The much anticipated release of Madden 08 has passed and everyone who called in sick for the release date are back to work. If you hold Madden in the highest of esteem as I do this was to be the version to save the series. The rush job and failure of the last 2 Maddens for the next gen consoles had left the franchise a bit tarnished. It would have been better to not release it at then give us such a shoddy game.

But the ray of sunshine that is Madden 08 has come into our lives and we couldn’t be happier. First and foremost the game is actually fast again. The gameplay is back to the fast quick format that has set Madden apart. The biggest ad on is the gamebreaker feature. This got ragged on by some people but I liked it and thought it was a good idea. My complaint with it is if you’re playing against the computer its gamebreakers seem to work much better then yours, not so much that it hurts the game but it does suck none the less. The Gamebreaker is certain players who are super high rated in a particular stat. Like your QB can be a smart QB (guess what Rex Grossman isn’t one) where if you call the same plays on defense he will pick up on it and counter with a play to beat the defense. There are also smart players on defense that do the same. There are also things like brick wall defenders, bull rush pass rushers, hands receivers, and shut down corners to name a few. It adds a bit of fun to your games and when building a team in franchise mode you can’t help but get as many if these players as possible.

Back is the create a superstar mode which can be frustrating because you really can’t control your team. For me i enjoy the GM aspect of the franchise mode.

Of course most of the person versus person playing is done on xbox live, but if you happen to be playing the game with a buddy on the same TV you will have a hard time hiding what play you have chosen. They removed the 3 choice system for a 1 play at a time system. It can be hard if your buddy is a cheater.

Also added was a build a ring feature seems like a good idea but is really just wasted space. This is what a next gen football game should be it looks good runs good and will keep you coming back time and again. Keep playing Madden 08 because it is pretty darn strong. And next year lets make its release date a national holiday!!!!

I recently bought Ubisoft’s new guitar “game” Jam Sessions. It’s really more of a simulator than a game, though I have to admit I was really looking forward to it. I play “real” guitar and have always wanted something small and compact to take with me when I go on trips. Sometimes you get an idea and you’ve got nothing to play it on. For all intents and purposes it really is a pocket guitar, limited as it might be. For one thing it sounds great. The recorded guitar samples are spot on, although they’re only sampled from an acoustic guitar. The effects pedals are kind of weak and not very useful overall. The game boasts over 100 chords so you can play along to most any song, though you’re only going to be playing the rhythm parts and not lead (Sorry, no wicked guitar solos here, the game only supports strumming full chords, not individual strings). It would’ve also been nice to be able to change octaves for individual chords. The click track is more annoying than helpful, it would’ve been nice to have maybe simple drum loops also. Hopefully we’ll see a sequel with some more fleshed out features.

One of the problems with the game is who it’s really for, they say you can learn to play guitar by playing this game. This is sadly not the case. You are going to be very hard pressed to learn guitar from playing this game. It never shows a breakdown of the chords you’re playing and the display of the guitar strings you strum is represented by a single line in the middle of the touch screen. Don’t get me wrong, this is a great game, or whatever it is, but it is not a learning tool and it’s really not even a game. The songs (by songs I mean strumming patterns, no mp3’s or real full version audio songs) that come loaded on the cartridge are mostly obscure/b-sides from some moderately familiar artist.

So, the bottom line is, if you’re a guitarist already and want to play guitar on the toilet, buy this. On the other hand, if you’ve never played guitar before and you think somehow this is your chance to start a rock band, it may be fun for a while, but you’re not going to be rockin’ any sweet riffs any time soon.

Boom!

[rating:3/5]

Earth Defence Force 2017 for the Xbox 360, or EDF for those in the know, has got to be one of the best crappy games most people will never give a second look, if not a first. The game’s plot is almost non-existent and revolves around killing hordes and hordes of invading aliens, from giant insects to the occasional massive robot or drop ship. Variety is not a word I would use to describe EDF unless you’re talking about it’s weapons. There are over 75 unique weapons found in the game and are earned from killing enemies and collecting the spoils left behind. Of the 50 some levels most look very much the same. The graphics are sub par compared with most other action games on the platform and occasionally there is some harsh slow down. There are vehicles in the game as well, but they are so poorly implemented with almost unusable control schemes that make them more aggravating than fun.

So, why is this game so amazing? The real treat to it is it’s Split-Screen Co-Op play, available through the entire single player campaign. You can destroy pretty much any building you see and the weapons range from flame throwers, to homing missiles, to acid guns. The action is non-stop and just plain fun. It’s wildly satisfying when you fire a rocket directly at a 50 foot ant and watch as it explodes and catapults off the screen toward the sky. The game is strangely addictive, but it probably won’t hold up for very long. If you want a good, fun, mindless action for about 10-20 hours then this game is a good solid rental, but pass if you’re looking for more depth.

Boom!

If you’re interested in picking this game up, you can find it used at GameStop here: