Madden NFL 06 – 360 – Review

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.