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North America

Madden NFL 06

by Vincent Anderson - October 4, 2005, 3:26 pm EDT

8.5

I think it's safe to say that all these fans here today are here to watch a game of FOOTBALL!

Ah, the smell of freshly cooked meat emanating from the tailgate of a car on a Sunday afternoon. That can only mean one thing: football season is once again upon us. With each new football season comes a new iteration in the long line of Tiburon-developed football games, a little title called Madden NFL 2006. Those familiar with the series shouldn't have any trouble navigating through the various options and modes. For the rest of us, the menus are pretty simple and straightforward, so there isn't much left to the imagination.

With Madden ’06, game modes are as easy to get into and start as ever. When you first power up Madden, you'll be asked what your favorite team is, so that as soon as you hit Play Now in the main menu, you’ll see your team featured as the home team. If you’re just starting out you can hit start and control will automatically be placed on your favorite team, you can then play a simple game from there. As with all previous Madden games, you can adjust a whole variety of options, including (but not limited to) the weather, how smart your computer opponents are, what penalties are called, etc. If you've played any simulation football game, these options are going to look familiar.

If you're ready to get a little more in-depth, there are a couple of other features to suit your needs. The first is the classic Franchise mode. Take your favorite team (or one you created) and go through one (or several) NFL seasons, starting with a fantasy draft to make your team completely new. In this mode you'll control pretty much everything, from the signings of free agents to how much concessions cost at your stadium.

On the flip side, there's the new Superstar mode. This mode isn't wholly different from Franchise mode, except you're controlling a single player rather than an entire franchise. Start by simply creating your player. Before anything else, your player will then have to take an “IQ” test, which is really just general football questions combined with simple math problems. You do this to see where you'll be placed in the draft. Throughout your career you'll receive numerous tips in the form of voice messages from Terrell Davis (and the agent you need to hire after getting drafted) on your cell phone, which can be accessed through the main Superstar menu. Besides the cell phone, you'll also have access to your own web site, which shows who your agent is, what team you play on, and other general information. You can also change your appearance, visit your agent in person, or improve yourself by going to the Performance Institute by using the City Map. You can play with this mode for up to 20 NFL seasons, but you can retire much earlier than that if you so choose.

Speaking of creating players, with this year’s Madden you can create a number of in-game objects. Everything from an entire team to a single fan can be made or edited and then used. This feature gives you total control over how a game will look and play. You can take a team you create and pit them against an All-Madden juggernaut, or you can give your favorite professional team an overhaul by providing them with your own playbook.

More game options available from the get-go are tournaments, practice, and mini-games. Tournaments are pretty standard from previous Madden games. Take your team into predetermined brackets (either elimination or round robin style) and try to make your way to the top. Practice allows you to choose teams and let them go through plays you pick out and run, put you in a specific game situation, or guides you through the game in History 101.

Mini-games have three areas from which to choose. Mini-camp provides you with a series of drills and subsequent game situations to complete. These drills cover all the basic positions, and even the kickers and punters have their own. These drills give you points for doing your job correctly, such as intercepting or swatting the ball in the “Swat Ball” drill or kicking the ball as close to the center of the goalposts as possible in “Clutch Kicking”. Get enough points to get a gold trophy in these drills, and you'll unlock a Madden card. Like previous years, Madden cards consist of Player and Cheat cards. When you unlock a Player card, the player pictured will receive a stat boost. Of course, Cheat cards unlocks new cheats for you to use. Rushing Attack is exactly like the “Chase and Tackle” drill except you get to go on offense as well. In Two-Minute Drill, pick your team and then try to score as many times as you can.

I've refrained from talking too much about the actual gameplay because not a whole lot has changed, which is fine by me. You still have a ton of plays at your disposal, you still have those four audibles you can call at the line of scrimmage using the C-stick, and you can still change a receiver’s routes using the Hot Route feature. The only major change to this year's Madden is the addition of QB Vision and Precision. Before the snap, you can press Z+R or Z+L to look at the receivers' routes, then you can press the button of the receiver you want to throw to and the quarterback’s field of vision will automatically shift to that receiver after the snap. You can also heave a pass to one side of the receiver by tilting the control stick in that direction before throwing. Depending on how you use Vision and Precision can determine how well it works for you. If you're not very familiar with simulation football games, this feature will be useful to you. It will let you focus your attention on one spot, but it might also tip off the defense as to where you're going to throw the ball (regardless of whether your opponent is human or computer controlled). The veteran will find ways to exploit this feature. An example would be for the expert to look like he's focused on one receiver. He could then pump fake, quickly shift his field of vision and find one of his receivers wide open down the field.

Another addition to the offense is that of the Truck Stick. This move is similar to last year's Hit Stick, except now the offense can use it as well. When you have the ball and you’re running, use the C-stick (up for players coming right at you or left or right for when they are coming on either side) and your player will give the defender a powerful blow and either step-step past him or knock him down.

Loading is about the worst part of this Madden. Not only do you have to wait about 10-12 seconds for everything (or sometimes even longer, depending on what you’re doing), but you don’t even get to do anything while you wait. All they manage to do is throw a player’s picture up there with either his statistics for the previous year or for their entire career. It can get rather annoying if you’re attempting to do many of the drills at one time.

The graphics in this installment of Madden haven’t changed much from the previous year, but that's no surprise. The models of the players, fans, and stadiums are all very nicely done and don’t need a whole lot of improvement. Most player models at least attempt to look like their real life counterparts. The stadiums are all replicated to perfection, including nuances such as the pirate ship at Raymond James Stadium.

Music in Madden ’06 is basically limited to rap and the occasional rock tune. It’s what you would expect from a football game. The good news is that most of the music is at the very least tolerable, and at times I even found myself groovin’ to the beats. Luckily, if there are songs in the game you don’t like, you can simply turn off those specific songs in the main settings menu of the game. I’ve never been a fan of the commentary, and I’m not about to become one with this game. Most of the commentary is bland and uninteresting. Again, it’s something that you don’t have to put up with, thanks to game settings.

All in all, Madden NFL 2006 is another excellent addition to the series and carries on the tradition of classic simulation gameplay for another year.

Score

Graphics Sound Control Gameplay Lastability Final
8 7 8 8.5 9 8.5
Graphics
8

Not much of an improvement over last year, but still good-looking regardless. Player, fan, and stadium models are all done well.

Sound
7

The music and sound effects are top-notch, but some people might not enjoy the genres represented. Commentary is still lackluster, but all of the above can be turned off.

Control
8

The learning curve on the GameCube controller is a bit steep compared to its brethren, but nothing that should stop those who just want a simple football game to pick up and play.

Gameplay
8.5

It’s Madden, what more do you want? Fans of simulation games will appreciate the depth needed to truly master the game while new players shouldn’t be intimidated. QB Vision and Precision makes passing easier on the novice.

Lastability
9

Being the only NFL simulation game on the market helps. Getting perfect scores on all the drills and getting every Madden card is a daunting task for even the most grizzled veteran.

Final
8.5

Perhaps not the best edition of Madden ever put out on a console, but it’s still a solid entry in the series.

Summary

Pros
  • Classic Madden gameplay
  • Superstar mode is excellent
  • The mini-game drills are fun and a nice change of pace
Cons
  • Commentary is still boring
  • Loading times
Review Page 2: Conclusion

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Genre Sports
Developer Electronic Arts
Players1 - 4

Worldwide Releases

na: Madden NFL 06
Release Aug 08, 2005
PublisherElectronic Arts
RatingEveryone

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