At least Tour's controls are wonderfully simple and easy to learn- unlike Madden. Passing, juking, switching receivers and cranking the turbo are all one-button-press affairs, a quick study for just about anyone (and clearly by design). A token Sixaxis mechanic allows you to literally shake off tacklers, although you'll find it annoying more than anything. Of course, with this simplicity comes the sacrifice of a lot of the over-the-top gameplay options that were a hallmark of the Street series. Naturally, this will alienate longtime Street fans while simultaneously annoying hardcore Maddenites who may already be jonesing for next year's NFL iteration.
It won't take long into your Tour for the yawns to start and the eyes to droop, as its one-trick-pony nature yields its ugly head. Between the painfully generic stadiums, meager graphics, and dismal same-ness to each and every match, we defy you to fight through the 30-plus levels to close out your career. Unlike the best games of the sports arcade genre- namely The BIGS- there's no compelling reason to create or manage your character. Frankly, we'd rather play as the real NFL star that our personalized dude replaced.
