Madden 07
SCORE: 82
“If its in the game, its in the game.” That slogan has been a part of Electronic Arts for quite awhile. It is their motto when it comes to describing the sports games they create. The Madden video game football franchise has been around for seventeen years. That is a long time for a video game franchise, especially a sports one. This video game franchise is generally considered to be the king of the football video games. EA Sports has not sat on their laurels though. They tweak the game every single year in order to make it better. Shaun Alexander of the Seattle Seahawks graces of the cover of Madden NFL 07, and that also means the running game has been improved. Part of that improvement is the lead blocker controls which adds some amazing strategy to the running game. The Nintendo DS also has some fascinating changes made to the kicking game. The player points where the kick starts from, where the kick ends, and finally draws a line between the two. The X’s, and the O’s are on the top screen, and the action of the game is on the bottom screen. The menu screens also utilize the bottom touch screen to improve menu navigation.
Graphically Madden NFL 07 on the Nintendo DS is a bit of a disappointment. The beginning menu screens, and players shown are just beautiful. However the players on the field are blocky, and the fields look pretty grainy. I found it difficult to discern offensive and defense when I was passing down field. There is a lot in this game, but don’t compare the graphics of the PSP version to that of the Nintendo DS version. The DS version just looks bad. I really hopes that when a player like Shaun Alexander scored a touchdown, there would be graphics pointing to heaven; sadly there were not.
The sounds handle really well on the Nintendo DS. This year Family
Friendly Gaming took the time to read through the lyrics of the songs
being played in Madden NFL 07. I was shocked to find out how offensive
some of these lyrics are. Thankfully Electronic Arts included an option
to turn those sounds off. They are also played rather low as the default
setting. The sounds on the football field are accurate, without going
over the top. The sounds on the football field work quite well with this
game.
If you can handle the graphics, and then do not mind turning off the
music, there is a lot of replay to be found in this game. This is
football, and that means season, franchise, and a ton of other modes and
mini games. In this reviewer’s humble opinion this game is worth it if
you play twenty dollars or less. If you have a PSP, then go for that
version over the DS version.
The controls are quick, and responsive. The flow of the football game goes quite well. EA Sports captured the momentum shifting of a football quite well. The control designs are usually good with the exception of that kicking. It is extremely difficult to learn, and is hard to make work right. The level designs are also done quite well. If you like the running game, then this is a football game for you.
How you feel about football is how family friendly you will find
Madden NFL 07. I personally played football in High School, and
comprehend deep down what the game is about. Sports games are generally
safer than other genres for the family friendly factor. Football does
have some violence involved with the game itself. I would love for some
sequels without some of that music, and some drastically improved
graphics.
- Paul
Graphics: 70%
Sound: 76%
Replay/Extras: 89%
Gameplay: 84%
Family Friendly Factor: 82%
System: Nintendo DS
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Rating: 'E' for Everyone
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