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Brian Urlacher spin-toss-tackling Clinton into the backfield. Mark Brunell pounding the turf in disgust at tossing his third INT. Santana Moss pointing skyward to celebrate a hard-won first down.
It’s a reasonably sure bet that all of these things are going to be part of the Redskins’ 2008 NFL season. Thanks to the addition of a roster’s worth of terrific new player animations, they’re definitely part of Madden 08. Finally, EA Tiburon has taken a cue from Peyton Manning and gotten over the hump, becoming comfortable with the next-gen platform that’s bedeviled them for two seasons in a row.
The Madden football franchise gets a two-point conversion for playability and enjoyment in its latest incarnation, Madden 08.
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At this point, the level of information the Madden series allows you to view and strategically tweak before each snap is freakin’ ridiculous—it’s no wonder the football IQs of hardcore Maddenites rival those of actual NFL coordinators. Madden 08 adds yet another level with the new player-weapon icon feature, these pretty little images beneath the feet of certain superstars that clue you in to their inherent uberskills—Peyton Manning is a smart quarterback, Sean Taylor is a big hitter, etc. Quickly noting that the defense has matched a no-name cornerback up against speed-receiver Marvin Harrison is the quickest path to six you’ll find—and, frankly, it’s the same thing Peyton Manning does every Sunday.
Off the field, Madden 08 is obsessed with, like so many of its players, the bling. Everything you do in the game, from quickplay matches to running a franchise and sailing through the same collection of mini-games that marked last year’s edition, earns you points—and pieces of jewel-encrusted rings you’ll build and display in your main-menu showcase. Unlike Madden 07, the achievements you unlock are acknowledged only infrequently during the games themselves. Finding out exactly which goals you’ve knocked down in the course of your 47-10 pasting of the Cowboys (take that, Tony Romo) means backing out to the main menu and examining the game ticket that accompanies each ring. Dropping the goals ‘n’ glory into your own personal showcase obtrudes less on the games, sure, but I’m into immediate gratification when it comes to bumping my gamerscore.
