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Madden NFL 06

This series may have shown signs of exhaustion last season, but EA has finally turned things around, creating what I feel is one of the best entries yet.

Madden 2006 is a great game of football and while most of us game journalists say that every year, this time it's true. For the first time in years, the game has been redesigned which completely alters the gameplay at its core. Tiburon appears not to be satisfied with just creating an entertaining representation of video football but to advance the realism so that the experience brings players that much closer to what it feels like being on the gridiron. They've succeeded. 2006 is a must buy for most Madden faithful.

The growing of this franchise sounds inevitable, but one only has to remember last year's Madden to know that this isn't always the case. Although the series could certainly improve some gameplay problems here and there, we're not only seeing its betterment with this year's installment, we're seeing real growth. Whether it's the first steps of an online franchise via your EA Locker or your life as the equivalent to Budweiser's Leon in NFL Superstar, Madden's exploration of new areas is not to be missed.

All that said, Madden NFL 2006 is the football game to get this year. It is far and away the most cerebral sports title ever released, forcing both the offensive and defensive coordination to methodically attack each other in order to achieve their respective goals. Careful and well thought out strategy is the name of the game, much more so than relying on frantic, on the field playmaking. The additions of the vision cone, Truck Stick, Superstar mode (among other new features) are key in making Madden NFL 2006 quite different from last year, and a much better experience. So realistic you can practically smell the jockstrap funk, this year's version of Madden is simply not to be missed.

Madden NFL 06 would be a great upgrade even if weren't the only NFL-licensed football game around. Kudos to EA Sports for not being afraid to juice the complexity factor of an already complex game. Rookies will have to pay their dues, but veterans get treated to a brand-new challenge. And if you're somewhere in between you should just enjoy the game.

Overall, I do think Madden 2006 offers enough improvements to keep fans of the series happy. The new QB Vision cone passing system is a bit hard to get used to, but it ultimately brings the best new feature in the entire game with it, which is the Precision Passing ability. The new NFL Superstar mode and the Truck Stick are good ideas as well, it’s just that they seemed slightly rushed and aren’t as polished as they could be. Ultimately, this year’s version will satisfy most hardcore Madden fans, but newcomers may want to wait until this fall when they can play Madden 2006 in the way it was intended.

Et bien voilà, John Madden réalise encore une sacrée performance avec la série qu'il sponsorise. L'édition 2006 reprend le meilleur de l'opus 2005 et y ajoute suffisamment de nouveautés en terme de gameplay et de modes de jeux pour entretenir la flamme du football et la faire briller encore un an, jusqu'à Madden 07.

Overall, the first year of the exclusive deal with the NFL didn’t exactly pan out as well as many gamers would’ve hoped. While the inclusion of the vision cones and the concept of the Superstar mode were creative ideas, the actual implementation of the features ranged from inconvenient to improperly constructed. It’s somewhat disappointing considering that this is essentially the same game as Madden 2005 with the lone exception of these two main features, and although you can somewhat deal with some of the hiccups that 06 presents, these tweaks aren’t as radical as those that have been made in previous years.

To give credit where credit's due, Tiburon annually manages to find ways to creatively invoke refreshing new substance into the Madden franchise -- when all it really needs to do is update rosters to sell, and sell big. It's a commendable stance that EA Sports has taken with regards to it meal ticket, as there has never been new stuff just for the sake of throwing it in. These improvements have been significant ones too, albeit sometimes very small. Rarely, in its 16 years of life, has the series stuttered or stepped back due to a faulty new feature or detrimental gameplay implementation... and in the last few years Madden has been nothing less than immersive and fun.

If Madden is your yearly pick up, by all means go out and get it. You'll be receiving more of what you've grown to enjoy, but only aggravated by the QB Vision. Just because this is your only alternative for NFL this year doesn't mean you need to buy it. ESPN 2K5 is much better than Madden 06 and is only about $10 now. If you want something new however, go out and buy NCAA 06, also from EA, which runs circles around this year's Madden. Race for the Heisman and the presentation alone are well worth the money. Madden really needs to step up its game next year if they want to justify being the NFL exclusive for the next ten years.

Just in time for NFL training camp is the latest edition of EA Sports' football juggernaut, Madden NFL 06. With last year's Madden NFL 2005 focusing heavily on improving the defensive game and overall presentation of the series, while not necessarily adding any grand, new game modes to the package, 06 shifts the other way, going out of its way to specifically work on the offensive side of the ball by debuting all-new passing controls. On paper, all the additions and changes sound like fine improvements, but the end result isn't nearly as impressive as it seems like it ought to have been. In fact, Madden 06 comes off as a somewhat unfocused and unpolished piece of work, which is sort of a shocking revelation for a brand that's ridden high on its level of quality for so many years. Ultimately, Madden NFL 06 is a highly playable game of football, but in comparison with the leaps forward the franchise has made in previous years, 06 feels like a false start.

While there's no denying that Madden NFL 06 is better than the previous versions, this year's big additions don't quite live up to the expectations placed upon them. Although it's true that the QB Vision system changes the game dramatically, it's not always for the better, especially when you're still trying to learn how to use it properly. If you can get over the steep learning curve (and trust me, it's a doozy), you'll probably learn to love it, as it makes the game feel much more realistic. If not, just turn it off and go back to playing the way you always have. Still, you've got to give EA credit for trying to improve their product. After all, isn't better to reach for the stars and fall short than not to reach at all?