Reasons You Need Madden NFL 08 (XB360)

There's no use ignoring Madden NFL 08. 2K Sports fanatics will tout All Pro Football 2K8 as the definitive pigskin experience, but no one gives a damn about pitting a bunch of old fogies against each other. It's all about the new blood, finding out if Jamarcus Russell can lead Oakland to the promised land, or whether the Atlanta Falcons can survive without their recently indicted quarterback, Michael Vick. Moreover, this year's Madden features a bevy of sweet features, so don't deny yourself the opportunity to make the defense look foolish. You'll want Madden because:

Updated Rosters
Buying an annual sports game to check out the rookies is akin to purchasing the same doll with different outfits (not that we buy dolls or anything..). Bottom line, EA won't publish one Madden and update the rosters every year, so we'll make due with Madden NFL 08, which lets us play as Jamarcus Russell, Adrian Peterson and Amobi Okoye. Girls have Barbies. We have Madden. Deal with it.

60 frames per second gameplay
Previous Maddens run at a respectable 30 frames per second. This runs at a white hot 60 (Xbox 360, not PS3), melting your eyeballs after Reggie Bush burns your defense for a 90 yard touchdown burst.

Bone crushing moves
This year, doing stupid crap lands you in the hospital. Not only will your running back and receivers get gang tackled, but they'll also get laid out for jumping into the air. Dangerous mid air collisions will put your prissy superstar on his ass, but not before the ball slips from his limp arms and into the waiting mitts of the monster that will put him in a coma. With these kinds of moves, you'll actually want to play defense. Just make sure you bring backup, because the stronger running backs take more than one, burly player to take them down. Conversely, you can help your offensive teammate with a well-timed hit, which will clean off those pesky defenders.

Hitstick 2.0
EA did more than attach a fancy marketing term to the right analog stick. Hitstick 2.0 lets you tackle high or low depending on whether you tilt the stick up or down, respectively, allowing you to take out another guy's legs or wrap your arms around him before driving his head into the dirt.

Continue...