Platform: Xbox 360 Also on Playstation2, Xbox, Gamecube, PC, PSP, Nintendo DS, GBA
Publisher/Developer: EA Sports
Rated: E
Genre: Sports
It’s football season again. You know what that means, right? Madden, baby. Many gamers felt EA Sport’s first attempt on the Xbox 360 with Madden NFL ’06 lacked the depth of its predecessors.
Although the game was visually attractive, it only offered a bleak franchise mode and online play as extra features. You weren’t even able to challenge plays in the game! Less than a year later, Madden NFL ’07 has arrived, tossing in some of the features from other console versions, as well as including some new additions. Unfortunately, Madden ’07 comes with a few bugs and quirks and it’s all but the complete football game many gamers were hoping for, but it’s heading in the right direction on the Xbox 360. The franchise mode hasn’t changed much, which isn’t a bad thing. You start out choosing your favorite team and go through the season. The online play hasn’t changed much either. Finding a player on Xbox Live is easy and the smack talking through the microphone is just plain fun. One thing though, if you don’t have a fast internet connection you’re going to experience some lag. Many who played Madden ’06 on other consoles might have already played the superstar mode, but 360 owners had to wait. The superstar mode feature has finally arrived on the Xbox 360 with Madden ’07. Probably the best new feature, the superstar mode allows players to create their own NFL player. The purpose of the mode is making your player one of the greatest NFL players and eventually getting him into the Hall of Fame. The new influence system gives you points on accomplishments made during superstar mode. The influence system gives your player the opportunity to influence your teammates during a game. For example, if you throw for a touchdown, you’ll get a few points. But if you throw an interception, you lose points. The points that are earned are used to boost up ratings for players on the field. As the leader of the team, you choose which players will be upgraded to help your team win. The influence system is by far the best aspect of superstar mode. The other big feature is the addition of training minigames, which aren’t really that great. The classic training minigames from other versions of Madden are so much better. The new minigames consist of a 40-yard dash, doing a number of bench presses and a game in which you practice plays from just one position on the field. Honestly, the minigames are boring and you might just want the game to simulate them. Another issue I have with the superstar mode is the awkward zoomed-in camera angle. The camera angle limits your vision to the area surrounding your player and makes it a huge pain to play in most positions. Superstar mode would have been a lot better if they just used the standard camera angle in the game. The all-new lead blocker control allows players to switch to another player to block for the running back. If mastered, the lead blocker control can be a very dangerous move and can easily change the momentum of the game. Another new feature is the Madden gamer level. As your gamer level rises you will unlock Hall of Fame players that will be available through free-agency. It’s a nice feature that might excite some old-school players. Even with the additions and changes, Madden NFL ’07 is still the same old Madden we have grown to love and is a must buy for any gamer, especially if you’re a football fan.