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.

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.