Unlike most games, the Madden NFL games really don't need to reviewed; at least, not with more than one paragraph and a score. It's one of those series that almost never drops the ball, and pretty much everyone who buys the game knows that they want it, without first trying it or reading a review. They check previews to catch up on the new features and what to expect, but other than that, it's a safe purchase. The copy I played was purchased under just those pretenses, as were the thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, of copies bought in the first two days of release. But for those of you who still want a review, or are on the fence after the rush job of Madden NFL 06 - I was there, I know that feeling - let me take you on a tour of the new, and greatly improved, Xbox 360 Madden.

Upon boot-up, the first thing you'll notice is the slick coat of paint that Madden NFL 07 has laid thick on everything. EA crafted a wonderful presentation that looks great on a normal TV (including readable text!), and amazing on an HDTV. Easily the best for a Madden game so far, the menus are all slick and simple to navigate, with a great stadium video screen theme that even has random pixels that are the wrong color. In-game menus are just as solid and very economical, allowing you multiple options for scrolling through the plays (including the "Ask Madden" and "Ask Coach" play recommendations for novices), while also showing how many timeouts and replay challenges you have left. My favorite menu-related item is the small score band at the bottom of the screen throughout the actual game; it's very easy to ignore during play, but when you do take the time to look at it, along with the normal stats such as score, down, etc., it also shows random game stats in-between plays, including telling you if a tackle was actually caused by the player (perfect for bursts of pride-bashing).

The graphics are just as awesome; stadium models have never looked better in any Madden, or for that matter, any sports game before this one. So many details were not left out when creating the models - if you need a tour to see what I mean, pause the game and you'll see a fully animated above-the-stadium shot, followed by a tour of the whole stadium. You can even see your players paused on the field! As you tour the stadium, either through pause or just in the game, you'll see exactly how close to the real thing these digital stadiums actually are. Sign placement, windows, landmarks both in and just outside of the stadium and scoreboards, for example, have all been painstakingly recreated. The crowds have never seemed so natural, with every fan moving around. When the home team is doing well you'll see some clapping and jumping around, but when the home team is stinking it up, they sit still; it actually feels like each seat has a live fan in it. The blur effect splashed over almost every scene involving the crowd, which most likely was to keep the well-animated but lacking in detail fans under wraps, works perfectly to keep the illusion alive.

Then there is the grass - wow! It's as close to photo realistic as on-field grass has ever been. The textures have no movement, but up close it's as if you could have the quarterback set the ball down and start picking each blade of grass out of the field. As you run around, little grass pieces are kicked up, which causes the field to deteriorate as the game progresses, leaving a ton of work post-game for the grounds crew. Watching the replay of a huge play at the end of the game, as the players run over torn up grass, goes a long way to saying that these digital guys played a hell of a game today. But with all that damage, could a resodding mini-game for '08 be in the works?

At first, the player models don't seem that spectacular - and this is coming from someone who spent very little time with Madden 06. That's not to say that they are ugly or a disappointment, but from far away they look about what anyone who has played a PS2 or Xbox sports title has come to expect. The behind the back camera angle during play simply does not do the player graphics justice. However, once you come up in close between play picking and the actual play, or after a play, you'll see why this is next-gen football. Sweeping down the line during the line-up and seeing the extremely detailed faces of each player, their mouths moving as they dish out trash talk, their shoulders shifting as they breathe. Standing around before a play, watching players give the camera a quick, ruthless stare before bringing their minds back into the game, the sun reflecting softly off their helmets. Checking out player jerseys and being able to see the mesh on each to the degree that you feel as though you could actually reach out and touch the holes, rather than just being represented by a flat texture. More so than ever, actual character faces have been mapped onto their digital counterparts. Unfortunately, those without actual faces have never looked so ugly - it's not like every player in the NFL is an underwear model, but some of these guys look like they were pulled from the ranks of the marauding barbarians from the Capital One commercials, given a shave and put on the field.

There is no disappointment in the animations, though some of the better examples may be hard to see with the non-replay-aided and/or hardcore football fanatic eye. In a close game, my friends starting replaying every play - no joke - dissecting the realism in the actions of the players in terms that only the super fan could know. One play had Chad Johnson of the Bengals running for a pass - it was tipped by the defender, but he slipped his hands through the defender's arms and caught the ball - something only a player of his caliber would have been able to pull off. Now that's detail.

The sound is a mixed bag for Madden though. The roar of the crowd as the home team goes for a touchdown, the thud of helmets, pads and skin as they collide during a hard sack, the grunts of players engaged in battle, all of these and more are captured perfectly. I doubt that football has ever sounded so real in video game form. If you have a good sound system, you may just feel like you are actually at a game if you crank it up. I also love the NFL Films soundtrack that plays during replays - glad to see it becoming a permanent addition. The fade out of outside sound during a long bomb followed by a loud impact if it's caught adds a ton of tension to tight games too; it's as if the game knows you need that silence to pray for success then explode in either cheer or jeer depending on the outcome.

Unfortunately, the play-by-play announcer is worthless. While I like the idea of a hometown radio announcer handling the job of calling the game, and it has some cool moments as he is completely biased towards the home team, it quickly ends up as a terrible idea. The announcer has almost no personality by keeping his comments dry and to the point, and is oddly silent during important plays much more often than should be allowed. As standards have risen in the announcing department since sports television and video games combined years ago, this feels like a giant step backwards and leaves me to question why the company with rights to ESPN didn't use them.

Madden has always been known as a more offensive-oriented football game - until now. This year's game sees the addition of lead blocker controls. Before the play, you can switch control to any offensive player, defensive or otherwise. Once you hike the ball, you keep control of that player until you hit the B button, when control is sent back to the player with the ball. This means you can make your own openings, then either let the computer finish the play or retake control to make the best of newly created opportunities. This takes a few plays to get the hang of; after that, you'll never want to be without it.

And that's not all that's been added to the gameplay; to go along with lead blocker controls is the new highlight stick moves for running backs that match their specific styles. With the flick of the right stick, smaller backs will hack through defenders to break tackles that would otherwise leave them in the grass. Bigger backs will power through anyone in their way to the end zone. They work great and add another element to the game. Couple the highlight stick with lead blocker control and a whole new way to play Madden is at your fingertips. Madden will never be the same again - but in a good way.

If there is one thing Madden never lacks (generally - I'm looking at you, '06 on 360) are features and modes of gameplay, many of which are new and/or Xbox 360 exclusive. There is so much outside of just normal play modes that the replay value has never been higher. There is one glaring mode still missing from the 360 Madden though, and that is an Owner mode; what has become a staple of EA games has yet again been cut from the 360 release. Also missing is the ability to fantasy draft your own team from a pool of current NFL players. EA giveth and EA taketh away. Thankfully, one of the features left out of last year's edition, the mini-camp mini-games, were included this time. They are a great way to not only get a short burst of Madden in when playing a full out game just isn't an option or a desire, but they are also one of the better ways to hone your skills. You can also challenge another human player to these party-style games, making for a great round robin game to play with your friends.

This is also the only version of the game where you can challenge replays, as ludicrous as that sounds. How something as big as replay challenge is only found in one version of the game makes my brain hurt; as the official Madden site says, "overturned calls or plays 'that stand' have a huge effect on the outcome of every game." Really?! So, why is this left out of all the other versions? Sega had no problem implementing it back in its defunct NFL 2K series, so what's the deal EA? There is no need to complain if you have this version, but buyer beware if you are weighing your system options.

Then there's the brand new, and extremely deep, NFL Superstar mode, where you take control of one player for their whole career, trying to compile a hall of fame career. This is a total blast to play and will keep you coming back to Madden more than anything else this game has to offer. You literally create a player from birth, picking their parents in an attempt to create the perfect NFL offspring! From there you create your player from head to toe and get to work on their, hopefully, Hall of Fame career from the ground up. While the offensive positions are far easier to play through in this mode, trying to make it through with a defensive player isn't so much - which is part of their fun. As you are only one player in this mode, you only play when you are put in the game - you can only play your position and you can't call plays. For some that may be one limitation too many, but for NFL nuts this is as close as it gets right now to living out your football dreams.

Madden Gamer Level is another of the brand new, and 360 exclusive, additions to the Madden canon; consider it a separate achievement point system set inside Madden. You earn points for just about everything you do in the game and gain rank levels accordingly. To add another level to your local rivalries, you can put these points on the line in a game, to see who is really the best of your friends. Reminding your friends who snatched away all their Madden gamer points is something that will never get old... unless you are the one who lost their points! The last, but not the least, new feature added is the ability to have your franchise games played by a real player via Xbox Live. If you want to make your way through a season but prefer real-life competition, this is perfect for you. Another way to look at it is that you can have your friends as your competition. Can you imagine beating your friend in an important game late in the season, dashing their playoff chances? If you think your friends dislike you now then just imagine the possibilities!

The more I play Madden NFL 07, the more I love it. It seems like every single time I play, I see something new, do something new and enjoy something new. Single player has never been deeper and more varied, while the online and multiplayer play is just as wonderful as it has always been. I haven't enjoyed a football game like this in a few years; this may be the only NFL simulation on the market, but you'd never know it by playing it - EA went above and beyond with Madden 07. There's no doubt that this will end up being one of the top selling 360 games by Christmas, if not the top, and both casual and hardcore fans alike should waste no time in grabbing hold of it - even if this means tackling that guy with the last copy who's making his way to the checkout!

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