This year's Maddenoliday is almost upon us, and football fans across the country will celebrate the latest installment of Madden NFL 08. The long running franchise will hit its 18th consecutive year with no signs of slowing down, even as some of the consoles its released on are beginning to see their twilight. Owners of older systems have no need to fear that this year's game will be a mild roster update; Tiburon and EA Sports are building the title to appeal to both the Madden newcomer and the hardcore fan. We put the title through our personal training camp to see just how good the offseason has been to the veteran sports game.

The largest adjustment that's been made to this year's title is the inclusion of Player Weapons, a new system that evaluates the skills and abilities of every single athlete on a team. Essentially the evolution of the Playmaker system from previous years, Madden 08 assigns one of 26 separate classifications to athletes that exemplify certain traits on the football field. Each one of these rankings, from the Precision Passing stat for Matt Hasselbeck to the Possession Receiver boost for Tony Gonzalez highlights actions that these athletes are well known for. Of course, there are the star players as well, who possess multiple skills and attributes that can't be classified by one simple award. That means that Go To Guy receivers like Randy Moss or Defensive Enforcers like Ray Lewis will standout as they shred offenses and defenses alike.

Weapons are the primary focus in this year's game.

Fortunately for players that are more defensively minded, Madden 08 features a number of defensively minded adjustments to help you counter some high powered offenses. The first adjustment comes from the inclusion of defensive smart zones, which players can use to drop a defender to the first down yard line to help provide additional coverage. This is perfect for denying an offense from getting yards on critical 3rd or 4th down conversion attempts. The second adjustment is the ability to spotlight a particular receiver for a play, adding additional defensive presence on a star player that features prominently in an aerial offense. Depending on the defensive formation that you're running at the time, you may find a spotlighted receiver to be covered by two or more defensive backs, easily preventing a pass from making its way to his hands.

Use the Skill Drills to brush up your Madden game.

Obviously, the depth that Madden players have come to expect from the title can be somewhat daunting to newcomers of the game. Fortunately this year, Madden 08 allows even the biggest noob to improve their abilities thanks to the newly included Skill Drills feature. Broken up into one of four separate categories (Rushing, Passing, Defense and Pre-Play adjustments), players can master the skills they'll need to quickly react to situations on the football field and adjust to the fast pace of the game. Instead of facing off against opposing teams, however, you'll take on a set of "sentient" tackling dummies in a set of rounds that continually get harder and harder. Even expert players can use the Skill Drills to brush up on their play, unlocking and testing the AI on Hard difficulty. You can even play a friend in a 2-player game, testing who's more skilled at each category.

The other major mode that's been included is the Fantasy Challenge, which allows players to take on a number of teams in an imaginary tiered football league to prove which organization is the best around. Players initially start by drafting a team in a fifteen round draft, selecting everything from individual players to entire squads from football teams. For example, if you liked the Bears offensive line and the Ravens linebacking corps, you could draft them to be on your team. From there, you play a number of games, attempting to defeat the other teams in your division so you can eventually win and move to the next level. As you play each game, you'll find that teams will try to steal your athletes away via negotiations and trade deals, or challenge you to mini-camp drills which dictate whether or not your teams will swap the best player available for the worst player on your squad.

You may receive challenges in this year's Fantasy Challenge.

Perhaps running a franchise is more what you were looking for. Well, Franchise Mode returns, allowing you to own and manage your favorite team's success over a number of seasons. Many of the familiar features return, such as being able to set ticket and concession prices. However, much of the mode has now been condensed into a main menu known as My Week. Not only will players be able to access the basic stats and news from around the league via a tabbed system at the bottom of the franchise menu screen, but selecting the My Week option will focus on the elements that you need to succeed for that particular week. That includes checking your email, studying your opponent for weaknesses, sending your team to practice or immediately playing next week's game.

Lead your character or an NFL rookie to the promised land in Superstar mode.