Still enjoyable but clearly displaying the lack of care between 3rd party developers and Nintendo gamers.
The game still contains most of the same modes you would hope to play, from franchise to mini-camp. In addition, Wii-owners can enjoy a 5 on 5 (big head), simplified version of the game, which plays similar to backyard football. It is good for about 5 minutes and then you question why they put time and effort into a childish addition.
As far as opening this up to a large group of gamers, there are some nice improvements available. The All-Play option allows someone to play with a sort of handicap or assistant built into their action. Passing icons are simplified, actions are minimized for results and explanations are often and clear. I quickly turned this off, but I can appreciate it for players that would want to use it.
Going online is another nice feature. Nintendo has been working on its servers since the 1st online games were released and is now able to support the type of live action this game entails with minimal lag.
My favorite of the new features though is actually the Call-Your-Shot. With this, you can change a player's route before snapping the ball (also without running the clock). You don't get anything special for completing the pass to that receiver, but it will throw up a graphic that says Shot Called. It is a new way to audible/hot route without completely changing the play.
Now comes the massive disappointment. The celebrations are just ridiculous. Why add in a basically useless feature, you may ask. That's because other record-keeping and bonus item features were eliminated. There are no longer player and game cards that you can collect for savings and boosting player stats. Mini-camp is now simply there to practice skills with no true reward at the end. You no longer have game goals, like passing for a certain number of yards or scoring a touchdown injured. Some of the core elements that have been in the game for years have now been eliminated for the Wii. And the quiz game does not make up for it...
Also what is up with the graphics? I know the system does not have the same capabilities are the PS3 and 360, but seriously. Some Wii games look stellar and this just looks like there has been no evolution since the Gamecube at all. The crowds are far from attractive and the player models are still too pixeled and undefined. And what happened to the videos? Give me what you used to provide on the previous generation system. The incorporation of the Miis is interesting as well, but not necessary or impactful for the game.
All in all, it is still a Madden game. Luckily I did not purchase 2008 so this seems more new to me than if I had. There is only a little more polish than compared to 2007 and much more could have been done to make the game more equitable with the other current generation systems (even without the same graphics capabilities). EA has to try harder next year and not let these massive discrepancies continue for Wii-owners.