Madden NFL 08
Posted August 12, 2007
In this year’s rendition of Madden, EA seeks to improve what many consider to be an average franchise for the DS. Since the 2005 version, Madden has never felt spectacular on the DS and its flaws outweighed the strengths more often than not each year. In Madden 08, the presentation has been improved somewhat, but obviously doesn’t compare to the console versions. Still, the opening movie, high-res splash screen, and rock tunes in menu navigation are a somewhat closer emulation. I also enjoy the customized menu via team selection. 
Gameplay:
Regarding game modes, the single player modes have generally gone untouched. Players can go directly into a Quick Match or load up a franchise, season, tournament, league, practice, or situation play. For those unfamiliar, situations are unlocked as you continue through the game and highlight legendary games from the past. The mini-games section still includes mini-camp and two-minute drill as well. The A.I. seems to have been softened a bit from last year’s version, but thankfully the skill level option in the Settings menu alleviates that problem quickly. Overall, players will be happy to see all the same solid features at the main core of Madden, but there have been several changes how touch screen implementation works.
Last year’s Madden 07 brought forth a deluge of stylus uses within the Madden DS world, many of which were only novel at best. In the 2008 version, EA has refined stylus use with vastly more common sense and practicality in mind. This year, every single menu item can be browsed and selected via the stylus. Menu items are no longer highlighted, just direct taps for navigation. One of my absolute favorite uses of the touch screen is the inclusion of defensive player selection during a game. Cycling through the entire defense to select your preferred player is a thing of the past. Just one tap on the player you wish to control and it’s immediately selected. That's a feature I wish I could do on the Xbox 360.
EA also included a few different methods of throwing the ball with the stylus. While you can still just hit one of the buttons or triggers for a throw in the Classic settings mode, you can also bring up the 5 receiver buttons at the bottom of the touch screen in the Touch mode. One tap of the button and the ball is sent flying in their direction. Additionally, EA included the method from last year’s version, throwing the ball manually by drawing a line to the receiver, but tweaked it a bit. Now you can throw anywhere on the field by bringing up a yellow target reticule. While the team A.I. has been improved slightly in catching those on the fly passes, arcade players will ditch the simulation style for quicker button taps. Still, EA seems to be catering to all types of players, which is admirable. On a side note, touch screen mode is in the User Setup, not the Gameplay settings. The default setting is classic mode.
Interestingly, EA has also tossed in an incredibly useful feature for pass-happy players. Receivers now change colors on the top screen regarding their coverage status. Red means the receiver is swamped with defenders, orange means the receiver may be able to catch the ball in traffic, and green means the receiver is wide open. Those with fast reflexes will be rewarded as coverage status changes constantly. Green receivers can become red in a split second, so you still have to read the field a bit before tossing out the pigskin. In short, the color-coding finally halts squinting at the tiny DS screen in order to find an open receiver.
When surveying the field, EA is trying out another new feature called player skill icons. These icons appear on the top screen and designate players to have specific roles. For instance, a power rusher will have a Bull icon or a quarterback with a powerful throw will have a Cannon icon. The icon system is designed for the player to find mismatches on the field as well as changing protection via an audible. Oddly, I never found the player’s with icons to be much of a difference over the regular players. I found it to be more of a gimmick to highlight the stars. It’s also a bit confusing without memorizing the symbols.
I have a feeling EA listened to the fans on this one. Many Madden fanatics will be overjoyed to hear that EA ditched the glitchy, stylus kicking system from last year’s version. The new kicking setup is a simple power meter which can be activated by tapping the screen or the A button after lining up the kick. As the meter rises to full power, the player hits the button/screen at the desired spot and hits it once again at the bottom for accuracy. The accuracy section is rather small, but not overly challenging to hit consistently.
In the mini-games section, EA included a bit of a novelty. Most of us played paper football during class when we were kids. The digital version of paper football isn’t nearly as satisfying, but provides a quaint visitation of days past. Players can choose from classic or ultimate modes. Classic uses the original 4-downs method along with the extra point kick while ultimate adds defensive measures into the mix. A player on defense can add a coin onto the table, which has a specific effect on the ball if hit. For example, the blitz coin stops the ball and forces a 5-yard loss or the lineman ball slows down the kick. On the opposite end, the offensive player can counter the defense by calling plays. For instance, Hail Mary will remove all coins from the table, but will result in a turnover. Tactics come into play frequently in Ultimate mode. Overall, Ultimate mode breaths a bit more life into paper football, but the steep learning curve on the touch control may turn away players initially.
Concerning multiplayer support, this is the first year EA has included online play via Wi-fi support. Players can add their online friends via the player codes and they will be added to their roster. Also, you can jump directly into a game via the automatic matchmaking process. Finding another player can take a little while, but it’s sure to improve as more people pick up the game. The online matches that I participated in were fairly lag-free, but the occasional hitch popped up during passing. Of course, it all depends on your opponent’s connection on the opposite end as well. In addition to the online component, a player can compete via single card play in a two-person match (regular or paper football) or play an eight-person match if everyone has a copy of the game. With the inclusion of online play this year, EA has finally given us a nearly complete multiplayer section. All that’s left is to add online features like large-scale tournaments or season long fantasy leagues and improve the network infrastructure.
Graphics:
I’ve never been impressed with Madden’s visuals on DS and EA must have agreed with me this year. Although the collision of textures offers a blocky Playstation 1 appearance, the player models have been refined and the color scheme /lighting seems more diverse. Also, the animations are increasingly varied, especially the running moves. I do have a bone to pick with the ball collision detection. The ball seems to bounce off a player’s helmet or in mid air each time rather than touching their hands. It’s almost hilarious to watch due to the absence of depth perception. I will say the load times are quite speedy. Hopping into a match has gotten a bit faster as well as loading the various season stats / menus.
Audio:
The commentary is still extremely limited to current on-screen actions only. It’s more like brief play summations rather than a fluent dialogue of the ensuing action. Madden pipes in occasionally, but it’s the same tired sound clips that we have heard for years. The sound effects are on par though. Hits crunch, crowds roar, and the on field players can be faintly heard. The music in the menu system fits the type of presentation EA was shooting for, but it’s not very entertaining. Thankfully, my trusty volume slider is always in place to silence the tunes.
Overall:
With every new sport’s title release, we always ask ourselves if the new version is just a roster update with a shiny new coat of paint. Thankfully, it’s just not the case as EA has given us the most user-friendly version of Nintendo DS Madden to date. Touch screen implementation has been vastly reshaped into a useful format and the wi-fi online play has finally charged into the series with bravado. Madden 08 is easily recommendable to all pro football fanatics that happen to be DS owners. For those who felt burnt after buying Madden 07, Madden 08 will alleviate that pain immediately.
Gameplay:
Regarding game modes, the single player modes have generally gone untouched. Players can go directly into a Quick Match or load up a franchise, season, tournament, league, practice, or situation play. For those unfamiliar, situations are unlocked as you continue through the game and highlight legendary games from the past. The mini-games section still includes mini-camp and two-minute drill as well. The A.I. seems to have been softened a bit from last year’s version, but thankfully the skill level option in the Settings menu alleviates that problem quickly. Overall, players will be happy to see all the same solid features at the main core of Madden, but there have been several changes how touch screen implementation works.
Last year’s Madden 07 brought forth a deluge of stylus uses within the Madden DS world, many of which were only novel at best. In the 2008 version, EA has refined stylus use with vastly more common sense and practicality in mind. This year, every single menu item can be browsed and selected via the stylus. Menu items are no longer highlighted, just direct taps for navigation. One of my absolute favorite uses of the touch screen is the inclusion of defensive player selection during a game. Cycling through the entire defense to select your preferred player is a thing of the past. Just one tap on the player you wish to control and it’s immediately selected. That's a feature I wish I could do on the Xbox 360.
EA also included a few different methods of throwing the ball with the stylus. While you can still just hit one of the buttons or triggers for a throw in the Classic settings mode, you can also bring up the 5 receiver buttons at the bottom of the touch screen in the Touch mode. One tap of the button and the ball is sent flying in their direction. Additionally, EA included the method from last year’s version, throwing the ball manually by drawing a line to the receiver, but tweaked it a bit. Now you can throw anywhere on the field by bringing up a yellow target reticule. While the team A.I. has been improved slightly in catching those on the fly passes, arcade players will ditch the simulation style for quicker button taps. Still, EA seems to be catering to all types of players, which is admirable. On a side note, touch screen mode is in the User Setup, not the Gameplay settings. The default setting is classic mode.
Interestingly, EA has also tossed in an incredibly useful feature for pass-happy players. Receivers now change colors on the top screen regarding their coverage status. Red means the receiver is swamped with defenders, orange means the receiver may be able to catch the ball in traffic, and green means the receiver is wide open. Those with fast reflexes will be rewarded as coverage status changes constantly. Green receivers can become red in a split second, so you still have to read the field a bit before tossing out the pigskin. In short, the color-coding finally halts squinting at the tiny DS screen in order to find an open receiver.
When surveying the field, EA is trying out another new feature called player skill icons. These icons appear on the top screen and designate players to have specific roles. For instance, a power rusher will have a Bull icon or a quarterback with a powerful throw will have a Cannon icon. The icon system is designed for the player to find mismatches on the field as well as changing protection via an audible. Oddly, I never found the player’s with icons to be much of a difference over the regular players. I found it to be more of a gimmick to highlight the stars. It’s also a bit confusing without memorizing the symbols.
I have a feeling EA listened to the fans on this one. Many Madden fanatics will be overjoyed to hear that EA ditched the glitchy, stylus kicking system from last year’s version. The new kicking setup is a simple power meter which can be activated by tapping the screen or the A button after lining up the kick. As the meter rises to full power, the player hits the button/screen at the desired spot and hits it once again at the bottom for accuracy. The accuracy section is rather small, but not overly challenging to hit consistently.
In the mini-games section, EA included a bit of a novelty. Most of us played paper football during class when we were kids. The digital version of paper football isn’t nearly as satisfying, but provides a quaint visitation of days past. Players can choose from classic or ultimate modes. Classic uses the original 4-downs method along with the extra point kick while ultimate adds defensive measures into the mix. A player on defense can add a coin onto the table, which has a specific effect on the ball if hit. For example, the blitz coin stops the ball and forces a 5-yard loss or the lineman ball slows down the kick. On the opposite end, the offensive player can counter the defense by calling plays. For instance, Hail Mary will remove all coins from the table, but will result in a turnover. Tactics come into play frequently in Ultimate mode. Overall, Ultimate mode breaths a bit more life into paper football, but the steep learning curve on the touch control may turn away players initially.
Concerning multiplayer support, this is the first year EA has included online play via Wi-fi support. Players can add their online friends via the player codes and they will be added to their roster. Also, you can jump directly into a game via the automatic matchmaking process. Finding another player can take a little while, but it’s sure to improve as more people pick up the game. The online matches that I participated in were fairly lag-free, but the occasional hitch popped up during passing. Of course, it all depends on your opponent’s connection on the opposite end as well. In addition to the online component, a player can compete via single card play in a two-person match (regular or paper football) or play an eight-person match if everyone has a copy of the game. With the inclusion of online play this year, EA has finally given us a nearly complete multiplayer section. All that’s left is to add online features like large-scale tournaments or season long fantasy leagues and improve the network infrastructure.
Graphics:
I’ve never been impressed with Madden’s visuals on DS and EA must have agreed with me this year. Although the collision of textures offers a blocky Playstation 1 appearance, the player models have been refined and the color scheme /lighting seems more diverse. Also, the animations are increasingly varied, especially the running moves. I do have a bone to pick with the ball collision detection. The ball seems to bounce off a player’s helmet or in mid air each time rather than touching their hands. It’s almost hilarious to watch due to the absence of depth perception. I will say the load times are quite speedy. Hopping into a match has gotten a bit faster as well as loading the various season stats / menus.
Audio:
The commentary is still extremely limited to current on-screen actions only. It’s more like brief play summations rather than a fluent dialogue of the ensuing action. Madden pipes in occasionally, but it’s the same tired sound clips that we have heard for years. The sound effects are on par though. Hits crunch, crowds roar, and the on field players can be faintly heard. The music in the menu system fits the type of presentation EA was shooting for, but it’s not very entertaining. Thankfully, my trusty volume slider is always in place to silence the tunes.
Overall:
With every new sport’s title release, we always ask ourselves if the new version is just a roster update with a shiny new coat of paint. Thankfully, it’s just not the case as EA has given us the most user-friendly version of Nintendo DS Madden to date. Touch screen implementation has been vastly reshaped into a useful format and the wi-fi online play has finally charged into the series with bravado. Madden 08 is easily recommendable to all pro football fanatics that happen to be DS owners. For those who felt burnt after buying Madden 07, Madden 08 will alleviate that pain immediately.