Last year, Madden NFL 06 for the Xbox 360 was criticized mostly because of its lack of features that its console-counterparts have plentiful amounts of. The trade-off for presentation rather than gameplay content wasn’t one of the titles strongpoints, and even gamers alike preferred the current-gen versions of the newest edition of the sports franchise king. Enter Madden NFL 07, a certain chance for EA to redeem themselves and to prove to its next-gen console owners that Madden is the football game to have on the Xbox 360. There are a few bugs here and there, and it’s still not the complete Madden game that we’re all used to seeing, but those who purchased the previous next-gen version will instantly see the improvement over the last year’s version.

Every feature has returned, including the previously absent Superstar Mode, which was only available to the current-gen games last year. Gameplay versions are also added with the game, most of which are across-the-board upgrades that are accessible on all of the versions. Depth has certainly improved, and that’s always a good thing for a Madden game.

These features include a new kick meter, the highlight stick, and the ability to use lead blockers with ease. The highlight stick is a new version of the truck stick that’s used for runners on offense. By using the right analog stick, you can pull off all sorts of jukes and moves that will be determined mostly by the type of running back you use it with. For example, a heavy back like Jamal Lewis will use the highlight stick to run over his tacklers, while someone more nimble and smaller like Atlanta’s Warrick Dunn will to duck or jump over the opposition. The evolution of this enhanced truck stick works well, as it’s a step up over the one-dimensional “push-up” of the analog stick as before.

The new kicking meter uses the typical arrow to line up your angle, and then when the right analog stick is pressed down, your power is also measured. This meter then fills up, and you press forward on the right stick to set the power at a certain mark and finally increase your accuracy. The cool thing about this is that the exact angle that you press the analog stick will determine the accuracy of each kick. You’ll have to keep your thumb straight and moving in a quick, fluid motion to get the furthest kicks with the most hang-time.

Lastly, the new lead blocking controls allows you to switch from your controlled player on offense (usually the QB) to any of the available blockers during a running play. You can use fullbacks, offensive linemen, tight ends – whoever would be responsible for making that gaping hole that your team’s running back would be running through. Standard blocks are of the norm, but you can also do some rough, cut blocks. All in all, the new mechanic takes the reliance off of the CPU blockers, a good thing if you see them faltering on one specific side, or if you’re simply just tired of them. The game allows you to quickly switch back to your running back after laying down your block, a great way to see if your block actually does create an advantage. These new controls dramatically help the gameplay in different ways, opening strategies for players to experiment with. With Shaun Alexander on the cover, there’s little doubt that the running game was getting the biggest overhaul with both the highlight stick and these new blocking controls.



Favre may want to re-think that retirement.

On defense, there’s another new realm of thinking. This year, Madden gives you the option of trying to jump the snap. This is done by pressing a single button at just the right time, and allows your defensive player to get an early lead in hopes of getting to the running back or quarterback in a quicker manner. Gladly, EA prevented the exploit of this in the single player games, by creating AI tweaks to make the CPU trick you in to jumping off-sides and such. We usually don’t see any false start calls in football titles anymore, so this is certainly a welcome addition to keeping things like the real thing as possible. Increasing the difficulty in Madden 07 truly does wonders for the CPU AI, taking away huge gains on the same plays called in the same game. Of course, audibles, hot-routes, and the like are required to be used more often, especially if you’re suspect on a defensive alignment by your opponent.

The biggest change from last year, the passing cone is not required for passing anymore, but you can certainly use it to increase your accuracy or general area you want the ball to be thrown. This is done by moving the right-analog stick back and forth after the ball is snapped. You’ll want to get better and better as the game progresses, as evident by the more varied and balanced sets of Xbox achievements, some of which are incredibly difficult to complete.



The entire field in Madden NFL 07.

Madden NFL 07 brings back the franchise mode and online mode from last year’s game as well. Sadly, it may still be the same thing, but with a few notable things left-out. Such of these take-aways include Tony Bruno’s radio show, the newspaper article showing, e-mail dialogue with your roster, and even the slightly suspect owner mode. You’re able to challenge people around the world with a “live franchise game,” which pits your franchise team against a live human opponent, but it’s really nothing special that screams out innovation. Playing with friends online may be cool, but if EA Sports keeps making their online games drop the connection every several matches or so, it may cause a problem for the future. However, lag wasn’t too much of an issue – certainly unexpected for its largely unchanged Xbox Live mode.