Is Madden 2008 the best football game to ever hit next gen?  Despite a few flaws, yes, yes it is.

Presentation and Graphics: EA Sports has not changed their basic menu structure in the past few years and I see very little reason to do so.  They are very simple to follow and Madden especially points out the many new features on this years installment and trust me, there are plenty. More on that later.  The graphics run at 1080i and a sweet 60 frames per second.  This is a HUGE difference from its PS3 counterpart which stutters at a mere 30 fps.  The animations and capture videos are also top notch.  The one thing I noticed was how polished the uniforms and helmets looked.  Very shiny and detailed, especially the bright colored uniforms such as the San Diego Superchargers powder blues and white helmets.  The stadiums looked improved and are extremely life like.  You need to check out Seattle’s home field, Quest Field.  Looks and feels like the acoustical monster it is in real life.  There is only so much you can realistically expect from a football title.  Plus with other games like BioShock out there, the graphics are very good but fall short of great. 4.5 of 5

Sound and Music: This might be the biggest flaw of the title.  The EA Sports Trax offer a good mix of rock and hip hop, but are mostly from up and coming artists which is what was I expected.  The glaring issue here is the in game commentary.  Madden uses this NFL Radio feel to the game where its trying to capture the excitement of listening to a game on the radio, which is not that entertaining to begin with.  Baseball is a radio sport, football is not.  The only voice clips from Madden is when you ask him for play calls which usually result in utter failure.  The commentary is bland, sometimes wrong, and sounds like they either forgot to do this or just avoided it.  The sounds of the game are great. Hits really reverberate and the crowds are decent, but was once a staple of this series is all but vanished.  The no name announcer is a far cry from Summerall and Madden.  3 of 5

Gameplay: This is where it all comes together. Last year’s game play was abysmal but EA Sports really focused on this aspect and it shows.  If you are a fan of the series you would have noticed this right away.  Running backs fall forward and reach for first downs.  The secondary catches balls that hits them in the hands and understand how a cover 2 works.  Even the O-line obeys their blocking assignments.  This game has a real feel to it and it finally makes it enjoyable to play.  There are still a few instances where you scream, “You have got to be f$@king kidding me”, but its still a game.  Each team has impact players that help create mismatches on the field.  The developers teased us with this and they are a welcomed addition, but they really don’t change the game all that much. For every speedy receiver, there is a shutdown corner, and every shifty running back, a brickwall defender and so forth.  What is money is that these impact players do not become world beaters.  They have their equal.  It seems the overall theme in this year is balancing.  It does not matter if you are Peyton Manning. If you throw off your back foot into double coverage, the ball is picked.  If you juke too much and get blasted by Hit Stick 2.o, fumblerooski. Some of the best football I have ever played. 4.75 of 5

Lasting Appeal: Madden is designed for multiplayer and it delivers.  The superstar and franchise modes are not really new or improved, but still strong.  What really delivers is the new showcase room.  You get Madden points and can build and design your own ring.  These rings are viewable by other players and are akin to rank in the GRAW and RB6 games.  It takes 1 million points to reach level 5 and this will take you a very long time.  All the achievements are performance based.  There isn’t any win 10 online games in a row anymore.  Some are tougher than others but all are possible.  The mini games are fun, but do get old after awhile.  No kicking game is head scratching.  Nevertheless, with no other NFL game coming out for a year, you will play this for a very long time. 4.5 of 5

Final Word: This is so close to the perfect game.  The gameplay is some of the best I have ever seen on a football field.  The championship ring addition is crazy addicting.  If the commentary was better, this would be the first 5 we have ever given on Loot Ninja.  My door is locked and the beer is cold, but I am a meat head and played football in college so I am a little biased.  Still, you need to grab this.  Maddenites Unite.  Most of you probably have this game already, but if not, I don’t know what you are waiting for. 4.5 of 5

1 = Not worth the bandwidth.

2= Demo is enough, not worth your money.

3= Game is good, depending on the price, seriously consider picking it up.

4= Worth your money. Should provide some good times for quite awhile.

5= Buy the game. Lock your door. Pick up a case of beer. This could take all night.