by Quietcool72

In doing a review of Madden 2006, I should start by saying that for this game in particular, I’m changing the review format that we’re used to. We knew from the previews going into this season that the game was getting virtually no graphic upgrade in this last year of “current gen”, and we had a sneaking suspicion from the previews that sound had changed very little in terms of commentary, on field, etc. (Needless to say, those suspicions turned out to be reality.) So, I’m just going to talk about the differences that set Madden 2006 apart from Madden 2005. The reason for this is because people have played, seen, or experienced the last 3 iterations of the Madden franchise, and that being the case- you know the graphics and you know the sounds. We won’t belabor them yet again. However, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the issue of graphics and sounds and was so quick to just cheer Madden 2006 for its fat batch of gameplay elements. The truth of the matter is this- if only speaking in terms of sound and graphics- were it not for the new QB vision cone being displayed on screen, the average gamer probably couldn’t recognize Madden 2006 from Madden 2005 if judging merely on visuals and audio. I don’t know about you- but that just doesn’t sit well with me. Many people will quickly counter with “Well, this is late “current gen” and the hardware is “maxxed-out”.

Is it? Perhaps EA ignores the other games on the market- but I played Doom 3, Halo 2, and several other supremely awesome looking games current gen games – particularly on the XBOX. To be perfectly honest, last years NFL 2K5 looked much better that Madden 2006 in my opinion. So I find the “late current gen” argument to be particularly weak. Last years NFL 2K5 also blew away THIS year’s Madden in the sound department by a considerable margin.

But lets talk about those sounds. EA has done next to nothing in terms of sounds and commentary for several years, and this year is no different. I’m sorry folks, but adding a few new comments to the Madden/Michaels already-thin audio repertoire is simply inexcusable. What is the excuse here? You can fit LOTS of commentary on a DVD rom, provided you take the initiative. EA simply hasn’t seen fit to do that, and its simply deplorable. Its clearly not a case of “current-gen limitations”, but rather a case of late “current-gen laziness.” In-short, there’s four words that come to mind about Madden 2006’s sound and graphics: ”Same As Last Year”

Now that I got that out of the way, lets talk about the gameplay and the on-field enhancements added to Madden 2006. As harsh as I may seem in my criticism of the sound and graphics, I will say that Madden 2006 is the most feature-laden offering that EA has ever given in a sports game. Some of those enhancements really add significant replay value and depth to the game. The QB vision cone is one such enhancement. You all know what it is- its that conical “beam of virtual light” that designates the QB’s vision and eyes. Throwing to receivers within that field-of-regard allows you to control the “lead” of the pass to an individual receiver within that “cone”. Conversely, throwing outside the cone is quite dangerous, as most of those throws are wild, and have a nasty habit of being interceptions. Many would argue with me on the merits of the vision cone. I’ve seen many reviews out there that slam EA pretty hard for this addition. (However, the reviewers also tend to forget to mention it can be turned off in the settings.) Yes, it does take some time to get used to. Yes, it can lead to you getting sacked quite a bit until you get used to it. However, once you get the hang of it, you’ll love it- IF you spend the time with it. The AI of the defenders DO read your vision cone (as would anyone playing you head to head). However, that’s the beauty of it! You can sucker the AI safeties and zone d-backs one way and quickly lock your vision cone back to the receiver who you REALLY want to pass to. Rarely do I start off a play actually looking at the receiver I hope to throw the ball to with my vision cone. I “look-off” and sucker the safeties, and come back to where I want the play to go. Then, throw a pump fake into the mix, and both AI defenders and human controlled defenders tend to bite if they are too aggressive. Now that is football folks. That’s how the successful pro QB’s work. Until now, that could not be simulated. Kudos to EA for recognizing its hard-core sim fans with this addition.

(And- again- to you “cone-complainers” out there, YOU CAN TURN IT OFF!) But all that aside- the vision cone also satisfies a huge demand in the Madden community. Quite simply, most players are sick and tired of previous games being giant “chuck-o-thons” where players get Michael Vick to drop back 22 yards, run around, and hurl bombs all day long. Now, the player using Michael Vick cannot rely on semi-random button pushes and chucking up junk while scrambling for 15 seconds because the vision cone will need manipulated and proper reads will have to be made. (Note: EA also tightened the defensive end pursuit angles to limit those idiotic, nonsensical, drop-back passes that so ruined tournaments and online play before Madden 2006. Many of you have also read about or played with the new “Superstar Mode” which allows you to create a custom player and bring him up through the pros. To me, it was an interesting little distraction… …for about 7 minutes. Its just not that fun IMHO. You get drafted by teams in the 2nd round to start your career, but that team often has no need for you. (I was a tight end drafted by the CHIEFS!) However, you control the depth chart of the team who drafts you, so you can make yourself start, so its not like you “earned” a start in the mind of your virtual coach. Then the game becomes about customizing your player by buying tattoos, getting new contracts, upgrading your apartment (can you say “ESPN CRIB?”). There’s a great deal of fluff involved, especially with your canned calls from your NFL mentor (Terrell Davis), who calls you so much in your apartment that you’d think he’s going for the Glenn Close “Fatal Attraction” stalker award.