Madden NFL 06 – PS2 – Review

I’d like
to stop and gloat that John Madden, famed player, coach, and commentator of
the National Football League is an alumni of my university, Cal Poly San Luis
Obispo. So, I had the natural inclination to review Madden 2006 because
I think we have an uncommon bond stronger than blood (Green and Gold, Baby!).
John Madden has made a career off of bettering the sport of football including
his support of the most popular and #1 sport franchise in videogame history,
properly titled Madden Football. Through the years, there have been
numerous and grand improvements to the gameplay
and presentation (adding in bonus features each year to really make the game
shine). Madden 2006 is no exception, bringing another year of great
football gameplay to fans worldwide. And although
the extra game modes EA Sports threw in to add replay value feels amateurish
when compared to the greatness that is Madden, new features like Precision
Passing and QB Vision take the franchise to a whole new level.

Unless
you have been living under a rock lately, you’ve probably played one version
of Madden Football at one point or another. Fans of the series have
come to love the standardization of the offense while gladly seeking
improvements to the defensive AI system. This year, it really is a whole new
game, with more attention spent on the advancement of passing. Among the
changes in offensive gameplay is the avant-garde
QB vision. Just like it sounds, EA has dropped in a new feature that relies on
the field of vision a quarterback has for the accuracy of passing. For a more
reliable pass (diminishing the likelihood of
incompletions or interceptions), the receiver must be within the field
of vision of the quarterback. The skill level of quarterbacks will determine
the scope available to control (those that are more advanced have a wider
field of vision). While delivering a more precise offense, this adds a whole
new level of difficulty that I love and others loathe. Having to worry about
where your QB is looking (controlled through the right analog stick, although
it defaults to a receiver when in play) all the time leads to lack of
attention to the surroundings around you such as blitzes. The average number
of sacs in a game has increased as a result of this new
gameplay element. Also, your opponent can see the very same field of
vision you are using and can determine most of the time
who you will pass the ball to. Luckily, those who hate the new feature
have the ability to shut it off in the game settings.

Coupled
with the QB Vision is Precision Passing, allowing
your QB to throw the ball where it needs to be in relation to the receiver.
Using the left control stick, you can decide where the receiver will catch the
ball (either to the left, right, behind, or ahead). Though it sounds useless
in theory, it is almost essential when dealing with opponents ready to swat or
intercept a thrown pigskin. Additionally, the
implementation of a hit stick for ball carriers to either knock down defenders
when pushing forward or drop back and watch your opponent fall flat on his
chest when pushing backwards. This feature doesn’t
work as well as I’d hope it would, and works less often than I attempted it.
The defensive system hasn’t changed at all since Madden 2005, but like
the saying goes, “if it ain’t broke…”

These new
gameplay elements are the only thing different
than Madden 2006’s predecessors.  If you were to disable QB vision, it
would essentially be Madden 2005 in a different box, with the same
modes including franchise, quick play, minigames,
create-a-fan, and online. Online mode for PS2 requires either a $2 purchase
from any viable credit card or your email address for spam mail from ESPN (if
you are smart, create a fake email address to use). The ease of entering a
game to play was very impressive and the load times were virtually negligible.
Playing against real online opponents just feels better (or worse depending on
the final score). A little something has been added to the online mode called
EA Sports Locker which will let you and friends download franchise games to
play offline and then upload them back for other friends to play on. I haven’t
found a purpose to it’s existence, but I’m sure
there is one.

Superstar
mode is the only new mode from Madden 2006. Although a great idea in
concept, it’s an utter failure in practice. You create a character by choosing
the combination of your parents (because why shouldn’t a kid decide who his
parents are?), pick an agent (that ranges from all-star representatives to
sleaze balls you wouldn’t trust with a piggy bank), take an IQ test (with
brain teasers such as “what is your favorite food?” and “do you like
football?”), a few interviews, and prepare for the draft (my character was 2^nd
round pick for the Bengals, although I’m sure you
will have better fortune). Soon after, you will attend training camp, and then
hopefully begin your road to the Super Bowl. Sponsors will come around once
and a while for possible endorsement deals as well as movie roles (roles which
helped display the immortal genius that is Shaq
through the artistic compilation, “Kazaam”).
Sounds pretty cool, eh? Well stick those two thumbs up in your garbage
disposal because Superstar mode is plain awful to play. Most of the work done
off the football field is viewed through a calendar displaying specific events
to attend. There is no timeline, however, in the way the calendar works and
you can jump three weeks to any one event. Also, most of the activities you
engage in is purely text based and offers the blandest role-playing system I
have seen for a long time. After my first preseason game, I was completely
bored.

The
presentation of Madden 2006 hasn’t changed at all compared to Madden
2005.  All the graphics look the same like player models, animation, and
stadium environments. I was hoping to see facial emotions on the football
field, but I guess that level of detail can’t be reached with current
generation systems. I have played the Xbox version, and can truthfully say it
isn’t much different than what the PS2 has to offer. The sound is just like
its predecessors, featuring the commentators Al
Michaels and John Madden. Al Michaels takes the lead in announcing particular
gameplay while Madden throws in his two cents
every once in a while. The sound effects aren’t too overemphasized and flow
naturally with the game. Of course, what’s an EA Sports game without an
original music track mix. The jukebox is back and
features many different artists like the All American Rejects, Fall
Out Boy, and Hot Hot
Heat. The songs felt out of place in the game and may not have been the best
choice for Madden’s song list.

Guess
what, Madden 2006 is a great football game. But so was Madden 2005,
and besides precision passing and QB vision, there is no big reason for casual
fans to absolutely lay down 50 bucks for the same game with different lineups.
But for fans of the series and sports nuts, grab a copy from your local
videogame retailer and have a ball.

Gameplay:
8.8

Solid gameplay with extra features
you will either enjoy or loathe.

Graphics:
8.0

The
graphics haven’t improved at all from Madden 2005, but there isn’t much
difference between the PS2 and XBOX version.

Sound: 8.5

Nothing
sounds better than Madden’s words of wisdom. I
just wish the music soundtrack was better.

Difficulty:
Medium

Concept:
9.0
I’ve got a
fever…and the only prescription is more Madden!

Multiplayer: 9.0
Madden 2006
offers a simple and fun multiplayer mode you just have to experience.

Overall:
8.8
The Madden
franchise has come along way since its start in the early 90’s. And although
the level of progression has been diminished in Madden 2006, it still has the
right to call itself the #1 selling sports franchise of all time. Hopefully
next year EA Sports will cook up something never before seen through the
capabilities of next generation systems.