Madden 08 review

A nifty new feature this season is the usage of Weapon icons for different players (similar to what's been recently happening over on NBA Live). While most of these are just informative and can help you exploit mismatches, top-shelf players like Peyton Manning and Ray Lewis have a "light bulb" weapon; as it fills up during the game, you can choose to read your opponent's plays at opportune times. Brilliant stuff.

From a control standpoint, it pays to be dexterous and have a sharp memory. Madden makes near-obnoxious use of every single button before, during, and after the snap to the point of sensory overload. While it allows for an unprecedented level of depth to maneuver the troops, it'll probably scare off the uninitiated. At least the default settings display a list of what each button does before the play; our poor brains need more time to process everything before we turn that feature off.

On-field improvements aren't all that's in store this season. The Dynasty mode is more fleshed out than ever, allowing would-be Daniel Snyders the ability to micromanage the heck out of a team. Even better, you can play robber baron, courting other cities and threatening to move your club in order to squeeze more out of the local economy. If you play your cards right, you can follow through on your public sports blackmail and plant your flag in one of dozens of NFL-starved cities across North America. Sports capitalism at its best!