Wii impressions: Madden NFL 07

This doesn't work. In Madden's case, and likely most mainstream sports titles, motion-controlled functions can't compete with good looks (e.g. fluid animations, realistic physics, etc.). This is the risk Nintendo took. And this is an instance where that risk has put Nintendo at a disadvantage versus its competitors.

Madden NFL 07 is fugly, and if the tech demo of EA's next generation of sports titles we saw at Sony's media briefing is any indication, PS3, and Xbox 360 for that matter, will see some incredibly enhanced animation and physics upgrades over the coming years. Nintendo will trade these improvements for the ability to hike the ball with a wrist snap or attempt a pass with a wrist flick -- heck, Sony's PS3 controller can do that. There are other motions for jukes, straight arms, and kickoffs. But these motions don't make us feel any closer to the real sport, if anything, they're just tedious. First we have to select a receiver using the appropriate button, and then we have to flick the wrist. Why can't we just press A?

Madden for Wii needs a new direction.