By By Sean Ewing
It’s not often that the release of a sports game is met with controversy. With publisher Electronic Arts purchasing the video game license of the National Football League, Madden 2006 is the only videogame with the actual NFL teams and players. This placed pressure on EA to show they wouldn’t rest on their laurels now that they have effectively eliminated the competition. EA shows some innovation and new features, but the same problems still exist.
The first thing you will notice is the new features. The most fleshed out and entertaining of these is the superstar mode. This feature allows you to create a new player, starting with who his parents are, where he went to college, what position he plays and more. This feature is fun to play around with and provides a great alternative to the often intimidating franchise mode.
You can manage your player in this feature, like before. However, as opposed to setting the prices of concession-stand food in franchise mode, you can have your player’s agent declare he has problems with the staff, or he’ll guarantee a victory. These things affect your media visibility and your value as a player, as well as trade prospects.
The superstar mode is a great addition, and EA should be lauded for crafting a very impressive and fun mode for players who aren’t drawn by the insane micromanaging of franchise mode. You can spend hours practicing plays to increase your stats, hitting the barber to change your look, and hiring and firing managers to get you that all important ring.
Unfortunately, the other big addition is a bit disappointing. This year EA has been touting its “cone precision passing system.” To the gamer this means that there is a large yellow cone you have to pull up before you pass to someone, and if they aren’t in the passing cone, then you suffer a penalty to your accuracy.
The problem is that to complete a pass you must press a button to bring the cone on screen, lining your man up in it and then pressing another button to hit your receiver. For a short out offense, this is murder. Also, in the two player mode, your opponent knows almost exactly who you are going to hit.
The cone passing also serves to bolster already good quarterbacks and enfeeble already poor ones. Honestly, Drew Bledsoe is already getting creamed without having a terribly narrow field of vision. Conversely, Donovan McNabb doesn’t need a wide cone to be considered a total threat. It creates a greater separation between the upper tier and lower tier players. In the time it takes to line up Bledsoe’s vision with his receiver and fire the ball, provided you can get enough time in the pocket, McNabb could have nailed three passes. If your team isn’t blessed with an all star quarterback, expect to rely on the run again this season.
Of course, without a solid gameplay engine, none of it would be worth playing. On the upside, it’s still Madden. On the downside, it’s still Madden. It’s still easier to run the ball up the sidelines and the hit stick is a little touchier than it ought to be. That said, the run game remains exciting and fun, and the audible system and hot routes let you keep your opponent guessing and dictate your offense rather than your playbook.
Graphically, the game is a step up from the previous years, but only a small step. However, since last year’s game looked fantastic, that’s not a bad thing. The field effects are a little lacking and the fans look plastic, but the player models are excellent and the animations are extremely well done.
The soundtrack is a matter of personal preference, but the remixes of classic NFL films’ songs are a strange addition and probably won’t find their way onto many players’ trax lists. The rest is a standard mix of hip-hop and rock. Some of the rock strays a bit far into emo territory, which really doesn’t lend itself very well to third and short situations.
Overall, Madden is a good football game, made better by the inclusion of the superstar mode. Being able to really create and be your own player is a real thrill, and most gamers will probably find themselves playing through at least two or three seasons in that mode, if not more.
For true NFL fans, there is really no choice at all, since this is the only football game that has the names of the real teams and players. Fortunately for the fans, Madden 2006 is a great game.
Final Grade: B+
(Image courtesy amazon.com)