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Sports simulation is a tough thing to get right. Every year developers try to pack in more features, boost the levels of detail, re-work the commentary and pop a few more bullet points on the coveted feature list on the back of the box. The Madden franchise is no exception. Because of EA’s five-year exclusivity deal they signed back in 2004, if you want to play with real NFL players and teams you only have one choice: Madden. The long-term effects of this move have yet to be seen, but last year’s 360 version of Madden was a painfully obvious attempt to get a half-baked game out the door in time to cash in on the 360’s limited launch lineup. Where Madden 2006 had no real discernable differences from the last-gen versions besides the enormous chunk of missing features and chuggy gameplay, this year’s effort falls more into the line of what we’ve come to expect from EA’s multi-system titles. What does Madden 2007 have in store for 360 owners this year? Well the result is promising for diehard Madden fanatics, as the 360 version is arguably the prettiest of all the console versions. However, for the newbie Madden user who has been forced into the franchise from their 2K sports roots, the transition might be overwhelming. Behold: grass in three dimensions One of the biggest things you’ll notice in Madden 2007 is the level of graphical polish the game has received. Menus are fairly snappy, and if you can play it in 720p, the widescreen presentation makes use of the space fairly well (albeit the text could be a little larger). New features within the game are denoted with a “NEW” tag, and grouped similarly to last year’s iteration. The game info bar rests peacefully an unobtrusively at the bottom of the screen and features a nice shimmer of lights. Stadiums are given an impressive level of detail, and far off landmarks (like Seattle’s Space Needle) are instantly discernable. Player models are clear close up, but there’s a noticeable amount of jaggy polygons from a far. Despite this, little touches like the helmets giving off that pleasing reflection gives it that extra level of authenticity. EA’s worked pretty hard making some of the player faces look incredibly detailed, although in the grand scheme of things, this isn’t really an important feature unless you’re into hyper-realism. For the players they didn’t scan in, it’s just like last year’s models (probably even the same textures), but again if you’re worried about player face detail you’ll be pleasantly surprised by the amount of players they spent time on. |
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> rating
6.6 |
GR Rating |
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