The Football Game of Your Dreams

Madden NFL 07 has been through the ringer and come out smelling like roses. Electronic Arts Tiburon has taken previous versions of the game and cranked up the pressure to create a next-gen experience unlike any other football game you've ever known. The latest incarnation of this hugely popular football franchise has enough challenges to keep you busy through the rest of the year and beyond.

Even if you manage to earn all the achievements and get 100% on each level, you'll still have comparisons to your Madden Gamer Level to make you sweat. In Superstar mode, you can play nearly every position on the field from obscurity to the Hall of Fame. In Franchise mode, you can take your team from the bottom of the barrel to the Bowl. This game has so much depth and breadth, you'll even be playing football in your dreams.

Will he have the hands to take it home?

Stardom
In a last-minute Hail Mary into the end zone, EA Tiburon managed to get the Superstar Mode into the Xbox 360 ™ game. Players begged for it, and the developers went the extra mile to make them happy. In this mode, you are just one man, your own unique athlete, and you can build him from the bottom to the top: The Hall of Fame.

Choose any position but one of the kickers. Learn the controls and the strategies for each position. Play every game from the position of your player, with all eyes, including the cameras, on you. Each position offers different options in customization, so each experience will be specific to the competitor you choose in each position.

You're encouraging your teammates,
inspiring them, and even helping train them.

Influence
While playing as your Superstar, you can earn influence points. In both the training session mini-games and on the field, your successes—and failures—impact your reputation both with your own team and with your opponents. In the mini-games, you'll run the 40, do bench presses, and hit the field for drills specific to your position. As you prove yourself and earn more influence points, you'll get savvier agents, better trade offers, and more earn opportunities to handle the ball.

Eventually, you'll accumulate enough influence points that you can start to share them with your teammates. The more points you're willing to share, the better your team will perform. This represents your growing influence on them. You're encouraging your teammates, inspiring them, and even helping to train them. Influence points give you a way to contribute to your team's success in the same way that a real Hall of Famer-to-be would.

Nothing will stand in #22's way.

Skill
One of the new features in the next-gen version of Madden NFL is the Madden Gamer Level system. Players earn points based not on their overall successes and failures, but instead based on specific skills. Each mode has a different skill set. The game tracks how well you do in-game, in Franchise and Superstar mode, and while playing the mini-games. This allows players who prefer Franchise mode to more accurately compare their abilities with those who play a large number of Head-to-heads, for example.

The game challenges you with tasks that you must accomplish in order to earn more Madden Gamer Points. These tasks include things like completing a certain number of passes or running the ball a particular distance. Each of the 50 levels has a bunch of tasks for you to attempt. The more you conquer, the more points you earn. As you rack up the points, you unlock Hall of Fame players that you can use on your team. You will also acquire achievements when you reach certain landmarks with your Madden Gamer Level. Many other rewards await you as well.

He … could … go … all … the … way!

Fame
As you earn Madden Gamer points, you can unlock real-world Hall of Famers to use on your Franchise or Head-to-head teams. EA drafted more than 140 of these well-known players for this game. Once you succeed at a given task or raise your Madden Gamer Level high enough to unlock one of these guys, you also unlock a special Superstar template that will allow you to create your own player with the  personality, talents, and tendencies of that Hall of Famer.

From the beginning of Madden 07, you have access to the Hall of Fame Bio section. You can delve into the history of every available Hall of Fame player and learn about their accomplishments and statistics. You have access to everything that the Hall of Fame keeps on file for the included players. For some of the men, you'll even have access to video footage of them in action.

Keep in mind, this article gives only the most minimal of descriptions of this exciting game's many features. In addition to those listed above, there are also all the Xbox Live® modes to play. Additionally,  Madden NFL 07 has again sent out a tendril to link itself to NCAA® Football 07. If playing with the more than 140 Hall of Fame players or creating your own player for nearly every position on the team isn't enough for you, feel free to draft your favorite NCAA player into the professional ranks. The field and the game are all yours in Madden NFL 07. Your dreams are coming true. The only question that remains is "Whose colors are you going to wear?"

Article by Angel Leigh McCoy