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Applelinks has posted a new review of Madden NFL 2008. The game is the latest in the popular football simulation series, now available on Intel Macs courtesy of Transgaming's Cider emulation software. Applelinks gave the game a winning score of 5 out of 5.

From the review:

Again, when you reach the point where you're starting to get good at the game (or are past it), Madden NFL 08 is fantastic entertainment. The gameplay is solid and the animations are smooth. It's not the best looking game on the Macintosh, but it's certainly towards the top. The weather effects are done nicely, and the stadiums throughout the league are faithfully recreated. Madden even lets you go so far as to create the fans you put in the stadium. I kid you not, you can design the look of the fans. I mean, obviously not all 67,000, thank goodness, but it's still a good way to get yourself into the game.

A better way, though, is to create your own player, whom you can take from a rookie to a Pro Bowler, if you're good enough. That may actually be Madden's main strength; the numerous ways to play. You can just play one-off games, you can control a team through a whole season, you control an entire franchise, you can follow the career of a single player, etc. In other words, not only is there enough here to keep the most avid player entertained, but there are also methods of play for those who can't devote more than a single sitting a week. What I would really like to see, however, is a coaching mode that combines the Madden NFL franchise with EA's recent NFL Head Coach. This would make a great option for those who are more about strategy than control, and it would help new players get started more quickly. Conversely, an "arcade" mode that focuses solely on basic gaming action would also be a welcome addition.

Applelinks: Madden NFL 08 Review

Electronic Arts

Madden NFL 08

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