EA's Madden series has been a staple game for me in the last several generations of consoles. Each year I make a trip to my local game store to trade in last years Madden for the newest. Some years, the changes and features made to the game really elevate the game play ... other years I've gone out of my way to disable them. When I finally got my hands on a Nintendo Wii console, there was no doubt in my mind that Madden NFL 07 was going to be the first game I purchased.

Control:

The biggest element of the Wii Madden release was the way in which the game would be controlled. Madden has, arguably, in years past made the game control too complex in order to accommodate all the additional offensive/defensive play options and I was concerned with how it would translate to the Wii Remote and Nunchuk. Soon after loading the game up, the "Learn Madden" menu option is presented and you are given five or six lessons on several areas of play with the motion control. It soon became apparent to me that most of the motions were quite intuitive. After running through those few lessons, I jumped right into a game to give them a shot and ran into very few problems. Its safe to say that I was "playing" the game within minutes.

In one particular case, my defense forced a "three and out" and we lined up to receive the punt. As the opposing team sent the ball toward me and the camera angle changed to my side, I realized I didn't know how to signal for a "fair catch". I simply raised the Wii Remote over my head and waved it in the air as the players do in a real game ... sure enough ... my player did the same and correctly signaled. I found almost all the play controls to be as easy to guess though some are much more difficult to time than others. I myself am having a very difficult time learning to "run routes" in as a receiver and then actually catch the ball when it is coming my way.

Graphics:

I didn't buy a Nintendo Wii for cutting edge graphics ... I dont even own an HDTV. I have to admit, however, that I was initially disappointed with the graphics of Madden 07 on the Wii. After recently having played Madden 06 on my Xbox, I thought the graphics were even a tiny bit more pixelated than what I had played there. I spent all of about 2 minutes contemplating that when I discovered several other great elements of the game and quickly forgot about my graphic grudge.

When I tried to explain the graphic quality to a friend, I said that it looked like EA had taken screenshots from the 360 release of the game and photocopied them a couple times over. Each photocopy slightly more grainy as the last with a little more detail lost. If I were to take a guess with my limited knowledge of the subject, I'd guess that EA simply rushed the game a bit in order to get it out the door to be a Wii launch title. I hope, and frankly expect, that the next Madden release for the Wii will look and feel even better.

Coaching:

I've been in love with the "Franchise" game mode since it's inception and now even more so with the "NFL Superstar: Hall of Fame" mode. The ability to create a player from scratch and roll the dice as to what kind of abilities he will have and then launch into his career is a great addition. A career mode was available in previous versions of Madden but there is one key difference in this iteration that I really enjoy. In prior generations, when you (ie. your character/player) were on the field, the game played as it always did ... you'd choose the play ... you'd start the play from the quarterback's perspective, you'd hike the ball and run out the play. Now, you aren't in control anymore ... the COACH chooses the plays ... and if your player is on the field ... you are that player and that player ONLY.

For example, if you are playing a running back and a pass play is called ... your responsibility during that play may be to sit in the pocket and block for the quarterback. If it is a pass play, you may have a route to run and thus you may have to stick that route and make a reception (it is via this mode that I learned that "running routes and catching the ball" is possibly the toughest part of the game).

In my opinion this little change really made a difference in terms of the "role playing" experience of this mode and it has effectively reinvented this part of the game for me. (Now if I can just get the receiving part down!)

Replay Value:

As with any sports title, if you have any love of the "sport" itself ... then I don't have to explain the kind of replay value a game like this has.

Summary:

I know that every flavor of console has a Madden 07 ... but the twist the Wii has put on it has rewritten the rules on sports titles and this one is no different. Even the casual sports fan can appreciate how interactive the game has become and the slight price we pay in graphic quality is only momentary. This game will continue to be a staple in my library and I consider it money well spent.