Xbox 360, Xbox, PlayStation 2 & 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii, GameCube, DS
Rated Everyone
Every other year, the latest Madden NFL football game introduces a new dumb feature that makes it frustrating to play. Two years ago, I tried for weeks to start a full season of football, but Madden NFL '06 wanted me to play nothing but exhibition games. Last year, Madden NFL '07 fixed that flaw and was a masterpiece.
But here's Madden NFL '08, with all sorts of problems. For example, everyone constantly turns the ball over. I played against a friend and we each fumbled and threw interceptions as if we were newbies. We're not.
If you are running with the ball, you can press a button to toss it to a teammate: a lateral. But if you accidentally press this button when there's no teammate around you (fairly easy to do), you merely fumble the ball to the ground.
And so on.
Madden NFL '08 is still a great-looking football game with amazing plays and realistic action. In other words, these flaws aren't fatal to the whole experience. But they're stains on what could have been a classic title.