Madden has an updated roster, which is the main reason anyone really buys a Madden game. But EA, in their quest to squeeze out as much money as possible from your pockets, did provide some changes, but not all of them. This keeps you buying Madden until either you die or John Madden dies. Either way, expect many more years of buying Madden.

The biggest new feature in Madden 08 is that players now have specialties, just like in real life. So a running back is better at one type of running back than the other just like wide receivers or quarterbacks. Does this mean you need to know a whole lot of useless facts to pick the right player for the right play? No. Because EA has provided onscreen designations to which type of player is better at what type of play. So you do have to memorize the designations, but not the actual player. Now does this feature make a big difference in gameplay? Not against the AI.

The problem is that your skills as a gamer are far greater than the AI. So it doesn't really matter if a player is specialized or not. And if you use this feature in online play, a smart gamer will figure out what you're going to do by what players you place on the field. So we don't know if this helps you as a gamer. And the control scheme is now more complicated because they let you micromanage plays before the ball is snapped.

The franchise mode now lets you train players before each week's game to improve their attributes. So there's even more micromanagement. And the owner mode has more stuff for you to manage as well. There sure is alot of management for a sports title. We don't know who this appeals to, other than maybe fantasy football fans. But as a gamer, sports should be more action and less stats.

The multiplayer is still just a bunch of one-on-one games with no franchsie or career mode. We guess this mode will be next year's big upgrade. Graphics and sound are the same as last year. Bottom line is that it's Madden with an updated roster and better stat management. Does it really matter what we say about Madden? The gamers who buy Madden buy it cause it's Madden, and it's the only NFL game.