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EA Sports’ bread and butter arrives in time for the Xbox launch. Madden NFL 06 for Xbox 360 is a truly next-generation version built from the ground up to take advantage of the Xbox 360’s graphical capabilities. Like other EA Sports launch titles, it’s missing some features found in recent entries in the series, but the superb presentation makes up for it.
The game includes some of the expected gameplay modes like quick play and franchise mode. They work reasonably well but there were a number of modes omitted from this version. The game doesn’t include the minicamp mode, practice mode, or minigames of previous versions. Even the franchise mode is stripped of the more complex functionality that it has had in recent years.
The game’s gameplay is solid but simpler than it has been in recent Madden NFL games. You’ll no longer have access to the defensive playmaker controls although you’re able to shift the defense. On the offense, you can’t shift the formation but you can call audibles and activate hot routes. The game does include the vision cone system introduced in this year’s version, which essentially gives quarterbacks a specific cone they can very accurately throw passes to. You also lose the ability to challenge play for the Xbox 360. The game does include some new gameplay tweaks. For one, the play-calling screen is a lot more intuitive. You can divide plays by key player, formation and play type. You can also get advice from Madden and the team’s coach, both of whom will recommend plays for you to go with.
The game takes advantage of Xbox Live for online play. The online mode is functional and performs well with very little lag plaguing games. Unfortunately, it’s pretty basic with the ability to play in ranked and unranked games but without the online minigames and other distractions we’ve come to expect. The game includes offline multiplayer for two players.
The game’s visuals are impressive and worthy of the next-generation label. The game’s player models have a lot of detail and realistic muscular definition, which is something that current generation versions lacked. The faces for the more popular players are incredibly accurate. The attention to detail carries over to the coaches who look stunning. The stadiums are amazing with top-notch crowds populating them. he game’s animations are incredibly fluid with new and realistic animations for the many catches, throws and tackles – they’re certainly more impressive than any other football game. Unlike many other Xbox 360 games, Madden’s improved visuals can easily be identified on a regular TV. If you play the game on a standard television you’ll still getting a marked improvement from current generation consoles. But if you pump up the resolution, you’ll notice a great increase and clarity and sharpness. This is definitely the best looking football game on any TV.
The game’s sound is similar to current-generation versions of the game. The sound effects are impressive, providing some life to the onscreen action. The EA Trax provided soundtrack is impressive in terms of sheer scope. The commentary sees the biggest change since John Madden is replaced by someone from EA Sports Radio but joins the familiar Al Michaels. The new guy is pretty good and plenty enthusiastic. Don’t worry that you’ll miss Madden too much, he’s still present in the Ask Madden feature. All of the audio is console-quality, as well.
Like other EA Sports launch titles, Madden NFL 06 looks fantastic and plays very well. The game does lack a number of modes and gameplay tweaks that were incorporated over the years. If you can live without these modes, you’ll have a good game to showoff your new hardware with.
-- Adam Nunez &
Editor's Note: December 9, 2005 - The graphics score for the game was originally an 8.5 with an overall score of 8.8. This has since been edited to a graphics score of 9.0, an overall score of 8.9, making the game eligible for an Editors' Choice Award. -- Jose Liz, PGNx Media
---- Dec 8, 2005
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