September 28, 2006 - It's always cool to hate the big guy and in the realm of videogame publishers, Electronic Arts is definitely the big guy on the block. Perhaps that's partly why Nintendo fans have in the past not jumped on the Madden NFL Football bandwagon as readily as Xbox and PlayStation 2 owners. Maybe it's just because the GameCube versions of EA's sports offerings sometimes lacked the features of the others. Or maybe it's just because Madden is not Mario or Link. But whatever the case, as die-hard Nintendo fans ourselves, we're asking you to give the franchise one more chance. EA has with Madden NFL 07 for Wii delivered a footballer that boasts all the features of its competitors (and then some) and puts Nintendo's new controller to use in a manner that feels neither gimmicky nor forced. Indeed, after a short learning curve, throwing bullet passes and making bit hits feel incredibly natural -- and because the control scheme is so radically different, it feels fresh, too.

Let's get the bad out of the way. Although EA still isn't speaking specifically on the subject, we have received no indication that Madden NFL 07 for Wii will include an online mode. Indeed, Nintendo itself recently stated that the first online Wii game would be Pokemon Battle out of Japan. Since Madden launches before Pokemon, chances of online are slim to none, in our estimate. So if your enjoyment of the latest Madden game hinges upon whether or not you can play against friends online, we have to be honest -- this is probably not the right version for you.

Still with us? Good. Because as it turns out, Madden NFL 07 for Wii actually does feature spectacularly deep and in many ways exclusive multiplayer modes designed specifically to make use of the Wii remote. But before we get to any of that, let's go over the basics, which are all included here. Franchise mode? Check. NFL Superstar mode? Check. Lead blocker control? Check. Highlight moves? Check. It's all in place. In fact, according to EA, because the Wi build features all these modes plus some new ones, it may be the most "feature rich" of the bunch.



Madden for Wii runs in 480 progressive scan and also supports a 16:9 widescreen mode. The title speeds along at 60 frames per second while employing crisper textures and more advanced lighting and shadow effects than the Xbox build, plus little touches like a depth of field view. Animation is fluid and -- as in all versions -- the camera is designed to showcase the on-field action via a variety of cinematic zoomed in and panned back angles. Plain and simple, it looks really good, although it's not on par visually with the Xbox 360 game for obvious reasons. That noted, we look at some first generation Wii games and we get the feeling that the developer didn't even try to up the graphics over GameCube. However, with Madden for Wii, it's clear from the opening sequence that EA has really tried to push the hardware.

Of course, with Wi games visuals will always be secondary to the method by which the Wii remote controls the on-screen action. This, surprisingly, is where EA has not dropped the ball -- and excuse the pun. We honestly didn't expect the developer to put as much thought as it has into reworking the fundamental control make-up of the Madden series. The studio has also meticulously refined the sensitivity of the Wii-mote controls so that they don't feel jumpy, but smooth, which is more than can be said for some other third party launch games. And the entire setup is complemented by a series of great tutorials that work hand-in-hand with the on-screen play to teach gamers how to become pros in minutes and not hours.

At the core of this dramatic new control method is EA's self-coined "FreeMotion" mechanic, which simply refers to the way players make gestures with the free-hand style remote to manipulate the players on the field. EA uses both the Wii-mote and the nunchuk attachment to execute the variety of moves at athletes' disposals and the controls themselves are relatively simple. To hike the ball, you simply snap the Wii remote back. When you want to throw, you select your receivers via the four sides of the D-Pad or A button, and then make a throwing motion with the remote. If you snap the controller forward, you'll throw a bullet pass. If you're slow with your motion, you'll lob it. And, naturally, somewhere in between is where you'll find your normal passes. Meanwhile, you control your quarterback in the pocket with the analog stick on the nunchuk, easily moving him around and avoiding tackles.

Does this all sound kind of gimmicky and unnecessary? We admit, when we first heard about the controls, we were skeptical. After all, the traditional Madden mechanics have worked just fine for years. But almost shockingly, the Wii-mote controls not only operate perfectly, but they feel very natural and are incredibly easy to pick up. Indeed, were we to introduce someone who has never played football videogames before to both the Wii and Xbox 360 versions of Madden, we're confident they'd find the Nintendo iteration much more accessible right off the bat. Which is exactly what EA is hoping will happen, thus attracting an audience of sports fans who have in the past resisted videogame footballers because of their complexity.

One question we get a lot is, are the Wii controls precise or are they buggy? In Madden, the Wii-mote and nunchuk perform flawlessly, based on our play time. Whether you're navigating the playbook with the pointer or juking left or right with the nunchuk (you just gesture in the respective direction with the attachment), it all just works. And when it doesn't go exactly as you planned, EA has even implemented a handy on-screen option that explains why not.



For instance, to stiff arm while running you simply motion to the left or right with the Wii-mote, but if you're too slow an on-screen pop-up explains that you performed the stiff arm too late to be effective. The same goes for jukes and power hits, the latter of which are defensive moves that can cause fumbles; to execute them, you dive at an opponent and thrust forward with both the Wii-mote and nunchuk.

Actually, performing these moves feels more immersive than simply pressing a button and EA has capitalized on that truth. To signal a fair catch, you simply make a similar gesture with the Wii-mote after the ball has been punted your way. You can signal for the crowd to make noise before the ball has been hiked by raising both of your arms, at which point an on-screen athlete will do the same. And skilled players can even use a mechanic to catch the ball, offering another level of interactivity. When the ball is thrown to a receiver, you simply thrust upward with both controllers and if you're timing is right you'll catch the ball. This is particularly satisfying because there's no denying that you actually performed the move, as opposed to some random calculation which determines whether you catch or drop the ball.

You don't need to flail your arms about like your drowning to perform these moves. A simple flick of the wrist will do in most cases. The only exception is the process of kicking, which requires that you first tilt the Wii-mote down and then pull it back up -- the same gesture you'd use to yank a fish out of water -- to send the ball flying. The greater the velocity of your snap, the farther the ball will fly. Meanwhile, you have to be careful to keep the controller straight and narrow as you pull back your kick or otherwise you'll add unwanted slice that could be the difference between three points and squat. Kickers will also use the nunchuk's analog stick to determine the angle of the kick before the ball is hiked.

In addition to the new controls, which in our experience work very well, EA has included some exclusive multiplayer offerings in the Wii build of Madden. Unfortunately, we have not yet been able to try these out for ourselves, but the development team speaks very highly of them. There is a new two-on-two mode that "brings back school yard football using NFL players." There's a Y.A.C Attack mode that pits three defenders against a runner. And of, course, there's the Kicking Combine, which challenges gamers to compete for the best kicks. All of these modes are designed with up to four players in mind and should prove to outstanding additions to the package. Indeed, producer Jason Armenise tells us that the team plays Y.A.C. Attack every day for at least a couple of hours because it's incredibly addictive.

We've posted new screenshots in our media section. Look out for videos tomorrow.