The Chicago Bears are down by two scores to, of all teams, the Oakland Raiders. Needless to say, things are getting desperate. So far, Bears quarterback Rex Grossman has been on one of his "bad Rex" stints, having tossed two straight interceptions to Fabian Washington, and the running game powered by Cedric Benson has been anything but powerful. From out of nowhere, Rex drops back and lands a pass directly into the hands of receiver Mushin Muhammad, who is streaking toward the sidelines with a Raiders defensive back draped on him like an ugly fur coat. Instead of running out of bounds after grabbing the ball, Mush manages to not only stay in bounds, but shed the tackler and take the ball all the way to the promised land.

　　Chad Johnson is a big-play receiver, and he'll play that way in Madden NFL 08.

　　You might not have seen that kind of play in previous years of the Madden NFL series. More than likely, Mush would have been pushed out of bounds or, worse yet, simply ran himself past the sidelines after catching the ball. With the upcoming Madden NFL 08, things are changing, as we discovered today after getting some hands-on time with a work-in-progress build of the game.

　　This season, it's all about weapons, that is the superstars on each NFL team that can turn the tide of a game single-handedly. Practically all of the gameplay tweaks in Madden 08 revolve around the concept of the weapons on each team, from presentation to animations, and the result is a game that feels markedly different from last year.

　　Regardless of your thoughts on parity in the NFL, it's still true that there are haves and have-nots when it comes to talent in the league, and that will be mirrored in Madden 08. Unlike the NCAA series and its impact-player system, there's no minimum or maximum number of star players on an NFL team. Some teams (like the San Diego Chargers) are flush with talent, while others (like the Cleveland Browns) will only have a handful of game changers on their roster. That said, any player designated as a "weapon" will be someone you'll want to watch out for.

　　To that point, the development team behind Madden 08 is striving to make sure that you're always aware of who the weapons are on the field, and that they feel different from your standard NFL player. The visual cues for weapons are extensive--from the player introductions on the field that highlight a handful of star players to multiple icons that indicate each star player's different abilities. The player icon is a bit reminiscent of the system used in previous years' versions of EA's NBA Live series, except that instead of five player roles, Madden NFL 08 will define 24 different types of weapons on the field. Examples include big hitters, finesse or power defensive linemen, elusive running backs, power backs, possession receivers, spectacular catch receivers, and many more.

　　To the game's credit, players aren't too narrowly defined by their weapon categorization. In other words, the truly elite NFL players can be noted as multiple-threat weapons. In fact, if you back out to the player menu screen in a game, you can see a player's top attributes and get a feel for how strong he is within each of these weapon categories. In the game, for example, San Diego QB Philip Rivers is known for his arm power, accuracy, and intelligence, all of which he can use to his advantage on the field. As you progress through a season, you'll receive scouting reports from week to week, indicating your next opponent, that team's star players, and how you can go about counteracting their best players.

　　Put the pressure on the quarterback with your beefy weapons on the defensive line.

　　The best way to take advantage of a weapon in Madden 08 is, obviously, to play to his strengths. You don't want to use an elusive runner like Brian Westbrook as a power back--his strength is getting between the tackles and slipping through the hands of defenders. That said, no matter how powerful a "weapon" a player is, the game is being balanced to ensure that he can be brought down. Every weapon will have a counter weapon that you can use to minimize his effectiveness. In the case of Westbrook, putting a big hit on him with the new hit stick (where you can choose to hit either high or low by pressing up or down on the right stick) will often cause him to drop the ball; he's also more susceptible to the ball being stripped out of his hands.

　　Similarly, players who aren't playing to their strengths might fall into traps of their own making--running too many jukes and spins with a power guy like Lamont Jordan, for example, is a surefire way to get him to cough up the ball. Even linemen are in on the weapon/counterweapon fun; to counter a offensive lineman known as a "crushing run blocker," for example, you throw a power move defensive lineman at him and knock him on his tail.

　　To give you a quick glance of your team's (and your opponent's) abilities on the gridiron, you can press the left trigger before the snap; the camera will pull back, and you'll see all the different weapons on the field, with icons indicating their specific specialty. In a nice presentation tweak, the right trigger will now pull back the camera to show you your receiver button assignments but not the specific patterns your receivers will be running. To see the receiver patterns, you simply move the analog stick--a handy tool when you don't want your opponent to see your play before the snap.

　　Spectacular catches will be possible, provided you throw the ball precisely, and have a receiver capable of making the play.

　　Thanks to some extremely responsive controls, the gameplay in Madden is already feeling like an improvement over previous years. When running the ball, for instance, our natural inclination in the past has been to bounce outside and try to get around the corner--thanks to shoddy inside blocking. In Madden 08, you can feel free to run those inside routes, and especially with the more elusive runners, you'll usually be good for a positive gain. New animations, such as a running back turning sideways to slip between defenders or would-be tacklers bouncing off the big bruisers, make the experience that much more compelling. Similarly, the passing game makes a clear distinction between possession receivers--those guys who make the catch and keep the ball even after a big hit--and spectacular play guys who can go up for a ball you've intentionally thrown high and come down with it. On defense, gang tackles bring the pain against the ball carrier, and the secondary is more responsive than ever when breaking to the ball. In all, star players feel like stars in Madden 08 (we're thinking of the Bears' Devin Hester and his blistering 100 speed rating, which really feels like something special in the game).

　　While players have their roles in the game, there's no saying that you can't improve upon or even change their skill set when in franchise or owner mode in Madden 08. To do so, you'll need to spend some time in the upgraded minigames, which feature slightly tweaked variations on familiar minigames such as the quarterback challenge, running back challenge, coverage challenge, and so on. We had a chance to try the QB and RB challenges in our time with the game. In the QB challenge, you first choose the kinds of weapons you wish to throw to (hands guys, possession receivers, and so on), then try to nail as many completions as you can during the time allotted. The most apparent change for the quarterback challenge is the addition of blitzing defenseman, which adds a degree of challenge, especially in two-player matches.

　　For the running back challenge, you're given a different type of back on each successive play (a power back, for example, followed by a stiff-arm specialist), and your goal is to get to the end zone as many times as you can or, if on defense, to try and prevent the other team from finding pay dirt. Especially when playing defense, the type of back you're going up against makes a difference, as you want to approach a power back in a different way from, say, an elusive back, who's able to skitter out of your reach. In addition to the aforementioned minigames, there will be offensive- and defensive-line challenges, as well as the bench press and 40-yard dash from last year's Madden. As you progress in the minigames, your players' abilities will improve throughout the season.

　　Previous next-gen versions of Madden included the "gamer level" system to indicate your progress through the game. That will change a bit in Madden 08, as the team is introducing the concept of championship rings, which you will build and earn as you make your way through the game. A "shrine"--decked out with the logo, colors, and highlight videos of your favorite NFL team--will show you all of the different rings you've built over time, as well as a multitude of in-game trophies for things like rushing and passing records. There will even be a trophy case for the head-to-head trophies you've won against other players online. You'll be able to create and name new trophies as you go, and the game will keep track of each head-to-head trophy you possess, complete with stats such as overall record in the "trophy competitions," the score of the last game played for a trophy, and more.

　　Gameplay in Madden 08 is all about balance--every player move has a countermove.

　　Graphically, the game seems to be coming along nicely, with lots of new tackle, catch, and run animations visible straight away. The crowds, too, seem to have benefited from some tweaks, as they seem more animated than in previous versions of the game. Of course, you can expect all the new uniform tweaks, such as the Chargers new-look unis, to be in the game (no downloads required).

　　In all, Madden 08's focus on the best players in the NFL, coupled with tightened gameplay, seems to be paying dividends already, even in this relatively early look at the game. Of course, the ultimate success or failure of this system will be in gameplay balance, both on an individual player and team basis. One could imagine online Madden fans simply gravitating more than ever to the strongest teams in the sport under this weapons system, but here's hoping that the game remains fun for everyone to play, regardless of their favorite team. We'll be bringing you much more on the game in the coming months, so stay tuned.