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Aaron Boulding

  (4:00 PM)

Hey everyone, keep your eye on espnvideogames.com for Madden coverage. Look for coverage on SportsCenter, First Take, the Hot List, and all our outlets!

Brendan ( Lynnfield, MA)

Hey Aaron, what do you think is the best upcoming feature on Madden 08?

Aaron Boulding

  (4:01 PM)

That's a tough one. It's a tie between the Weapons system and the animations. This is finally the next-gen football game we've been waiting for. It's way better than the previous two editions.

Zack (Syracuse)

Are formation subs back in the game and can you sub anyone anywhere you want?

Aaron Boulding

  (4:02 PM)

There's no formation subs; it's all depth chart. The system will auto-assign stuff--your third-string RB will be on special teams, but you can do quick package subs when you're calling your play. You can't put anybody anywhere anymore.

DJ (michigan)

Ts Madden as big a phenom as it appears to be?

Aaron Boulding

  (4:04 PM)

Part of it is the legacy of the franchise is extremely strong. The marketing push that EA has put behind it is incredible. The marketing department is practically making the Madden launch a holiday. Stuff like that helps make it a phenomenon. You'll get a lot of mainstream press covering. Whether the game warrants it or not, it's always going to be a big pop culture event. They still had all of this even when the game wasn't very good (in my opinion).

shawn (Cubicle land)

What about late hits? Did you put that back in the game?

Aaron Boulding

  (4:05 PM)

Nope, no late hits. They'll have new animations to show guys leaping over the pile to avoid a collision and guys celebrating after the play. The NFL doesn't like stuff like that, so they monitor this game like a hawk.

Tony, NY

So is this the finally the MADDEN where the people like me who actually know the X's and O's of football will be able to compete with the people who find the "unstoppable plays" and run them over and over again?

Aaron Boulding

  (4:08 PM)

The game is too new for me to state one way or the other, but I will say this: the defensive playmaker and receiver spotlight feature will make defense more relevant. Receiver jet jumps are back in, but the defensive playmaker feature allows you to reassign what individual playmakers do. You can tell a linebacker to do something independent of the play you called. For guys who can read and recognize things like that, there's stuff you can do. Will that make you competitive against cheaters? We'll see, but you do have more options on defense. Everyone who plays the game is an offensive mastermind, so you want to make sure you can counter that.

Nathan ( Texas)

Wats your opinion on the player reality?

Aaron Boulding

  (4:10 PM)

The player ratings, well, you can go over those endlessly. I'm a big Raider fan, and honestly they weren't very good last year, but I can't understand why they gave JaMarcus Russell a 99 in arm strength and low ratings in everything else. But the weapons system covers that. If Brian Urlacher is in the middle of the field, you want to stay away from that section. Same with Champ Bailey. The superstar players do play like superstars. If your favorite player is a backup, he'll be rated low and you'll feel bad. You have to explot the superstar matchups. You want to have Peyton Manning pass to Marvin Harrison a lot, just like in real life, and the weapon system helps that a lot.

Cleatus, Pine Bluff Arkansas

Who is going to be this years Michael Vick in terms of a big play guy that is impossible to stop?

Aaron Boulding

  (4:12 PM)

Good question. Gosh, I just said Champ is a beast on defense. I simulated a season, and he had something like 14 INTs and 6 returns for TDs. LaDanian Tomlinson is really awesome, because he has weapons in more than one categories--he's an Elusive Back with Great Hands and Super Speed. You can do anything with him if you get him going. Right now, I'll say LaDanian. A guy like Hester got pub for having 100 speed, and Reggie Bush having 100 agility, but their ratings aren't high overall. LaDanian has the whole plackage.

Ricky (South Carolina)

Are there CPU assists back on pass defense or do you have to select the defender to knock the ball down or intercept the pass?

Aaron Boulding

  (4:14 PM)

You don't have to, but as everyone knows, it's a risky proposition. That's the skill. You'll want to switch the defender. The game keeps track of everything you do as a playey--user tackles, INTs, hit sticks, etc. Letting the computer play defense for you is just wack. That's just watching TV.

Biff, Nazareth Arkansas

How is Randy Moss rated, is he going to make the Patriots unstoppable?

Aaron Boulding

  (4:15 PM)

The Patriots are already good on offense--Brady is like Favre back in the 90s. You'll be able to use Randy just like Oakland and Minnesota wanted to use him the past few years. He's ferocious.

Matt (Conshy, Pa)

You keep mentioning the new weapons system. Can you elaborate on what it is?

Aaron Boulding

  (4:18 PM)

The simple way to explain it is that every player has ratings in every category. The weapons system lets you know that everyone who is rated 90 or above is going to be listed as a "weapon"--a kicker with high ratings will get a "big foot kicker" rating. Larry Johnson has a truck icon under his feet because he's able to run over players. The system lets you know who the super skilled players are at a glance. If you're not a dedicated fan of each team, it'll let you know if, say, the left tackle on a team is a great player. You see all the weapons on the field if you hit a button, so it can be intimidating if you're, say, playing against the Bears and see all those weapons. Especially when you get good at moving your guys around, you can create some intimidating looks. That affects your playcalling. It's an indicator for teams you're not familiar with.

Ryan Atwood, Orange County California

In Madden 2008, will you be able to fantasy draft a team to play with in franchise mode?

Aaron Boulding

  (4:18 PM)

Yes, you can draft a franchise. It's deep this year. You can even put Hall of Famers in the pool if you want.

Devan(Syracuse)

Is there any cool updates to the game that enhances the single player aspect of the game?

Aaron Boulding

  (4:21 PM)

The franchise mode's been updated and is very streamlined. You focus on the game during the season, but the offseason lets you do a lot, even relocate your team. You can train your players during the season, from week-to-week. You can simulate the game before you play it, or train your guys in preperation for the game. You can run practice drills for specific situations. You can pick three players to train per week, by improving specific parts of the player's game, and his ratings will improve.

Jordy Louisiana

Will I be able to see a Ref in this game?

Aaron Boulding

  (4:21 PM)

There are referees in the game, I think it's just Ed Hochuli. They have closeups on him, and he'll even pop up and review plays for you.

chauncey (teaneck)

how will the game play on xbox live?

Aaron Boulding

  (4:23 PM)

I haven't had a chance to play it on Live, but the idea is you want it to be fast and smooth. XBox Live is a pretty good system. I think it'll be buttery smooth--it's too high-profile.

Arun(NYC)

Are there any new mini games in Madden 08?

Aaron Boulding

  (4:24 PM)

I haven't noticed any new ones. There's still the blocking, passing, and running ones. I'll say they at least have the same ones as last year. They've been tweaked a bit.

Dan (WI)

It seems every year the A.I. is getting better. Is it to the point where the CPU wont make stupid plays that affect your performance, such as blocking the wrong guy on a running play.

Aaron Boulding

  (4:26 PM)

The CPU will always make stupid plays, but what they did this year specifically in the running game, is that when your RB comes up against the lineman, he'll push his guy through the line or shade off of him, not get stuck behind him. A blocker will still miss blocks, but there are less bonehead plays. They've adapted new animations to account for that. The runner will do something other than stand in place.

Matt (Watertown, NY)

I loved the HOF mode last year... Please tell me they're bringing this back in '08!

Aaron Boulding

  (4:27 PM)

Hall of Fame mode (superstar mode last year) is back in. You only get to use your player, and you're only on the field when your player is on the field. It's only slightly improved.

Evan (Irvine, CA)

So when will EA start putting actual online features like Tourney's, Leagues, etc. ?

Aaron Boulding

  (4:29 PM)

WE've been waiting for that for a while. Madden goes in so many different directions. As far as when, I'm not sure. You should expect that in this next-gen cycle. They have ton of features stacked up for years, to make sure you want to buy every new edition.

Scotty (PA)

Is the passing cone dead and buried?

Aaron Boulding

  (4:30 PM)

It's still there if you want it. Obviously people had problems with it, but its default setting is off. Very few features go away once they're introduced. They're still in there somewhere.

Yolanda(Brooklyn)

Hey, I was wondering what type of weather changes you can make?

Aaron Boulding

  (4:30 PM)

You can decide to make it overcast, sunny, you can make it rain. You have a lot of control over the weather, and it does effect the way a game will play. If you play in the slop, there'll be some fumbles and you'll want to run the ball.

David (Costa Mesa, CA)

Are we finally going to be able to lateral the ball?

Aaron Boulding

  (4:31 PM)

You can lateral the ball. It takes tiiming and precision, but it can be done. You want to do your homemade hook and lateral, go right ahead, but it's risky.

Eric (CT)

Do they still have the feature where you can take control of a blocker and let the CPU control the RB on a running play?

Aaron Boulding

  (4:33 PM)

They do. Before the snap, you can select anyone on the field before the snap and take control of them. The computer will kind of judge when you're done blocking and switch to the RB, or you can switch yourself. I can clear the hole as the fullback, and when he's laid down, it'll autoswitch me back. You have to know which block to use and which guy to try to block.

Aaron Boulding

  (4:33 PM)

Check out the coverage on espnvideogames.com, and go get Madden, it's finally the next-gen video game we've been waiting for!