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(More customer reviews)Ladies and Gentlemen... I give you Madden 06 for the XBox 360.
Madden 06? Well... yeah. This is the version that should have been for 06. 2007 at the least. But we won't harp on that - we'll just go off of this game and what we have here now. And what we have here now is a pretty good game, I must admit.
To start off, let's remember that Madden 07 SUCKED. Plain and simple. If you thought otherwise, then... well, to quote the late Rick James: "Cocaine is a hell of a drug." I reviewed it harshly, but accurately. (It's the first one that displays) I said - nay - SWORE that I would not buy another EA football or basketball title until they showed us, as consumers, that they were interested in putting out a quality product and less interested in that '#1 Selling Franchise' logo on the box every year. I missed playing football games, as I usually do around this time of year, so I picked up NCAA 08. I enjoy the college versions usually, and that one was no different. Some of the upgrades on there had me a little curious about what they had in store for this year's Madden, so I kept my eyes open. But I swore to myself - RENT first.
So I did... played a few games, different modes, etc. Then a funny thing happened. I went right back out and bought it. Wow... didn't see that coming. And even more surprising than that, I guess, for some - the FAR BETTER version is on the 360 and NOT the PS3.
So let's see... where to start. I'll start with the cons, since there aren't many of them this year, surprisingly. But the ones that ARE there are biggies, and keep this game out of the 'Great' category and firmly in the 'Very Good' area. (still better than last year's 'Rancid Camel $&?!#' rating)
New England is rated at a 97. Okay, that's not really a 'con' but COME ON... a 97? Really?? Anyway...
Presentation - pitiful.
For a game that has exclusive rights to the ESPN brand, this is really horrible. Games past utilized FAR superior presentation styles - including those that were ESPN licensed. With all of the classic on-air/broadcast personalities over at ESPN, all they could come up with was Marshall Faulk doing a glazed-over pre/post game two-liner? All-Pro Football 2K8 was a half-hearted attempt by the 2K Crew, yet it is not UTTERLY behind Madden - why? Presentation. The audio commentary, the little subtleties in the gameplay: players actually talking to one another and the ref, players getting out of the way of oncoming traffic while standing on the sidelines, etc. Why does this seem to remain just out of EA's scope of imagination? Play-by-Play is still a joke this go-round. Madden was never on par with the classic 2K series, but this radio broadcast thing - doesn't work for me, and from what I'm hearing - doesn't work for most others. I actually miss Madden's painfully OBVIOUS-isms. ("What you wanna do is... you wanna score more points than the other team, because THAT will put you in a better position to win the game." Thanks for that pearl of wisdom there, JM) Also gone is the ability to truly customize your menu playlists. I hate that. I want my own music. Period.
I don't play online as much as in the past, but one rather large omission I noticed was the lack of Online Leagues. Hmmmm... that seems like it would add MILES of replayability, yet again, it's nowhere to be found. Disappointing, moreso for some I'm sure.
And of course there are a few gameplay issues, but that's to be expected. AI has been drastically improved, but there are still moments when your DB's and LB's will prove to be mildly retarded.
You fumble FAR too often on this game - the ball is too easily jarred loose, thanks in large part to the Hit Stick controls, but after awhile you kinda get used to it a bit. (annoying in itself)
EA 4th Quarters are still in effect: No matter how badly you've been destroying a team for 3 quarters, they will manage to drive down and score on you in the 4th. Bumping the difficulty up a notch or two helps somewhat this year - I keep it on All-Madden. Speaking of AI - how about a little AI upgrade for the crowd, coach and sideline players? The fans are still there, cheering like psychos, even though their team is down by 48 in the closing seconds of the game. Not likely... The sideline players are still over there in their overly-generic animations, all moving in sync with each other - looks like an old Michael Jackson video. And my coach, even in the snow, is over there getting his Kanye West on with a short-sleeved polo shirt and a headset. 36 degrees out, Coach...
There's still no way to save mid-game, though they did incorporate the SuperSim feature from NCAA 08. You can (pre-game or pre-play selection) choose to simulate the entire game, quarter, half, possession or play.
The other biggie (besides the presentation) is the Special Teams play. It effectively serves no purpose on this game. The kicking game is still overly simplistic, every kicker has the ability to kick the ball out of the stadium, there are no useful adjustments for kickoff/punt formations (wedge, etc.) Also, if the other team DOES manage to score, expect an onside kick. 50-point deficit in the 4th still? Onside kick... Why? WHY??? Football is, when you get down to it, made up of 3 elements: Offense, Defense and Special Teams. That's 1/3 of the game. 1/3 that they failed to represent. Can't have a 'Great' game with those percentages.
Thankfully, the rest of the game is rather outstanding.
Graphically, the game is so far ahead of last year's it's not even funny. Gone are the kickers with the 27-inch pythons. You can tell Peyton Manning apart from Brian Urlacher. Players are far more realistically portrayed in this installment. Slow down a HB in the open field just long enough for 2 of your DB's and a safety to swarm in and gang tackle him into the turf. (FINALLY!!!!!) The new animations (literally hundreds) make for a much smoother and free-flowing gaming experience, and the intuitive button configuration (fully customizable, of course) helps in just jumping straight into a game.
The stadiums are very nicely done, and the field looks phenomenal - PARTICULARLY during bad weather. You see the destruction of the field in the heavy traffic areas, and it progresses throughout the game. Even the rain itself tapers on and off throughout. One suggestion: how about some splashing, and more evidence of the messy weather on the uniforms/helmets. The lack of water splashing kind of takes away from the beauty of the huge pools of water that you are being forced to hike the ball from.
Aside from the radio broadcaster, the sound is brilliant. On-field trash talking, stadium announcer - everything is there. The tackling sounds will actually have you cringe occasionally... especially if it's one of YOUR players that just got their head knocked off.
I mentioned the AI - leaps and bounds over 07. Minus a few lapses here and there, you really have to use some THOUGHT when playing. I actually enjoy PUNTING now!! Throw to a receiver near the sidelines, and watch him (gasp) actually make an attempt to stay inbounds while catching the ball. Loose ball? Be amazed at how a mad dash will instantly ensue. Gone are the days when a goalline stand was a mere formality. 1st and Goal on the one? Don't be surpised if you end up with 3 points...
All of the other gameplay features appear to be back, more or less. Instead of a dedicated 'Owner Mode' you can check in the Front Office menu and observe how your Franchise is running. Check prices (can't adjust them though), revenue, expenses... even RELOCATE your team somewhere more profitable if your market is slow with the money. Drafts, stats, roster management - pretty much the norm. And all of the other little stuff, like the Rings, Trophies, yadda yadda - not that much into that crap, but they're there if you want them. Connect to XBox Live and the ESPN Ticker will keep you updated with current stats and news in real time. (I got several Michael Vick updates yesterday... nice)
Madden annually introduces some new gimmick to the franchise in an attempt to make it 'fresh' - this year brings us the Weapons System. While it can use some tweaking for sure, this is - to me - the single best addition to this franchise since the ability to change your pass coverage came along. Along with the traditional ratings system, you now have a Weapons system, labeling players by their strenghts and tendencies. No longer are two 99-rated WR's mirror images of one another. Steve Smith and T.O. are both great receivers for different reasons. L.T. and L.J. are definitely different types of backs, but you'd never know it on previous Maddens. Power backs play differently that elusive backs; Speed receivers go differently than possession receivers. For every Weapon, there is a counter Weapon. Hard Hitters can counter a Power HB by taking their legs out from under them consistently, but would have a harder time taking out an elusive back - while THEY would have more trouble with a Brick-Wall defender or LockDown defender. See? And it's up to you to set mismatches and play to your strengths and your opponent's weaknesses. Smart players - there's nothing you can really do to counter them outside of choosing a vast variety of plays - don't become predictable. Once your Smart Player's icon illuminates fully, they are able to see the play art of the opponent. QB's will see the defense's plan - LB's will see the offensive play between the hash marks. This all adds up to provide a football experience than Madden lovers haven't had, arguably, ever.
So how does it rate? A solid 4 out of 5 for me. The...Read more›
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