GameCube

Madden NFL 2005

In one year, EA Sports has done more to right the wrongs of Madden's gameplay past than in any time in the illustrious series' history. Play Madden NFL 2005 once, and you might notice the big hits and how aware all of the defenders are on the gridiron. Play it five times and you'll realize how defensive hot routes completely even out the field and that for the first time, maybe in any football game, it's not just fun, it's actually meaningful to D-up. Play the game 20 times and you really start to appreciate the brilliance behind the All-Madden engine.

Da das GameCube-Pad etwas weniger Buttons als das PS2-Pad zu bieten hat, wirkt die Steuerung zunächst sehr anspruchsvoll, fast schon überladen. Aber dieses technische Hindernis hat man schnell überwunden und nach einer kurzen Einspielzeit hat man die neuen Features verinnerlicht und steuert seine Figuren sicher übers Spielfeld. Abwechslungsreiches Gameplay, tolle Spielbarkeit und der absolut überzeugende Umfang bekommen von mir einen dicken Daumenzeig nach oben. Probleme macht mir jetzt nur noch die KI der CPU-gesteuerten Sportler. Die gehen nämlich noch aggressiver als im Vorjahr vor und lassen jede Partie zum spannenden Match werden. Da kann ich selbst über die Präsentation hinwegsehen. Die ist zwar sehr gut gelungen, kann aber nicht ganz mit Segas fernsehreifer NFL 2K-Serie mithalten.

Madden. One word sums up the most dominating franchise in video game history. Forget Mario, forget Sonic and to hell with Crash. The sheer scale of Madden has obliterated every other series to become the largest phenomenon the gaming world has ever seen. Don’t believe me? Take these three facts into consideration: 1.) The recent announcement of more than 1.35 million (that’s right, million) copies of Madden NFL 2005 were sold in the first week alone. There are some games that don’t even get up to that number of units sold throughout their entire shelf life. 2.) Rather than go up against the behemoth that is Madden, Microsoft fired their sports division dedicated to NFL Fever, citing its superior quality. 3.) Aside from ESPN 2K5, Madden is the only other pro football title out this year. That’s right, just about every other company ran away from the field this year, leaving an underdog to challenge the undisputed champion.

There's a battle afoot on the gridiron, as two fearsome competitors fight it out in the trenches. No, they're not trying to get precious yards for a first down or a hail mary into the end zone, they're duking it out to get your hard earned money. ESPN NFL 2K5 stepped up to the line first, releasing their game two weeks before the originally scheduled date, and with a low price that's hard for most people to resist.

Each season Madden NFL holds courts as the elite of the video game football league. This year even though the competition is fewer (no NFL GameDay or NFL Fever), it's gotten tougher (ESPN NFL 2K5); and Madden NFL 2005 muscles up to compete in fine form.

The NFL draft has also been given a bit of a boost. You can keep tabs on 15 players that you are interested in pursuing and the draft plays out a lot more like the regular NFL draft. Each team is put on the clock and the wheeling and dealing begins. You even get crowd reactions from choices made by the teams. There is also opponent trading of draft picks to move up or down in the draft, something that was noticeably absent from previous versions. It’s all very well put together and gives you the atmosphere of actually being at the draft.

All over America, Bratwursts are defrosting, belt buckles are loosening, and girlfriends are getting dumped. Yes, it’s that manliest time of the year, the beginning of the football season and the release of the latest installment of the top-selling Madden Football franchise from EA Sports. Spanning four platforms, Madden 2005 should once again be the best-selling game of the year because of its brand name, fantastic gameplay, and its dedicated legion of fans. Madden gets better every year, but some years the jump isn’t quite as high as previous years, making the only real attraction the updated rosters and a few graphical enhancements. Aside from a few improvements, this year happens to be one of those years.

2005 ne marque pas un vrai renouveau pour la série ce qui n'empêche pas cette dernière de se bonifier avec le temps. Les petits ajouts opérés ça et là rendent le gameplay encore un peu plus profond. Les fans de la NFL sauront apprécier. Les néophytes, eux, pourront toujours tenter de se plonger dans cet enfer dominical, à condition d'avoir à disposition un glossaire regroupant tous les termes techniques.

Madden NFL 2005 marks yet another excellent entry into the famous series, but doesn’t deviate much from the path laid out by Madden NFL 2004. It actually offers less new material than ESPN NFL 2K5, which struck a chord with its VIP system and Weekly Prep. However, Madden’s gameplay is more consistent and more solid than ESPN’s, especially in terms of playbook depth and passing, and ultimately that’s what distinguishes the champ from the challenger.