PSP

Madden NFL 06

Madden NFL 06 is a hulking, beastly football game that's a bit too big for its new handheld britches. It nails most of the important things, like the gameplay and the online content, but the game's beefy, versatile Franchise mode is a technical wreck. Still, its sheer depth makes it a relatively safe choice for patient fans of video gridiron. Just be prepared for a few too many time-outs.

Ah, Madden NFL 06 on the PSP is the way we love our portable football game. While it's far from perfect, there’s no denying that with much to offer this is a game sports fans and PSP owners should not leave out of their growing library of titles. It’s the type of game you’ll happily take with you on long trips or whenever you need a serious dose of Madden on the go. Do yourself a favor and buy this one right away.

When you think about the exclusive additions and the fact that you can get just as sucked into this version of football as you could on the consoles, then you can see that this is a quality title.

Madden 06 on PSP is a solid game. It's definitely Madden in the palm of your hands, and the PSP to PS2 connectivity pronounces that fact even better. It has the look, sound and feel of the console versions, and for that I'm grateful. Everything from the online play to the depth here makes this a great addition to PSP libraries everywhere. I just wish things could've been tuned better so that loading was faster. Madden is known as a fast and fluid brand of football games, and it's necessary to have that quality when you got some momentum in a football game. It doesn't ruin the experience, but it is a scratch on what would otherwise be a gleaming finish.

Vision passing is absent, but all of the other gameplay complexities have been replicated without alteration. The only other thing that EA needs to figure out is how to deliver Madden while we sleep.

With a solid franchise mode and impressive technical qualities, Madden NFL 2006 PSP is perfect for handheld pigskin fans or anyone looking for a good new sports game for their PlayStation Portable. In fact, if you liked older football games where momentum wasn't a factor, this is even better. It's definitely worth a try.

Madden prouve ici que sa série s'adapte parfaitement au support PSP. A deux ou trois détails près (plus de vision du quaterback, des courses simplifiées...), la jouabilité se rapproche beaucoup de ce qu'on trouve sur PS2. Les modes de jeux sont également très similaires à ce que l'on connaît déjà (franchise, match simple, entraînement...). Sans surprise, la console portable de Sony accueille donc un très bon jeu de football américain. Attention tout de même, le titre est intégralement en anglais. Vous voilà prévenu.

As the first simulation football game on the PSP, Madden 06 gets more than enough right to recommend. It's got its quirks, for sure, as well as a few serious annoyances, but the gameplay is undeniably great. EA will undoubtedly work out many of these kinks for next year's game. However, there's more than enough quality content in this package to make this year's game worthwhile for any PSP-owning football fan.

One of the risks that the NFL took when consummating the exclusive license deal, was that EA could get away with releasing less-than-stellar games because they faced no competition. Madden 06 for the PSP was released too soon - there's simply no denying that fact. With features missing such as instant replay and challenging plays, and bugs that will crash games and others that ruin player progression, the game could have used some more time in the shop. While some may chalk it up these issues to a learning curve or the PSP not being able to handle it, NBA Live 06 has already proven that great sports games can be pulled off on the PSP. Even with all of its problems, Madden 06 is easily the best football game to ever grace a handheld, but it's only worth $50 if you're really hankering for some pigskin on the go.

That means this is full of glitches, gameplay quirks, and it's nearly featureless compared to the other versions of Madden. What makes it worth playing? It's the closest we've ever come to a true, current Madden on a handheld, not just a port from the previous generation. That alone will make this appeal to fans of the series who religiously spend $50 a year on it. How agitated they become when the game stops working for them will be the true test of their loyalty.

In short, the people that should love the franchise mode may be put off by the performance. In addition to the sluggish menus, load times are too frequent and too long. Portable games should be fast and accessible, and Madden isn't. Granted, it's everything else the game should be, but until EA smoothes out performance on all fronts, less than patient buyers should be wary.

And all that loading is double-whammy. Not only does it increase the length of each game, it puts a heavy drain on the battery. You probably won't make it all the way over the hills and through the woods to grandmother's house playing Madden PSP on one charge, much less if you turn on the Wi-Fi adapter.

Although it's far from perfect, Madden NFL 06 builds a solid foundation for the future of handheld football games. Most of the game's problems seem to be due to the fact that the Madden team was working on the system for the first time, so expect to see plenty of improvement next time out. It should be noted that the team got a lot of things right, particularly in the graphics and gameplay departments. While the first PSP game in the series has a few issues, it's still the only game in town.