It’s amazing that the Madden fanbase is almost like an exclusive club that I simply don’t get. Why do people enjoy football games? They aren’t fun. Nothing about them is entertaining. I never feel that I’m in control. It’s absolutely shocking for me to say that for the first time in the Madden franchise I actually want to play Madden NFL 07 for the Wii.
Do I understand all the ins and outs of the game? Of course not. The game is still full of all this random stuff for which I have no clue what its purpose serves. But Madden NFL 07 is a great example of a game that reaches out to a new audience while still holds onto its current fanbase.
In previous generations Madden has always been a game that you click to throw, click to punt, click to tackle. Because of the Wii controller EA had to rethink how Madden works. The result is a game where you have to throw the controller in order to throw the football, toss the controller to punt, put your arms in the air to catch, wiggle your controller to avoid a tackle, and yeah it still is click to tackle. Overall these new controls give you the freedom that actual football players have in the sport.
Now these controls are exclusive to the Wii version. Also exclusive to the Wii version are the absolutely sucky graphics. Seriously Madden hasn’t ever had graphics as bad as these on a console since the Dreamcast. Sure it’s nice that if it rains the field becomes muddy, but the models are so low polygon especially on the coaches faces that you almost want to throw up. It’s as if their faces imploded.
Multiplayer is ok, but the 3rd and 4th players will find themselves bored as they are not the quarter backs. The quarter back gets the most fun out of the game. Also there is no online multiplayer, hopefully something that changes in Madden NFL 08.
Bottom line is that if you like football and have never really liked a Madden game, definitely check out Madden for the Wii as it’s a whole new experience.
