Madden NFL 07 (PS2) Review
Posted by Sean Garmer on 08.28.2006
Hey it is football season, guess what that means? Yep, Madden is out on the street. Was the game worth all the Maddenoliday hype? Come read and see.
Well it is August again, and that means many things. For some it means the start of school. Others envision it as the last month of summer. Then there are the people that can’t wait for the NFL pre-season. As the NFL season begins you can always expect one constant, that John Madden will release his next football game. The game that year after year gets hundreds of buys just on name alone. Madden always tries to make some improvements every year, but lately, those “improvements” have been questioned. Anyone remember those QB Vision cones from last year? However, this is a new year, and a new edition of Madden has come out. Is this year’s Madden anything more than a roster update? Are there any features to really be enthused about? Well all I can say is that you are going to have to read this review to find out.
Graphics For all the current-generation versions of the game you can expect pretty much the same graphics you saw last year. If you are looking for any graphical improvement to buy this game, then you might as well go buy a XBOX 360. They are pretty much at the end of this console’s cycle and there really isn’t a whole lot they can do to upgrade the graphics.
It's the Edge running for his new team (PS2 Graphics)
Gameplay The game is pretty much the same as last year’s version as well, with the exception of a few things. First is the addition of the lead blocker control. This is a very nice feature that probably is not something many people will use. However, I’ve always found the CPU a little off on the blocking, especially, the fullback or lead blocker on a run. You can press a button to control anyone else on your offense, and if you control the lead blocker, you can create your own hole for the Halfback to run through. The good thing is that at any moment you can switch back to the halfback to keep running the ball. Again, it may not be something that is used very often, but, it certainly is a welcome addition.
The MVP, Shaun Alexander running away from the competition, very much like he did last season (XBOX 360 Graphics)
The other new thing is the change of the Truck stick to a better Highlight stick. Now your RB is classified as a speedster, a bruiser, or both. Using the right analog stick you can, back juke by pressing down on the stick, juke left and right, and then if you press up depending on what type of rusher he is. The halfback will either do another type of juke or plow through their defender. If you use someone like Shaun Alexander that is classified as both, the game will decide which one to use. Most of the time the stick seems to work, but since you can still use the regular buttons on the controller to do the same moves. This is another novelty option that just seems to have been added to say, they made an improvement to right analog stick.
Carnell Williams stiff arms Chris Gamble to the ground (XBOX 360 Graphics)
Also just like in NCAA 07 you can just press X to sprint with the Quarterback without having drop the passing icons first. That is something that they have needed for a few years now, and I’m glad to see implemented this year. Sadly, the jump the snap feature that was put into NCAA 07 was not put into the current-gen version of Madden. If you don’t own NCAA 07, jump the snap allows you to use a Defensive Lineman or Linebacker and get a quick jump on the offense so that you can get to the Quarterback or halfback faster. It is a cool little feature that could have been added here, especially because it helps with stopping plays that may have gotten out of hand otherwise.
Hello Mark Brunell, I bet you wish Lavar Arrington would have stayed on your team, right about now (PS2 Graphics)
That is all the improvements in the gameplay itself but there are others in the new Hall of Fame mode. That replaces the NFL superstar mode from last year. Now, your objective is to do so well that you get your player into the Hall of Fame when he retires, very much like John Madden did this year. The difference is that this year, you only play your position, yeah that’s right people. If you play this mode, you better be happy with the position you chose for your player, because it will be the only position you play as during the whole thing. You can play any position on the field, and you even have the option to skip the defense, if your character is an offensive player. There are positions that are great to play like all three skill positions and Linebacker, and even Defensive Lineman (because getting to sack the QB is pretty damn fun.) I love playing Defensive Back but it is really hard because of the camera angle; that is also probably my only problem with the game. Is that the camera angle is weird because you don’t see your player and you have to blindly, follow the receiver until the ball gets in the area. It can be really frustrating because, you think you have this guy well defended, and then you see the Wide Receiver blow by you, for a touchdown. Then there are other positions like Fullback or Offensive Lineman that are pretty boring. So it seems a pretty well-rounded affair with the only real quirk coming at Cornerback.
They have also added something called “influence.” It awards you points on how well you perform your job on the field. Then you can use those points for yourself or for other members of your team. Also the influence doesn’t stop there, because your player will have to be interviewed every now and then. In those interviews how you talk to the media will determine what kind of player you are. If you say nice things, then the media will like you and so will your team. It goes the opposite way if you answer rudely. Then there are special roles that can be given to different players. If you continually blow by the Defenders for touchdowns then you might become the go-to guy for your QB, or if you always shutdown the receivers on defense then you might become a shutdown Corner. Every position has a few of these roles, but the cool thing is they aren’t all good. Depending on how you act, you can become the T.O. of your team and cause some friction between your teammates. That will affect your team not only on the field but off it as well. So I really enjoyed the new career mode and it is maybe something that might make this worth the purchase. Franchise Mode is pretty much the same as last year, except, that now you can play in the College All-Star game (known as the Senior-Bowl in real life), and you can do some more scouting by putting your players through some things at the combine. Sadly though, they didn’t add the cool mini-games in it that I have seen for the XBOX 360 version, into the current-gen version. However, if you liked Franchise mode last year, you are pretty much guaranteed to like it this year too, because nothing has changed as far as the in-season stuff.
Sound Well all the hits, whacks, and smacks are in tune for this game. John Madden and Al Michaels pretty much give you the same commentary as always and well the soundtrack is another mix of rap and rock tracks. There are going to be some songs that get popular enough to make hits on the singles charts, but nothing to spectacular to mention. I just usually listen to all of the NFL Films stuff and turn the other music off. I love that NFL Films music it really gets you into the spirit of the game. Now if only ESPN would license the Monday Night Football theme for the game, that’d be great.
Lasting Appeal People always seem to find a way to make this game stay in their consoles until the next one comes out, so there is no difference here. The online mode is the same as it has been for years, and you can always play with a few friends if you get bored. The Franchise Mode and Hall of Fame mode also have enough to keep you busy for many hours.
Oh damn, Reuben Droughns that was some filthy move. Justin Smith has to feel violated right now. (PS2 Graphics)
Fun Factor If you are looking for an American Football game to play, you really don’t have any other options. Should you pay $50 dollars for some features and a roster update? Well that is for you to decide. I still say it is a pretty damn fun game to play no matter which way you slice it. I always have fun with it and for those that don’t, well don’t know what to tell you, because like I mentioned earlier, Madden has the exclusive NFL license so they have no competition. Fun all the way around, I got to hand it to Madden, he knows how to make and market football.
The 411 It’s Madden; it is the same game you’ve been playing for a while. However, it does have some cool additions that I liked. Is it really worth $50 bucks? For all they put into it, probably not, but it is still a fun game of football, period.
Graphics
8.0
Pretty much the same as last year for current-gen.
Gameplay
9.0
Some new, some old, It is Madden, Hall of Fame mode worthy of checking out.
Sound
7.5
Same commentary, and some new songs that is it.
Lasting Appeal
10.0
This has a lot for you to do. Online, multiplayer, single player, what more could you ask for.
Fun Factor
9.0
It is a fun game of football, with all the stuff that you would expect from Madden.
