Are you ready for some football? The NFL season kicks off today, but the action's already under way with the release of the latest in the Madden franchise.
This year's game is a tale of two next-generation systems. While the 360 version runs flawlessly at a silky smooth 60 frames per second, the PS3 version sometimes stutters at half that speed.
The quick frame rate of the 360 and a new "branching animation" system that does not lock players into animation sequences make for a much more responsive game. The new animation system creates a lot more visual variety when running, tackling or making highlight reel catches.
Controls remain largely the same, though ball strip and hurdle moves have been added. On defense, the right thumb stick can be used to deliver bone-crunching high or low tackles.
Playing a local friend is still the most entertaining way to enjoy Madden, but online play is lag-free. When taking on the computer, an improved artificial intelligence system makes it more difficult to routinely find holes in zone coverage or connect on deep passes. And on offense, the computer actually plays to its strengths instead of randomly picking plays.
Franchise mode is deep, but largely unchanged. Superstar mode, where players take control of a custom athlete, is more playable because the camera has been pulled back to show more of the field. A new Finance mode makes it possible to relocate teams to new cities and adopt a new name and logos.
Though easily the best effort to date, Madden 08 still manages to drop the ball in familiar ways. Fumbles occur far too often; six or seven a game is typical. And there's still no support for online leagues, something fans have been clamoring for. Strangest of all is that John Madden still doesn't lend his voice to the play-by-play. Instead, a monotone, unnamed announcer does his best to lull football fans to sleep.
The release of All-Pro Football marks 2K's return to the gridiron, but it is not glorious.
When Electronic Arts signed an exclusive licensing deal with the NFL in 2005, gamers were left with only the Madden franchise to get their football fix. The competition had helped create two of the strongest football games ever released. ESPN NFL 2K5 is a classic, and three years later it is still the one to fire up on a PlayStation 2.
All-Pro Football still isn't allowed to use current players or teams; instead mythical teams are filled with Hall of Famers like Joe Montana, former NFL greats such as Randall Cunningham, and many lesser lights. Does anyone remember Jim Harbaugh?
Before playing an actual game, a team of old-timers must be assembled, which can create some interesting combinations, such as Johnny Unitas hitting Jerry Rice for a touchdown. Instead of a regular draft, a team is created by selecting two "gold star" players, three "silver star" players and six "bronze star" players. The rest of the team is made up of generic grunts.
Unselected talent is distributed unevenly among computer squads. One computer team may have no gold star players, while another can have five. This, combined with fairly boneheaded AI, can create mismatches.
Once your squad hits the field, the game plays a lot like 2K5, only with improved graphics.
But, there are times when an All-Pro referee blows calls to such an extent it may lead to broken 360 controllers. In one instance, a safety was awarded when a defender who intercepted a pass in the end zone was immediately tackled. That just shouldn't happen. And there's no franchise mode, just a weak one-season mode.
At least the play-by-play announcers are better than anything heard in Madden 08. Better luck next year.
One of the best games of all time gets even better with this behemoth of an expansion pack.
Among the additions are 10 civilizations, 16 leaders, 25 new units, 11 new scenarios and six new world wonders. Throw in a revamped spying system, international corporations, advanced starts and the ability to create overseas colonies and there's plenty to keep even an expert Civ player busy for months.
Last year's expansion, Warlords, focused more on combat, while Beyond the Sword offers less direct ways to humiliate foes. Several of the new Civs (the Dutch) and leaders (Abraham Lincoln) are particularly effective late-game economic, technological or diplomatic powerhouses.
Among the new units, the more interesting include the privateer, essentially a pirate ship, which can be used to sink enemy craft without officially declaring war, and a blimp, the first air unit that is effective at spotting subs and bombarding enemy forces. Of the new wonders, the most effective are the Apostolic Palace, which acts like a medieval UN, and the Statue of Zeus, which doubles the war weariness of enemy cities.
The new scenarios range from historically accurate World War II missions to one called Final Frontier that takes place in a galaxy far, far away. Spying is now a much larger part of the game as agents that infiltrate enemy cities can create all sorts of mayhem, including destroying buildings, fomenting rebellions or simply poisoning water supplies.
Less effective are corporations, which, if used correctly, can provide an economic boost while hampering the economy of an enemy but require a lot of resources to get started.
Overseas colonies come into play when an empire grows so large that the cost of maintaining it begins draining the treasury. By liberating cities on another continent, players can save a lot of gold and gain a valuable ally.
Players who dislike the relatively slow pace of early games will be thrilled with the advance start option that allows single and multiplayer games to begin after the Stone Age. Civ IV owners will want to venture Beyond the Sword.
A generation of gamers have battled the addiction of developing and running a city with the Sim City series, which debuted on the PC in 1989.
Unlike most games, there's no way to "win" in this city simulator. Players are simply turned loose with the tools needed to create streets, public buildings, power plants, police and fire stations, schools, hospitals and lots of other things needed in the ideal virtual community.
Those new to the series will be happy with the tutorial mode, which is exhaustive. Cities can be started on one of 20 maps, with starting cash ranging from US$10,000 (difficult) to $100,000 (easy). Unfortunately, the system can store only one city, meaning a player can't try a new map without trashing an existing city.
The top screen displays a graphically unimpressive view of the city, while the touchscreen is used to "draw" new streets or plop down new buildings. But there are only two levels of zoom, and neither makes it easy to get things accomplished. The zoomed-out view makes it too difficult to select the proper location, while the zoomed-in view makes it a chore to place anything large, such as a swath of residential zoning.
It's addictive and fun on a PC. But on the relatively small real estate of the DS, being mayor of a full-fledged metropolis quickly turns into a frustrating, unwieldy experience.
- agencies
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