Football and
John Madden go together like country music and tailgate parties. In its
17-year history, the Madden NFL franchise has sold more than 51 million
copies and bolstered the rise in a new era of gaming, the sports genre. After
a very controversial agreement between EA Games and the National Football
League giving the publisher exclusive licensing rights to the teams, players,
and stadiums, Madden Football squelched the production plans of every
third-party developer including the highly-acclaimed ESPN NFL 2K series
(touting itself as the #1 Selling Pro Football Franchise just adds insult to
injury). In 2005, EA focused on the defensive side of football with the
addition of the Hit Stick to annihilate the ball carrier. 2006’s version
introduced new responsibilities to the role of the quarterback with precision
passing and QB vision (some gamers complained about the unnecessary
complications of using the “cone” saying it diverted attention from the real
football gameplay). This time around, Madden NFL 07 is all about the
running game and EA has added new features including lead blocker controls and
the Highlight Stick that focuses on the individual talents of the player. The
running game has greatly improved with these new features despite another
unsuccessful attempt at expanding the game modes.
Madden 07
features old and new modes to get your game on. Franchise Mode, besides
including the managerial responsibilities (building the stadium, hiring staff,
and setting ticket prices) associated with being a team owner, offers a new
NFL Draft Scouting system where you can either become your favorite football
team and improve upon it or build your own from scratch. The fantasy draft, a
49-round event that requires you to weigh the player’s stats with their price
tag could have been designed more visually appealing. Scrolling through a long
spreadsheet of potential recruits with no graphical representation of any kind
made me impatient to finish the draft. Luckily, you can skip passed it. Once
you set up your team, you can send certain players to training camp to run
drills. There are a handful of drills to run including “Chase and Tackle” to
stop opposing ball carriers from running to the endzone and “Ground Attack”
that practices using the Highlight Stick. Although I first passed on these
drills as being trivial, I later realized how vital training camp was in
building the skill level of the players. The developers have also recreated
the defense playbook for each football team that seasoned-madden players will
appreciate for the added realism (unless your chosen team is the Houston
Texans, in which case you best leave the playbook decision to ‘Ask Madden’).
The new NFL
Superstar: Hall of Fame mode lets you create a character and customize him
with different skill attributes. Unfortunately, the mini-camp feature that is
used to strengthen your character through exercises and practices on the Xbox
360 is nonexistent on the Xbox. I understand that there are limitations to
what the system can do, but practicing plays over and over again during
training just wasn’t exciting to me. Just like Madden 06, you must
select your DNA based on the parents you want to have as well as live in an
apartment that acts as a hub for schedule information and messages. You must
sign an agent, practice with your team, and conduct interviews before
participating in the draft (of course, you could just skip them through
simulation which is a plus). These mode features are still quite dull in
comparison to the next-generation version, so the developers also let you live
the season through any field position you want. Tired of being the QB? Try
being a wide receiver or even a defensive lineman. Whatever position you
choose, the camera will adjust itself to the player’s field of vision. If you
play on the defensive team, for example, the camera will be set to look
up-field at the quarterback. You have the option of controlling the whole team
to complete plays your way and can speed up segments of the football game when
your character isn’t on field.
One thing
that should be noted is that, as a player, you have no affect on the play
selection. Oftentimes, a play will be executed without your involvement
especially as a rookie. In a way, this makes sense (not even Terrell Owens
expects the ball all the time). But it does get annoying as you become
clueless as to whether the chosen play will be successful. To help resolve
this issue, an influence system has been added. Before starting, you are
given an assigned path to follow through that particular play. Staying open
and on target is the key to success. When you start out as a rookie, your
influence is negligible and your participation with the ball is heavily
scrutinized (don’t be the guy the team is laughing at in the showers). For
every successful pass, catch, sack, and touchdown, you earn more influence.
Unsuccessful plays, on the other hand, work against your score. You can see
the effect it had on your reputation when the play is over.
Eventually,
your teammates will discover just what an asset you are to the team and your
role will change depending on the position you play. Your ego will also affect
the roles you have on the team. Scheduled interviews can determine just what
kind of player you are and a certain level of role-playing allows you to
answer questions with different attitudes. Having a charismatic personality
with a team-oriented mind will open up the Team Leader role whereas an
all-for-me attitude leads you into the role of the Lone Wolf. What is weird is
that all roles will eventually lead you to the Hall of Fame, which made me
question the necessity of the ego-based feature. Essentially, as long as you
do your job on field, you will progress through NFL Superstar mode with more
and more involvement during plays. Although the goal of the mode was to add
more replay value by offering controllability of other positions, the remnants
of NFL Superstar taken from Madden 2006 haven’t improved much. NFL
Network offers three team-specific offensive and defensive plays that you can
master for the real game. A preview with commentary from Sterling Sharpe
breaks down each play and can give you a real edge on unsuspecting opponents
when after practicing.
As said
earlier, this year the developers have focused on Madden’s running game
and have added new controllability to spruce up the gameplay. Lead Blocker
puts you in the role of a selected offensive lineman or fullback for a limited
amount of time to break through the defensive line and hopefully open a path
for the ball carrier (this process is cleverly called Run to Daylight). You do
this after selecting a running play and cycle down the line of blockers to the
one you want to make the play. Once the ball is napped, the camera will zoom
in (with the exception of a two-player game) on your chosen player as you try
to clear a bath for the computer-controlled ball carrier until you have taken
full advantage of the hole in the defensive line. Once a path is cleared, you
can press the B-button to switch to the runner and run to daylight. Lead
Blocker is a very impressive addition to the Madden NFL feature
arsenal. You could technically play through a game simply controlling an
offensive lineman and letting the computer do the rest, although the AI’s
ability to master the ground game maneuvers may not surpass your own skills. I
did notice when playing two-player matches that the blocker-selection reticule
was easily identifiable and made would-be surprise plays blatantly obvious to
my opponent (I guess we’ll just have to use the honor system). Despite this
minor hitch, Run to Daylight is an effective strategic component that makes
the running game an attractive way of gaining extra yards.
Madden
2006 introduced
the Truck Stick to give more power to the power backs with heavy hits and
punishing blows to defenders. To take advantage of the more agile ball
carriers, the developers have implemented the Highlight Stick which controls
very similar to its counterpart. Dodging the tacklers has never been easier
with the new jukes and double moves designed for the lighter players. Whether
you are LaDainian Tomlinson with his fast-foot evasion technique or cover-boy
Shaun Alexander who can bulldoze through would-be tacklers, Madden 07
makes the most out of the individual talents of the carrier. I found the
Highlight Stick to be especially “effective” when used on the outside to avoid
a rush from all-sides. I say “effective” because using the Highlight Stick
does not guarantee success. There were numerous times I tried maneuvering past
a defender only to get smeared and fumble the ball. But once you master the
Highlight Stick you’ll discover a new found love for running yards. A kick
meter has also been implemented where all field goals and punts are executed
using the right thumbstick for power and accuracy (staying inside the accuracy
zone is more challenging as a result).
To spruce up
the online play, a new mode called “Live Opponent” pits you against another
gamer based on your skill level. Even more, when playing in Franchise mode,
you can challenge anyone on your friends list (with the Xbox version of
Madden, of course) to play as the next opposing team. Although I was unable to
connect to a game because it is a pre-release, having the ability to screw up
your buddy’s football season by trouncing him in his own game sounds awesome.
It is widely
speculated that this will be the last installment of the franchise to be
released on the Xbox. That said, Madden 07 looks pretty good even on
current generation systems. The player models and faces resemble the
professionals, the character customization is fairly complex, and the new
animations (jukes, cutbacks, and power moves) run fluidly on the football
field. There is even interactivity with the grass and the turf will actually
show wear in areas of the field with more action. John Madden and Al Michaels
are back to lend their voices and advice to the game which, along with solid
sound effects, adds to the realism of the game. Of course, Madden wouldn’t be
complete without a killer soundtrack. Blending the rock, hip hop, and
alternative genres, EA has compiled a selection of 35 new songs to get you
pumped for football including AFI’s melodic “Summer Shudder,” Audioslave’s
title-track “Revelations”, and a whole heap of artists you’ve probably never
heard of before. Of course, you can personalize the soundtrack with your own
music if you are not a fan of the available tracks.
The game is
currently available on all systems including two Hall of Fame editions.
Considering this may be the last pro football title for current generation
consoles, Madden NFL 2007 is ending the Xbox dynasty on a positive
note. Although the updated game modes haven’t improved much from the previous
version in regards to the management and scheduling systems, the running game
has greatly improved and the authentic playbook for the defensive team adds to
the realism of the videogame. EA should be proud of the new game features it
has created its latest installment; they have ensured the continued success of
the Madden franchise.
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Gameplay: 8.5
Despite
the less impressive game modes added to Madden 07, Lead Blocker and the
Highlight Stick greatly improves on the ground game. I was more inclined to
attempt a 5-yard run than a 20-yard pass!
Graphics: 8.7
Solid character
models that can be customized, good facial details, fluid animation on-field,
and grass that shows the wear of heavy football action. But let’s be honest;
if the visuals were on par with Tecmo Super Bowl, this game would still
sell
Sound: 8.5
John
Madden’s voice should be patented. Al Michaels
also delivers a wide variety of one-liners that really makes the game feel
authentic. The music selection is filled with unknown artists that still
manage to achieve a diverse soundtrack.
Difficulty: Medium
Concept: 8.7
After 17 years,
Madden still puts out a mean game of football.
Overall: 8.6
A solid football
experience with a fresh take on the running game, Madden NFL 2007
rightly deserves its place in the
#1 Selling Pro Football
Franchise.
