Try as it may, Electronic Arts just can't seem to get "Madden" right for the Wii.
"Madden NFL 07," the series' Wii debut, was rushed for the console's November 2006 launch and it showed -- the graphics were last-gen and the game was threadbare, in spite of its ground-breaking motion controls.
Now, "Madden NFL 08" has arrived. It looks much better and is loaded with more modes of gameplay. But this version also has more control glitches, and its first attempt at online multiplayer comes up short.
For every positive gain, it seems "Madden NFL 08" is sacked for negative yardage.
EA Nation is a well-designed front end for Nintendo's first online "Madden." It bypasses the clunky Nintendo friend codes, which makes finding an opponent and jumping into a game a snap. But lag is a major problem, leading to maddening gameplay -- on-screen players react a second or two late, and you often accidentally choose the wrong play during freeze-ups.
In all modes, gesture controls are improved, particularly with high and low Big Hits by thrusting the Wiimote and nunchuk, respectively. And passing still is as simple as simulating a throwing motion. However, a major glitch often makes your quarterback automatically pass to the primary receiver as the ball snaps -- wasting critical third-down plays.
The graphics are more pleasing, with background images purposely out of focus, allowing the Wii's modest hardware to concentrate on player models. Unfortunately, a new hiccup randomly causes everything to go blurry for an entire play, making you wonder if you need an eye exam.
There are plenty of game modes to keep you and your friends busy for hours -- like the new Party Mode, with 22 mini-games including trivia. The highlight is using John Madden's trademark Telestrator to draw on the screen during replays. Sadly, it's not available in any other modes. There's also Family Play, with simplified, one-handed controls using only the Wiimote.
New Madden Player Weapons designate which athletes have superstar skills. This has on-field uses, such as allowing you to hit a button to focus defenders on your foe's "Spectacular Catch WR."
But the amusing Madden Cards are gone, which means no more wind gusts during field goals or unlimited timeouts.
The game sounds great, as usual, with Madden and Al Michaels calling the action. Quarterbacks also recorded their voices for pre-snap chatter.
Franchise play has been polished, and the enhanced NFL Superstar: Hall of Fame mode lets you micromanage a player's ascension to Canton. But the game has too many moments when it acts like a buggy tech demo.
On the Wii, "Madden 07" was a big gain on first down. "Madden 08" gets stuffed at the goal line. Now, it's third and goal, and EA has work to do if it wants to score with "Madden 09."
From the sidelines
In all my years of gaming, I have not once played a "Madden" game. Then again, football has always been a somewhat foreign concept to me, even as a native 'Burgher.
In the interest of expanding my video-game horizons, I gave "Madden NFL 08" a spin in the Wii.
While I appreciate the option to dumb down the controls in Family Play mode, I would not be daunted by advanced nunchuk controls. Certainly, I'm dealing with terms I've never heard of before, like juke, but performing one is a cinch.
Choosing plays, however, became an exercise in uber-girliness -- "Oh, I've heard of the Hail Mary" or "Blitz sounds cool." That said, wow -- the football geek quotient is quite high. That's a compliment.
Overall, my biggest disappointment rests with my teammates. Santonio totally tripped after catching the ball in the kickoff return, Big Ben kept throwing interceptions and twinkle-toe Timmons kept jumping off-sides. Sure, you could blame the person holding the Wiimote, but those guys are supposed to be the professionals.
My grade: Totally blitzed.
Special thanks to my patient football-loving co-workers for explaining the lingo to me.
-- Jessica Severs
Additional Information:
'Madden NFL 08'
Grade: B
Developer: EA Tiburon
Publisher: EA Sports
Platform: Wii (available on all)
Genre: Sports
ESRB: Everyone
Retail: $49.99
