All marketing issues aside, Madden NFL 07 still retains the same core gameplay we’ve seen in every Madden game this hardware generation, and provided you’re not tired of that, then it’s almost guaranteed you’ll enjoy the game, especially if you’ve been clever enough to not update for a few years. People who played or purchased Madden NFL 06 might not see as much value, since the 2007 game only really serves to fixed up some of the problems introduced last year – in fact, it doesn’t even add any new major modes or features, which the series has done for many years, despite the constant criticism.
This will end in tears
Madden NFL 07 does feel like the series has gone as far as it can on the current generation of hardware, which is kind of a shame since the game that has been released on the 360 is utterly abysmal in comparison. All of the improvements in this year’s game relate directly to either controls or the superstar mode. The first cab off the rank is the new kicking meter – Tiburon, which has ditched the old golf-style meter for a simpler, yet more effective right stick flicking technique. It does make it a little more difficult to try and get those 50+ yard field goals, which may not be such a bad thing. Next up is the highlight stick, an improved version of last year’s truck stick which also incorporates jukeing and other evasive moves. QB vision has been tuned up too, and is now an optional function, which should please those who criticised it last year. Perhaps the most major change to the gameplay is the new lead blocker function. When playing on offence, players can now elect to control one of the blockers during the play, rather than being forced to play as the half back or quarterback. Playing this way will let you open up holes for your back – you can then jump back to controlling the back and run through the gap. It’s not the sort of thing the basic player will use, but Madden veterans are sure to find it useful.
Franchise has seen only one improvement – a new rookie scouting system, which players will find useful when their veteran players start to age and slow down. You can play the college all-star game and run rookies through a series of exercises to gauge their qualities before making a decision on whether or not you will recruit them. Superstar mode remains fairly similar to last year’s debut, but the mode is more focused as a whole. Players will now only control their player on the field – they’ll have no control over what plays are called, instead just having to follow orders from the side line. All of filler crap like IQ tests and interviews remain, yet the disconnection between your player’s performance and the frequency of interviews has not been addressed. The mode does actually have a focus now – getting your player into the football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. You’ll be informed of how your progress towards being immortalised throughout the game. On field roles specific towards your position now play a big factor in the superstar mode, offering bonus attribute increases if your player completes a big pass, or punishing you for fumbles, interceptions and other big mistakes. It’s a good incentive to actually sit down and play through the game a bit more.
Lead blocking can be tricky, but useful
In terms of presentation, the current generation versions of Madden NFL 07 really outclass their next generation successor, thanks to superior TV-style presentation. That said, EA has still failed to properly integrate anything from ESPN into the game, which is really disappointing considering how well Visual Concepts did it in ESPN NFL 2K5. The game still looks fairly good on the field, but we can’t help but feel they’ve cheapened up the presentation of the games menu system – it doesn’t seem as dynamic as it has in previous years. EA Trax return yet again and offer up the same old mix of indie rock and hip hop, which is okay if you’re into that sort of thing. John Madden and Al Michaels provide commentary like usual, but don’t appear to have recorded any substantial amount of new lines which is really disappointing – but even if they repeat themselves a lot, they’re sill better than the radio announcer in the 360 version of the game.
Madden NFL 07 is a good game at its core. The problem is that a similar game has been released every year for the last five years, and this year's release does not have any substantial new features – rather just looking to improve on existing features and controls. If you played last years game, then it’s almost impossible to justify purchasing Madden NFL 07. On the other hand, if you’ve taken a few years off Madden, or have been looking for a new NFL game this season, then Madden NFL 07 is pretty much your only choice.
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