Madden NFL 08 - Gameplay

Gameplay

Madden 08 runs at 60 frames per second on the Xbox 360, and 30 frames per second on the PlayStation 3. A new branching animation system allows dynamic gameplay for the first time in the franchise. Players are no longer locked into animations but are now controlled more by the player. Features of the new animation system include mid-air collisions, big-time, one-handed catches, hurdles, sideline catches and gang tackling. Madden 08 brings back some features for its online play; for example, there will be a return of Season Mode and tournaments held online. Another updated feature – dubbed Hit Stick 2.0 – will allow players to hit high or low by flicking the analog stick up or down. A new fatigue system has been implemented, disallowing users from taking a scrambling quarterback and repeatedly running around behind the line of scrimmage for very long gains. Fatigue also plays a factor when cold-weather teams play in hot weather during the early months of the season. Also returning to this year's incarnation is the much sought after "co-op" play, which had found itself sitting on the sidelines since making the jump to the next-generation consoles. This mode finds players teaming up with a friend and taking on the CPU or two human opponents.