In Japan, when a new system launches, a sign of longevity can be gauged by how long it takes to release, or at least announce, its first RPG. If that RPG is developed by one of the big companies, such as Capcom or Square-Enix, things are, at least for that moment, headed for success. When the same scenario goes down in the U.S., instead of RPGs it is all about sports titles - and more importantly, whether or not they are being developed by EA.

The Wii is no exception and EA has been gracious enough to take advantage of the Grand Canyon sized crater their competition has left for them to fill at the Wii's launch with Madden NFL 07. Now that Nintendo have decided to package their light-hearted, arcade sports compilation Wii Sports with each U.S. system, the only other sports title to fight Madden for shelf space comes in the form of non-contending Rapala Tournament Fishing.

Coming out so soon after the multi-console release of Madden 07 on every other system known to the human race, one of the biggest fears garnered from the Wii version is whether this will be nothing more than a port of the Gamecube game with some gimmicky control scheme slapped on haphazardly. With wild anticipation, I can say those fears couldn't be any more unfounded; barring a massive meltdown, come November 19th you will never be able to play any other football game the same way again.

To put it simply, pretty much the only in-game control carryovers from the other Madden 07s is the movement, single button moves (such as basic tackling) and player selector. You still use an analog stick to move your selected player around the field and change the angle for your kicks, while single button moves and cycling through which player you want to control are all still just a button press away. From here on out, standard control is replaced with FreeMotion, EA's name for the new control scheme.

Each of the two Wii controllers has its share of specific functions, with the Wiimote handling the majority of them. The hike is initiated by tilting the controller back, as if receiving the snap yourself. If you selected a passing play you use each direction on the d-pad and A button to pick your receiver before making a throwing motion with the controller to actually make the pass. Now, it's not just as simple as making the throwing motion and letting the game decide how hard and fast that passing will go, no, no, no; the speed and sharpness of your forward motion will determine how hard the quarterback throws the ball. A swift movement results in a rocket pass, deliberate movements a normal pass, soft movement a lob.

FreeMotion doesn't stop there when it comes to the passing game, although this next part is optional. You can use the Wiimote to actually catch the ball! When your receiver is about to catch the ball, you push both controllers up as you would your hands to catch a pass. If your timing is correct the receiver will make the catch. Sure, throwing the long bomb for the comeback win against your friend is satisfying in it's own right, but think of the trash talk that comes with actually reaching up and catching that same ball! Just make sure to keep breakable items out of your gaming area, in case someone tries some real life interference…

We're still not done with the Wiimote yet, as it has a few more tricks up its proverbial sleeve. Tilting the controller down before jerking it upward controls kicking, with your power determined by your forward motion. If your motion is anything other than straight, the game will pick up on that and factor it into the kick. With the ball in hand you can hand out stiff arms by gesturing to the left or the right. You can also signal for a fair catch and call for the crowd to make some noise. That's not even all there is to do, as there are more moves that will make themselves known when the game is released.

Don't worry, there is still motion-sensitive fun to be found in the nunchuck; when running with the ball, tilting the controller left or right jukes in that direction. When on defense, while holding Z and pushing forward with both controllers you execute the power hits that were mapped to the second analog stick on other systems.

You may be wondering - just how easy are these moves to pull off? Recent hands-on reports have expressed nothing but love for the Wii control scheme and, not only that, but these movements are not over-exaggerated, tiring movements - they can all be executed with simple flicks while holding both controllers in the same position you would any other controller. To help players get the hang of playing Madden this way, a quick and simple tutorial has been included. To go along with that, in-game messages will appear to let you know why a move failed. Whether you made the movement too late or too early, the game will let you know so you can make the proper adjustments.

With the controls out of the way, let's dig into what else this game brings. Those fearing a repeat of Madden 06 for the Xbox 360, which had significant modes missing, can lay those fears to rest. All of the features that were included in the Gamecube version - franchise mode, highlight stick, Superstar mode, lead blocker control, etc - are found here, as well as the addition of some four player mini-games. These mini-games consist of a two-on-two mode, a kicking contest and Y.A.C. attack, which pits three defenders against one runner. Unfortunately this also means that you won't find any online play here, along with any of the Xbox 360 exclusive features (replay challenge, mini-camp and gamer level). It is unknown at the moment if no online play also means no online roster updates.

Graphically it appears that EA should have little trouble pushing this version ahead of at least all current-generation versions. Flowing at a crisp 60 frames per second, along with added player details, cleaner textures along with additional shadow and lighting details, this game is just ahead of the Xbox version in terms of its look. Casual gamers probably won't see much difference but those with higher end gaming set-ups that can take advantage of 480 progressive scan and 16:9 wide screen options should have little problem taking notice.

There is no denying EA's desire to bring game interactivity to a whole new level with the Wii's version of Madden NFL 07, when it would have been so easy to cop out and release a version that made minimal use of the motion control options. Never before has a football game allowed its players to experience the game like this, to actually feel the role they are controlling. Not only that, but non-gaming football fans who find video games too complicated could flock like mad to accessible, tangible controls. You may only have one option for NFL football on the Wii come launch day, but you wouldn't know it by the effort EA is putting in here.

Previewed by Tony Peters for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).