Madden NFL 08 Hands-On: Family Play Spotlight

The debut of the Madden NFL series on the Nintendo Wii was a revelation. This was a sports game that took itself a bit more seriously than the lighthearted nature of Wii Sports, didn't skimp on gameplay depth, and brought an entirely new look to the long-standing series, thanks to its unique control scheme. Little wonder, then, that the game earned our distinction as the top traditional sports game of 2006. The challenge with the upcoming sequel--Madden NFL 08--is to keep the momentum rolling. As we discovered at a recent press event held in EA's Los Angeles offices, the developers behind Madden NFL 08 aren't resting on their laurels; instead, they are taking the game in some surprising new directions.

Longtime Madden fans probably didn't have too much trouble adjusting to the new Wii Remote and Nunchuk-specific controls that came with Madden NFL 07. After all, the motion-based controls were designed to emulate some of the real-life motions in the sport: passing a ball, putting out a stiff arm, diving for extra yards, and so on. But because a large portion of the Wii audience is coming from a more casual game standpoint, the developers at EA Canada are striving to include everyone in on the Madden 08 fun. Primary to this goal is a new easy-play option that will be debuting on several EA Sports Wii games, which essentially boils game control down to the Wii Remote and some very basic movements.

The option, known as family play mode, can be turned on or off whenever you like and looks to serve as a fine introduction to gameplay, even if it doesn't seem like something experienced players will stick with for very long. When using the family-play option, you control some, but not all, aspects of the action on the field. For instance, it's up to you to call the plays and put the ball in the receiver's hands during a pass play. However, once the ball carrier has the rock, the computer takes over and will control the direction of his running (which would otherwise be controlled with the Nunchuk thumb stick in the regular control scheme). You'll still be able to control special moves, such as stiff arms or spin moves, but finding the hole in the line or evading bee-lining defensive backs will be the job of the artificial intelligence in family-play mode. Playbooks will also be simplified in Madden NFL 08's family-play mode, with the playbooks divided into four categories: run, pass, deep pass, and kick (and four specific plays to be found within the first three categories).

If that doesn't really sound like your cup of football-flavored tea, consider this: The family-play option might not be right for longtime Madden fans, but it might be perfect for said fan's girlfriend, parent, or younger sibling who might not be intimate with the subtleties of the Cover 2 defense yet still wants to share in some friendly competition. It's unlikely someone playing with the family-play option will be able to beat an experienced player, but we suppose stranger things have happened. Best of all, when the player feels like graduating to the normal play mode, all he or she needs to do is plug the Nunchuk controller into the Wii Remote and take it from there; there's no need to relearn a completely new system because all of the functions controlled by the Wii Remote will stay put. The player will only need to get used to the functions found on the Nunchuk controller.

Control tweaks from last year's game include kicking controls that are easier to use and the ability to call audibles by moving the Wii Remote up, down, left, or right at the line of scrimmage. Running controls have been tweaked a bit as well. Instead of pushing forward with both hands to lay a big hit on someone, you only need to push forward with the Wii Remote. In addition, producers told us there will be more opportunities for players to get the Wii Remote and Nunchuk involved in avoiding or shaking off tacklers.

Whether you're playing in family-play mode or with the standard controls, trash-talking will be taken to new and exciting levels of...well, trash, thanks to a new telestrator option. This option will let you illustrate and point out elements of a replay using the Wii Remote in a way similar to how John Madden scribbles on your television picture on Sundays in the fall. You'll only have so long to use the telestrator to point out your opponent's multiple mistakes and serious lack of gameplay skills because a clock will be counting down as you use the tool. To speed up the clock, lessening the humiliation, your opponent can quickly drum the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to hasten the countdown. EA heard it loud and clear from fans bemoaning Madden 07's lack of online play, so Madden 08 will include online play for up to two players, with standard features, such as the an intergrated live sports ticker. The EA Locker feature will be available as well.

If you weren't playing Madden 07 on the Wii in a regular game, you were probably checking out the addictive minigames. With Madden 08, the development team is promising more minigames and drills. These include such standards as the 40-yard dash and quarterback challenges, among many other new ones. There is also a trivia challenge minigame, which EA wasn't ready to show off just yet, but from its name alone, it sounds like it could be intriguing. Madden 08 will make limited use your Miis in the minigames, such as showing up onscreen as your avatar during minigame challenges or when saving your profile. Here's hoping the team makes more use of Miis in future installments of the franchise (who wouldn't want to pit his or her Mii against Devin Hester in the 40-yard dash?)

With its new family-play feature popping up in several Wii EA Sports games, including NBA Live 08, it's obvious that EA is latching onto the Wii's family-friendly approach to gaming. While those options won't necessarily be of much interest to the hardcore set, we suspect the strategy might end up selling some copies of the game in households that might never have thought of buying a sports game before. Stay tuned for more coverage on Madden NFL 08 for the Wii in the coming weeks.