Madden 07
Posted September 9, 2006
Another year goes by and another release of Madden for consoles around the world. Each year EA tries to add enough to the title to entice people back for another match, this year is no exception with the requisite tweaks to call it an evolution to the title. But let's take a look at how it measures out.
Gameplay:
First of all to address the overall gameplay of the title; it's a football game put out by EA. Does that sum it up enough for you? Madden plays like Madden plays, nothing revolutionary was added this time; passing still takes place by pressing the corresponding button of the receiver you want to get the ball, and the QB cone of vision is an optional enhancement activated by clicking the right thumbstick.
Some new on field moves are here this time allowing some additional jukes and cuts while running the ball, as well as some additional blocking options for when you want to open the path for your running back. While running the ball you can now perform a back juke and a shoulder drive by flipping the right stick forward or back, and by double tapping right to left or vice versa you're uber-agile players will pull off the elusive double fake. For running plays, you can take control of the lead blocker to blast a hole through the defensive line, and new moves are available for that. You can dive for a block, and push a lineman out of the way, or go for the huge push and knock the lineman on his ass; but if you miss you might need to get your running back some medical attention.
The biggest addition to the 2007 Madden has to be the highly touted NFL Superstar mode. What happens here is you choose from a set of parents to create the player you think you could take from rookie to not only a Hall of Famer, but also someone who's a movie star. In an interface that's eerily similar to the Campus Legend mode of NCAA 07, you guide your rookie through IQ tests, PR interviews and training drills in hopes of gaining experience and becoming a Hall of Famer. The odd thing about this mode is the focus solely on your superstar. When playing games you only control the play when your star is one the field. If you choose an offensive player, be prepared to watch the defense for the entire game; and if you like to choose your plays to keep your player in the spotlight, well forget it as all plays are chosen for you. While this is a novel concept of gameplay, it gets old very quickly and I predict most people will either skip over this or simulate the majority of the time they play this mode. One thing that is a little interesting is the ability to use your Campus Legend from NCAA 07 in this mode, which is a nice feature that I was thankfully able to take advantage of.
Obviously there is a Franchise mode which allows you to take full control of a team and run it through the paces year after year. This mode is almost identical to the 360s version where each year is divided into four segments, pre-season, regular season, an owners mode and off-season. The owners mode is where you can manipulate things like concession prices and even rebuild a stadium for your team as it gets worn down. It's definitely a fun little diversion from the coaching actions, but since it's only once per season be prepared to wait.
Aside from a well put together online mode where you can take on the world over Xbox Live, are a tournament zone allowing you to co-ordinate offline tournaments as well as a set of mini-games. These mini-games are your pre-season training camp drills that when completed unlock Madden Cards as well as in-game situations where these drills come into practice. Doing these will help solidify some skills that you'll apply in each game you play.
The last thing I want to mention is the NFL Network option. What I got from this was a way to dive deeper into the playbook of the NFL teams, where you get to view tape as well as practice set plays. This is sure to help out people new to the series or sport to allow them a little more access to the title and not fear going online to take on seasoned vets.
Graphics:
I'm going to lump in the presentation with the graphic rating, as I was quite impressed with how things were presented here. I'll admit it's been quite a while since I've played a new release of Madden, so seeing some replays and between plays motion during the play selection screen helped me out. As a hockey player and not football, seeing the diagrams of plays scattered on the screen became very overwhelming, and the stripped down version that is shown here is a refreshing change.
On the field things look quite good, especially the animations and actions of the players. Making the huge tackle or knocking down a defensive lineman looks as satisfying as actually doing it thanks to the attention to detail. Even making those huge over the shoulder catches look great both in actual play and in the instant replay mode.
Audio:
EA once again throws together a varied song play list for their big game, with acts ranging from Cartel to Audioslave playing between plays and in all the menus. Commentary didn't seem too bad this time around as I rarely noticed that it was happening, a sure sign that things are blending in well with the total immersion of the title. Hits sounded huge and thumped the subwoofer, while the crowd wailed and cheered as the home team pulled of a critical play again adding to the overall effect of the game.
Conclusion:
All said and done, Madden is still Madden. With all the tweaks and enhancements it's tough to recommend this title over last year's version. But realistically, regardless of what I might say Madden players are a dedicated bunch. Some buy it every year regardless while others skip over particular editions to wait for a more mind blowing upgrade. For the average gamer who may not play Madden all that often, I'm going to mark this as a rental because as with any sports game unless you are dedicated to playing, it will tire easily.
Gameplay:
First of all to address the overall gameplay of the title; it's a football game put out by EA. Does that sum it up enough for you? Madden plays like Madden plays, nothing revolutionary was added this time; passing still takes place by pressing the corresponding button of the receiver you want to get the ball, and the QB cone of vision is an optional enhancement activated by clicking the right thumbstick.
Some new on field moves are here this time allowing some additional jukes and cuts while running the ball, as well as some additional blocking options for when you want to open the path for your running back. While running the ball you can now perform a back juke and a shoulder drive by flipping the right stick forward or back, and by double tapping right to left or vice versa you're uber-agile players will pull off the elusive double fake. For running plays, you can take control of the lead blocker to blast a hole through the defensive line, and new moves are available for that. You can dive for a block, and push a lineman out of the way, or go for the huge push and knock the lineman on his ass; but if you miss you might need to get your running back some medical attention.
The biggest addition to the 2007 Madden has to be the highly touted NFL Superstar mode. What happens here is you choose from a set of parents to create the player you think you could take from rookie to not only a Hall of Famer, but also someone who's a movie star. In an interface that's eerily similar to the Campus Legend mode of NCAA 07, you guide your rookie through IQ tests, PR interviews and training drills in hopes of gaining experience and becoming a Hall of Famer. The odd thing about this mode is the focus solely on your superstar. When playing games you only control the play when your star is one the field. If you choose an offensive player, be prepared to watch the defense for the entire game; and if you like to choose your plays to keep your player in the spotlight, well forget it as all plays are chosen for you. While this is a novel concept of gameplay, it gets old very quickly and I predict most people will either skip over this or simulate the majority of the time they play this mode. One thing that is a little interesting is the ability to use your Campus Legend from NCAA 07 in this mode, which is a nice feature that I was thankfully able to take advantage of.
Obviously there is a Franchise mode which allows you to take full control of a team and run it through the paces year after year. This mode is almost identical to the 360s version where each year is divided into four segments, pre-season, regular season, an owners mode and off-season. The owners mode is where you can manipulate things like concession prices and even rebuild a stadium for your team as it gets worn down. It's definitely a fun little diversion from the coaching actions, but since it's only once per season be prepared to wait.
Aside from a well put together online mode where you can take on the world over Xbox Live, are a tournament zone allowing you to co-ordinate offline tournaments as well as a set of mini-games. These mini-games are your pre-season training camp drills that when completed unlock Madden Cards as well as in-game situations where these drills come into practice. Doing these will help solidify some skills that you'll apply in each game you play.
The last thing I want to mention is the NFL Network option. What I got from this was a way to dive deeper into the playbook of the NFL teams, where you get to view tape as well as practice set plays. This is sure to help out people new to the series or sport to allow them a little more access to the title and not fear going online to take on seasoned vets.
Graphics:
I'm going to lump in the presentation with the graphic rating, as I was quite impressed with how things were presented here. I'll admit it's been quite a while since I've played a new release of Madden, so seeing some replays and between plays motion during the play selection screen helped me out. As a hockey player and not football, seeing the diagrams of plays scattered on the screen became very overwhelming, and the stripped down version that is shown here is a refreshing change.
On the field things look quite good, especially the animations and actions of the players. Making the huge tackle or knocking down a defensive lineman looks as satisfying as actually doing it thanks to the attention to detail. Even making those huge over the shoulder catches look great both in actual play and in the instant replay mode.
Audio:
EA once again throws together a varied song play list for their big game, with acts ranging from Cartel to Audioslave playing between plays and in all the menus. Commentary didn't seem too bad this time around as I rarely noticed that it was happening, a sure sign that things are blending in well with the total immersion of the title. Hits sounded huge and thumped the subwoofer, while the crowd wailed and cheered as the home team pulled of a critical play again adding to the overall effect of the game.
Conclusion:
All said and done, Madden is still Madden. With all the tweaks and enhancements it's tough to recommend this title over last year's version. But realistically, regardless of what I might say Madden players are a dedicated bunch. Some buy it every year regardless while others skip over particular editions to wait for a more mind blowing upgrade. For the average gamer who may not play Madden all that often, I'm going to mark this as a rental because as with any sports game unless you are dedicated to playing, it will tire easily.