The audio in Madden 2007 is something of a mixed bag, good and bad. The music gets old after a few hours with the game and the commentary is nothing to write home about. It gets repetitive as all sports commentary does in video games and as always I found myself doing the play by play much better than any game announcer. Where the audio shines is the sound effects and atmospheric audio such as cleats hitting the grass, smack talk before the hike, and even the audience warming up to Vince Young as he makes his way into Nashville. Hearing Tiki Barber talk smack to a 350-pound lineman before the play starts is just awesome, EA really made me feel like I’m in a professional football game this time around and for that I can’t say enough. The audio is not perfect but it is still some of the best we have heard from a Madden title, if that matters to you.
Graphically EA’s new rendition of Madden football is easily the best-looking gridiron game on any system to date. The power of the Xbox 360 comes out a little bit with this game, even though it only runs at a constant 30 fps it is still a solid, gorgeous 30 frames. There are new faces scanned in for realism which on one hand is great but just like Madden 2006, 2007 faces the same problems with player models. The more EA decides to scan in only makes the few that are still stock standout beyond the rest. It may seem unrealistic to have every player in the NFL’s face scanned into a video game but one can only dream. Madden 2007 receives the same praise for stadiums that I gave NCAA a few weeks ago, just amazing. I have been to more than a few NFL stadiums in my lifetime and I have to say that the same feeling I got walking into the astrodome for the first time is relived here on virtual screen. There are new animations a plenty, my favorite of which is the one that allows you to “fall” into the end zone after a long run; there are also many touchdown celebration dances that add to the fun. The grass or turf we have come to love with EA Sport’s Fifa games is here in full force but this time it wears down as the game goes on. By the end of the game you will be able to notice a difference in grass height and it’s thickness. Collision control is working well in this version of Madden and tackles or high jumps alike look as good as ever for a football game. All in all the graphical department of Madden 2007 carries it high above any other graphical attempt at a football title before it.
At the end of the day I get an eerie deja-vu feeling every time I review a Madden title, even if it is next-gen. Luckily for me this time around EA has made Madden Football 2007 unique enough that I am not disappointed where my sixty bucks went in the least. The Dynasty mode will always hail as king of Madden but this year showed us that EA still has a few tricks up their sleeve. The Superstar mode is something that alone is worth the price of admission for this game and when added to everything else included Madden 2007 is a must buy for any football fan. The graphics are tight, the controls are easy, and the in-game audio is something that is icing on the cake. NCAA is still my favorite EA football game, but once I complete my 10th dynasty in it Madden will no doubt take up hours upon hours more of my life.
