Madden NFL 08 [X360]

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>>> Learn to use your defense in Madden 08
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Football fans, your wives and girlfriends are about to hate you. Such is the engrossing quality of Madden NFL 08. While you took your team to its third consecutive Super Bowl in Franchise mode and played through a season of Superstar as Calvin Johnson, dinner got cold and your relationship is in shambles. The only thing you could do worse to your woman than buy Madden 08 would be to hire Najeh Davenport to hide in her closet.

But that's just love, right?

Right. Because with Madden 08, EA Sports finally got it right. Players move how you want them to move, teams mimic their real-life tendencies, the view from the gridiron is gorgeous, and playing with friends is simply addicting. While the game does have some minor hiccups, Madden 08 is without a doubt the best football game to be released in several years and is a must-have for any red-blooded football fan.

It was hard to say just what made Madden so ho-hum the last few years, but the sluggish controls and unremarkable AI made the game about as exciting as a staring contest with Art Shell. In Madden 08, the controls are tighter and more responsive than ever. As a result, the game is fast -- twitchy fast -- but it's also smart enough that a guy like Michael Vick won't be able to scramble 62 yards in the backfield before throwing a dart to the end zone.

CHECK OUT THE DEFENSIVE PLAYMAKER FEATURE LEARN TO USE THE SMART QB AND SMART DEFENSE FEATURES

This new level of control is based mostly upon a slick branching animation system. Let's say you take a toss to the left with all-world tailback LaDainian Tomlinson. After following your fullback and a pulling guard, you burst into the second level to find a strong safety charging at your face. With a tap of the highlight stick, you throw a juke that leaves him hugging air, only to be met by a linebacker. You throw a quick spin move but he catches you in the act, wraps you up and is about to drive you into the ground when -- WHAM -- the free safety dives in to finish the play but misses LT and hits his teammate instead.

Suddenly, you're on your way again, ready to stiff-arm, hurdle, and high step to the pylon. Everything from manually catching bombs with a receiver to de-cleating ballcarriers using the hit stick feels like you controlled it, not like an animation. In short, the days of canned auto-play are gone. You could see something new and exciting with every play thanks to the infinite possibilities of these branching animations. Gang tackles, mid-air collisions, leaping over the goal line on a simple dive -- this is next-generation football.