Still, it’s football, but not as intense as the other Maddens. While everything works fine, and the game progresses as you’d expect, the overall feeling of Madden is gone, replaced with what feels like the Wii Sports version of the game.

OK, so franchise is bland and the gameplay is dumbed down, so what else is there? A lot of mini-games and multiplayer. In fact, that’s where this game actually stands out. In most game modes, you have the choice of playing 11 on 11, like normal football, or 5 on 5 to give the game to more of a “backyard” kind of feeling. Either way, this is how to experience Madden Wii.

When you connect another player, you’ll have a plethora of things to do. Other than being able to jump into “Road to the Super Bowl” mode and control a team, you and your friends can take part in a few interesting football mini-games. Madden Showdown is one such mode. In Madden Showdown, up to four players compete for Madden superiority over mini-games with altered rules. You can choose different effects to have on the field, like keeping the ball alive after it would normally be down. These bits make for a very entertaining party mode.

In the end, it all comes down to personal taste. Of course it does, but this game is a bit more polarizing. Some of my friends that are among the Madden faithful think it’s a travesty while others can enjoy it for what it is – a party game based on football. Really, it’s not a bad game, and is clearly targeted at the casual market and the younger generation, and considering that audience, it’s at the very least worth a rental.

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