Madden NFL 08 [X360]

''The one function of Finance Mode certain to garner some interest from fans is the ability to relocate your team. There are dozens of potential locations for your NFL franchise to move. You'll have to propose a new stadium (which is built with the help of a fairly meaty creation system) and find funding. With luck, your proposal will be approved and you can give the finger to your loyal fans and move somewhere more profitable. You can even change names, logos, and uniforms once in your new city. That's how the San Diego Chargers became the Anchorage Asshats.

Superstar Mode is similar to Madden 07, but with a couple of key changes. You can now important your superstar from NCAA 08 and play them in Madden. And (perhaps more importantly) you can choose to take the role of any member of the 2007 rookie class. Do you have what it takes to turn Adrian Peterson into the man in Minnesota? Can you make Calvin Johnson a Hall of Famer in Detroit? You'll have the chance to test your mettle with improved camera angles at every position. You still only play the single role, so you will end up as observer for a lot of plays. The training elements (which can be used to boost your Weapons ratings) are almost all identical to last year. But at least the camera no longer sucks.

Personally, I was most excited about having a Fantasty Draft option in Franchise Mode that included every unlocked Hall of Famer. Surprisingly, there are more actually Hall of Famers (not just retired NFL players) in Madden 08 than in All-Pro Football 2K8. Toss in the fact that you're playing with NFL teams and in a 30-year dynasty and you have a fans dream come true. Finally, Joe Montana can become a star with the Anchorage Asshats!

For those who want to take their game online, they'll find a solid system that is a little slim on features. The lobby and ranking system are excellent and every game I played online ran without a hitch. Unfortunately, while the offline game allows up to four players at one time, online is strictly a 1v1 affair. And for some reason Tiburon hasn't figured out that people want online leagues. The online game is good, but it's amazing that we're several iterations in to Madden next-gen and it still lacks a competitive league system. There's an old saying I learned growing up in San Diego: "Maybe next year." At least Tiburon didn't draft Ryan Leaf.

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