PlayStation 3
Released in 2007 by EA Sports
Grade: B-
Madden 08 is decent in a vacuum, but it’s on the lower end of Madden games. The gameplay is jumpy and inconsistent, and most of the bells and whistles only get in the way.
Where it falls the series
It’s the second of 11 Maddens on PS3.
Praises and gripes
The action and animation is more crisp and snappy than last year’s game, but it’s still uneven. Players speed up and slow down unnaturally. Tackles and blocks defy physics, despite some nifty new animations.
There are a lot of fumbles unless you hold R1 to protect the ball, which takes some getting used to. Not exactly the new wrinkle this game needed.
Besides that, the football logic is strong as usual. Plays unfurl like real football plays, there’s a good balance between running and passing, and players have clear strengths and weaknesses. You’re rewarded for good strategy and realistic execution.
The game is more user-friendly than Madden 07, but some of that game’s ills are only halfway fixed here. The playcall screen is better but still a mess. The delays between plays are shorter but still agitating. There are still questionable button mappings, ineffective controls, obtrusive on-screen displays, and a bland radio-style commentator.
There are new icons to show you strengths of certain players (hammer for hard hitter, brick wall for big blocker), but they clutter up the screen with no option to turn them off.
All in all, this game is certainly not worth going back to years later, and it was seen as a disappointment when it was released.