Madden NFL 07 for PlayStation 2

When I first got ready to start playing Madden 2007, I expected it to just be another year of updated rosters. I was excited for the new Hall Of Fame mode but nothing else had really grabbed my attention. After pouring hours into this game, it's not just new rosters that make this years version of Madden. No no, this years version is actually, fun.

I got to my local gameshop ready to buy this game the day it came out like I had done every year since Madden '05. I did not have high expectations for it. I mainly bought it for the Hall of Fame mode and also to play with, yes, the updated rosters. Now as I started to play just an exhibition game, my Redskins kicked off with a new feature this year. Kicking has changed a bit this year in that, it's not so boring anymore. To kick now requires more skill than just tapping a button. Now to kick you first pull back on the right analog stick to achieve your desired power. Once you're there you push back up on it to kick it off but you must keep the stick straight or your kick will go wildly off to the side adding a sense of realism to kicking now. It's not unlike the hitting of NCAA Baseball. Another new feature to this years version is "run to daylight". Every year something changes in the way the game is played. Last year was passing. This year they've modified running. Now before the ball is hiked you can switch to a blocker by pressing O. You then hike the ball and have your RB behind you so you can block for him. To block you rely on your right analog stick again. Pressing up will have your man push him over, not so different from the truck stick. Pressing down on the analog stick will do a cut block where you take out your defenders legs so your RB has room to run. At anytime during the play, after you've thrown the block you can press O again and go right back to your RB and reach the endzone. Included in the new "run to daylight" is the highlight stick. Now this can preform different things depending on your backs strength and weakness. Now if you have a Jerome Bettis running the ball your highlight stick is going to be more of a truck stick. If you have Reggie Bush carrying it then you can avoid tackles like a madman. By pressing up on that trusty right analog stick again you will bob and weave like a champion boxer as you avoid would-be tacklers. You'll slip out from under them at the last second or you'll scoot to the side of them. These running feature really can open up some holes and it's one of the new things that really make this game a blast to play.

This years graphics aren't so much to rave about. Sure, they have their moments but that's not often. It looks alot like last years game visual wise, in that, it's just plain boring.I haven't noticed any new moves or tackles in the game at all. Jerseys have no defintion to them. Players are still bulked up bigger than they should be. There are some strong points though. The blocks look cool when you knock somebody over or chop their legs out from under them. When you fall on the field grass rubs down into dirt. Flipping into the endzone leaves a perfect dirt line of where you rolled at. Overall the graphics are dissapointing though.

The music in the game is one of my personal favorite Madden soundtracks though. It's mostly rock with some rap mixed in. With artists like AFI, Cartel, and Dashboard Confessional playing, it really gets you in the mood to jack someone up. The commentary is ok. The things they say are great untill the 19th time you've heard it but that seems to be a trend among sports games these days.

Controls are a breeze to use. If you've ever played Madden in your life then you will quickly know how to play and get right into it. If you've never played before then it will not take you long to get right in there and play with the best. This year running controls differ slightly. Instead of juking with L1 and R1 you push the right analog stick to the right or left. L1 and R1 perform cut moves and if you're back is agile enough you can do two cuts in a row providing devastating moves to make your defenders knees weak.

As in all of the Madden games, there are many game modes. Perhaps the most widely known mode is Play Now. In this mode you just select the two teams you want to play then choose your side and you jump into the game. Franchise mode is nothing new to Madden but it's always been good and this year is no exception. A new mode this year is the NFL Network mode where you get a play with a description on how it works. Then you hear Sterling Sharpe give the breakdown of the play. After that the play is left in your hands to run it and work it to the best you can so you can unleash it against your buddy. Hall of Fame mode is definetly what makes this game most enjoyable to me. You start off by getting your DNA where you can play offense or defense. It also shows your parents and what they do. Say you're dad was the Brett Favre of his time and your mom jogs. You're gonna be one heck of a QB because you have the Hall of Fame pedigree and the quickness from the jogging. After you have your parents your treated to a nice cutscene of you at the Hall of Fame walking up the steps. You're then placed in your room and left to do what you want. You can go to your calendar and do interviews or go to workouts. You can go to the town and get a haircut or tattoo. It's all up to you. You then work your way up to the draft and your placed on your team. Without getting into to much detail your left with one goal, make the Hall of Fame when you retire. Get there by any means necessary. When you decide to play in-game you're only using your player. If you're a wide receiver the camera locks into you. You run the route given or you block for your RB. While you run the route you call for the ball and then catch it but that's it. If it's a run play then you block and just stand there. You don't switch to the player running the ball. Other game modes include tournament, mini-games, and practicing.

Now I put the online mode into it's own section because it's that important to the game. The play online is very well done for a PS2 game. You can enter a lobby and face your skill level of people or you can play a quick match and duke it out with a random person but almost always you can find a game. You level up when you win enough games. Online mode is just a nice addition to an already good game.

Take the Madden formula, combine it with a great new running game, a good soundtrack, some great game modes, and a consistently good online play and you get a game that's just plain fun. Take a gamble on this game, even if you just think it's a roster update. You will not be disappointed.