Madden NFL 07 (Nintendo DS, 2006)

People know John Madden in one of three ways. First, there are the die-hard football fans who remember him as "Coach," from his days with the Raiders. Then there are the NFL fans who know John Madden by his commentary for all those years on Monday Night Football, and welcomed "John" into their homes. Then there is the videogame generation, who know him simply as "Madden." John Madden is a veritable institution, quite possibly the most recognized man associated with the greatest of all professional sports. (Please write in to correct me on this.) EA Sports has been churning out their yearly Madden games since 1990, and this latest game, just like all the others, is supposed to be the latest and greatest yet.

Shaun Alexander is on the cover of the game this year, following up on a record-breaking season. Last year was without question the year of the running back, and Madden NFL 07 follows suit, focusing the improvements in the game engine this year on enhancing the running game. The first upgrade is the highlight stick, which replaces the truck stick. The highlight stick enables those game-breaking moves that allow the top backs to evade tackles and break those huge runs. There are forty new broken tackle animations, allowing you to lower your shoulder and smash through a defender, spin your way around them, or perform one of a slew of other tricks to avoid being brought down.


The top running backs in the game have their own unique ways to avoid defenders, and this is taken into account, as the highlight stick enables context-sensitive moves based on your back's size, ability and tendencies. Bruising running backs like the Chiefs' Larry Johnson can knock aside linebackers like bowling pins, while wilier backs like the Steelers' Willie Parker are better at dancing, darting and slipping tackles before breaking big gains. The downside to using these flashy moves to get past defenders is that you increase your chances of fumbling the ball (which I found out all too often while challenging human opponents on Xbox Live).

These new animations are the visual highlight this year, as the character models and fields don't look much better than what we've seen on previous current-generation entries in the Madden series. This is a sharp-looking game, though, and the series has been for years. The grass in the middle of the field will deform and get muddier and worn as play goes on, for instance, and even on the regular old Xbox, it's hard to find fault with such great-looking character models, excellent use of reflective surfaces and some really well-designed stadiums.
The new gameplay features steal the show here, though, particularly the aforementioned highlight stick and the new lead blocker control. With lead blocking, you can take control of an offensive lineman, tight end or fullback, and lay down the lead block for your running back, clearing a path towards a big gain. Teams (and their corresponding halfbacks) with excellent fullbacks will probably benefit the most from this, like the Chargers and their stud blocker Lorenzo Neal, who runs point for Ladainian Tomlinson, serving as his eyes and leading the charge through the defensive line (no pun intended). The system works well, for the most part, and there's some strategy to deciding what kind of block to utilize based on your situation. You can cut block to take someone's legs out from under them, and you can even intentionally hold the defender.
Overall Rating: A 10 out of 10.

I spend a lot of time traveling and have been a fan of Madden titles dating back to the Sega genesis days. I love the new Madden on XBOX 360 and figured I would give it a shot on my DS. Unfortunately, due to the controls and screen size, this game did not port well onto the portable. It was pretty unenjoyable. Passing was difficult and kicking was impossible. The graphics are poor. I did find some initial enjoyment in running over defenses, but the game got old too quick. I could only stomach it for a couple hours before giving up all together. Maybe I did not give it enough of a chance. Maybe I did not have the patience or the skills necessary to enjoy the game. Or maybe it was just bad.

Graphics and controls are great, specially for a small screen like DS. Very entertaining and realistic!

The game is great, and the tackles are hilarious on it. The game definately fits a certain role because then I can play Madden on the road or when something else is on tv. There is no Hall of Fame mode though, and that is my favourite version. Plus, the draft classes always seem weaker. A lot of rookies aren't listed also.
My verdict: buy it if you can't get enough football, the DS controls are ok, kicking with the stylus is neat, but not that functional. Glad I bought it, and at a bargain, but wouldn't buy it *instead* of another platform, only in addition to.

I love that I can take Madden with me for my DS now! Game play is great and graphics are awesome! I recommend for any football enthusiast & all Madden fans!!!

I like the graphics, touch ability, and create your own team.
I wanted a newer madden game than '03.

GOT THIS FOR MY KIDSchristmas. THEY LOVE FOOTBALL AND I KNOW THEY WILL ENJOY PLAYING THIS WITH EACHOTHER. HOPE TO BUY AGAIN. THANKS ONCE AGAIN AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS

My son just got a DS and we were looking for inexpensive games since so many are $30 or more. I bought this game at an excellent price and the transaction went so smoothly. I love Ebay!

I bought this game for my kids for Christmas. They love playing football and this game offers mulit-player game play so it makes it even more fun for kids.

i bought this game for my son, and it was great almost new, in very good condition and my son loves to play with his madden nfl 07 game
thank you very much

like many DS games it took a little while to get used to the gameplay, especially since this is a game that i've already played plenty of on other consoles. once i got the hang of it i found this game thoroughly enjoyable to play. i primarily use my DS for killing time at work so in that regard this game is great to have!

I really couldn't tell the difference from madden 05' between 07' or even any other madden becides the players and that was it.

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This game is great rented it for my son and he loved it so much he asked for it for Easter, He actually likes 07 better then 08

The game has horrible graphics and it needs lots of improving. For example, if you're going to kick off the ball the ref has to run the whole field to put the ball down for you. You actually have to watch him run. However, there are a decent amount of plays.

My son loves the graphics. H e plays it all the time!! He wanted it, and it was a great price, so we purchased it. It seems like a good deal.