 are a little cleaner and a little flashier. The players shown in the 3D view on the lower screen are larger, you can actually make out their uniform details and insignias now, and their movements, for the most part, are fluid and lifelike. When too many players are visible, the action will occasionally slow down or the polygons that make up the players' body parts will flicker, but not so often or excessively that you'll lose track of what's going on. Stadium features, such as the field and uprights, are clearly visible regardless of the camera angle and zoom level. Each stadium's key architectural details are evident, although there's not all that much to see since the spectators don't move and the majority of scoreboards don't update. That's OK, though, because the constant flourish of hard hits, camera changes, replays, and player celebrations provides more than enough visual excitement.
Once again, audio is understated. During a game, you'll hear the roar of the crowd, the sounds of the players grunting and smacking into one another, and the occasional comment from Al Michaels or John Madden. As was the case last year, they repeat themselves frequently, but their comments are usually in line with what's happening on the screen.
On the field, Madden NFL 08 offers an insanely rich simulation of the gridiron. Every action can be controlled using the system's buttons or the touch screen. You can select from multiple playbooks and pick from dozens of plays just by flipping the page and pressing a button. Before the snap, you can change or draw a hot route for your receivers, or, if you're on defense, you can put on defensive line shifts and drag icons onto your defenders to set their role in the upcoming play. After the snap, you can change the play on the fly by calling an audible. On offense, you can pass to specific receivers by pressing the indicated buttons or by tapping the receiver's icon. Alternatively, you can use the stylus to position the ball marker exactly where you want the pass to go. Once the ball is in play, you'll run and pass the ball on offense, or you'll take control of the nearest defender and try to tackle the carrier and deflect passes. The running game lets you sprint, spin, juke, and dive simply by pressing a button or sliding the stylus.
You'll notice a few rough spots once you get your feet wet, but nothing too serious. Passes that should be caught might bounce off a receiver's body or helmet instead, sprints don't always kick in, and the CPU will occasionally forget to tackle an approaching running back. It's important to stress that while these glitches happen more than they ought to, they don't impact the final score much because they affect you and the CPU equally. Otherwise, when it comes to things like ball movement, scoring, and player behavior, Madden NFL 08 comes close to replicating what you see on TV every week. The CPU puts up a good fight, running is usually more successful than passing, and sacks and interceptions happen on both sides. If you feel that some aspect isn't weighted quite right, you can always go into the settings menu and adjust the sliders to fine tune speed, accuracy, and skill on both sides. Madden NFL 08 includes additional options for things like throwing power and defensive awareness.
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Where to buy
Madden NFL 08 (DS):
$10.54 - $19.79
| store | price | in stock? | rating |
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$18.99 | No |
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$10.54 | Yes |
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$19.79 | Yes |
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$14.99 | Yes |
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