Hey Rams fan, are you tired of having Orlando Pace protect your blind side as you sit back in the pocket picking apart opposing defenses? Well then, good news — the third Madden 08 roster update will have you lying on your back toothless and grasping at your rib cage faster than Chicago’s Lance Briggs can flee the scene of an accident.

Notable Transactions: David Bostons guns (the flexing kind) are no longer in Tampa, Byron Leftwich has a new home on the bench in Atlanta, and Tank Johnson brings his guns (the shooting kind) to Dallas.

Notable Increases: Randy Moss and Terrell Owens both get significant bumps in the rating department (so much for being team cancers), and as if he isn’t good enough, Tom Brady squeaks his way up a point from 98 to 99.

Notable Decreases: Tedd Ginn drops from 79 to 77 as the Dolphins approach week 5 with a dismal 0-4 record … hey maybe the Chargers and Dolphins can swap head coaches — would anyone notice? More importantly, if New England goes undefeated and Miami goes winless, I wonder if the 72 Dolphins team will try some of the Patriots new tasty humble pie? Anything beats hearing about them drinking champaign again. And while Carnell Williams suffered a season ending injury, Bucs fans will retain the use of his services a little while longer as the running back dropped from 88 to 87, but was not placed on IR list.

Notable Injuries: In addition to Orlando Pace (mentioned above) the Bears and Bills are apparently having a contest to see who can lose the most players on defense. Buffalo, who let go of half their starting defense in the off season, loses what might as well be the other half with Paul Posluszny, KO Simpson, and Jason Webster all lost for the season. Hey, at least you still have Marshawn Lynch Bills fan (knock on wood).

Notable Contracts: JaMarcus Russell finally signs on the dotted line only to be greeted by what appears to be a healthy Cullpepper in Oakland.

The full list is available below.

Transactions

* S Will Demps – Signs with Texans
* C Chukky Okobi – Signs with Cardinals
* CB Anthony Madison – Released by Bucs
* CB Sammy Davis – Signs with Bucs
* DE Bryce Fisher – Traded to Titans
* QB Charlie Frye – Traded to Seahawks
* TE Michael Gaines – Signs with Bills
* T Todd Steussie – Released by Rams
* T Patrick Estes – Released by 49ers
* DT Attiyah Ellison – Signs with 49ers
* LB Johnny Baldwin – Signs with Chiefs
* LB Wesly Mallard – Released by Broncos
* LB Buster Davis – Signs with Lions
* DT Russell Davis – Released by Seahawks
* T Rashad Butler – Signs with Texans
* LB Jordan Beck – Released by Falcons
* K Justin Medlock – Released by Chiefs
* K Dave Rayner – Signed by Chiefs
* G Tutan Reyes – Released by Jaguars
* WR Reche Caldwell – Signed by Redskins
* DT Ed Johnson – Added to Colts
* HB Pierre Thomas – Added to Saints
* K Billy Cundiff – Released by Falcons
* DE Copeland Bryan – Added to Bills
* S Bryan Scott – Signs with Bills
* LB Jamie Winborn – Added to Broncos
* QB Ken Dorsey – Added to Browns
* DE Greg White – Added to Bucs
* WR David Boston – Released by Bucs
* WR Mark Jones – Signs with Bucs
* HB Luke Lawton – Added to Colts
* DT Antonio Garay – Added to Bears
* K Morten Andersen – Signs with Falcons
* TE Delanie Walker – Added to 49ers
* FB Madison Hedgecock – Released by Rams/Signed by Giants
* T Adam Koets – Added to Giants
* DE Brent Hawkins – Added to Jaguars
* LB Nick Greisen – Released by Jaguars
* DT Russell Davis – Signs with Giants
* DE Mike Devito – Added to Jets
* WR Wallace Wright – Added to Jets
* LB Anthony Cannon – Added to Lions
* CB Tony Beckham – Added to Lions
* C Nick Leckey – Released by Cardinals
* CB Tramon Williams – Added to Packers
* HB Ryan Grant – Added to Packers
* FB John Kuhn – Added to Packers
* WR Carlyle Holiday – Removed from Packers (Injury)
* CB Curtis Deloatch – Signs with Panthers
* LT Frank Omiyale – Signs with Panthers
* TE Christian Fauria – Signs with Panthers
* CB Dante Wesley – Removed from Panthers (Injury)
* RT Mark Wilson – Added to Raiders
* FS Hiram Eugene – Added to Raiders
* FB Richard Owens – Signs with Rams
* HB Cory Ross – Added to Ravens
* DE Edgar Jones – Added to Ravens
* S Omar Stoutmire – Signs with Redskins
* DE Anton Palepoi – Released by Saints
* DE Josh Cooper – Added to Saints
* DT Ellis Wyms – Signs with Seahawks
* CB Allen Rossum – Signs with Steelers
* DT Jesse Mahelona – Released by Titans
* FS Vincent Fuller – Added to Titans
* C Eugene Amano – Added to Titans
* QB Byron Leftwich – Signs with Falcons
* DT Tank Johnson – Signs with Cowboys
* LB Andre Frazier – Released by Bengals
* LB Dhani Jones – Signs with Bengals
* G Will Montgomery – Signs with Jets
* LG Rick MeMulling – Signs with Redskins
* FS Jamaal Fudge – Added to Jaguars
* LE Andre Coleman – Added to Chargers
* RE Chris Wilson – Added to Redskins
* WR Shaun Bodiford – Signs with Packers

Ratings Up

* LB Rob Morris – 81 to 83 OVR
* LB Freddie Keiaho – 73 to 75 OVR
* HB Marion Barber – 86 to 87 OVR
* HB Derrick Ward – 72 to 77 OVR
* DE Cullen Jenkins – 84 to 86 OVR
* LB Nick Barnett – 88 to 90 OVR
* DT Johnny Jolly – 73 to 77 OVR
* SS Atari Bigby – 71 to 73 OVR
* DE Juqua Thomas – 72 to 78 OVR
* SS Sean Considine – 83 to 85 OVR
* WR Jason Avant – 70 to 73 OVR
* FS Jim Leonhard – 67 to 71 OVR
* CB Dre Bly – 90 to 92 OVR
* TE Jeff King – 77 to 79 OVR
* WR Lance Moore – 71 to 73 OVR
* WR Glenn Holt – 66 to 68 OVR
* WR Roscoe Parrish – 69 to 73 OVR
* FS Jim Leonhard – 71 to 76 OVR
* DT Amon Gordon – 69 to 73 OVR
* HB Travis Henry – 88 to 89 OVR
* DE Elvis Dumervil – 79 to 81 OVR
* WR Brandon Marshall – 80 to 82 OVR
* HB Jamal Lewis – 84 to 86 OVR
* WR Josh Cribbs – 62 to 64 OVR
* QB Derek Anderson – 78 to 79 OVR
* LB Barrett Rudd – 80 to 82 OVR
* WR Ike Hilliard – 76 to 80 OVR
* DT Darnell Dockett – 85 to 86 OVR
* DE Antonio Smith – 74 to 78 OVR
* LT Mike Gandy – 80 to 82 OVR
* LB Gerald Hayes – 82 to 83 OVR
* LB Stephen Cooper – 74 to 77 OVR
* LB Napoleon Harris – 78 to 80 OVR
* DT Alphonso Boone – 75 to 78 OVR
* FS Bob Sanders – 96 to 97 OVR
* LG Ryan Lilja – 87 to 89 OVR
* RG Jake Scott – 88 to 91 OVR
* RT Ryan Diem – 91 to 93 OVR
* LB Freddie Keiaho – 75 to 79 OVR
* QB Tony Romo – 84 to 89 OVR
* P Brandon Fields – 67 to 74 OVR
* C Jamaal Jackson – 84 to 86 OVR
* LB Omar Gaither – 81 to 82 OVR
* LB Rocky McIntosh – 78 to 81 OVR
* HB Artose Pinner – 68 to 70 OVR
* LB Stephen Nicolas – 68 to 70 OVR
* WR Roddy White – 74 to 75 OVR
* DT Aubrayo Franklin – 75 to 79 OVR
* DT Isaac Sopoaga – 74 to 78 OVR
* DE Bryant Young – 86 to 88 OVR
* LB Manny Lawson – 78 to 81 OVR
* LB Patrick Willis – 84 to 85 OVR
* DE Marques Douglas – 80 to 82 OVR
* DE Justin Tuck – 70 to 75 OVR
* LG Rich Seubert – 84 to 87 OVR
* LT David Diehl – 84 to 88 OVR
* RG Chris Snee – 92 to 94 OVR
* WR Plaxico Burress – 90 to 92 OVR
* C Dennis Norman – 63 to 67 OVR
* DT Marcus Stroud – 94 to 95 OVR
* WR Dennis Northcutt – 77 to 78 OVR
* MLB Mike Peterson – 92 to 93 OVR
* CB David Barrett – 75 to 76 OVR
* DE Kenyon Coleman – 76 to 79 OVR
* WR Calvin Johnson – 88 to 89 OVR
* DT Shaun Rogers – 94 to 96 OVR
* HB DeShawn Wynn – 72 to 73 OVR
* WR James Jones – 75 to 78 OVR
* TE Donald Lee – 77 to 78 OVR
* SS Atari Bigby – 73 to 75 OVR
* C Dan Koppen – 87 to 90 OVR
* HB Sammy Morris – 78 to 79 OVR
* WR Randy Moss – 93 to 97 OVR
* WR Wes Welker – 83 to 86 OVR
* RT Nick Kaczur – 81 to 82 OVR
* RG Stephen Neal – 87 to 89 OVR
* LG Logan Mankins – 92 to 94 OVR
* LT Matt Light – 91 to 94 OVR
* DT Vince Wilfork – 92 to 93 OVR
* DE Ty Warren – 89 to 90 OVR
* DE Jarvis Green – 79 to 82 OVR
* ROLB Rosevelt Colvin – 85 to 87 OVR
* QB Tom Brady – 98 to 99 OVR
* WR Ronald Curry – 79 to 80 OVR
* RT Cornell Green – 75 to 77 OVR
* RG Cooper Carlisle – 80 to 84 OVR
* MLB Kirk Morrison – 88 to 90 OVR
* ROLB Thomas Howard – 82 to 85 OVR
* WR Terrell Owens – 94 to 97 OVR
* C Brett Romberg – 68 to 72 OVR
* DT Cliff Ryan – 67 to 69 OVR
* LB Brandon Chillar – 73 to 75 OVR
* HB Musa Smith – 76 to 77 OVR
* LE Dwan Edwards – 66 to 68 OVR
* LOLB Jarret Johnson – 77 to 80 OVR
* RE Haloti Ngata – 82 to 84 OVR
* P Derrick Frost – 76 to 80 OVR
* MLB Lofa Tatupu – 94 to 95 OVR
* HB Najeh Davenport – 77 to 79 OVR
* ROLB James Harrison – 73 to 83 OVR
* MLB James Farrior – 93 to 94 OVR
* CB Deshea Townsend – 84 to 85 OVR
* RT Willie Colon – 70 to 75 OVR
* WR Santonio Holmes – 81 to 82 OVR
* WR Roydell Williams – 67 to 70 OVR
* CB Cortland Finnegan – 73 to 79 OVR
* DT Tony Brown – 73 to 77 OVR
* K Rob Bironas – 82 to 85 OVR
* LE Antwan Odom – 75 to 78 OVR
* LT Michael Roos – 82 to 84 OVR
* MLB Ryan Fowler – 72 to 75 OVR
* RG Benji Olson – 91 to 93 OVR
* RT David Stewart – 76 to 80 OVR
* LG Jacob Bell – 87 to 89 OVR
* ROLB Chad Greenway – 79 to 81 OVR
* QB Matt Schaub – 83 to 84 OVR
* RG Fred Weary – 77 to 78 OVR
* CB Charles Tillman – 91 to 92 OVR
* DT Tommie Harris – 97 to 98 OVR
* DE Mark Anderson – 85 to 86 OVR
* HB Kenny Watson – 73 to 77 OVR
* MLB John DiGiorgio – 67 to 70 OVR
* WR Brandon Marshall – 82 to 83 OVR
* DT Amon Gordon – 73 to 77 OVR
* DE Elvis Dumervil – 81 to 83 OVR
* WR Braylon Edwards – 86 to 87 OVR
* MLB Leon Williams – 74 to 76 OVR
* QB Jeff Garcia – 84 to 86 OVR
* HB Earnest Graham – 72 to 74 OVR
* MLB Barrett Ruud – 82 to 84 OVR
* MLB Gerald Hayes – 83 to 84 OVR
* DT Darnell Dockett – 86 to 87 OVR
* HB Edgerrin James – 91 to 93 OVR
* DT Gabe Watson – 73 to 76 OVR
* LB Shaun Phillips – 86 to 88 OVR
* WR Vincent Jackson – 81 to 84 OVR
* TE Antonio Gates – 98 to 99 OVR
* SS Antoine Bethea – 85 to 86 OVR
* HB Marion Barber – 87 to 88 OVR
* LG Kyle Kosier – 85 to 87 OVR
* TE Jason Witten – 92 to 93 OVR
* K Nick Folk – 71 to 76 OVR
* RG Leonard Davis – 90 to 92 OVR
* HB Brian Westbrook – 94 to 95 OVR
* WR Kevin Curtis – 81 to 83 OVR
* DE Trent Cole – 82 to 85 OVR
* C Jamaal Jackson – 86 to 88 OVR
* WR Roddy White – 75 to 78 OVR
* HB Fred Taylor – 89 to 90 OVR
* SS Sammy Knight – 74 to 83 OVR
* QB David Garrard – 82 to 83 OVR
* MLB Mike Peterson – 93 to 94 OVR
* WR Shaun McDonald – 70 to 74 OVR
* QB Brett Favre – 89 to 90 OVR
* LE Aaron Kampman – 94 to 95 OVR
* C Justin Hartwig – 82 to 84 OVR
* RG Jeremy Bridges – 81 to 84 OVR
* C Jeremy Newberry – 83 to 84 OVR
* CB Stanford Routt – 68 to 77 OVR
* HB LaMont Jordan – 83 to 85 OVR
* ROLB Thomas Howard – 85 to 86 OVR
* LOLB Brandon Chillar – 75 to 77 OVR
* K Matt Stover – 94 to 96 OVR
* CB Kelly Jennings – 78 to 80 OVR
* HB Willie Parker – 89 to 90 OVR
* HB Adrian Peterson – 87 to 88 OVR
* ROLB Chad Greenway – 81 to 83 OVR
* MLB E.J. Henderson – 84 to 85 OVR
* DT Amobi Okoye – 79 to 80 OVR
* FS Von Hutchins – 76 to 79 OVR
* FS C.C. Brown – 71 to 75 OVR
* MLB DeMeco Ryans – 88 to 89 OVR
* WR Andre Davis – 67 to 70 OVR
* QB Vince Young – 87 to 88 OVR
* DT Albert Haynesworth – 85 to 87 OVR

Ratings Down

* HB Carnell Williams – 88 to 87 OVR
* DT Justin Harrell – 78 to 76 OVR
* FS Nick Collins – 80 to 79 OVR
* CB Paul Oliver – 76 to 73 OVR
* LB Joey Porter – 93 to 92 OVR
* G Chris Liwienski – 82 to 79 OVR
* G Rex Hadnot – 84 to 82 OVR
* T L.J. Shelton – 83 to 78 OVR
* T Vernon Carey – 84 to 81 OVR
* HB Reuben Droughns – 80 to 75 OVR
* S Gibril Wilson – 89 to 86 OVR
* WR D.J. Hackett – 82 to 78 OVR
* QB Rex Grossman – 84 to 83 OVR
* CB Ricky Manning – 86 to 84 OVR
* CB Leon Hall – 80 to 78 OVR
* DE Tim Crowder – 78 to 77 OVR
* FS Will Allen – 80 to 78 OVR
* LG Anthony Davis – 82 to 78 OVR
* DE Gaines Adams – 84 to 82 OVR
* CB Antrel Rolle – 84 to 82 OVR
* DE Bertrand Berry – 92 to 90 OVR
* DT Quinn Pitcock – 75 to 69 OVR
* DT Dan Klecko – 77 to 73 OVR
* CB Chris Houston – 80 to 77 OVR
* CB Corey Webster – 80 to 78 OVR
* DE Michael Strahan – 94 to 92 OVR
* CB Aaron Ross – 80 to 79 OVR
* LB Kawika Mitchell – 85 to 80 OVR
* DE Reggie Hayward – 88 to 86 OVR
* WR Dwayne Jarrett – 77 to 76 OVR
* WR Drew Carter – 70 to 72 OVR
* CB Tory James – 85 to 83 OVR
* WR Donte Stallworth – 84 to 82 OVR
* C Andy McCollum – 82 to 76 OVR
* WR Brandon Lloyd – 78 to 73 OVR
* WR Devery Henderson – 82 to 80 OVR
* WR Terrance Copper – 76 to 73 OVR
* FB Dan Kreider – 93 to 88 OVR
* LB Lawrence Timmons – 80 to 77 OVR
* RT Max Starks – 83 to 79 OVR
* WR Paul Williams – 70 to 65 OVR
* CB Kelly Herndon – 80 to 78 OVR
* DT Randy Starks – 79 to 75 OVR
* P Craig Hentrich – 85 to 83 OVR
* LOLB Rufus Alexander – 73 to 68 OVR
* WR Sidney Rice – 78 to 76 OVR
* C Mike Flanagan – 87 to 82 OVR
* TE Daniel Graham – 88 to 86 OVR
* WR Ted Ginn – 79 to 77 OVR
* DE Jevon Kearse – 88 to 86 OVR
* WR Reggie Williams – 78 to 77 OVR
* WR Mike Walker – 74 to 71 OVR
* FS Nick Collins – 79 to 78 OVR
* CB Ken Lucas – 88 to 86 OVR
* CB Fabian Washington – 85 to 83 OVR
* HB Michael Bush – 78 to 75 OVR
* FS Brian Dawkins – 97 to 96 OVR
* DT Corey Simon – 83 to 81 OVR

Injuries

* LB Michael Okwo (Bears) IR – Shoulder
* T Orlando Pace (Rams) IR – Shoulder
* S Yeremiah Bell (Dolphins) IR – Achilles
* DT Dusty Dvoracek (Bears) IR – Knee
* S Mike Brown (Bears) IR – Knee
* T Jon Jansen (Redskins) IR – Ankle
* S Jason Simmons (Texans) IR – Knee
* DT Jason Ferguson (Cowboys) IR – Bicep
* S Ko Simpson (Bills) IR – Ankle
* CB Jason Webster (Bills) IR – Forearm
* DT William Joseph (Giants) IR – Back
* WR Chansi Stuckey (Jets) IR – Foot
* CB Justin Miller (Jets) IR – Knee
* CB B.J. Sams (Ravens) IR – Knee
* TE Mark Campbell (Saints) IR – Back
* FS Nate Salley (Panthers) IR – Knee
* DE Adrian Awasom (Giants) IR – Back
* LB Manny Lawson (49ers) IR – Knee
* SS Gerald Sensabaugh (Jaguars) IR – Shoulder
* MLB Paul Posluszny (Bills) IR – Forearm

Contracts

* DT Pat Williams (Vikings) – 3 year extension
* TE Chris Cooley (Redskins) – 6 year extension
* QB Kyle Boller (Ravens) – 1 year extension
* P Nick Harris (Lions) – 5 year extension
* QB JaMarcus Russell (Raiders) – 6 year contract
* G Brandon Moore (Jets) – 3 year extension
* DB Jordan Babineaux (Seahawks) – 5 year extension
* DT Tony Brown (Titans) – 2 year extension

Weapons

* HB Brian Westbrook (Eagles) – Becomes Speed Weapon
* HB Willie Parker (Steelers) – Loses Speed Weapon
* CB Walt Harris (49ers) – Loses Smart Corner
* HB Edgerrin James (Cardinals) – Becomes Trucking Weapon
* HB Marion Barber (Cowboys) – Becomes Trucking Weapon
* QB Tony Romo (Cowboys) – Becomes Accurate QB
* WR Kevin Curtis (Eagles) – Becomes Speed Weapon
* DT Albert Haynesworth (Titans) – Becomes Power Move Weapon

Madden gamers may need to get used to hearing this or come up with a rule amongst friends before starting an online match.

I popped in Madden 08 for the Xbox 360 after just getting it from the midnight release and have already got the defensive end to jump offsides 9 times on one drive basically moving me into scoring position. Curious if anyone else is experiencing this. If so, this could be a huge bug in the game and prove to frustrate many gamers.

The Madden 08 countdown is coming to a close, and whether you are a fan of the game or not, you can not deny that the annual release of Madden has become a holiday of sorts.

Football has tailgating and Madden has it’s share of midnight releases across the country. We here at ripten.com want to hear what you and your buddies have planned for this years release.

We won’t bother hitting you with a creative intro, because there will surely be enough sites out there filling your head with marketing mumbo jumbo. In other words, you won’t confuse our review with something you may find on the back of the Madden game itself, so let’s get on with it.

Improved control and animation with an occasional dose of constipation.
The best overall enhancement this year is the addition of breakaway animations. It is now much easier than last year to control the direction of your player. We intercepted a pass and ran down field noticing that the cornerback actually hugged the sideline. As we edged him close to it, his animation changed to reflect the careful toe placement required in order to stay in bounds.

There are new animations on both ends of the ball, plenty of new tackles, and a refined hit stick allowing you to hit an opponent both high and low. However, while they have added new running animations you will still notice your player running like he has a stick up his butt from time to time.

With great power comes … you’ve heard this one before.
The power of exclusive NFL license means that everyone from Atlanta’s DE John Abraham to Houston’s DT Jeff Zgonina will be at your disposal once again, and the very best of the best this year will be drawing more attention to themselves than Mike Vick at a PETA Conference. That is because EA Sports has created “weapons”, a new icon based system (appearing as a circle under the players on field) that screams “Hey Chad Johnson is a playmaker” which is useful in the event that his real life counterpart forgets to mention it at least fifty times when interviewed during the regular season. There are twenty-four weapon categories in all ranging from stiff arm and turbo to read the field and pancake block.

With an overall team rating of 97, the New England Patriots have so many playmakers that the field looks like it’s got a bad case of acne every time they step onto it. While you won’t see Tom Brady in the end zone very often himself, there will be plenty of opportunities to celebrate in Madden 08.

Superstar? You know you are.
A great idea that was introduced last year got better this year by simply changing the camera angles based on the position you selected, and if watching yourself get denied up the middle doesn’t sound appealing, you can also play this mode as an incoming rookie this year as well.

Exclusives can be elusive, but this is down right abusive.
Gang tackles are “in the game” for both consoles this year, and while there has been much discussion regarding frame rate discrepancies between the PS3 and Xbox 360, the only official comment we received from EA was that they strive to make the best game possible for each platform.

What we do is we make great games for all of our systems and all of our partners, and so we try and give people the best experiences that they can have. So what we focused on was gameplay this year, so as you see that you’ll see how good the animations are, you’ll see all the gameplay improvements on the PS3 and the Xbox 360. We think a lot of people will really enjoy both of them as they get the opportunity to play. – EA Senior Product Manager, Jerrold Smith

We are not sure that is going to fly with PS3 owners when they pop in the game only to experience choppy frame rate that pales in comparison to the 360 version. Is this fair? No, but neither was the addition of exclusive gang tackling last year on the PS3. We live in the age of exclusive content and features — sometimes you get the bear, and sometimes the bear gets you.

Solid in the trench or destined to ride the bench?
EA made it clear early on in a video interview conducted with IGN that they employed a programmer this year who also played a little O-line in his early days. They went on to say that they felt this year’s release would feature much improved play in the trenches.

Well, the overall line play is slightly better this year, however there are still way too many breakdowns. For example, we tried to run a simple toss play to the right and watched as the right guard, tackle, and tight end all ran down field to block one cornerback. We applaud their aggressive nature, however none of them thought to block the defensive end standing in front of them and instead allowed him to breeze right through and blow up the play.

The biggest improvement we noticed in the trenches had little to do with the line, instead it was the ability to bounce off the gentle giants on running plays. You now have the ability as a running back to firmly plant your hand on their backs, regain your balance, and change direction.

Look here! So I can throw over here…
Defensive AI has been improved this year as well. The interception mentioned above was the third that the defense made in the first half alone. Is the AI too difficult? No, it just requires that you actually learn how to read coverage better unlike previous versions of the game that allowed you to beat the secondary deep pretty much at will.

The defensive AI was one area really shined in this years All-Pro Football, and we are very happy to see that EA Tiburon took the time needed to improve this aspect of the Madden gameplay.

Real time weather, for worst or for better?
By now most fans have heard about the real time weather integration being added into Madden 08, and while we give them kudos for the concept, what we found even more interesting were the animations that now occur based a combination of player movement and on field conditions. Run into a patch of snow or a puddle of rain and you can potentially lose your footing — get hit while falling, and you’ll likely lose your lunch too.

Online League Play you say? The answer, no way.
While the consensus regarding online play seems to be that it is noticeably smoother with less lag, the addition of a revamped news ticker won’t offer much consolation for the online league lurkers. If you are looking for the complete online experience — the meat and potatoes of online gaming — then you will be disappointed to find out this dish is mostly starch.

Franchise, hold the fries.
The franchise feature is finally back in the game this year, but if you are looking for the same satisfaction you experienced in the previous gen versions of the game you would be better off trying to buy your way onto the board of directors for your local AFL team.

The fact the game finally has a franchise mode may be enough to make most gamers happy. However, in our experience franchise mode becomes less competitive as you work your way in year after year, therefore we were more upset with the lack of online leagues.

EA gave him the gig, now how much longer will they let him dig?
The decision to phase Madden out of the game for whatever reason was not only a bad one, the alternative solution that EA came up with is intolerable. We figured out why this guy is a one man show — it’s because no one on earth wants to call a game with him.

Yes, this means the bland in game commentary is back. Had this game not been named after a coach turned broadcaster, it probably wouldn’t have bothered us as much to see a change, but the Madden commentary in the game became larger than life, and it pains us to know that it may be gone for good. If it is, hopefully EA will find a better replacement soon.

The last word.
When a car manufacturer redesigns their top of the line vehicle, they don’t leave out options that their current customer base has grown accustomed to over the years. If new bells and whistles require an increased staff to build the car properly, they get the additional resources, because the car market is way too competitive for excuses. If a Lexus doesn’t have all of the features you seek, you can always look at a Mercedes, or a BMW — the list goes on and on. Unfortunately, as it currently stands, NFL Football in the world of pixels and control pads is a one trick pony.

That said, there is no doubt that this iteration of the game is an improvement over the past two next-gen releases, however once you get past the hype of the highlight-laden, rap music-filled, and well marketed commercials, it will be obvious that the game still lacks many features that Madden gamers have grown to love over the years.

So how does Madden 08 stack up next to All-Pro 2K8? While we believe All-Pro has the better overall gameplay experience and superior in game commentary, the roster handcuffs put on the game combined with its lack of depth in comparison to this years Madden, give EA Sports and Madden 08 a slightly higher score than 2K’s non licensed alternative which we scored an 8.5. Both versions scored lower on the PS3 due to frame rate issues.

If you need the NFL aspect, then the choice is simple, but maybe next year EA will be nice enough to release the exclusive NFL license and let us do this review thing over again in 09 — wouldn’t that be fun?

The news is in regarding All-Pro Football 2K8’s initial sales, and the numbers don’t look good. From a business standpoint, the numbers are very important to Take-Two and 2K Sports. The company has come out and said that they realize they are in competition with Madden. This caused many individuals to laugh at the remark, however we ask you this, if you thought you had a superior product that you had busted your butt working on, would you not stand up for it?

We know this may be asking a lot, but if you stripped away the John Madden name, and “heck” why not … the icon is barely in the game these days anyway. Then take away the All-Pro angle 2K is using and the NFL license powering Madden. What would you have left? What would you be comparing? The answer is you would be comparing the gameplay.

Gamers like to play dress up and pretend that they are their football hero. While we understand and can relate to that to an extent, there is an excessive amount of weight put on the words “and Tom Brady drops back, he looks, he throws and finds Randy Moss open in the end zone.” The power of the exclusive NFL license alone effects Madden sales enormously, however for the team at EA Sports to breeze by each year essentially selling us a roster update is just wrong.

We are not saying that Madden has not made progress over the years, that would be a lie. What we are saying is that after acquiring the NFL license it appears to us that EA Sports became content for the most part and saw no problem in not only taking their time, but also overlooking the minor details that made them who they are today. That said, it is pathetic to watch mindless fans follow them year in and year out.

A company that once claimed to have every detail in the game could not even answer us directly as to why they left nets and referees out of the game again for the third year in a row. If that wasn’t bad enough they announced recently that they would be shutting down their 2006 game servers soon essentially forcing gamers to buy the next release of the game.

When a person does these sorts of things people refer to them as an individual who is calling out of help. Is EA calling out for help or are they calling our bluff? Think about it. They know they are a Monopoly when it comes to Pro Football, but this year you finally have a choice as a gamer. You don’t owe it to 2K Sports, you owe it to yourself to give All-Pro Football a chance.

Forget the tasteless videos that were created by Gametrailers.com showcasing their version of Mike Vick and then following that up by taking OJ Simpson and putting him on a team called the Assassins. That was poor judgment on their part, beyond that who are we to determine any other motives they may or may not have had. What we do know is that those clips had nothing to do with Take-Two or 2K Sports directly.

At the end of the day you have a choice. EA Sports has had a choice for 3 years now, and each year they have come to the table with an excuse. This year they were too focused on gameplay to throw in a net behind the goalposts. Too focused on gameplay to bring back the referees. To say to us that they focused so much on gameplay this year, leaves us asking “what did you focus on the other years?”

Look, we don’t have it out for EA, in-fact we are big supporters of some of their games on this site. We grew up playing Madden and we would love nothing more than to see EA Sports give us the game we deserve, yet after three years of marketing hype and disappointing gameplay, it is hard to not feel as if the only control we have over that outcome lies in our decision to purchase the game or not. This is not to say that All-Pro Football is anywhere near perfect, as it has its share of flaws as well.

There is a saying that goes, if someone enters your space and knocks you onto the floor, shame on them … but if they come back in an hour, and you are still laying on the floor, shame on you. In other words, complaint without action gives the appearance of foolishness, and a company will not change when they believe that the majority of their customer base is foolish enough to continue to buy their product as is.

In the process of interviewing a representative from EA Tiburon at this years E3 regarding Madden 08, one of our writers (who is a big Patriot’s fan) jokingly asked if Bill Belichick would again be absent on the sidelines this year.

As the representative began to explain the contractual reasons behind certain coaches being excluded from the game he slipped and mentioned that they are “going through” the same situation with NFL Head Coach.

I immediately said “going through?” He smiled and quickly tried to change the subject. I of course was having none of that and asked whether or not there was another Head Coach game in progress, at which point he politely said that he could not comment. We of course exchanged business cards and followed up with him again shortly after E3 concluded, but his response hadn’t changed. The game may never see daylight, however we know what we heard and stand behind this report.

While the first iteration of Head Coach was greeted with mixed reviews, we feel that the overall concept behind the game is still promising, and if handled properly a second time around, it just might stick. Apparently EA feels the same way, although they just can’t seem to remember mentioning it.

In our recent phone conversation with EA Senior Product Manager, Jerrold Smith, regarding the upcoming Madden 08, we asked how a company who built its reputation on being detail oriented, so much so that their slogan “If it’s in the game, it’s in the game” became their claim to fame, now overlooks such things as nets behind goal posts and on field referees.

While we were disappointed to find that after three years of development time, these details would once again be left out of the next gen version, learning that the game will ship with Mike Vick and Pac Man Jones on their respective rosters concerned us even more.

The last thing we looked to address was the frame rate discrepancies between the two systems. For those who are not familiar with this, the 360 version of Madden will run at 60 fps, while the PS3 version will run at 30.

Is this payback for last years 360 version being left in the cold when it came to gang tackling? One hast to wonder these days with companies dishing out big bucks for exclusive features. We are not saying that Microsoft paid for 60 frames per second, we are just curious how long it will take EA to level the playing field for both consoles.

The interview below will require you to read between the lines as there is no amount of prodding that will cause a man to open his mouth and lose his job. That said, we asked the questions we knew our readers would want the answers to just the same and did our best to gain clarification when possible.

Mad: Hi Jerrold, first off thank you for taking time out to chat with us.

Jerrold: Not a problem.

Mad: When we chatted with you at this years E3 you confirmed to us that this years Madden will again be absent of on field referees and nets behind the goal posts. Can you address the gamers out there who are trying to understand why we are in the third year of next gen Madden gaming and yet those things are still missing in the game?

Jerrold: We are really focusing on having a great gameplay experience for consumers, so when you actually play the game this year, we really took a lot of time to make sure that the gameplay was really fun. We did a lot of things to improve the animation system and give players more control. So those are the types of things that we focused on that are part of the experience that you have as you play the game.

So that’s what we really spent our time and energy on and we feel really confident that when people pick up and play the game they’ll see, they’ll feel, they’ll notice the difference and they will be more excited about playing the game.

Mad: Sure. Ok, we can understand the time constraints and that it may take more time than available to you to add and animate referees at a level that meets the standards set by EA. However, with something like the nets behind the goal posts, is that a case where the feature was so low on the to do list that it wasn’t a priority for this release?

Jerrold: Yea, our focus was to make sure the gameplay was great so that people will have a wonderful experience from a gameplay standpoint.

Mad: Ok …

Jerrold: That is where we focused a lot of our time and energy this year. We listened to what our fans were saying and those are the things we really focused on this year as we built the game.

Mad: Alright. Another thing that we hear a lot about is the fact that the PS3 version of the game only runs at 30 frames per second while the Xbox 360 version runs at 60. Is there a reason for the difference in frame rate between the two systems? Can you comment on that?

Jerrold: What we do is we make great games for all of our systems and all of our partners, and so we try and give people the best experiences that they can have. So what we focused on was gameplay this year, so as you see that you’ll see how good the animations are, you’ll see all the gameplay improvements on the PS3 and the Xbox 360. We think a lot of people will really enjoy both of them as they get the opportunity to play.

Mad: With everything surrounding Mike Vick and Pac Man Jones in the media. Is there any chance that those players, pending the outcome of their cases, would not be in the game if in-fact, especially with Vick, they do not make the roster and have to sit out the year. With those players, at this point is it too late to remove them? Is that set in stone at this point?

Jerrold: We set up the rosters at the time that we code the game, so once those rosters are shut that is what they will look like, and so whether or not the player is cut or traded or suspended, its based on one where we are at the time we close the game. As you play the game there are roster updates that you can do — downloadable updates that take into account injuries and suspensions, and so those things will be updated as the season progresses.

Mad: So as of right now are Mike Vick and Pac Man Jones are in the game. Has the games roster been closed?

Jerrold: Yes. Right now the games roster has been closed.

Mad: So if something like that were to happen it would be done in the form of an update.

Jerrold: Correct.

Mad: Alright, thank you very much Jerrold.

Jerrold: No problem.

Even “Ray Ray” Can’t Help The PS3 Come Back From 30 Frames Down…

It has been confirmed that Madden NFL 08 and NCAA Football 08 will run at 60 frames per second on the Microsoft Xbox 360 and only 30 frames per second on the Sony Playstation 3.

This has to be very frustrating for loyal Playstation owners. The PS3 was supposed to be the better machine and the specs clearly pointed to that, however as of late the “specs” have not been enough to convince video game developers to not cut corners when developing games for the console.

We have seen footage of many games side by side for both the 360 and PS3, and in nearly every one the 360 version appeared to be superior. We know that this is not because Sony’s Next Gen console is not capable of creating equally stunning graphics, because it is.

All of this leaves us wondering when developers are going to start giving Playstation 3 games the resources they need in development to create the type of game experiences so many PS3 fans have been waiting for and deserve.

Madden Football 2008 Soundtrack
Airbourne: Runnin’ Wild
Atreyu: Becoming The Bull
Brother Ali: Whatcha Got
Daddy Yankee: Impacto
Datarock: The New Song
Earl Greyhound: S.O.S.
Enter Shikari: OK, Time For Plan B
From Autumn To Ashes: Daylight Saving
HE**YEAH: You Wouldn’t Know
Jupiter One: Countdown
MIMS: Cop It
Murs: Dreadlocks (Could not find this one)
O-Solo: Monsta
Operator: Soul Crusher
Ozzy Osbourne: I Don’t Wanna Stop
Pharoahe Monch feat. Showtyme: Desire
Pitbull feat. Don Omar: Fuego Remix
Queens Of The Stone Age: 3’s & 7’s
Red1 feat. Afu-Ra: Dem No Worry We
Shadows Fall: Redemption
Swizz Beatz: It’s Me Snitches
Sum 41: Underclass Hero
Team Shadetek feat. 77Klash & Jahdan: Brooklyn Anthem
The Bravery: Believe
The Hives: Tick Tick Boom
The Used: The Ripper
Timbaland feat. Justin Timberlake: Release
Yellowcard: Fighting
Zion I & The Grouch: Hit’em

All-Pro Football 2K8 Soundtrack (Listen To The Tracks)
“All-Pro Intro”
“Something Different” featuring Chali 2Na & Keno 1
“Sudden Death” featuring DJ Faust
“Let the Rhythm Hit ‘Em 2007″ featuring Rakim & Chevelle
“Doin’ It Like This” featuring Clutch
“Automatic At It” featuring Aceyalone
“Go Hard” featuring Gift of Gab & Dub Trio
“On My Side” featuring Lateef & Slug
“I Don’t Need This Trouble” featuring Natural Self
“Sure Shot” featuring Casual & Pep Love
“Rock, Shock, Break” featuring Backyard Bangers
“Locked and Loaded” featuring Deftones & Dead Prez
“Tom Sawyer (Z-Trip Remix)” – Rush

That is it. Let us know what you think.

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.

Click here to view the embedded video.

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