Madden NFL 08 [X360]

''For those who remember the last couple of Madden's from the previous generation, there was a frantic move-countermove element prior to every snap. All of that is back and in full force with Madden 08. On offense you have hot route options, as per usual. But on the other side of the ball, you gain a robust system of defensive assignments. See a hole in the formation that allows Shaun Merriman a clean shot at the QB? You can order Merriman to leave his zone assignment and instead blitz. Sure, you can adjust the entire D-line, linebackers, or corners in one stroke, but for those who want to micromanage a game, there's plenty of on-the-fly play customization available.

The weapons become a key component to this system. Holding the left trigger, you can search for a weapons mismatch. It's then up to the defender to try and compensate quickly before the ball is snapped. At the same time, the player on offense can audible, call a hot route, or put a receiver in motion to try and create a mismatch situation. If you just don't give a crap and want to play Madden like a brute, you can. Those who want a deeper experience will find it this year.

This dynamic plays better against a human opponent. The computer AI, while tighter than in recent iterations, still makes some dumb mistakes. There will be bonehead calls on both offense and defense that really open things up for a skilled player. Just don't get too cocky. On the default Pro difficulty, the AI has a tendency to catch up quickly, making the perfect call against your defense and performing some extraordinary plays late in the game. Be a stud and kick the difficulty up a notch and these issues fade a bit. The AI still makes some bungles, but the rubber band issues snaps away. Of course, you're also playing on probably the most challenging version of All-Madden to date. Hope you've got the stones to cope.

One area Tiburon neglected to improve is special teams. Once again, this is abysmal. It's simplistic in comparison to every other aspect of Madden on the field. You still can't choose to do a reverse, your blockers don't know the term "wedge," and every kicker has to ability to boot a kickoff out of the endzone. There are only three aspects to football: Offense, defense, and special teams. Failing at one means you fail at a very significant portion of the game. Coaches will tell you that special teams often decide the game. In Madden 08, special teams decide next to nothing. If you want to be the best football game ever, then you have to do it all. And Madden 08 (once again) takes a pass on doing anything worthwhile with special teams.

Also in need of some refurbishing is the lackluster presentation. No game has come close to matching NFL 2K5 in re-creating a TV broadcast. I don't expect Madden to suddenly burst out and become the most astounding representation of broadcast football of all time, but at least Tiburon could make some effort. As with last year, we are forced to suffer through a cheap radio broadcast. Yes, I know, nothing says gridiron like a radio broadcast from inside a bomb shelter. Despite having the ESPN license, Madden 08 gives us a very vanilla experience on the field. There are some great ESPN broadcasters (and the Monday Night Football license), why not use them to offer a more immersive experience?

Though Tiburon shirks its duty on special teams and presentation, it goes all out in every other area. Along with the gameplay improvements, Madden 08 sports a robust offering of gameplay modes. In Franchise, we see the return of Owner Mode. Only now it's called Finance Mode. Sounds about as exciting as doing your taxes, right? Unlike most owner modes, you don't get to adjust ticket or concession prices. You can view those in a lovely flow chart, but you can't directly change them. [Insert audio of this reviewer booing.] During the season, you can scout college players to allow for better draft-day decisions and twirl your cigar like a good ol' blue blood. It's fairly skimpy unless you stumble on to some of the offseason options.

In the offseason you can purchase a significant number of stadium upgrades. These don't change the visuals of your stadium, but the new amenities can affect your income. Sponsorships are also back, though all offers come from advertisers that have already infiltrated the field in Madden 08. Does Snickers satisfy you? It will by the 176^th time you see it advertised.