When you think about football video games, you automatically think about Madden. No other football video game series as even came close to the type of success and recognition Madden NFL football got.

The first installment of the series was released for Nintendo’s Super Nintendo console in the early 90’s and it set the bar for all other football games. The game relied on the legendary John Madden to give it some cachet, but it’s the outstanding gameplay that made the difference.

The game has greatly evolved since the 90’s and the latest version of Madden NFL was released on August 14, 2007 for the Xbox, Xbox 360, Wii, Playstation 3, Playstation 2 and PC and has sold over 4.5 million copies to date, which makes it one of the best selling games of 2007.

The first thing I noticed about the new Madden NFL for PS3 is the “weapons”. Weapons are a set of special abilities any given player can have and they can greatly affect the outcome of the game. The Smart QB weapons will allow the Quarterback to see the opponent’s defensive plays before hand.  Smart linebackers, Smart corners and Smart safeties weapons will give the same abilities to these positions; Smart linebackers will be able to see the opponent’s complete offensive scheme except for the wide receivers’ patterns and the Smart corners will be able to see the exact pattern each and every receiver will take.

Another cool feature is the Superstar Mode that allows the player to create a Superstar and guide his life on and off the field. You can even import superstars from the similar Campus Legend Mode that was featured in NCAA football 08. The barber shop was removed from the WII version, so you won’t be able to make modifications to your player’s appearance in the WII version.

The gameplay is pretty similar to Madden 07 only for a few technical modifications. People who were used to the 07 version will have no problem picking up this one. And for the first time, some players received 100 ratings in some categories. Reggie Bush as a 100 acceleration rating, Tom Brady as a 100 awareness rating and Brett Favre has been given a 100 rating for toughness. A number of features missing from the first two next-gen versions of Madden, return in Madden 08. These include owner Mode, fantasy draft, roster-editing, and cooperative play.

All in all, Madden 08 is a must have for any Madden NFL fan. And with the next generation of gaming consoles, the realism of Madden NFL 08 surpasses all the previous versions. Madden NFL 08 is without a doubt the best Football game to hit the shelves in 2007 and solidifies the Madden series’ position as the leader in the genre.

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Mary Murtha
www.gamedome4u.com

Last update: 29-04-2008 02:42