Madden NFL 2004 – PC – Review

Madden 2004 is the
latest entry in the biggest selling football franchise.  But instead of offering
a minor update, EA Sports keeps raising the bar on other football games.  With
the 2004 entry, gamers have an almost complete football package.   Whether you
want to play every game in the season, play against friends online or become the
ultimate NFL owner, Madden 2004 proves “It’s in the game.”

There are several
different modes available in Madden 2004.  Play Now gives you the option to play
a single game between a team of your choice.  Play Online allows you to play
against other football fanatics online.  Game Modes allows you to play the
Franchise Mode, Mini Camp, 2-Minute Drill, Practice, Situation or Network Game.
The Franchise mode allows you to take control of the team of your choice for
complete domination over 30 seasons.  Available in the Franchise mode is the
Owner’s mode, which gives you even more control of your team.   So if think the
prices of hamburgers are too much when you’re at the game, now you can set the
prices!

The most important
aspect of any football game is how well the game plays.  Madden 2004 excels in
this department.  EA Sports have spent the past few years tuning how a Madden
game should play.  With 2004, this could be the best playing version in the
series.  The game feels like your playing a real game of football, but without
the bruises to show for it.   Whether you’re on offense or defense you have a
list of different moves to use.  If you see the defender diving at you, juke him
out to make him miss.  Or if you’re using a Pro Bowl defensive lineman, then use
a swim move to get around the offensive line. 

A big addition in
how the game plays is the Playmaker control.  Now you have extra option in how
you control the players on the field.   Instead of pressing away at a button to
select a nearby player, the Playmaker control option gives you control with one
analog stick on your controller.  But it also gives you more control of your
defense (or offense) before the ball is snapped.  Do you want to cheat your
secondary to one side before the ball is snapped?  Well now you can with the
Playmaker controls.  Or how about trying to shut down a running play even though
you selected a cover defense for a pass play?  Well with the Playmaker controls
now you can shut the run down, even after the ball is snapped.  It seems to be
more of a gimmick when you read it, but it works so well within the game.
You’ll soon be cheating a running play after the snap, or changing the direction
of the running play before the snap with a flick of a switch.  This is great
option, but you need a dual analog stick controller in order to use this option.

An even more
impressive mode in the game is the Owner’s mode.  Instead of just simulating a
season of football, now you have more control on how your team is ran.  You have
control over the Coaches you hire, the Training Staff, the ticket prices for the
games, the concession pricing, the name of your stadium, and a ton of other
options.  For anyone who’s interested in strategy games, the owner’s mode is an
almost complete strategy game in itself.  You don’t have to play a single game
of football; you can let the computer simulate all of the games for you.  Just
like an owner, you have the ultimate control as to who to play, who to sign,
where to play, and how much money you’re spending on the team.   Should you
spend more money advertising the team on television or radio?  Will more fans
attend the games, even though you have a losing record, if the ticket prices are
lowered?  It’s up to you, the owner.   This is a great addition to the game, but
you have to turn on the owner’s mode when you start the Franchise mode.  When
you first start the game, you might overlook the owner’s mode at first until
after you’ve already started the Franchise mode. 

Madden 2004 offers
football fans a total package of football goodness.  The excellent Playmaker
control is an addition that helps Madden 2004 leap over the competition.  With
the incredible owner’s mode, Madden 2004 puts the stiff arm on anyone else
trying to dethrone the current King of Football. 

Gameplay 9.5

Football fans are
a tough crowd to please when it comes to football games.  But Madden 2004 should
please even the most hardcore football fan with its gameplay.  It provides a
first rate game of football with tons of different plays and options during the
game.   The game plays very smooth with hardly any jerkiness or pausing during
big plays.  The Playmaker control gives you an extra feel for the game by
providing an easy interface for controlling players.  The owner’s mode also
provides an extra bonus to the gameplay by allowing you to control almost any
aspect of your team. 

Graphics 9.0

The graphics are
lush and very detailed for the player models.  The graphics for the different
stadiums are detailed and very accurate to the real life stadiums.  The
animations for the different plays in the game (such as the tackles and jukes
moves) are smooth.  The collision detection in the game is also first rate, you
hardly notice any of the players or graphics blending into each other.  The one
complaint for the past few years is still present in Madden 2004, the eyes of
the players.  It seems all of the players have a case of the evil eye or just
need to calm down.  For someone who’s played a previous version of Madden will
understand what I mean.  The eyes on the players are better then previous years
but the eyes can still give the creeps. 

Sound 8.5

The commentary
with Madden 2004 is much improved over last years Madden.  The comments by John
Madden and Al Michaels fit the action in the game most of the time.  However you
will still occasionally hear a goof up such as them praising you for passing the
ball 9 out of 10 times, but then praising you for running the ball
consistently.  The biggest problem with the sound is the EA Traxs that play when
you’re selecting a game play mode.  If you’re in the Owner Mode, the same four
or five songs will play over and over again.  After hearing the same song four
times, I had to turn off the music.

Difficulty
Medium

The game offers a
practice mode that allows you to practice every play in the game.   This can be
very helpful in determining what plays work against a particular defense.   The
practice mode allows you to get use to the controls as well.  The default
difficulty is set to Pro, which can be very tough for a new player.  My first
game with the difficulty on Pro had the computer walking all over me by half
time.  When I changed the difficulty to Rookie, I blew the computer out by 37
points by half time.  

Concept 9.0

Football is one of
the most popular sports series available for gamers.  Madden 2004 is an
excellent game of football.  The Playmaker control option really does add an
extra layer of dept to the game.  It’s a control option that becomes just an
important part of the game as the regular controls.  The owner mode opens up a
whole new world for the Madden series.  For someone who’s tried of playing just
a regular football game, should look at the owner’s mode for while

Multiplayer:
9.0

The game is
designed to play with other players over the internet.  You can setup your own
tournaments, or setup your own clubs or leagues online.  A quick match is also
available for anyone looking to complete just a quick online game.  There is
also a network mode available that allows you to play others over a LAN
setting.  The online mode plays just the same as the regular offline version,
with hardly any slow down or lag.   

Overall: 9.0

Madden 2004 is an
excellent title for anyone looking for a football game or has ever wanted to try
a football game.  Even the most hardcore football fans will enjoy Madden 2004.
From the detail graphics, excellent controls, and outstanding owner’s mode
everyone should find something to enjoy with this game.  The default difficulty
can be tough for a new player, but the easy setting might not be tough enough.
The repetitive music tracks can have you searching for the mute button on your
sound system right away.  But Madden 2004 is one of the finest football games
available on the market today.