Reviews

Posted by: jkdmedia

When I heard I was getting another version of Madden football this year I was thinking to myself great, I have already reviewed it twice this year for two different platforms. What can this game offer to me that I haven’t already played to death yet? Well, once I opened up the game and put it in my Xbox 360 I pretty much had to eat my words as I was really taken back. Unlike some of the other games released for the Xbox 360 this game is just …. well, let me explain it more below so you will know exactly what I mean.

I am having a really hard time trying to find a way to review this game, as I really do not want to go into what this game has in it or even go into that much depth about its Franchise mode, as it is pretty much the standard stuff, especially if you have already played Madden NFL 06 on any other system this year. Instead of doing any of that, or going into depth like I normally would on a game like this. I think the best way to talk about this game is talk about all of the changes that this game has.

If you have been holding out and do not know the new feature of Madden NFL 06 I will explain that here. This year the developers at Tiburon added QB vision and precision passing, which really changes the entire passing game and makes it more realistic. Each quarterback, depending on his skill, has a wider or lower cone of vision. If you want to make sure you hit your receiver you will want to make sure that you are looking at him. The bad thing about this is that the defenders will read you while you are doing this so it is more likely that they will double cover your man. It really makes the game a lot more challenging and will increase your sacks. To throw a precision pass, which makes it harder for defenders to get to, your cone has lined up with the player hitting the left analog stick. If you are like me and do not like this you can turn this feature off, but some purists out there really like this and I say: “to each their own.”

Now that this is out of the way let me take about what makes Madden NFL 06 so great, and it is the new presentation. The developers must have had a meeting before they went into make this game and talked about what needed to be changed and updated and the answer must have been: Presentation, Presentation, Presentation. Let me tell you that I was blow away by how great this looks because for the past several years Madden has had the exact same presentation and it was getting really stale and boring to look at. The minute you load up this game and see the main screen, you will know you are playing a next generation Madden game.

The main interface has changed. Now Madden NFL 06 mimics the main interface of the Xbox 360 with what they call the “X-Menu” (aka sliding windows). This makes it really easy to see everything on one screen. Navigation is made much easier with this and gives the game a really nice next-generation feel to it.

Well I know that many of you will want to know how the graphics are for this game and with good reason since it is the first football game released on a next generation system. I am happy to report that this game looks good, really good. The stadiums and player models are just so lifelike it is simply amazing to look at. The animations of the players are just amazing how realistic the game actually is now. The stadium is full of spectators doing various things that make that game have a really “alive” feeling.

Taking a cue from their NFL Street series the entire play-calling screens are different. Even though it is different it is still easy to find any play you want. Now when you load up the game you will see various screens. First there is the Ask Madden section where John Madden will give his thoughts on which play to go with. Next is the coaches section and he will give his advice with the play he will think will work out best. Also you will be able to pick any play by formation, play type, and key player. This works out really well in the game and makes selecting the plays a lot faster and more efficient than the old way.

Even with all of this praise that this game really deserves it is time for it to end and for you to know what is wrong with this game. I hate using the word “wrong,” but it aptly applies here because this version of Madden is missing so many features that have become staples of the other versions released this year, and it just feels weird not having them readily available to players from the onset. For instance where is the mini-camp, the ability to challenge a play (seriously EA why?), playmaker, practice, create-a-player, and various other features.

I mean all of these features are really staples of the game recently. Not being able to challenge a play is a real killer, especially when you know that it is something that can make or break you chances for winning the game, especially if know you are right. Another major blow to the game is that the mini-camps are missing, which is just a travesty because these camps really help players learn the basics of the game and finetune how you play. Those are just two of the many features that got axed from this game to make it on release date. I understand that the developers were under a tight schedule to get the game out in time, especially this late in the game since football season is past the halfway mark. It is just a shame that features that really make or break the game are not included. Hopefully with a full development cycle this will be fixed and we will have a better game next year.

Madden NFL 06 is rated E for Everyone. If you want to play online you will have to have an Xbox Live account. It takes 4MB for game saves.

Gameplay: 8.0
The game is a blast to play, just like all of the Madden games before it. Why the low score you are asking, well a ton of the features missing this game is just a shell of its former self.

Graphics: 9.5
Is there really any need to ask? This game is just breathtaking.

Sound: 8.7
The commentary for this game is really good as well as the music selection. Best of all is if you do not like the music then just load up your own music.

Difficulty: Medium
The game will be hard to any beginner, but as time progresses, players will be able to adapt to how the computer AI plays. It is also a tough learning curve to get adjusted to the new QB vision and precision passing will take a while to get adjusted to as well, luckily you can turn it on and off.

Concept: 9.2
I love the presentation of this game; it is just beyond awesome. The developers must have spent a lot of time on make this new presentation perfection and it was completely worth it. The way that everything is integrated in this game and the flow of it is just genius, especially the play-calling screen.

Multiplayer: 8.1
I am so grateful that Microsoft and EA have put aside their difference and allowed us to play this game online. This is a great game to play online against your buddies to get your football fix.

Overall: 7.9
I want to score this game so much higher, I really do, but in the end I just can’t do it. Madden NFL 06 for the Xbox 360 is a real blast to play and some of the most fun I have had playing a Madden game in a while. The bad thing is that in order to ship this game out on time a lot of features that are normally in this game, and in other versions, have been cut. I cannot wait until next year when the development team has a complete development cycle and put all of the options back in the game. It will be a sight to behold and play.