The Xbox version of Madden is playing the role of the abandoned step-child this year. All of the pomp and circumstance surrounds the Xbox 360 version and its flamboyant graphics while the surprise of the football season is the notion that the PC version of Madden is actually the best of the lot with its 60 FPS smoothness and easy to use interface. Toss in the fact that the PS2 version still outsells every platform and you're left wondering – where does that leave the Xbox edition?

It admittedly leaves it at a crossroads of sorts. If you want the best visuals, clearly the Xbox 360 (followed closely by the PC) is the way to go. Graphically, the game on the Xbox is very long in the tooth. In fact, it looks pretty much the same as it's looked the past few years – that isn't to say that it's bone dry ugly, but when you see vastly better looking versions on the market it's a hard sell if you consider graphics an important element of the game.

In addition to the middling visuals, the audio is just plain terrible. On the 360, there is the "radio" announcer and while it isn't the best commentary, it's is clearly better than the droning of Madden and Al Michaels. The play by play is nearly identical to the past few years, and it continues to be a thorn in the game's side. While you don't need top shelf audio to enjoy a game, Madden is a cultural phenomena and a major cash cow for EA Sports and there is just no excuse for it to sound as bad and as bland as it does.

The gameplay, however, has been improved, albeit just a smidge. It's now much more difficult to complete deep fly patterns thanks in part to the fact that the quarterbacks have a tough time throwing it far downfield, which is clearly unrealistic but it does make for a better game as not every pass is thrown as if shot out of a cannon. (If you want the passes to be more like they used to be just bump up the QB Accuracy slider.) Receives are also prone to drop passes when hit by a defender, which not only makes more sense but forces you to locate open targets. You can only lob balls up and hope for the best if you have a solid receiver on the other end. Other gameplay improvements include the new Truck move, which involves using the right stick to lower your shoulder on a defender. The other tweak is the ability to turn into a lead blocker. The lead blocker feature is a tad different in that the camera zooms in on your player (the fullback, for example) and you have a few different blocking moves you can perform, and after you make (or miss) a block the camera snaps back to normal view and you can take over as the runner. In the end this new feature is neat to mess with but it's doubtful that it will be a staple in anyone's gameplay arsenal.

Franchise mode is also very similar to last year other than the new "roles" that some players are identified with such as "Underachiever", "Possession Receiver", "Team Distraction" and "Future Star". These roles (and there are a lot of them) may boost a player's ratings a bit, increase or decrease trade value or even help or hinder the ratings of teammates. It's a neat idea that isn't quite fleshed out just yet. First off it's really hard to find out what the roles actually do; they are hidden inside menus and the manual is of no help at all. Some of the roles don't make any sense. For example, how does an "Underachiever" make other players worse? This is a very strong idea, adding more role-playing elements and helping to further distinguish players – it just need more development time.

Player progression also needs more time under the developmental hood. Way too many players retire when they still have gas in the tank (90+ overall rating) and prospects are painfully slow to progress. If you are into franchise mode and plan on playing several seasons, you're bound to wonder if rookies will ever get better – at all. The vast majority of them just stay at the same level that they were when drafted while a few do turn into good players. This is only a big problem if you plan on playing more than a few seasons, but after a while the league looks downright weird because of it.

Finally, there's Superstar mode. This is a love it or hate it feature of Madden. In it, you play the role of a hot shot new rookie in this G-Rated version of the NFL. (No alcohol, rehab, or police blotters in this world!). The off the field stuff is simply juvenile and silly – landing movie roles and getting a stylized haircut and your choice of lovely tattoos, but the on the field portion is at least interesting, if a bit flawed. You really have to play your role when on the field and you aren't calling the plays– if you're the TE you need to manually run routes as well as block. If you're the cornerback you need not only to play the proper coverage but also lend a hand in run support. The camera zooms on your player so it takes a long time to adjust to the view of the game, but it's not too bad once you get the hang of it. The clock speed and Superstar Mode interface really drag this mode down, though. Your "influence" meter pops up after every singe play which really destroys the flow of the game, making it much more tedious and "gamey" than it needs to be. The idea of influence is fine, but do we really need to see how a delayed draw for 2 yards impacted your player's influence with his team?

In the end, Madden 07 on the Xbox is a solid, predictable, and competent game. It's not a revolutionary step by any means, but the gameplay tweaks are for the most part meaningful additions. It's just a shame that other features such as Franchise and Superstar mode continue to get the short end of the stick. - William Abner