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Does EA help the Wii by delivering next-generation gameplay over graphics?

With over half of the NFL Season under wraps, we still are seeing football games being released. NLF Blitz for the Xbox 360, NFL Street 3 for the PS2/PSP, Madden for the PS3, and now Madden for the Wii. With 90 percent or more of football fans already in full swing in their virtual football season, do any of these titles stand out enough to merit another purchase so late in the year? The answer is Wii, Madden for the Wii that is.

If you look at the game from a visual standpoint, it is not much more than a GameCube port in terms of player models, stadiums, menus, and overall presentation. Even without the HD polish that the next generation could bring, it is argued that the current gen versions appeal more to the eye with more realistic player models, momentum to the physics, and tons of animations and screen overlays that the next generation versions don't fully deliver.

Audio hasn't changed. You still have your option of Madden and Michaels or the EA radio guy for commentary. The EA Radio show is identical to what the Xbox, PS2 and GameCube Versions offer. We are still tormented by the terrible EA Trax that plagues menus and mini games.

Once you get by the look and sounds of the game you will quickly discover that the innovation comes with the game play itself, which unfolds an entirely new way to play football on a video game console. It will also open up new and exciting ideas for future installments and games to come. This all comes courtesy of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk that opens up these possibilities and allows gamers to interact and literally become that armchair quarterback they have always wanted to be.

Now imagine, if you will, whipping your remote like you are passing a ball to your favorite receiver. Imagine being that receiver and putting both of you hands in the air to grab for a pass. Once with the ball you may now swing the controller left and right to perform jukes and stiff arms, push both controllers forward to barrel through the defensive line, or even drum the controllers to break wrap tackles. How about on defense, lifting both controllers to grab for that interception, pulling the Wii-mote back to strip the ball, swinging the Wii-mote to swat the ball, or even swim and spin by swinging both controllers left and right. Even special teams get the Wii control love with the ability to swing your Wii-mote upwards to kick the ball to a player or through the uprights, or better yet, waving your controller in the air to call for a fair catch. Yes, all this is possible, works tremendously well, and becomes second nature with just a little practice.

Fear not Madden fans, nearly all your features have returned to the Wii version as well as the addition to some Wii specific mini games. You still possess the Superstar Mode and the Franchise Mode, you still have the new lead blocker controls, and they all are as deep and engaging as the current generation versions with full owner management and NFL Superstar ego trips. What is absent is online play. While not the fault of EA on this one, I'm sure it would have been present if the Wii's online was in full swing, so here's to hoping next year will bring us closer together online.

It is true that if you are a PS3 or Xbox 360 owner you will miss the glitz of the HD versions of Madden, but once you get to swinging your controller to and fro and becoming immersed with the on-screen action, you'll soon forget that you are looking at a visual re-creation of the GameCube version of the game. Your next-generation feature is in gameplay not visuals, just as Nintendo promised. If you own a Wii and you are a sports fan, this is one game that utilizes both controllers and shows off why the Wii is so innovative.