In this interview David Ortiz talks about the new features in Madden 08. He explains that one of the biggest additions to this years release are the player icons which rank players based on their key “play making” abilities. While some players can make amazing one handed catches, shut down big play receivers, or turn the quarterback into a crash test dummy, others will inevitably have deep rooted splinters in their butts from riding the bench.

In all there will be twenty four different player icons. Madden gamers can use them to research opposing teams and develop strategies accordingly says Ortiz. The new break away animation feature which is supposed to improve the gameplay significantly is another thing that he and his team are very proud of this year.

With the heavy criticism the next gen version of the game has taken the past two years and all the hype surrounding the game year in and year out, David closes by urging gamers to decide for themselves stating that this years Madden is “no hype, all gameplay”. He goes on to say “the best thing I can tell people, the most important thing I can tell people, is to get out and actually play the game. If you get a chance to go to a demo kiosk, go to a demo kiosk and play it. When you play it you will see what we are talking about this year”.

It is clear they are trying to make amends for the shortcomings in the previous next gen releases. While asking gamers to be the judge is admirable, to say that there is no hype surrounding any Madden release is a bit of an exaggeration. That said, do what the man says and judge for yourself how well they did or did not do this year. Watch the video interview below and ask yourself if this years Madden is worth your sixty bucks.

http://www.ripten.com/madden08_video.flv

Tags: EA, Madden-08

• Midnight Release? Call In Sick? What’s Your Annual Madden Release Ritual?
• Sony Announces Madden NFL 09 PSP Bundle
• Madden NFL 10 Gets August Release Date
• New Game Releases: 8/11-8/17
• Video Preview: Two Guidos Agree, Madden 09 Better Than Cannoli
• “Encroachment Defense” – Madden 08 Bug?
• Ian Cummings “The future of Madden is here baby!”
• EA Confirms Madden 09 Cover Athlete

4 Comments » Stephen McBride on July 24, 2007 6:23 pm I need to find out if the ea locker is available for the 360 version of Madden 08. This is important in being able to share a franchise. I’ve been waiting for this feature and the gameplay to be added for the 360 version for the last 2 years. Anderson on July 27, 2007 3:56 am I agree %100 with Stephen McBride, I’ve got friends/family I would like to play a franchise/owner mode online. I’ve waited long enough too, and Will NOT buy the 360 madden 08 if they DO NOT HAVE IT! Anderson on July 27, 2007 3:57 am EA who? Hello 2K! James on August 5, 2007 1:17 pm I want to know that when I send someone on an out route that he’s not going to just run straight out of bounds.I’m so flipping sick of that crap! RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URL Comment Now Note: Commenting on Ripten does not currently require registration, however to be eligible for contests on the site, you must be a registered user. Name (required) Mail (will not be published) (required) Website Commenting Rules: No hate speech allowed. If you must argue, please debate intelligently. Comments containing selected keywords or outbound links will be put into moderation to help prevent spam. Ripten reserves the right to delete comments and ban anyone who doesn't follow the rules. Thanks. Notify me of followup comments Tired of the Goomba? Upload your own custom comment avatar.