Marquee Stories

Video game review

By Carey Peck. Published September 7, 2006.

Although competition is necessary for quality titles, Electronic Arts and its acquisition of the NFL license have successfully exterminated any opposition. Cynics might contribute the uninspiring previous two versions of "Madden" to this.

"Madden NFL 07" for the Xbox 360 is by no means an abysmal game, but after last year's next-generation debut of "Madden," my faith diminished in the abilities of EA's developers.

Stepping into the game delivers a polished presentation — from the straightforward navigation menus to the gameplay heads-up display. The in-game experience embraces a graphically compelling exterior with beautifully animated characters that should please most skeptics.

Thankfully, EA also enhanced the essential gameplay aspects of "07" and refined them. The ill-conceived vision-cone passing has been left scuffed up in an alleyway in favor of a practical lead blocker mechanic. Running the ball has now transformed into an advantageous tactic, but I must inquire into EA's objective with this feature.

From my perspective it seems as if EA has forged a way around a problem instead of assembling competent artificial intelligence. Enabling the computer to block efficiently is something EA apparently cannot accomplish yet.

It seems like a simple way out of an issue that needs to be solved, but luckily the feature executes its purpose well and remains enjoyable.

As a gamer, I undoubtedly realize that the "Superstar" mode has been lethargically incorporated this year.

Venturing into a "Superstar" game treats you to a terribly tedious experience that begins with viewing the computer simulating the on-screen action. Once you commandeer your particular persona, the realization of an outright sophomoric affair with a tragic camera configuration becomes apparent.

The excessively close over-the-shoulder view restricts what you can see on the field and robs the mode of enjoyment. With this setback EA basically botched its attempt to bring over the "Superstar" mode to the Xbox 360.

Hopefully disparagers will see the proficient football game contained in this year's iteration, but the Xbox 360 version still suffers without the polish of the current-generation "Madden" title. An injection of competition from Visual Concepts could be what gets EA to start developing with some heart again.

The Verdict: ** A

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