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Madden NFL 08 Review (DS)

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An enhanced interface and a cool Paper Football mode make this handheld Madden stand out.

by Robert Workman on Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Of course it's not as pretty as its console counterparts, but the Nintendo DS version of Madden, but football fans will get plenty of their gridiron fix regardless.

Let's sum this up in a nutshell -- the Nintendo DS versions of Madden have undeniably sucked thus far. The experience that has been a football fan's dream come true on other consoles have failed to shine on Nintendo's dual-screen handheld, due to mishandling of the game's control set-up and overall lackluster presentation. EA Tiburon more than likely realized this with the past few years' efforts and took matters into its own hands to create a better on-the-go football experience. Madden NFL 08 doesn't quite score the much-needed touchdown to outdo these failures, but at least the development seems to be moving forward and in the right direction.

Touch screen controls work a little bit better this time around. Instead of fooling around with button presses to select the right receiver, players can simply tap that player to gain control of them. This turns out to be a nice option in a pinch, especially when the opposing team snaps into a play sooner than expected. The rest of the controls work pretty good otherwise, even though the lack of the Hit Stick from the console versions becomes clearly evident within a matter of plays. Hey, at least it works -- something that can't be said for previous Madden DS releases.

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Presentation-wise, the game still could use more work. Graphically, it shows a few signs of improvement but shows some strain in certain parts, particularly with stiff animations and field representation. It manages to hold together, but almost appears ready to burst at the seams. Sound-wise, don't expect much of anything. Running commentary just never becomes a viable option here, leaving sparse sound effects to fill in the void. The Nintendo DS cartridge can only do so much, but clearly it can do more than this.

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