There a few things sure in life. Benjamin Franklin said death and taxes are the only certain things but let me add one more thing – Madden Madness. 2008 might as well be here, Madden just released and just in time, the actual NFL season is starting. How does the PS3 version of Madden square up this year?

Before anymore words are read, most gamers and non-gamers understand the importance of John Madden Football for the consoles. Every year, EA tries to out-do itself with more features, better modes, and a more polished experience. That is where one problem becomes glaringly apparent. The barrier to entry of the franchise is incredibly high. Even if you are a football maverick, learning all the buttons and nuances of the game will leave you in a fog until you get the hang of it through practice.

The developers knew this and do include a synopsis of new features; mini-games that give you practice on some of the fundamentals, and help with hot tips. Still lost? If you are hopeless, you can simulate the entire game with advanced AI (just not online).

Speaking of AI, when in a game or season, the scalable difficulty does a fine job at simulating what a real game looks, feels, and plays like. You have to get to know your favorite team well to exploit their strengths and seeking out opponent weaknesses. The player key will help you figure out how to use the player recognition feature. With icons that denote if a quarterback has a rocket arm or a wide receiver with sticky hands, it adds a new dimension to the game. Depending on who is out on the field can really adjust the dynamic of who is winning and losing. With each player strength, there is a weakness behind it. So, expanding on the rocket arm example – because a QB can toss pigskin like a paperclip, it means he can over-throw his target. This adds a deeper layer to gameplay to make this possibly the best Madden yet.

It would be the best Madden if it weren’t for the pesky framerate issues. The PS3 will incur the wrath of slowdown to break the otherwise fluid pace of action. It is frustrating when that happens because football is meant to be played without hiccupping along. The other complaint comes from Madden entering its umpteenth season. The game hasn’t changed THAT much since last year. Incremental changes have been a staple design philosophy but when the menus start looking the same from last year, you start to wonder if the key player feature took that much time to develop. Graphics look sharper and controls were tweaked, standard upgrades.

Online modes are intact for competitive Madden play. This extends the life of the title well until Madden 09 hits the ground running where 08 will leave off. Check updates from actual NFL games and more with the integration EA has set up with the news ticker. The only thing Madden won’t do online is beat your opponent for you, that’s all up to you.

With the player recognition feature, I have to say this year’s Madden is fantastic. It added a much needed shot in the arm to the gameplay. Playing on strengths and weaknesses is essential to making the right plays to win the Super Bowl. Other than that, some other newer features make nice upgrades to the complex Madden franchise. Football fans will absolutely love what EA has in store for them but the PS3 might not be the best version across all the platforms due to poor framerate stability.