XBOX 360: Madden 07 quick review
Not quite a TD, but more in the box than last season...
from 
JoeUser Forums
JoeUser Forums
Heck, why bother reading the full thing here, since I've basically summed it up in the Sub Title above, but what the heck, I'll put a few words here too, to go along with some eye candy (linked from the TeamXbox.com site) in the form of an image from the game and a shot of the box.
First, here's a little eye candy, linked from TeamXbox.com site:
Not too shabby on the graphical front, at least for the players, and field. A little less distinctive in the stands (which still show bland and generic 2D type images of fans in the stands), but not too bad.
But is there more there than just the pretty face? At least is there more there than last seasons very weak effort that was lacking in features that were there in the versions on lesser (last generation) platforms. Last season (last year), Madden 06 was a "launch title" on the Xbox 360, but as such it was obviously rushed -- even with the game coming out late in the year. Features were cut in order to concentrate on the primary game and beefing up the graphical presentation.
This year, what's in the box (sample of box is shown below, also linked from TeamXbox.com site) or at least what is in the game is much closer to what should have been there last season.
Where last year features had been dropped and left off to meet publishing deadlines, this season the Xbox 360 version is sporting most, if not all, of the same features that are found in the last generation console platforms. While I really wish that Electronic Arts (EA) would go above and beyond, and actually put even MORE content into the Xbox 360 version (to help justify the higher costs they charge for the next generation version), at least they haven't blatantly ripped off customers as they did last season.
As before, unfortunately owners of Xbox 360s that traded away their prior generation equipment (Xbox first generation) will find that they can't play older versions of Madden that weren't specifically created for the Xbox 360. Nor can they play the older NFL 2K sports games which continue to lack backwards compatibility modules. There's also still no b.c. module for support of Microsoft's own older NFL Fever title, so again the choices of NFL football on the Xbox 360 remain EA or none. Madden 06 or Madden 07. That's it. Given that lack of choice, and the missing features in Madden 06, Xbox 360 owners have to hope that that the version they get on the Xbox 360 in the form of Madden 07 is a good one. But is it?
From where I sit, I'd have to say it's better than last season because of the added features, but the graphics haven't seemed to change at all. If you looked at screen shots of last season's game, you'd not be able to tell much difference with this seasons game. That's not necessarily bad, but it also shows that EA seems to be willing to stand pat with what they currently have. I hope they work on more improvements in the future. Heck, I actually hope that they Madden development team (Tiburon) starts copying a bit more off of the NCAA Football team as that game seems to be just a bit better graphically in comparison.
The included "mini games" are a nice bonus, and give more depth and more playability to the game, but game play continues to be a mixed bag where the easier levels result in plays that are just about guaranteed to score every time you have the ball. You can adjust the difficulty levels using sliders to customize the Offense, Defense and Special teams, and in doing so you can get a much more balanced experience in playing against the CPU (if you want one).
One big suggestion for EA (and Tiburon) for next season: take the now standalone NFL Headcoach game that is being sold separately on last generation platforms and roll it and perhaps some fantasy general manager features up into a much more feature rich version of Madden for the 360 next year. Give your customers some more value for their investments in your products, and stop resting on the fact that you've made an exclusive deal with the NFL to prevent competition.
First, here's a little eye candy, linked from TeamXbox.com site:
Not too shabby on the graphical front, at least for the players, and field. A little less distinctive in the stands (which still show bland and generic 2D type images of fans in the stands), but not too bad.
But is there more there than just the pretty face? At least is there more there than last seasons very weak effort that was lacking in features that were there in the versions on lesser (last generation) platforms. Last season (last year), Madden 06 was a "launch title" on the Xbox 360, but as such it was obviously rushed -- even with the game coming out late in the year. Features were cut in order to concentrate on the primary game and beefing up the graphical presentation.
This year, what's in the box (sample of box is shown below, also linked from TeamXbox.com site) or at least what is in the game is much closer to what should have been there last season.
Where last year features had been dropped and left off to meet publishing deadlines, this season the Xbox 360 version is sporting most, if not all, of the same features that are found in the last generation console platforms. While I really wish that Electronic Arts (EA) would go above and beyond, and actually put even MORE content into the Xbox 360 version (to help justify the higher costs they charge for the next generation version), at least they haven't blatantly ripped off customers as they did last season.
As before, unfortunately owners of Xbox 360s that traded away their prior generation equipment (Xbox first generation) will find that they can't play older versions of Madden that weren't specifically created for the Xbox 360. Nor can they play the older NFL 2K sports games which continue to lack backwards compatibility modules. There's also still no b.c. module for support of Microsoft's own older NFL Fever title, so again the choices of NFL football on the Xbox 360 remain EA or none. Madden 06 or Madden 07. That's it. Given that lack of choice, and the missing features in Madden 06, Xbox 360 owners have to hope that that the version they get on the Xbox 360 in the form of Madden 07 is a good one. But is it?
From where I sit, I'd have to say it's better than last season because of the added features, but the graphics haven't seemed to change at all. If you looked at screen shots of last season's game, you'd not be able to tell much difference with this seasons game. That's not necessarily bad, but it also shows that EA seems to be willing to stand pat with what they currently have. I hope they work on more improvements in the future. Heck, I actually hope that they Madden development team (Tiburon) starts copying a bit more off of the NCAA Football team as that game seems to be just a bit better graphically in comparison.
The included "mini games" are a nice bonus, and give more depth and more playability to the game, but game play continues to be a mixed bag where the easier levels result in plays that are just about guaranteed to score every time you have the ball. You can adjust the difficulty levels using sliders to customize the Offense, Defense and Special teams, and in doing so you can get a much more balanced experience in playing against the CPU (if you want one).
One big suggestion for EA (and Tiburon) for next season: take the now standalone NFL Headcoach game that is being sold separately on last generation platforms and roll it and perhaps some fantasy general manager features up into a much more feature rich version of Madden for the 360 next year. Give your customers some more value for their investments in your products, and stop resting on the fact that you've made an exclusive deal with the NFL to prevent competition.
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