Radio announcer returns for Madden 08

In a recent IGN mailbag piece, it was noted that the radio announcer will be returning for Madden 08. This is somewhat expected, although still disappointing for many.

Sorry to break it to you, but the EA Sports Radio Network clown is back, to everyone’s dismay. Prepare the mute button. The good news is that EA is very aware that the entire world hates that guy. I would expect a real announcer next season. But hey, Marshall Faulk voices a pre-game show and Schlereth, Sharpe and Hodge of ESPN will host a tutorial.

The commentary in sports games for the most part isn’t that great. It gets repetitive, or there are errors made by those calling the game which distracts even more. At this point with the advantages of next-gen hardware the commentary is likely not going to be anything extraordinary anyway. Even games such as MLB 2K7, which has possibly the best commentary, has its own issues.

However the radio announcer in Madden is widely regarded as being horrendous. At the very least there should be two guys calling the game, that alone could make it tolerable. Having only one makes no sense at all and gives a general loss of emotion and excitement by listening to it. That is if anyone can bare to play with it turned on.

Obviously this is at the bottom of the list of what most people would want fixed/added to this year’s game. Most have grown to expect and ignore it by now. Over the course of just one year it is unlikely that if they had added new commentary that it would’ve been anything great. But it is still something that is a glaring weakness for the title and should be addressed hopefully starting with Madden 09. They will have had the time and the knowledge that people want a change to this area. They’ve addressed many other issues in 08, so lets see that trend continue into 09.