PSP

Madden NFL 07

All that aside, I can't give Madden 2007 for PSP a perfect score, but it's still a great portable football title. This game just feels right. It's portable football goodness. Did I mention it's portable? Finally, a handheld football game that doesn't suck.

Madden NFL 07 makes some much needed improvements over last year’s game, with improved running controls and shorter load times, taking better advantage of the PSP’s hardware. The game still has a few technical flaws, but all in all, this is the best football experience you can get on the PSP.

Madden NFL 07 is a capable entry that more than holds its own against the console versions. The bonus features included here are nice, including the end-to-end mini-game, and overall this is a nice package that should provide plenty of entertainment on the go. It's a shame that players are more adept at finding money plays than most QA teams, and that the EA Nation online service is still so far behind what gamers have come to expect from services like Xbox Live. Still, you're getting just about what you'd expect from this purchase: a fun, generally working version of Madden for your handheld, impressive graphics and some nifty bonus features to boot.

It's nice to see a large overhaul of last year's game, which was somewhat clunky and full of problems, into a smoother running title. The largest issue is that it seems to have brought along some of the issues from the console version as far as a lack of true innovation. However, it's still an extremely solid football title, with only some slight issues that mar the experience.

As much as Madden NFL 07 is a better game than 06 was on the PSP last year, it's still saddled with too many annoying problems to make it wholly recommendable. That's too bad, because with the fixes this version does have, as well as the new gameplay features, it generally plays a captivating and engaging game of football. But with the random gameplay bugs and interface quirks, it's not as good as it could be. For the serious Madden enthusiast who demands a handheld version of the game, Madden NFL 07 is worth checking out, but be prepared to put up with some irritations.

It goes without saying that if you aren't already a fan of football games, Madden 07 for the PSP won't change your mind. That said, the game does offer a decent football experience on the go that is akin to what we've become accustomed to on consoles. And while I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little disappointed with this year's version, Madden 07 for the PSP still does a respectable job of replicating the game of football. Hopefully Madden 08 does an even better job of bringing the football experience to the portable screen.