EA Sports Producer Tour Report

We visit the sports giant to find out what to expect from the new Madden, Tiger Woods, NBA Live and NHL games out this autumn.

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Madden 08

Of all the sports games in EA's impressive stable, Madden is the one that's most important to the company. But in Europe, the series doesn't have nearly the exposure that it does in the US - for obvious reasons. That's something EA and the NFL are hoping will change, and the additions to this year's edition of Madden might just help make that happen.

The major new feature being shown off at No. 5 was Madden 08's new Weapon system. The NFL, Tom Goedde told me, has some thousands of players, but the big names are the ones most people come to see. They're the fastest runners, or the most accurate throwers, or simply the most aggressive players on the field. Madden 08 is all about these players.

The new Weapon system takes around 200 of the 3,000 or so active players in the NFL and places them in 24 distinct Weapon categories, which highlight the skills of the best players. If you want to make sure your 3rd-and-25 pass makes it into the end zone, you're going to want to make ensure that you throw the ball to the guy with the best hands. Picking him out will be easy, because the Weapon players all have icons on the field, instantly letting you know which are the best and most reliable players.

Obviously getting to know the Weapon categories is a must. If you don't know who the best receiver on the field is, knowing the appropriate Weapon category and icon will save you. To make sure that you get to know them, the categories flick across load screens like flash cards. After a few games, you'll have them down, and that's when the fun starts.

Goedde was reluctant to go into details about the dynasty mode, which will let you play through entire careers, but he had no qualms with talking up Madden's fresh new visuals. The Xbox 360 version I saw was running at a constant 60 frames per second, something it will do on the PlayStation 3 as well. A small point, you might think, but the extra fluidity added to the visuals can make all the difference in the world for non-experts like me to follow the action on screen.

It wasn't just the flashy versions of Madden 08 that were at No. 5. EA also brought along the version for the Wii, which builds on last year's active instalment. There are a few changes to control schemes this year, which will come as a relief to those still confused about some of the nuances of NFL football or to those who simply don't feel like swinging their arms around as much.

Family play is a hot-swappable feature that allows Wii players to choose how involved the controls are. With the nunchuck attached, players will control most of the action on-screen, including moving players and picking shots. But if all you want to do is take care of the main parts of the game, you can allow the game to control players for you. Unplug the nunchuck and all you'll need to do is hike, throw and take care of other core responsibilities. Goedde also told me about another mode, in which players not interested in flailing their appendages around will still be able to use motion-sensing controls but of a more nuanced fashion. These will pick up more minor movements, which means you won't have to get up off the couch to play Madden on the Wii.

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