Each new console is initially judged on the quality of its launch titles,
but the one title that is inevitably scrutinized more closely than others is
the debut of Madden NFL on that console. Gamers love their football games and
usually can’t wait to get their hands on the next generation version. Once
again a new generation is upon us and we have a next-gen version of Madden to
go along with it – Madden NFL 06 on the Xbox 360. The pre-game hype is over,
it’s time to hit the field and put up or shut up.
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| Welcome to next-gen football... |
The first thing that you probably want to know about Madden NFL 06 is the
first thing that will leap out at you when you first fire up the game: the
graphics. On this play Madden scores a touchdown and converts for two. On a
high-definition TV or a computer flat panel display the game is jaw-dropping
gorgeous. The detail of the players is simply amazing and the player animations
are very realistic from their movements on a play down to their facial
expressions. On current generation consoles you can sort of recognize the faces
of the league’s top players, but on the Xbox 360 you’ll easily be able to tell
who’s looking back at you from behind each facemask. This version of Madden is
also the first game to actually bring the stadium crowd to life. You no longer
see a thousand cardboard cut-out clones in the stands – the stadiums are packed
with 3D fans that react to every play. You won’t believe how much this little
detail adds to your feeling of immersion when playing the game until you see it
for yourself.
As for the gameplay itself, there have been a few minor changes over the
versions appearing on current gen consoles, but it is evident that the gameplay
engine underneath is pretty much the same. It’s still a little too easy to pass
and a little too hard to run in the Xbox 360 version, and you’ll recognize some
of the same old familiar quirks. The controversial QB vision cone is now an
optional feature, though, which will undoubtedly make a number of gamers happy.
The kicking game has been changed, which is a bit odd since it’s not really an
improvement over the old version. You can no longer aim your kick before the
play but instead must play a game of “stop the swinging arrow”. You press the
button once to stop the arrow when it is pointing in the right direction and
then again to try and catch the power bar at full power. This change makes
kicking more difficult and brings down field goal percentages to unrealistically
low levels. Hopefully this is an experimental feature that will be retired
before next year and not a sign of things to come.
Madden NFL 06 also adds a new play-calling system that works pretty well.
Before each play you can ask Madden or your team’s head coach for advice, or you
can select from any play in the team’s playbook. You can select your play by
formation, type (run vs. pass), or even by key player for those times you just
have to keep going with the hot hand. This system provides you with a number of
options for quickly getting to the play that you want and most gamers will be
quite pleased with it.
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