Out of all the versions of Madden NFL 08 dominating the store shelves, the one released for the Sony PSP feels the most rookie-like... thus far, anyway. We have yet to play the Xbox or GameCube versions yet, so anything's possible. However, at this point in time, the PSP game steamrolls into an amount of trouble, between flaws in the presentation and multiplayer issues so mounting that football fans may wonder if something may be wrong with their system. Don't worry, gang, it's alright.

It's not like the game completely fails. It does have a rating of a 6 instead of a 3, after all. Madden still plays reasonably well as far as play execution goes, with players firing off passes with ease and setting up defensive running backs for the crucial sack or interception. However, it hasn't improved over last year's game that much. Tiburon did throw in the "weapon" system, clearly showing advantages of each on-field player with pop-up icons. However, it doesn't really find as much use here as it does in other versions. Sometimes routes get run differently than expected, throwing off most of the strategy. It's like setting up a chessboard and then having all the pieces knocked off just when a big play is about to be pulled.

Presentation continues to be marred in a number of ways. Graphically, the game does look good in sections; particularly with the huge array of tackle animations and a slightly improved camera system over last years (remember when all the receivers couldn't even be seen on the field?). However, it still has a few bothersome glitches that keep it from being the PSP powerhouse that Tiburon intended it to be. Also, the artificial intelligence goes off the deep end intermittently, sometimes acting like a dumb ass and, at other times, gallantly making a comeback from a near-impossible point deficit. In terms of sound, running commentary keeps the flow going, although it feels mistimed in spots. John Madden and Al Michaels will talk about a play that's happened seconds before. It doesn't happen often enough to worry about, but when it does take place, it can be a little strange.