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- Reviewed on: 08/14/2007
- Released on: 08/14/2007
- Originally published on GameSpot: Madden NFL 08 (Wii) Review
It's safe to say that when Madden NFL 07 made its debut alongside the launch of the Wii last year, it was a real shot in the arm for the franchise. With development duties handed over to EA's Canada studio, the Wii version took the existing framework of the PlayStation 2, GameCube, and Xbox versions of the game and then turned the whole thing into a festival of gesture controls. Not only that, it did so well, transferring all the various motions and mechanics of football into a motion-based control scheme that made sense. In some respects, Madden NFL 08 manages to live up to being a sequel to such an innovative game, with some tweaks and additions to the various motion controls, as well as the addition of more minigames and an online multiplayer mode. By the same token, several aspects of this year's game also disappoint. The graphics have seen practically no noticeable improvement and the presentation is still lacking. Additionally, some irritating bugs and glitches rear their ugly head from time to time during gameplay. Still, 08 is great fun, especially when played with other people. If you liked last year's game, you'll certainly enjoy things this time around.
For the most part, Madden's much-vaunted control scheme has remained the same. However, there have been some tweaks to how a few of the mechanics work. Big hits and ball-carrier power moves are now mapped solely to the Wii Remote, instead of the remote and the Nunchuk in tandem. The power move has actually been rebalanced to depend on what kind of running back you've got. Power backs will bowl over defenders, while scat backs will use more nimble maneuvers to duck around their opponents. Defenders trying to rush the passer or get to the running back behind the line will now rip and spin past blockers when you move the remote back and forth in either direction. Also, certain actions, such as kicking and swatting at passes as a defender, feel a bit more responsive this year.
It's year two for the Madden franchise on the Wii, and this latest edition is a predictable, but very fun sequel.
Some non-motion controls have been added as well, such as a strip-ball feature mapped to the 1 button, which will knock the ball from a carrier's hands when timed correctly. There's also a new mechanic that lets you focus in on specific receivers before the snap by zooming back and pressing a button that corresponds with a specific receiver. It's a neat move that has a bit of a risk-versus-reward feel to it because if you double up on one receiver, you potentially leave another open. Beyond these updates, the core controls are functionally identical to last year.
That's hardly a bad thing, given that last year's controls were incredibly fun to play around with, and they remain so here. If, for some reason, you find the Madden control scheme daunting, a new option has been included called family play. For all intents and purposes, this is literally a halving of the control scheme. You simply select the family-play control option and remove the Nunchuk plug from the remote. From here, the game becomes all motion controls. The computer takes over movement of the players, and all you have to do is manage the motion-based controls via the Wii Remote.
It's a really strange system for a couple of reasons. One, it's hard to believe most people would be so vexed by having to use an analog stick to move players that this option would be helpful to them. Two, the computer isn't really talented enough to move players for you. Quarterbacks on the verge of getting sacked sometimes don't even really try to move out of the pocket, and runners tend to have trouble moving past blockers when running between the tackles. Sure, you can stiff-arm and spin manually, but the artificial intelligence seems to have periodic issues with turning the corner to find the open holes. At the very least, the average player would likely do a much better job than the CPU does. While there might be some measure of appeal to this mode for people who have absolutely no idea what they're doing with the game, anyone who takes the time to learn the proper controls won't have much use for the family-play option. Considering the deluge of tutorials to be found in the game, it shouldn't take long to learn.
The gameplay is still a lot of fun on the field. The new "weapons" system from the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions is on hand in this version as well. You get all the same icons that depict whether a cornerback is a shutdown corner or a press corner, as well as whether your QB is a smart QB, a rocket arm, or an accurate passer. Interestingly, the differences in players and play styles don't seem quite as pronounced in this version.
Online play is a great addition--especially since you don't need friend codes to play.
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