Madden NFL 07 is the latest incarnation in the stellar series from EA Sports and Tiburon. For years, I would spend countless hours on the original PlayStation, playing all the 32-bit Madden titles, relishing every minute of it. Once I got the PS2, I became rather fond of the SEGA's 2K games, but alas, EA has gobbled up all rights to both the NFL and ESPN for literally years to come. However, much to my surprise, getting back in touch with my once stable companion of Madden football was quite a relief.

Visually, this title seems to have plateaued graphically. The days of oohing and ahhing over PS2 titles is just about done. For instance, the player models feel too generic and “dollish” to me. The faces and general aesthetics of the bodies seemed too rounded and muscular, like meathead WWF wrestlers rather than lithe athletes. There is also some mean slowdown at times, which can throw a wrench into a play now and again. However, I do like how there is quite a bit of variation in the equipment, from a bevy of helmet styles, to an innumerable combination of tape, gloves, visors, sleeves, elbow pads and more. Animations are also quite realistic looking -– I never get tired of a defender up-ending a running back by taking out his legs.

The stadiums are painstakingly accurate, and seem to have more life in them than years past, with a host of user-creatable signs and posters, as well as customized fans. Especially noteworthy is the user-created stadium option. You want a triple deck dome with blue Astroturf? You've got it. Or maybe an open air, modest complex with a ring of skyboxes? Knock yourself out, champ.

Soundwise, the stellar soundtrack has a host of popular artists like AFI, Anti-Flag, Dashboard Confessional, Keane (personal favorite of mine), Saves the Day, Audioslave and Wolfmother just to name a few. The mix of “emo-rock” is kind of interesting in the usually hip-hop dominated football scene. Some of these tunes seem a bit out of place to say the least, but at least they have variety.

John Madden and Al Michaels are back again (boy do I miss Summerall…) and do a pretty solid job at that, although they have that annoying habit of being a tad off or repeating themselves. This raises an interesting question because in NCAA Football 2007, I swear Corso and gang pull out new phrases every so often; perhaps the CPU keeps some in reserve. Either way, they don’t annoy, nor do they distract. Heck, Madden and Michaels are both announcing legends after all. I think they have a firm grasp on their roles. Lastly, the assortment of grunts, smacks and on field sound bites are also well done. I especially like the defensive taunts and play calls before the snap.

Madden NFL 07 is back with your usual assortment of features: the standard season, tournament and so forth. But what excites most players is the deeeeeep Dynasty mode and the new revamped Superstar Mode.

The former has the customary options to be a number of multiple teams per season, making trades, signing coaches and so forth. Since I hadn’t played a lot of Madden in the last couple years, I didn’t even realize how crazy things had become. Of course, you can still adjust prices for everything from luxury boxes, parking and those big pretzels that are oh-so-delicious with just a smidge of mustard and… well, you get the point. A lot of options here, but more or less the same as other years outside of the on field action (which I will touch on soon…).

Superstar mode is pretty dang awesome. Let’s make that 100% clear, it ROCKS. Basically, it is similar to last year’s, meaning you select some parents that will lead to your desired position (Punter…"eh, no thanks") and proceed through the NFL Draft (in the exact same order as the real 2007 draft, aside from your rookie mug) and onto training camp. Before you even step onto the real field, you need to run through a bevy of drills in hopes of boosting your stats. In my case, I made a running back, so I caught some balls, ran a few 40-yard dashes and more. Some, like the pass catching exercise, are harder than others.

If you are lucky, you will be picked up by a successful franchise, such as the Colts or Patriots, but you may toil for a while under the pathetic 49ers or Green Bay Packers. Thankfully, you can demand a trade from your agent, but don’t get your hopes up. Along with this, you can visit a training complex (once you upgrade to a better agent, of course) get a tattoo/haircut, check your e-mail from Mom and Coach, and tweak your uniform constantly -- “Do I want the dark visor… or the burnt orange one? Hmm…” Also, you can hold press conferences where you can guarantee a win, or talk badly about your coaches. Heck, you can even read some lines for movie roles and branch out that way. Ultimately, the latter are pretty gimmicky and just not worth your time, really.

On the field, you can’t pick any plays, and if you are hardcore enough, you won’t even play anyone outside your position. You can opt for the CPU to control everyone when you're not in, which shifts the camera to the sideline, and makes it feel like you are standing nervously cheering on your team. Also nice is the speed-up ability that gets you back on the field in your respective position. If you are in on a play, you will be sucked down into a third-person close up shot -- nice for running the ball, but a little hard for a QB or defensive back. This kind of dynamic of relying on your other teammates is great for role-play and perfect for getting inside the head of an NFL player. Being locked into a lone position in a team-dominated game, you can only do so much. This became quite evident in some of the games I had with my new home with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

In the first couple games, I had about 100 yards a game and a touchdown in 2 wins, while our defense (having a host of 90+ guys) dominated. However, against the tough opponents of the Colts and the Steelers, they shredded our defense. Now, when you are down against any team in football, it is not prudent to run a lot. So, with a grimace on my face as Peyton throws another TD to Marvin, I knew I wasn’t getting many touches in the 2nd half, as we tried to claw our way back. In those two losses, I had about 20 yards and a TD. However, we played the powder puff Texans the next week and I ripped them with a career high 185 yards and 2 TDs on some long gallops. The better you and your team perform on any given play will also directly influence your own ratings, and those around you. It is a bit unfair to get penalized for other's mistakes, but it relates to the morale of the team in absence of a momentum meter as seen in NCAA Football 2007. As just a lowly Rookie, I could only raise my stamina and toughness, but later on, you can earn some key roles where you will boost those blockers ahead of you or a number of other positions. Some of these roles include Shutdown Corner, Possession Receiver, Team General (QB), Burner (WR) and more.

But what keeps you going besides bowling over tacklers and winning a championship? Well, in Madden NFL 2007 you are on a quest for Canton, Ohio to be enshrined into the NFL Hall of Fame. You have to meet a certain amount of benchmarks, such as (these are RB specific) 500 yards in a season, 5,000 or 10,000 yards in a career, along with a host of wins, championships, TD marks and more. This is some very addictive stuff folks.

Some new moves and features are present this season as well, and can be fully utilized in Superstar Mode. First is the lead block move, where you can use a fullback, lineman or receiver and lay some serious heat on opposing team with a bevy of user activated blocks; from pancakes, cuts, turns and more -- no game has offered more blocking control before. This is pretty nifty, especially with another player as the running back. There is also a new Highlight Stick where you can automatically perform a certain fancy maneuver based on your athlete. Guys like Tomlinson will nimbly shirk tackles, while burley guys like Alstott will knock them down with a thunderous shoulder charge. But beware, you are more prone to fumbling using these moves. Filling out the list of new toys to play with is a set of team-specific defenses, defensive audibles to commit to runs or passes, and NFL Network mode. The latter breaks down a set of defensive and offensive plays with Sterling Sharpe analyzing every detail, sort of a like a supped up “Ask Madden” feature. You can even jump right into the play shortly after it is illustrated for you -- cool!

Finally, there is again online play via EA Nation for you and another opponent to square off against, although people tell me it pales in comparison to the extensive online options in the Xbox 360 version. Oh well…

There is just about no way you can call Madden NFL 07 “difficult.” I say this because you have an infinite amount of options that you can tweak to just the right level of competitiveness. From WR catching, QB accuracy, line blocking - you can adjust just about everything. Newcomers to the genre may have to adapt to the various controls and rules, as well as the terminology of football itself. Nevertheless, since more and more people have no choice in an NFL videogame, most gamers should be familiar with the set-up and mechanics of this series by now. Worthy of note is the option to turn off the annoying QB vision option, so you can just mash a few buttons to fling a pass, instead of awkwardly shifting the analog stick around at the same time.

Being such a time-tested engine, the controls are pretty solid throughout, and a host of camera options allow for the perfect angle for ownage. I had a bit of an issue with the preset camera in my pass-happy offense with Vince Young, but a simple change to Madden Long-view changed that into an unstoppable juggernaut.

Overall, Madden NFL 07 is an extremely solid and fun title for you sports junkies out there. With a beefed up Superstar mode, coupled with time-tested gameplay, graphics and sound, you just can’t go wrong with this title.