Madden NFL 07 [X360]

The key element of Superstar is that you'll be required to play your position, and play it well through season after season. Where Madden has traditionally been a Quarterback simulator, here you can take on any position in the game, including the lowly kicker. Playing a safety or halfback exclusively turns Madden into a more challenging and specific game. When your player isn't on the field, the action will rush by in double-time, though there's also the option to step into the QB's shoes and play as normal until your superstar's number comes up again.

Further depth is added to the mode with the addition of roles, which are position-specific behaviors that can give a leadership edge, intimidate opponents or juice your own stats. You'll earn new roles by performing well on and off the field

Until the PS3 arrives, the Xbox 360 will be the only place to take advantage of the Madden Gamer Level. That's EA's way of customizing the Achievements found in every 360 game. Performing tasks earns points, which level up your ranking from zero to 50 and unlock Hall of Fame players that can be dropped into franchise rosters. Ranking points can be bet when players play head to head games on the same console, but unfortunately not while playing online.

While most of the additions make the game more robust, the overall product isn't perfect. There's already one notable bug which finds the fatigue system responding poorly, even when players are sprinting through play after play. (EA has already promised a patch, to be delivered at a future date.)

Furthermore, while aspects of the blocking system are definitely useful, EA continues to push development of Madden in directions that make it more difficult to play instead of more approachable. The range of in-game options is impressive, but when each one pulls up its own set of dense overlays and submenus, it's hard to see why anyone but the most determined would want to bother. Every Madden release has a few more features that most people will never learn to use.

EA's challenge is not to simplify their simulation or stop adding detail, but to integrate those features so well that players can simply marvel at how advanced the game has become. The Superstar revisions are a step in the right direction, since they allow players to focus on the entire game one player at a time, but otherwise that's just not the case. As it is, Madden NFL 07 represents a solid buy for 360 owners, but we'd like to see the series really evolve along with the hardware that plays it.