Madden NFL 07 (Xbox 360, 2006)

I got this game a few days early, so decided to play out most of the features. I must say that this game is a HUGE improvement over Madden 06, it felt like an entirely different game. If I had to mak a comparison, it feels like a mixture of NCAA 07 and Madden 05.

The 360 version has a few things missing, but a few things added that make up for the difference.

Missing: Defensive Playmaker. This game is hard to play Defense on so far.

Added: A Blocking ability that lets you block, and then switch to the Running Back. It helps make some gaps, and also features a slow motion effect when switching abilities.

Graphics: HDTV - STUNNING - First Next Generation game I have seen on the 360.
Regular TV - Feels like I am playing the original Xbox

GamePlay: Feels a lot better, but could be stronger.

Extra Modes: I find SuperStar to be fun, but have a feeling that some people will not enjoy it. You are basically stuck at 1 position for the entire game.

Overall: I think this game is a Must Buy for the Madden/NFL Fan

PROS:
-Great Graphics
-Improved Gameplay

CONS:
-Still lacking features on the Current Gen Systems
-No other football options gamewise

I must say it is gorgeous. The game definately has the look of an awesome football game on the 360, and plays a bit better than the 2006 version. The biggest thing I can say is that this game is still lacking the features found on the current generation systems (PS2, XBOX) and that has become expected of a football game, especially now that EA has exclusive NFL rights.

The graphics justify the game purchase, but the gameplay and options feel that of a Madden 2002 or 2003 game, which is disapointing when you think of the power that the XBOX 360 has. You can tell that the game is building the framework to establish an excellent football game, as the franchise had to do when it first appeared on the PS2. You know the game will have the lost features by next year, when the Next Generation systems take full effect.

This is worth playing and giving a look to if you only have an XBOX 360, but the current generation versions are more feature filled. This may not be a must own on the XBOX 360, but for any football fan that loves good visuals, this is a definate pick-up - this is the reason it received a 4 of 5 from this football fanatic reviewer.

I've been playing the Madden series since it's early release on the Sega Genesis in the early 90's. My college roomates and I would play into the wee hours of the night determined to best each other before the night was over. Boy, has the game changed for the better! And It keeps getting better! Compared to its most recent release, this new version has definitely kept up with the times. What I like most about the game is the running game. The running Game has tremendously improved on the XBOX. The controller options just seem to make more sense, for example, the right thumbstick allows you to juke your opponent, and there are some nuances that allow your players to juke slightly differently depending on their skills. The right and left trigger now are used to cut left and right respectively, which makes more sense than last years game; where it was meant for you to juke your opponent. Also, the gameplay is pretty fluid and there are ton of plays to call both on offense and defense. It's a fun game. The only downside to this game is that the defense is sometimes hard to play. Especially if you are lining up against players like Randy Moss, that play-The Raider Fade, almost always works, no matter what defense you choose against it. Randy Moss runs a streak and almost always catches it for some large yardage! Despite this, the game still allows you put up a decent defense against your opponents. I especially like the fact that you are able to play all those great college players like Leinart, Bush, and Young. It's awesome! I definitely recommend this game! Its a definite BUY!

If you like sports this is the game for you. I let my friend borrow the game and never got it back. I had to go buy another copy. Anyhow the graphics are great and much better than the other football games on the market. Highly recommend.

Every year I buy Madden since it first came out in 93". This year was even more special because my home town Team & Player were on the cover. The football action is a lot of fun and the graphics keep getting better year in and year out. A must for your collection.

It is time to start changing up the football games. this is the same football game you played last year, and the year before that. Just a new...er look to it and a few short lived twists. Keep the old football game that is on your shelf collecting dust and save your money for a good game, and send a message out to the makers of these games to let them know that we want a much better football game next time.

The Graphic are great but if you are looking for more than that I would recommend the PS2 version. I this version you can't edit players, there is no owner mode, franchise mode is flawed and virtually useless. Can't do a fantasy draft, No salary cap, Player trades pointless because AI accepts any trade, No Coach mode, Can't do a cpu vs cpu game, Can't play with a buddy on the same team

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 got this game a few days early, so decided to play out most of the features. I must say that this game is a HUGE improvement over Madden 06, it felt like an entirely different game. If I had to mak a comparison, it feels like a mixture of NCAA 07 and Madden 05.

The 360 version has a few things missing, but a few things added that make up for the difference.

Missing: Defensive Playmaker. This game is hard to play Defense on so far.

Added: A Blocking ability that lets you block, and then switch to the Running Back. It helps make some gaps, and also features a slow motion effect when switching abilities.

Graphics: HDTV - STUNNING - First Next Generation game I have seen on the 360.
Regular TV - Feels like I am playing the original Xbox

GamePlay: Feels a lot better, but could be stronger.

Extra Modes: I find SuperStar to be fun, but have a feeling that some people will not enjoy it. You are basically stuck at 1 position for the entire game.

Overall: I think this game is a Must Buy for the Madden/NFL Fan

this game is a must for anyone who loves football! in the past i've never been big on the "extras" that football games come with, but madden '07 has sweet extras, such as creating your own superstar and following him all thru his career. this game is definitely entertaining. i highly recommend it!!
looks great in high-def, and the soundtrack is perfect.

I was very cautious in my approach to Madden '07 after the '06 release for the 360. Madden 06 was by far the worst football game I've ever played, this includes 10 yard fight for the original Nintendo. There are alot of changes in 07 but not the changes I envisioned last year. There is no commentary from Madden himself, whats up with that? All you get is a lame announcer who repeats himself more than any Madden phrase Ive heard over the years. Create a player is lacking and there is no way to edit current NFL players on the game. Marques Colston of the NO Saints isnt even on the game, Tony Romo is a 70 which causes all sorts of roster issues, meaning the game continues to override the depth chart and start bledsoe who is an 83. NO alternate uniforms unless downloaded from XBOX Live.
The further along you go into the game unlocks Hall of Fame players. This is a great feature but, there is no way to remove them from the current roster, which means during franchise mode, Norm Van Brocklin is running the offense for the raiders or Barry Sanders is running all over you fro the Ravens. Defense is hard enough on this game without the appearance of HOF players. Also where is the Fantasy Draft?? This is one of my favorite options of years past.
The good news about this game is that it is unparralled by any other football game available. Graphics are great, gameplay is fun, Franchise is deeper than ever and the new Superstar mode is fun for diehard fans.
All in all, this is a good buy for the 360, and is one of only a few games that is worth the 60 dollar price we shell out for them.

I use to continulousy buy the new madden every year until 2004. I got tired of the games being exactly the same and it wasn't any fun after the first week. Then I decided i needed a madden game again, went out and bought the new madden 07 for 360 and love the new ideas they had put in it, and now im addicted to the game again. The Whole superstar is fun, become a position work hard to become the best. Lead blocker was a nice option, loved makin them wide open wholes for the td's!!Performance instuitue is nice, weight lifting, running, rushing for as many tds as possible in a time period. The graphics are awesome on the game on HDTV that is.The game still hasn't gotten to where it shows the defensive view when ur on defense, they did somewhat on the regular xbox game but not the 360. Anyways, This game is awesome!!, i hope the next one be even better yet!

EA Sports always puts out a great product. Price was one of the deciding factors in purchasing it from a ebay seller. One of the disappointments in the game is that it was too much like the NCAA 07 game that I already owned. The names of the players and the teams seemed like the only difference. I was really hoping for more details of the game and a way to pick plays without your opponent knowing if your running or passing.

I purchased Madden 07 for the xbox360 and it doesn't disappoint. From playing a whole season, to head to head, to training camps as well as xbox live capabalities this game offers the full NFL package. A must for any Football lover.

Ok, if anyone is really interested in this game you will want to read this!!!....


This game is AWESOME@!!! I was in awe the first time i saw and played this game on my console... It has one of the best graphics ever seen on a tv!!

IF you dont get this game, then idk what to tell you, you WILL MISS OUT!!


BEST GAME OF THE YEAR!!!!!

First off you must think to yourself he must be overacting or not a madden fan but believe me I speak the truth and this game is absolutely infuriating and heartbreaking to loyal madden fans. At first it may seem ok the graphics are good and the gameplay is just fine but then the nightmare begins. Oh your a fan of owner mode you say sorry its gone no more fantasy drafts either and Oh your teams rookie turned out to be really good well hes going to stay bad on the game because you cant edit the players. The game also thinks its a good idea to put these super 100 percent rating hall of fame guys in the game which is fine but if you begin a franchise or even superstar mode these guys get put on the opposing teams making it very unfair the only way to not make this happen ( due to the fact you cant edit the players) is to put all of those players on your own team which is just not fun. Like creating your own playbook? sorry its gone. Like the play by play by legends John Madden and Al Michaels sorry their gone too, not even replaced by a lower tier guy just some generic voice which becomes readily annoying. The game also moves at 30 pages a second which means that it stalls at brief moments making it lack fluidity. Superstar mode is almost completely unimproved other than the hall of fame aspect despite the ravings of the EA sports people and you wont be able to sign contracts or pick what team you want just a choice of four teams who you most likely dont want to play for anyway. This is by far the most disappointing game I have ever played and I spent 70 dollars on it, some of these problems are addressed in the PS2 and Xbox versions but stay far far away from the Xbox 360 version because you'll want to punch yourself for being swindled by EA again just as we all did last year with 06 but this one takes the cake folks. If you want to see for yourself do some research or rent it because you'll see everything I have said is true. Although the game is a 1 out of 5 by madden standards by normal game standards it is a 2 out of 5 due to the graphics and decent gameplay but it is indeed sad to see madden take a giant step backwards.

because i love football and my favorite games in the whole world are madden nfl so i want this game so badly so please give me this game.

This game lets you step into the shoes of an NFL superstar all right, but let me tell you – fame and fortune aren’t all they are cracked up to be. Yeah my guy’s a superstar, but he sure doesn’t play like one. Developer Tiburon may have thrown in a good amount of features this time around – including some 360-exclusive ones like the Madden Gamer Level and Live Opponents – but they can’t cover up for this game’s deficiencies on the field.

Gameplay: 8/10
Tackling is great in this game and its very similar to ESPN NFL 2005 but with better graphics. This year in Madden, each players have their own style of running. Bigger players are very good at running defenders over and lighter players will use their speed to dodge defenders. Very well done. There are also newer Touchdown celebrations and they still also keep the old celebrations such as Chad Johnson's river dance. The new run to daylight feature is incredible and helpful. In this feature, you can control the linemen and the fullback so you can open holes for your running back to run. EA also removed the feature saving in the middle of the game which really sucks if you need to leave and dont want to lose your game data. This is the one what disappoint me the most, the create a player. This time in CAP, you cant just make a guy and make him 99 overall or not even 80 overall. You gotta make him run his 40 dash and bench press. Usually, the CAP ends up around the 50 overall just like an undrafted rookie.

Graphics: 8/10
Wow, this is great. You can actually see the player's teeth and facial expression. Too bad the players dont actually sweat. The weather is awsome, rain, snow and windy. The stadium are so much better than the PS2 version. The fans are still looking weird but the seats are nearly the same to the real thing. The thing that bug me is the players looks like they are on steroids just like in Madden 05 and madden 06. You can't actually either have a guy taller than 6'11" or a guy with pure muscles. After the game, you also notice that the player's uniform is not dirty enough even though you just played during rain. The dumbest part is there aren't any alternative costumes. You can download them but you got to pay for them, a lot of dollars just for a game uniform.

Presentation: 6/10
This is worst than you can imagine. You can't watch the NFL draft during the Superstars season mode. No half-time presentation and no post game. Also, after you play and win the Superbowl, there aren't any celebrations.

Sounds: 7/10
Ok, so the announcers are not Michaels or Madden anymore which is sucks. There is only one announcer in Madden 07 and he kept repeating the same thing over and over. The audibles yelling is great and the fake snap sounds like the real players. They really should bring back Madden and Michaels, I mean the game is called "Madden 07".

Overall: 8/10
Good Game with room for improvement.

I love this game and the way you get to play it. It has good graphics although it is nothing real special from all the other madden games. Fun to play like all the other ones but not super special. Buy this game if you are a hard core football fan like some but otherwise nothing new so keep your old nfl maddens and keep 30.00$ in your pocket because it is nothing special.

MY HUSBAND LOVES IT! SPENDS HOURS & HOURS. HE ESPECIALLY LOVES MAKING HIS OWN TEAMS FROM HIS HIGHSCHOOL DAYS! AT LEAST HE IS NOT AT THE BAR!

In my opinion, the game needs a LOT of work. Dont get me wrong, its still a fun game, and worthwhile...but I think that EA rushed this title to be released. It dosnt seen that it has been programmed or coded correctly to work well on the XBOX 360. It is playable, but it is choppy, and laggy.

All the features work, and it dosnt freeze, but it will run slow in some spots, which can get annoying.

I would but it if you dont mind the slowness of the play calling, and the overall choppyness of gameplay.

Rented the game a couple of weeks ago from blockbuster and I was suprised. Much better then Madden 06 but still is not reaching the quality of gameing that other companies and sports games are providing. If I was you I would rent the game not buy it. It is not worth the 40-50 when there are other great games out there for the same price. Some peole might enjoy the game others might not. RENT IT FIRST~~