Madden NFL 07 [PSP]

Madden's PSP debut was less than stellar. Not quite as neutered as the original 360 release, it still left a lot to be desired. The good news for Madden fans is that EA has fixed a lot of the technical difficulties that plagued the inaugural PSP release. The loading times aren't great, but they're better; we didn't find the crash problems that killed franchise games last time; and the overall flow of the game is much better.

That doesn't mean that Madden NFL 07 on the PSP is a must-have. EA is still trying to cram the PS2 release into Sony's portable to the greatest possible degree, and it doesn't always work. The core game is once again recognizably Madden, and if you're transitioning over from the PS2, the controls and performance will be very familiar.

The basic look and feel of the core game is indistinguishable from last year, and the basic mode array returns as well: exhibition, practice and franchise. As in last year's game, tasks in franchise mode can take a lot of loading, making the game a lot slower to play than we (and the PSP's battery) would like.

The most noticeable new mode is End to End, in which you'll turn the PSP vertical and try to drive the ball carrier into the endzone, tapping buttons to evade defenders. The first time through this arcade game you might find some novelty value, but it's ultimately useless and unable to captivate.

As in every other edition of the game, the big new feature is the ability to take control of blockers during offensive plays. You can select linemen, fullbacks and tight ends at the line of scrimmage through a relatively simple interface, at which point the camera zooms in slightly and control passes to that player. When the block is accomplished or failed, the camera zips back to the ball carrier. Unlike the console version, however, that camera move isn't very smooth, and you might have trouble seeing enough of the field to make good choices; we often ended up scrubbing the blocking control as a result.

We complained about the ever more complex controls in our console reviews; here that problem is compounded by the PSP's more limited button layout. So learning and implementing the moves for a lineman can be a load of work; so too can learning and using the highlight stick, which replaces the more simple truck stick of last year.

The good news is that you can still play Madden without giving too much time to the extra bells and whistles. Since the core game (passing, defensive AI and control, etc) is reliable, we'll stick to the basics and hope EA stops trying to simply emulate the PS2 release, and tailors the game specifically to the PSP next year.