Gaming Trend

Gaming Trend Review

by John DeGiorgio

Times were tough over at the Gaming Trend Estates. Sure, it’s always a party in the summer; Ron has on the red smoking jacket, pipe in one hand, martini in the other, while the GT girls are frolicking in the grotto as we lounge around looking for something to do. We reached the end of the dry season for gaming with one more review of a little known title. I can’t imagine that many of you have even heard of it, as it comes from a small company and focuses on the little known sport of football. I’ll do what I can to bring you into the world of Madden for the Xbox 360.

Last year we got our first taste of next-gen Madden when it debuted on the 360 at launch. The graphics were the only memorable upgrade to what was the usual, first year on a new console, snow job from EA. Madden ’06 looked a little better than before and that was it.

This year things get even better. The helmets are shinier, the stadiums are cleaner and the fans look happier. This is all very nice but there are still the problems of old when you hit the field.
Your wideouts magically appear under the ball, QBs look one way and throw the other, and my old favorite of RBs running up the asses of their linemen are all still in the game. To be honest, these things are more gameplay issues but are graphical in nature, so I mention them in here first.

Stealing from my very own review of the Xbox version (That can’t be plagiarism, can it?), the EA trax are killing me. There are some NFL Films songs in here but I’ve had enough of EA trying to become record promoters in addition to a game studio. Are they getting paid by record companies to put this crap in the games or is it the other way around? In either case, however the music is getting in here; it’s coming from the same place every time. It’s the same bad hip-hop and alternative rock all over the place. Does anyone want to listen to a bunch of bands constantly yelling and pretending to be tough guys when they are trying to switch out starting free safeties. Settle down and get out. Why won’t EA allow me to use my own soundtracks? It’s same old, sad story.

On to the big improvement: No Madden. Much like my suggestion for music in the game, for a few years it sounded as if The Coach never updated his in-game sounds. He’s a Hall of Famer now so maybe he doesn’t have the time. It’s more likely that his situation and partner were both up in the air at the time of recordings but I’ll take shots at him anyway. Now, on the field you hear a radio-like broadcast of the game. It’s so different that it almost took me by surprise. I know I like it better than John and Al droning on and on but still wish that maybe there was a less sterile approach to the commentary. Maybe two guys in the booth? I’m not going to complain too much since it could be a step in the right direction.

The big difference is a bit less of a surprise because we’ve seen the new kicking meter in NCAA ’07 back in July. The change parallels the changes to the golf swing in video games over the last 5 years. Kicking has gone for a succession of button presses to the ‘swinging’ of the right analog stick back and forth to create the kicking motion. It’s a huge change that may or may not be easily picked up, depending on if you play Tiger Woods or not. I found it pretty easy to pull off, but I also had an awful time with the old kicking meter, so take that into consideration.

The increased focus on the running game has also given us a nice change of pace, before the snap you can now select a blocker to help out the running game. This is a huge help and a worthwhile addition to a stagnant and ineffective running game over the last few years.

With the new blocker controls, we also get new runner specific moves with the right stick. Not just the truck stick anymore, the right sick will now have different moves based on different running styles. This makes the running game more realistic than last year when guys like Brian Westbrook would be forced to try and stand up a linebacker because that’s how the stick was mapped.

And to rip even more from my Xbox review, I’m going to mention that the speed burst is the same button on offense and defense, proving EA will rip some things from the competition.

Not much difference from the Xbox version once again. The 360 seems identical on the field and plays a decent game of football. The similarities will lead me back over to what I wrote in the past:
Ray Lewis was on the cover a few years ago and we got the Hit Stick. I think this was kind of gimmicky and still wish they’d dump it. Last year Donovan McNabb was on the cover and we got the Passing Cone. This was gimmicky and it’s like they did dump it by hiding it as an option. This year Shaun Alexander is on the cover. This could only mean one thing: The focus is on running.

You can run this year. Last year I would routinely play games where the total rushing yards were under 30 combined. Yes, I’ve heard it all before, “You’re doing something wrong. You need learn how to run in Madden.” I need to learn how to run? I’ve been watching football for 30 years and playing football video games since they’ve been available, but somehow, in the last few years, I had it wrong and the wonderful people at EA actually had it all figured out? Please. They needed to fix it. We can start with my old favorite of running in place behind your blockers and go to the problem of your line releasing their blocks WAY too early to mention a few issues. Although you still run in place behind your blockers, you can pound the ball with some effectiveness this year. Your line seems to be a bit more intelligent and allow you to get some things done. They hold their blocks longer and show some intelligence even when plays break down. All this and I haven’t even gotten to the best feature for the running game yet.

No Hit Stick or Passing Cone in Madden ’07, this year you get to strap it on and play the game as a 350 pound O-Lineman and it’s no gimmick. Before the snap you can pick any player and use them as a blocker. It’s great. Not only can you be a lineman but you can also take the fullback position and blow someone up in the hole. You can take a tight end and seal the corner. It’s new, it’s fun and it works. This is a rare combination.

Beefing up the running intelligence and allowing you to take control yourself has added a legitimate running game to what was a ‘pass only’ offense. This isn’t to say that you should be running all over the place every game. It’s still way too easy to pass in Madden. The QBs dominate still and you can pass your way to victory with almost every offense. The ‘Niners and Texans can throw all day with good results. At least there is the option to run the ball even though you may not need to.

Once you get past the running innovations it’s painfully obvious that everything else has stayed pretty close to the same. EA claims that the defense is helped by the “Authentic Defensive Playbooks.” While it’s nice to have the actual plays that your team runs on D, it doesn’t help too much no matter the play call when the passing game is dominant and the running game is improved. I’m expecting a new focus on the defense next year and that would be welcomed.

There’s more game than you’d ever have time for. You can get yourself into franchise or play online forever. Nothing holding you back, one curious note in the Superstar Mode, where you can create a player and try to get him to ‘The Hall’ there is an option for picking your parents. Huh? Did we really need this one? EA is going all out; why not just ramp it up next year and let us watch the parents date and actually conceive your player? Then maybe after that, we can step things up and have a whole “Family Tree” mini-game where you get to go back to the 1600’s and see how good you can get at creating the ultimate athlete for 2008? Either that or maybe EA could finally give us online replays? I say we put this to a vote! Does it matter? I mean, really. I’m having a hard time thinking what I, or anyone writes about Madden is going to have no impact on anything. Not that I think I have some kind of power over anyone at any time, but this game is in its own world. You’re either getting it, or you're not. By the sales numbers every year, I’m going to assume you’ve already got it.
While it’s a better game than it was last year for the 360, it really isn’t THE football video game that we hoped for. I’ve always said that the best day of Madden football you will have every year will be the day before it’s released. At that point, there’s all sorts of hope and dreams running through your head. You have this vision of the greatest gaming experience of your life in just 24 short hours. Then the reality hits and you’ll settle into a pretty good football game that leaves you wanting more and waiting for next year.

Gaming Trend Score

84

1. Graphics: 87
2. Audio: 65
3. Controls: 90
4. Gameplay: 87
5. Value/Replay: 90
6. OVERALL:84