Another year, another Madden game for the Nintendo Gamecube. Madden NFL 07 brings much of the gameplay present in Madden 06, along with several tweaks and improvements. Looking at each change individually, none of them are terribly significant. Taken as a whole, though, the changes and tweaks do broaden the gameplay experience. But are these changes substantial enough to make another yearly Madden purchase worth your while? After all, if you want to play with actual NFL franchises, Electronic Art's Madden series is the only place you'll get to do that.
Let's rifle through EA's playbook, then, shall we?
Graphics
The graphics are among the best you'll find on the Gamecube. One advantage of releasing a game in its twilight years is that a developer is familiar with both the strengths and weaknesses of a system, and it is obvious the Gamecube hardware is being pushed as far as it can go; the game's grahpics engine is definitely starting to show some of its age. For that reason, the graphics aren't that much different from last year's edition. The in-game player models, stadiums, crowds, and menus don't show any signs of change from last year's Madden.
Gameplay
The lead blocking controls, highlight stick, and a facelift to the kicking meter are this year's big improvements. With the highlight stick, you can use the Gamecube controller's c-stick to shuck, shimmy, juke, and jive with the sort of fancy footwork and agile moves you'd see on TV. In addition to controlling like a dream, this also looks really, really cool on camera. You can use more powerful running back maneuvers, or moves with more grace, depending on the type of running back you're playing. Series veterans made grumble a bit about needing to learn yet another control to master to keep up with everyone else, but you can do just as well with the familiar button-based moves, too.
The new lead blocking system looks a little odd on paper, but certainly shakes up gameplay. When you're running offense, you can switch from your current player to any of the available blockers during a running play. That's right: Fullbacks, linemen, tight ends, anyone who might be able to block a play. You can block normally, or try and get away with some under-handed dirty plays, too. On the positive side, this means that you're not dependant on the often unreliable computer-controlled players to move (or as was more often the case, NOT move) into the right spots. On the other hand, setting up the right blocks oneself isn't very intuitive; it'll take some getting used to. For those who like another wrinkle of strategy to team offense, this change is sure to please.
The kick meter works a little differently this time around: press towards the screen to get the right stick to set the power and kick accuracy. The accuracy is based on the angle at which you press up. This is a really immersive way to make use of the sensitivity of the right stick.
And some changes have been made to superstar mode to make your actions on and off the field more relevant to what happens in the game. In superstar mode a player tries to get into the Hall of Fame at the end of your career, and there are a number of ways you can do this. Throughout your superstar's career, a menu will depict how far along your player is toward establishing his legacy as one of the best of all time. You build up your superstar ranking not just by being a stellar player on the field, but also by how you carry yourself off the field-- you also have to interact with your team and establish a reputation. You do this by answering question in interviews and also by guiding other players on the field. You do this by playing certain roles, depending on your position: field general for a quarterback, a possession receiver for a wide receiver, etc.
These roles actually benefit you and affect players on your team. A quarterback using the field general role, for instance, can upgrade his passing accuracy rating as well as the blocking ratings for his various offensive linemen. Another role he can take, the team leader, lets him upgrade the awareness, injury, acceleration, and agility ratings for all the other offensive players on the field. So this time around, superstar mode is an engaging and compelling part of the Madden experience.
Sound
As for the sound this year, while you do get a brand-new soundtrack, its modus operandi hasn't changed: Smoosh together a collection of jock- rock songs and hip-hop that doesn't really gel into a cohesive whole. And really, some of the song choices raised an eyebrow or two-- they seemed a little saucy for a game rated "E". Announcers Madden and Michaels are still recycling a lot of the same commentary lines they have for the last couple of years, and the sound effects are bone-crunching accurate.
Lasting Appeal
There's a lot to bring you back to Madden 07 after a few playthroughs-- the superstar mode is oddly addictive. And with this most likely being the final Madden game on the Gamecube, this will be your last chance to play a Madden game on a current-generation Nintendo system. Will it stack up to next gen games next year? Probably not. But for now, it'll be a Gamecube game you'll want to come back to if you like football games at all.
Fun Factor
The new gameplay tweaks and additions serve to make the game challenging, but also more immersive, and therefore, fun. Continuing the trend from previous Madden games, Madden 07 is fun not just in single player season modes, but in multiplayer as well, making this a great game to play solo, or when gathering friends to hang out. It's a real "beer and pretzels" type of game-- you can make the experience as deep or casual as you want, and still have fun.
The 411
Even though Madden NFL 07 doesn't reinvent the wheel, but it does offer some compelling improvements in little ways, which is a lot more than one could say about Madden 06. Granted, it's not a huge leap in the series' evolution, and the similarities between this year and last year might be turn off for those seeking significant, big-detail improvement or changes from one year's edition to the next. Taking the little improvements as a whole into consideration, if you skipped out on Madden 06, then you should be sure to check out Madden 07.
