That's just small potatoes to the other game's modes, however. The Superstar Mode once again makes a return, with a slight update to make it worth playing all over again. I like how the event situation has been cleared up, so you won't miss crucial practices or meetings involving endorsements and such. The drills also seem to be more focused this time around, especially if you're working on some running routes or defensive patterns. I like the new close-up camera view to make it feel as if you're closer to the action. Kudos!

The playbook is as stacked as it's ever been, with focused offensive and defensive plays to try over and over again as you develop favorites. You can even do a Madden pick if you feel the coach can advise you out of a 3rd and 23 situation. But probably the best thing you can do with the plays in the game is check out the NFL Network mode. Here, Sterling Sharpe provides some voicework and talks out the process of putting a play together, and how it can work for you. It works like a lecture of sorts, but then you can try out the plays and see what works best for you. This is a wondrous addition that'll be heaven to those who cherish their playbook as much as their favorite team, but it might bore some with its teaching format.

Probably the biggest feature in the game, however, is the Hall of Fame mode. Here, you create a player from scratch and basically walk them through every aspect of their career, ranging from the early days as a back-up on a team and eventually working your way through a career that could get you some notice in the Hall of Fame someday. As your career goes along, you'll make vital choices that could affect how you play, including your ego. Develop a bad ego and you could end up costing your team some games out of irritation (like a certain former Eagle did for Donovan McNabb). Get a good one going and you'll be labeled a Team Player and the go-to guy in many situations. It's a bit different than Superstar, but football fans will come to appreciate it. And there are 150 Hall of Fame players profiled as well, complete with classic NFL clips and features aplenty. So you can compare your blossoming orange to the full-blown apples, if you will.

As far as presentation, most of it seems to be present from last year. The graphics continue to look very good, especially when it comes down to player animations and some nice field details. The lighting looks good as well. However, I couldn't help but be slightly bothered by occasional graphic freeze-ups. The audio continues to run on, but the game tends to "stop" for a few seconds before loading to the next screen. I wonder how EA let this slip by in the final product. As for the audio, you've got EA Trax selections that really don't do anything for the game (they mostly exist for promotion material). Why couldn't EA get a hold of classic football songs like Queen's "We Are the Champions" instead? Finally, the commentary in the game is mostly spot-on in terms of on-field action, but Madden and Michaels still don't really seem to be that enthused by it. They have their details down right, but it's like they're reading from a teleprompter instead of actually watching the game, you know?

Past these problems, the graphics, music, and gameplay continue to be top-of-the-line for PS2 standards. The running game has now been fleshed out to the point that it's an equal with the passing game, and defense remains just as strong as ever. Unfortunately, though, we were not able to test out the online portion of the game. This means we didn't gain access to online lobbies and were unable to see how the game performed against others. Off-line multiplayer is a blast, especially when you're in a heated match against a pal. But online...well, if it's as strong as last year's, you shouldn't have a problem. And I don't see why EA would slump on one of Madden's key features now. We'll be back with an update to this shortly.

Is the series getting old for this hardware? Well, yeah. Madden has run a hard course on the PlayStation 2 over the years, bringing new features that were on and off the board. It's time to bring the series to the PlayStation 3 and really make it cook with details and new goodies that would make it the ideal football experience. For now, though, Madden NFL 07 is still the definitive pigskin experience for the PS2, even if it's the only true one by default. The running game additions are wonderful, the Hall of Fame mode is just as meaty as the Superstar mode, and the gameplay continues to offer the kind of football experience that many fans crave. So go ahead. Indulge. And I don't mean in muffins.