Madden NFL 07 for Xbox 360 Reviews by Gamers

Hello all

Madden 2007 (Next Gen) is a great football game if you exclude previous knowledge of other Madden's. It has everything gameplay wise, but some of it's other features were left out of the 360's version. I.E, Editing a players ratings, Owners mode to name the main two.

The new running stick and lead blocking features are sweet, but the lack of a passing cone makes it a lot easier to pass then to run. You have the option to turn it on( and get bonuses for it), but it is not mandatory.

The various glitches have been fixed, ranging from FG blocking to fumbiling on punt returns. Weather DOES affect fumbles now so be careful running the ball in the snow of Denver or New England.

Madden's gameplay is unmatched by any other game out there, but it lacks that powerful punch it once had.

Madden 07- Phoned in by a lazy old man that doesn't seem to care anymore. I love Madden. It has been great to us for years, but this version is just dull, and uninspired. The graphics wont melt your eyes, but are improved. Most noticeably in character, stadium, crowd and turf models. But nothing to get all excited about. The new feature allowing you to control your lead blocker to set up your run, and easily select back to control your back to slip the gaps is pretty cool, and a nice touch. Franchise mode is more robust, you can run practice drills to prepare for your next game. On line play seems to have fewer bugs than 06. But The game flat out cheats with the Stealers. Hines Ward cannot catch every pass while in triple coverage. From now on I suggest as well that to spare our beloved MVP NFL stars, that Johnny is put on all future covers. I wish no harm, I just don't want to hear about this seemingly uncanny curse anymore. Look folks it the only game in town, and we have no choice and that is shameful on EA Sports. It has made them lazy, and boring. But what can you do? The game works, its fun, and it is fundamentally sound as a football sim. To you guys calling it a perfect 10, but also noting flaws, you are a little nutty. 10 is perfection without flaws. Be consistent, not stupid.
All that said Madden 07 just barely slips in at a 7 marginally better than 06. Anyone looking for a good traditional fair game on X Box Live, no 4th down freaks, look me up for a classy game, and fun. See me- "Atom Heart Mthr" and if you know what that means, you get a prize. No not a million dollars just a sincere appreciation for the effort. So see you all on line and let try an have more fun with this game than they designed it for. Oh I almost forgot. Why is it so painfully un user friendly to simply change the clock for quarter length? Another bummer, menus are broken and hard to understand and navigate.

Madden NFL 2001 for the playstation 2 was unbelievable, you didn't even want to go back to playstation 1. When Madden 06 was released for the Xbox 360, you had that pain in your stomach telling you.."you shoulda waited for ps3, but you just have no patience. You spent 400 dollars for a game that had 2005 graphics, but had 1993 features and game play." Ok..well, Madden NFL 07 makes that pain go away (a little). Superstar mode is there which is pretty fun depending on which position you play due to camera issues. Franchise mode is there, even though its not as fun as it used to be, it will still keep you occupied. Theres a few features that the previous titles had that is not in the game. But don't let this negative talk make you thing negative of the game. This game has greatly improved and is well on its way to making you forget about the maddens you wish it was like. The graphics are beautiful. The game play and control is smoother than last year. New mini games are fun. The commentating shows slight improvement and the madden ranking system gets you more involved into the game.
My wish list for madden 08:
1. Be able to choose between a radio announcer and Madden and Michaels. I took advantage of madden before and now I am sorry. Madden I miss you. You can say "boom" all you want, I wont get mad anymore.
2. Give Franchise mode the feel back again. Give it that old "make you not want to leave your house or never get up to even go to the bathroom" feel again. Espn could maybe have a little more involvement. Boomers top ten plays of the week would be nice. Highlights from different games would be as well. Instead of using space to show highlight reels of old players, use that space for other things. Like a more in depth owner mode.
3. Fantasy Draft
4. Sometimes you do something that you know will probably not happen again and you would like to save the replay. I want to save the replay.

I would recommend.

It hurts me to say bad things about Madden football since I've bought everyone since 1992, but there's a lot of bad to say, with a fair amount of good. On the good side the actual game play is better than ever. AI is much improved and the football rarely passes through my defenders like they are holograms, but it does still happen. The new highlight stick is nice but still isn't as advanced as using the stick was on NFL 2K5. The playbooks haven't changed much so if your hoping for some new plays, you won't find many. Still I play the game almost every day. That being said, here are my complaints. Mainly they are all about why the "360" version of the game lacks so many of the basics that are available on last generation consoles. I can't create a team, I can't do a fantasy draft, I can't hire and fire coaches in the off season, I can't playmaker individuals on defense meaning-I can't switch a safety to a new zone or set him to cover some one man on man, I can't set an individual linebacker to play a zone or spy the quarterback, I can't slide the protection of my offensive line, there are no formation shifts, there are no right stick audibles for each formation on offense, there's no owner mode at all, I can't edit players which bugs me but isn't a huge deal, but I should at least be able to change player's numbers. I hate it when I make Bo Jackson but there was already a #34 so now Bo is #29 for ever and all I can do is delete him, make some roster changes and then create him all over again.
All in all this is still a good game that is fun to play, I just wish I didn't feel like I should have bought it for my XBox and not my 360

Yes, like many other desperate Madden freaks I camped out at my local videogame store waiting for the midnight release of this game on XBox 360. I can't tell you how disappointed I was on so many levels when I got this thing home. Madden??? He is almost nowhere to be found!! The ONLY time you'll hear ANY commentary from him is brief tidbits when you "Ask Madden" for a play to call during a game. Some nameless nobody does the boring and VERY repetetive play by play. Also gone is the player card system that used to let you buy cheats and assistance. While it was time consuming and sometimes a pain, it was part of the experience and should have been improved (as in MUCH faster card load times) rather than ditched. The new fucntion for this year? You get to be the blocking back for a few seconds. Big stinking deal. Now we know what happens when a company like EA buys out the license to the entire NFL gaming catalog - no one else can publish any NFL games SO we get a subpar garbage heap like this. Why try to make a great game when you bought out the rights of the competition? There are a few nice things, like decent (but not what you would expect on the 360) graphics, but nothing astounding. The playbooks are nothing special, more of the same old same old, but you can have more liberty with which defenses you call.
All in all, I'd say save your money, email EA and tell them how much they sucked this time around, and pray that either they pull their heads out next year or wait for the competition to be able to come back... I thought monopolies were illegal in this country! This kind of poor effort is one reason why. Get ahold of EA and tell them they really blew it this time. Or stop buying from them - thats one language they are sure to understand. I'm gonna play ESPN 2K5 on my PS2 just on principle.

The one question I seem to ask myself as I play this game is WHY!. Because all of the cool features that are missing are just so obvious. I just can't see how they could miss this for the second year in row. So here are my WHY's

WHY: cant I tell the dumb receiver's to change there route with the flick of the stick like in madden 04 what on earth happened to that.

WHY: Is ESPN not implemented into this game at all no one from espn no highlights from espn nothing what is this junk? NFL 2k5 did it brilliantly and that was on a regular Xbox

WHY: Can't I go back to my lead blocker once I switch to the halfback.

WHY: Is owner mode not in this I wanna set ticket prices/food/drinks/I wanna put a Fing spa in the stadium and add more box seats, I wanna sell the team, but i can't do that with this game.

WHY: Do you have those camera cutaways during play there choppy, they slow play down and you end up seeing the same ones over and over it's dumb.

WHY: Does EA continually make the same mistakes year in and out with this game? Don't they read reviews haven't they learned how to make a perfect Fing football game after 15 Fing years

WHY: Is This game $60.00 for this system too much is missing

WHY: Doesn't the kick meter give me a percentage point number of how accurate I was or how much power I got from the kick. WHY
WHY: Does the AI suck

WHY: Can I not change my defensive coverage with the flick of the right analog stick which isn't used at all.

WHY: Can I not double cover a receiver

WHY: Is does the precision cone come up when I flick the right analog stick who needs that stupid thing
Why: are sideline catches still impossible

WHY: don't EA and Take two try switching off their sports titles for a year so this way EA can go back to the sport there good at making (Baseball) and Take two can have (football)

WHY: Is owner mode not in this I wanna set ticket prices/food/drinks/I wanna put in more seats I wanna sell the team i can't do that with this game

Madden has been king for several years now and I am not sure why. This year is no different. People here that the new madden game is coming out and they rush to buy it. I bought it because I thought that it was impossible to mess it up this many years in a row. As soon as I bought it I was completely dismayed by the fact that you can't edit rosters. It has only been a feature the last 8 years or so. The stadium and grass graphics are unbelievable but the players just look unnatural to me. The training camp mini games are awful. They are not fun and very repetitive. Also the stamina bar never works in the game, once again proving that they rush their games out much to fast. How could noone catch that. the only good is that the online is great. Live opponent is a great addition. The gameplay itself is good but could be much better. I am a little confused when my 220 lb RB gets knocked 8 feet backward by a 190lb Champ Bailey on every hit stick. I could go on all day with the innacurricies in this game. One last thing, Superstar mode is absoulutely pointless.

For the most part, this years Madden has brought with it the best from the past. The passing cone is still around, although its an option (you do get bonuses for using it though.)

Lead Blocking and the Highlight stick are great. I began a Superstar Career as a FB, drafted by the Texans and had a blast blocking for Davis. You don't realize until you play the position from their point of view what its really like. Every play that your superstar is on the field, you play as him and only him. This is so exciting because it really envelopes you in the action.

Franchise mode is solid, as are the new mini-games, although the 40 and the Bench Press have a bit of a learning curve. Again, unfortunately, things were left out of the 360 version, but none of the omissions were as ridiculous as leaving Campus Legend out of the NCAA game. Oh, and capitalism is still raging as one of the achievements requires you to import a draft class, i.e. have Madden AND NCAA.

While the Madden Gamer Levels are a bit unnecessary and somewhat useless, it is more rewarding than the Madden Challenge in the past. All in all, this game, while missing a few great features of old versions of itself, puts together a package on the 360 that is not only a gem to play, but is visually stunning as well. Simple things, like changing the team background and logos to the team that drafted you after the draft adds to the excitement of the draft (since you don't actually get to hear your name called.)

If you like football, check it out. If you liked NCAA, check it out. Its worth it.

I waited for three hours at my local Game Stop to get madden 07' last night and as soon as I got home I started playing it to find out the three hour wait was definitely worth it. Madden 07 is a huge improvement from last years disappointing debut of madden for the Xbox 360.The graphics are incredible and the gameplay is spectacular.

I can already tell that some people will love the new game features and game modes and some people will hate them. The lead blocker control and the highlight stick to me was a great addition to the game that makes the gameplay more enjoyable but on the other hand I was not too impressed with the new mini games such as the forty yard dash and bench pressing. Superstar mode is fun and all but the camera views make it very hard to see what you are doing because this year the camera just focuses on your player and not any of your teammates. Another thing will be both loved and hated depending on who you are is that in Superstar mode you can only control your player and not the whole team.

The graphics are amazing. The detail in the player models, stadiums, and fields are just jaw dropping. When the game starts to head into the third quarter you can actually start seeing the field get worn out.

The emotions of the players really adds a nice touch to the game. The one thing that can get annoying is that some tackles can look very unrealistic but on the other hand some tackles can look very nice.

Overall it’s an incredible game that you must have if you are a sports gamer.

Graphics - 9.3
Gameplay - 8.9
Presentation - 9.1
Sound - 9.2
Playback Value - 9.7

Overall - 9.2

Well, where do I start? BAD GAME. It is a game of football that can be played, but that's where it ends for me. Ghost tackles and Blockers that stand around more than they do their jobs ruin the game. Not to mention a players running speed which change depending on what's happening on the field. When my fastest receiver can't catch a lineman who picks up a fumble running towards the end zone for 80 yards something wrong is happening. He may not be able to tackle him, but he should at least catch him. There will not be any thanks to EA for grabbing the NFL deal when Madden 07 still can't compete with sega's 2k5 football. Maybe instead of all the extra mini games and superstar modes they should go back and figure out how to give us a GOOD football game. Start with the basics EA and then go from there.

Alrighty first I would like to thank EA for screwing over football fans. Now that they are the only company that can put out a NFL game, they feel that they will get away with sub par games. Guess what...they will because I actually purchased this game. This game has sooo much work that needs to be done it's sick. NFL 2k5 back on the Xbox was a better game than this. They added the ability to challenge plays, well I tried it for the first time and guess what? I did not work. They reversed the call said I got the ball back. Then when the game went back to play, my apponent had 1st and 10!!! Nice job EA. It has the dumbest commentary in the world. Why they keep saying things like "you've won a new computer, or your've won bla bla bla" during the game blows my mind. Why not put all that work on making the game play better? From what I see, this is nothing but NCAA 2k7 with NFL teams. The plays are exactly the same, all teams have all the same plays. No half time show. It's just a big dissapointment. But what can we do?

This game was awesome, especially superstar mode.
the view might be hard at first but after a while you'll get used to it. I would also like to mention the detailed stadiums,for example the new Cardinal stadium looks exactly as it does in real life and the rosters are accurate.
this game has great control response and the kicking system is awesome.

You know I can't remeber the last time EA put out a game worth bragging about. This game is terrible just like NCAA. I feel sick for wasting so much of my hard earn money. The WR on the game can't catch for nothing. The DT SPRINT towards the sideline leaving a gap big enough to drive a mack truck through. Lead blocker is terrible, you can't tell where your HB is when he is behind you.How can a big company like EA even sleep at night knowing they just ripped off a lot of people.

This game looks great. And that's all the good there is to it. The menus are full of horrible glitches, making it frustrating to say the least to even get the right play selected. The AI in the Superstar mode is laughable at best, sometimes dog piling behind a runner springting for the end zone, or calling the same play repeatedly and not remembering that the last 5 times it was called the defense intercepted and ran it back for a touchdown.

The menu for deciding what to play is complex and the method for getting your friends to play with you online is even more so. The manual is anemic at about 8 pages. I'm guessing it's to get you to buy the strategy guide book.

This is the last Madden game I'm buying and unless something changes quickly over at EA, it could be the last one of theirs I buy as well.

I usually don’t write reviews, but I just need to vent a little. Why is it that every game I get for XBOX 360 a piece. The games are full of bugs & don’t work the way they should.

Here is list of my issues w/ Madden

-Can’t change the camera angel
-Pre game sucks (I’m playin a preseason game not the Super Bowl)
-No halftime highlights
-Replays only show the end of the play
-Very repetitive (How many time can you watch the QB break the huddle or the holder get ready for a field goal)
-Off-season (the game keeps freezing during the free agent period)
-No fantasy Draft
-Hall of Fame players added to free agent pool
-Confusing menus

There is no excuse for this type of product! I miss video games that were fun -

EA did a good job making Madden 07 for the 360 an easy transition from the X-Box. You still get the Madden feel. The menu's for the 360 aren't very easy or colorful and aren't fun to deal with, they have the ESPN license so why they don't use it and spruce up the horrid menu's for Madden 360 is beyond me. Franchise for 360 has a couple great additions one is where you can train 3 players every week to gain points and then use those points on attributes as opposed to a training camp at the beginning of the season, the other is a Hall of Fame, finally there is a reason for you're players devasting career numbers. You really feel a sense of accomplishment in Franchise now. However, the horrible menu will hurt your love for franchise a little. I know alot of people are thinking how can a menu effect my love for a game, well I'd say clearly you haven't played Madden for the 360 yet.

Now the deal killer for me. Madden 07 online. Madden 07 for 360 is horrible. Their is no fair play option for ranked games, so now the fantastic little twerps who found exploits on the current gen get to terrorize you "legally" by going for it on 4th and going for 2 everytime. Unless you have a group of friends you play online I wouldn't waste your time with online.

I gave this game a 5. It's got fairly ok gameplay (D-Line will hardly get sacks which will kinda kill your 'chise fun.) but I play games online. Infact, I won't even buy a game unless it plays online and Madden 07 just doesn't cut it for fans of true football or the current gen online. So if you're like me and put a good deal of emphasis on online gaming spend your money elsewhere,Call of Duty 3 anyone?, but if you're someone who is all about offline gameplay I'd rent this game and see if you can get past the worst menu in history enough to buy it.
Hope this helped.
"The" Maltese Kitten

I will try to make this as short as I can.
Although the graphics are decent it still looks off. Players faces rarely match their real life counterpart, and the player models are all to stubby looking. There is a noticeable height difference but even the QB's look like LBs. The animations are horrid for the most part. There still are no two-man tackles, players "glide" along the turf and get stuck in an animation which in turn keeps them from going where they should be. The collision detection is way-off.
There are other numerous problems, too many to list.
The A.I. is, for the most part, worthless. The defensive players are more like placeholders. They seem to have nothing more than a area to move to. It's really hard to put into words but the defense is extremely weak on almost every level.
Which leads to the next grip, the offense. As the defense is weak the passing game is a joke. It's easy to pass for 400yds in a 5min. quarter game with ease. The running game is a little better but not much. The main thing that holds the running game down to just a little ridiculous yards is that the O-line is at times worthless. They stand around and block air. The running back, if to close to a blocker, will get stuck and just run in place. Realistic I know.
There are other issues as well, these are the first that come to mind.
The other modes are hit and miss. The Super Star mode is a cool idea but is mostly worthless unless you choose to use a QB. The on-line is laggy and the EA servers are so sub par I can't even comment further. The franchise mode is pretty good, it just needs a little tweaking.
I am sure that others covered what I missed but one thing is for sure, I will continue to RENT Madden games until it is worth buying; which sadly may be a long-ways off.

All i can say is wow....what happened...the graphics to me looked better on the original xbox for Madden 2006. Hate the superstar mode...and i actually think that NCAAFootball2007 is better than Madden. Must be nice for Madden that they have no competion now that ESPN is gone. Hopefully next year they won't just be trying to make a quick buck and actually do something nice for us.

EA Sports games have been going down hill for the last few years now. This is just another example of how competition makes for better games. Since there is no other NFL Licensed football games out there, EA can just throw something together and it will sell. Don't get me wrong, this game looks and sounds great and sometimes plays OK too.
But for the most part it will just make you pull out your hair when that pass interference call does not come, or that defender flies out of no where to slap the ball away. We deserve better than this, and with the systems available today why cant they fix the problems that have been there for years. Another thing, where are the field goal nets and chain gang? They have been in madden since 94, not to mention no john.
Don't bother on this one you are better off playing Saints Row this year.

Being a Madden fan for years I expected a much better game than this. The only thing going for it is the graphics. NCAA 07 plays much better and even as the correct announcers calling the game. Waste of time!!

This years Madden for the 360 is better then last years. But this isn't what I would call next gen football. The game play is sloppy and control is sluggish(even offline). The graphics are alright, passable at best. The sound is passable. The announcing is bad, bare bone, lackluster and completely void of excitement. Not to mention often saying the wrong thing. IMO, EA needs to drop the mini game garbage. Not doing them hurts player moral and development, doing them is not football - I give the controller to my 12 yr old to do some of the drills. All in all this game is playable. Because this is the only NFL game we are going to get for a very long time, it really doesn't matter how good it is. If ya like NFL football, your stuck playing this. It could be much better.

THIS GAME PROMISE ALOT AND YEILDED A LITTLE. THE 360's VERSION WAS A WONDERFUL VISUAL SIGHT BUT HAD AN HORRIFIC GAMEPLAY SYSTEM. THE FRANCHISE MODE LEFT ME FEELIN EMPTY AND SLEEPY(VERY BORING). THIS WAS THE MADDEN THAT WE ALL WANTED TO HAVE THE NEXT GEN FEEL WITH THE CURRENT GEN GAMEPLAY.I WAS MADE TO WONDER IF THE 360 WAS EVEN MADE TO HANDLE A SPORTS GAME eg(MADDEN). THE NEW CAMARA ANGLE IN THE SUPER STAR MODE WAS WEAK,I WAS LET DOWN BY THE GAME PLAY AND THE UNSKIPABLE KICKING CUTSCREENS.THE CURRENT GEN XBOX IS A MUCH BETTER BUY,WHILE THE 360's VERSION NEEDS TO BE TAKEN OFF THE SHELFS.

TURN AWAY DONT WASTE YOUR TIME

Im not going to get into the whole EA vs 2k thing but it really takes alot away from football fans when there is no other option, I mean both versions had their good and bad points but Madden and EA's deep pockets should have spent more time and research into what their fans have posted on their forums. They left alot out and the gameplay is mediocre and the graphics,ehhh not quite next gen. Madden fans reviews here have been saying "well it's better than last year" cutting my toenails was more fun than Madden last year, but they also keep saying "every year it gets a bit better but not quite there yet" Well the only thing they(EA) will do for the next few years is update rosters and have a new cover since this was their "next-gen built from the ground up" project I wouldn't be expecting any major changes and I for one am not going to spend the money year after year for updated rosters. Bottomline Madden dissappoints and if you have it take out 2k3 except for graphics because of the time it's way better for actual football. Its unfair for EA to monopolize the NFL especially if they are not going to make it the absolute best football game ever.