No matter what's said in a review, people are going to go out and buy Madden NFL 07. No question. I could sit here and type the word "muffins" 347 times and yet people are going to ignore the score and rush out to their local game store. They'll snag a copy just to get the feeling of gridiron glory in the palm of their hands. It kind of makes you wonder what would happen if EA and Tiburon reworked the whole formula and put forth a dud the likes of which the series would never recover from. Fortunately, neither company has made such a mistake, and Madden NFL 07 remains another strong entry in the premiere (and only) sim football game on the market.

A lot of features that made the cut in last year's edition are back for more. The passing system is back, complete with the ability to highlight a certain player and follow him down field to nail him with the touchdown pass. The Superstar Mode returns, containing a lot of the enriched features that made it such a fan favorite to begin with. And the series continues to play a mean game of ball, complete with the kind of offensive and defensive controls that most coaches would dream about. If only all their players would follow their commands like this and not hold out during training camp or whatever. (Hear me, T.O.?)

So what's different? Well, a few things, and it seems that this year's additions are a bit more significant than last year's. Madden NFL 06 boasted the QB Vision feature, which was gimmicky at best but really gave you sort of an eyes-on approach to throwing the ball to a particular receiver. This year, however, seems to be all about the running game, as two key features stand out.

The first is the highlight stick. You might recall a bit of familiarity with the use of the right analog stick in the previous game when it was known as the "truck stick", performing certain types of tackles on defense. This time around, however, you use the analog stick to perform different broken tackles, so your running back can break free from any kind of poor schlep trying to prevent his run to end-zone destiny. It's not always a success, as the AI remains pretty sharp in finding the open pocket and stopping your run (I think I made a total of four open runs out of the dozens of games I played over the weekend), but it's a great system that works well with another new component in the game- lead blocking.

See, with lead blocking, there's a nice little innovation here. Instead of relying on some computer-controlled player to watch your back, you can actually switch control between your lead blocker and your runner, so you set up the block you want and then set up the run for the end zone. Again, it's a system of trial and error, and your actions won't always mean a total success. However, it's good to see EA and Tiburon give you more control over parts of your team without confusing the living hell out of you. One push of a button and you switch off to another player in no time. There's also a better kicking system in place here that uses the right analog stick instead of ridiculous button presses. Granted, when this feature was introduced in another game, NCAA Football 2007 for the Xbox 360, it didn't really feel that right. But here, it's relatively easy to snap off long 50+ yarders. Maybe it's a matter of analog stick comfort. I don't know.

There's also a dedicated rushing attack mode that helps you get the hang of these new running controls through practice drills. It's basically a countdown-fueled mode where you have to score as many touchdowns as you possibly can while keeping two defensive players at bay. It's great that this kind of mode allows you to really see what the lead blocking controls are all about, instead of trying to learn them on the field and ending up with some costly fumbles. There's other mini games that help establish your game as well, but this mode looks to be the most favored if you're looking to get your running game up to speed.