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Written by Victor Godinez, McClatchy-Tribune
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Wednesday, 23 August 2006 |
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 Madden NFL ’07
A-
For Xbox 360, Xbox, PS2, GameCube, PC, PSP, Nintendo DS and Game Boy Advance.
Rated for all ages.
$29.95-$59.95
Gamers tend to fall into two categories: Madden fans and non-Madden fans.
“Madden NFL 07” won’t do much to change that dichotomy, but if you’re achin’ to start breakin’ some digital tackles, you can pony up your cash without hesitation.
I took the Xbox 360 version out for a warm-up.The best part about “NFL 07,” as tried on the Xbox 360, is that unlike the stripped-down version of “Madden NFL 06” that Electronic Arts rushed out the door last fall to coincide with the 360’s launch, there are plenty of bells and whistles.
Some of them will only be appreciated by the most hard-core players, though. For example, on offense, you can now briefly take control of your lead blocker to open a hole, and then switch back to controlling your runner to take advantage of that canyon you just opened.
It’s a clever idea, but it requires a lot of practice to master.
Overall, though, the controls are as tight as ever. While the love-it-or-hate-it QB vision control feature returns from last year, this year you can turn it off.
Online play continues the smooth-tasting feeling of the offline games. Finding matches is easy, and lag was imperceptible. If you have to quit an online match in the middle of play, you have two options. Either just exit and forfeit the game and take a hit to your ranking, or opt for a gentleman’s departure, in which both players agree that neither player will be penalized.
“Madden” also still does a decent job of squiring football novices around the gridiron. If, like me, you think that the difference between a nickel defense and dime defense is about five cents, then “Madden’s” play suggestions will at least keep you from totally embarrassing yourself.
Of course, you still have to execute the play. And offense remains far easier to play than defense.
Often, simply throwing long bombs — particularly to T.O., who seems to have suction cups on his fingers — will keep your drive alive, even if your running game is so bad that it ought to be taken out behind a shed and shot.
Defense, though, can easily devolve into a comedy of errors. So at least pay attention to what John Madden has to say when you go to pick a play. When you select Coach Madden’s suggestion, Madden himself will talk about why that play makes sense in that situation. Big John is surprisingly low-key and sensible during these moments, and he doesn’t pipe up at all — as far as I could tell — during the games themselves.
In fact, you almost get the sense that EA is slowly phasing Madden out of the franchise altogether. Odd, sure, when his name is on the cover of the box and has been since dirt was young.
But you have to wonder if EA is preparing for a not-too-distant day when John Madden retires and the developers have to carry on the series without him.
Graphically, “NFL 07” is a pleasure to behold. The instant replays are enjoyable, just so you can zoom in on the players’ faces and check out their expressions.
I didn’t have a high-definition television to play on, and the absurdly small text that EA uses in many of its menus makes an HD set nearly a requirement. But a guy in Los Angeles I was playing against online deemed the visual quality on his HDTV to be “sick.”
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