What's It All About
Another year, another update to the tried-and-true Madden NFL football franchise. Whereas other consoles are seeing another layer of polish (or just a roster update) applied to their established versions of the game, this is just the second release for the Wii, after 2007's excellent debut, making it a veritable infant in the world of pixel football.

Gameplay
If you've ever played a Madden game, you know what to expect from Madden '08. If you haven't touched Madden before, there's not much of a chance you'll try it now, but it simulates what it's like to be a part of an NFL franchise, including the business side, the coaching aspects and, of course, playing the game. There are plenty of things that go into the simulation besides the games, as a variety of playing options give the game depth, and a collection of minigames give it an added casual-gaming angle.

The game remains the king of video game football, despite (or because of) the lack of any real competition, due to EA's exclusive contract with the NFL. A style of play that's now industry standard puts you in full control of your chosen team, on and off the field, and let's you play through several seasons, crafting a team through the draft and free agency.

Of course, innovation is not what Madden is known for (whether its the game or the namesake.) Then the series came to the Wii and proved you can teach an old dog new tricks. Marrying the motion-sensing control scheme with the well-developed gameplay created a fantastic sense of being in the game that the franchise had never had before. Thus, Madden '08 faced the challenge of not being just another yearly update after making its greatest leap forward ever.

At its core, the challenge was not met, as the gameplay is very similar to last year's model. That's not the worst thing that could have happened, as the game is hugely fun to pick up and play. There are enough modes to give everyone what they want, whether it's a single game, a season or the superstar mode, where you guide a player through life on and off the field. Play selection is easy enough for anyone to follow but deep enough for experts who want to call audibles and make their own routes, using a clear gesture system. Unfortunately you can't hide your choice, so playing with friends favors the defense a bit. The offense, on the other hand, has it easy, at least when playing against the computer, as the AI doesn't do a good job of adjusting to playing patterns. While your success at passing is hit or miss, thanks to very tight coverage, running the ball is almost a guaranteed success, if you mix up your play calling slightly. Using just two running plays and the "flip play" control, I could drive 70 yards without much effort. Plus, fourth-down conversions seemed unusually easy to pull off.

The franchise mode remains quite deep, with your usual trade/free agency system and coaching tools, and the practice mode that lets you improve your players' attributes. You have to make a bit of a time investment to get the most out of it (especially when it comes to the salary cap dealings), but if you really want to get involved in the game, throw the current league out the window and start over with a fantasy draft. If that's not enough minutia for you, you'll want to check out the Superstar mode, where you can pick a player from the 2007 draft or make your own, and guide their career. This mode lets you explore the celebrity/personal side of football, but the downside to focusing on one player is you lose the ability to call plays and your control of the team is limited. For less experienced players, it might be the best way to get in the action.

If spending hours dealing with contract hassles isn't your thing, Madden '08 has something for you too, with several non-NFL game modes to enjoy. The mini-games, over 20 in all, can be played by up to four players, and test skills like passing, rushing and playing defense, which is fun, even if you're playing by yourself. The practice and mini-camp modes cover similar ground, while the Party Mode will be fun when some football fans get together, as you can play the main game with added telestrator abilities (perfect for bragging), compete in head-to-head minigames and play a buzz-in trivia game that's not too tough for even casual fans.

Though the new party mode is a nice touch that ties in well with the Wii's get-together mentality, the biggest and best addition is the online mode, which uses EA Nation servers, instead of Wii friend codes, so you can get a quick online game going (if you've played an EA sports game online, you already have an account.) There are no leagues or tournaments, but there are leaderboards, and the games are adjusted to block "cheap play," like frequent fourth-down conversion attempts and fake punts. The game wasn't too laggy over wi-fi, though passing could get frustrating, as you have to almost pass a second before you mean to for the timing to work. Outside of that annoyance, the online play is tight, and other companies should take note when bringing games to the Wii.

Its also worth noting that EA does a lot to make the game accessible to new players through the "Learn Madden" tutorials, the frequent tip screens and a collection of setting adjustments that help level the field, called "Fair Play." Removing the cheaper ways to score and defend, used by vets, makes it more likely first-time fighters can enjoy themselves right off the bat. Plus the setting sliders create codes you can use to make it easy to standardize your game. Overall, the best thing Madden offers is choice, which is ironic since it's the only NFL choice.

Controls
The most revolutionary part of the first Madden entry on the Wii was the use of the system's controller, which was incredibly natural and made the game more "real," incorporating instinctual football motions to replace button presses. The first time you snap the ball and flick the Wiimote foward to pass, you might never want to go back to a gamepad ever again. For this year's version, a few refinements have been made that are very positive developments. Some of the gestures have been simplified (like some two-handed gestures now done with just one) and the addition of a "strip the ball" button helps on defense, though it's placement at the bottom of the Wiimote is awkward. The controls feel like they are a bit more responsible this time around, but that may just be the result of a second year of experience with the concept. In fact, sometimes the controls are too responsive, and you'll make a play without trying, costing you a down, but that doesn't happen too often. The only place the controls fall noticeably short is in the kicking game, which is ridiculously easy, making it almost impossible to not nail every kick. If you can't swing the Wiimote in a straight line, you should probably stick to something a bit easier, like bouncing a ball against a wall.

Tying in with the "something for everyone" feel of the gameplay, EA has added in a new controller scheme called "Family Play," which allows you to play with just the Wiimote. Control of the players is handled by the Wii, while the player handles the action, including power moves, throwing and kicking. It's definitely limiting, so anyone who's played the game before will want to skip this style of play, but a newbie, or casual player, like my wife, will appreciate this simple way to get into the game. Instead of being unable to figure out what was going on, she dove right in, and when her team ran for a touchdown, she was hooked. Maybe someday she'll try to get a hang of things, but at least for now, she's not adverse to trying it out. Good call, EA.

Graphics
This is where the game fails at life. OK, that may be overstating it, but when you look at the games that Nintendo is putting out on the Wii and then you see this one, with blocky animations and softly-detailed textures, you can start to question the effort being made and the effect of a lack of competition. If you're a fan of the series, you'll look at some of the movements and remember them from versions that were released years ago. Incredibly, the still images on the loading screens are of a worse quality than the in-game video, which is inexcusable, when the graphic details of the menus and info overlays are rather sharp. It's a still! Though the settings and models aren't very impressive (why do the players tend to look so similar?), the movement in the animation is quite nice, as you can clearly see the details of a ball being knocked loose or a sweet juke, which makes the game more enjoyable to watch. What's not enjoyable to watch is an odd bug that results in the entire screen blurring out following cut-scenes before third-down conversion attempts. How the QA group missed this one is a mystery for the ages. I mean, look at this screen, and then rub Vaseline all over it. Bit of a difference, no? It seems like a symptom of a somewhat lazy graphical effort.

Audio
If you've heard a Madden game before, you know the score and what to expect from the Dolby Pro Logic II mix. A soundtrack of aggressive rock and rap is found throughout the game, but the songs don't have the same level of quality that past versions have sported. Meanwhile the commentary by Al Michaels and John Madden feels mostly recycled, and mostly lazy, as you won't hear many of the newer players referred to by name and the level of emotion is similar to that of a Xanax abuser. It gets old very quick, though it does come across pretty much flawlessly. The in-game audio effects are as good as they've ever been, with the scrimmage-line calls in your Wiimote speaker adding another level of atmosphere. The sound is another case of good, but not great.

And in the End...
If you're a football fan, it's hard to not enjoy Madden 08 for the Wii, as it offers an outstanding blend of deep game modes and player involvement, with the Wii controls bringing you as close to the NFL as you will likely ever come. While there are certainly improvements to the presentation that could and should be made to the series, as an actual gaming experience, it's tremendous fun, and the addition of an easy-to-use online mode and enjoyable party modes make it a football game that fits the Wii mold of fun for all. Now EA owes us an NHL title for the Wii.