Now that the 360 is out I am still surprised by all of the sports titles that were released as launch titles. Now don’t get me wrong, I love sports and glad to see a solid assortment to choose from. Of course Madden sticks out as the main one that is going to draw interest. I don’t think there has been more buzz about any version of Madden like there has been about the 360 version. EA and Tiburon decided to make a brand new version just for the 360 rather than porting the Xbox version. Living close to Philadelphia it’s no surprise that I am an Eagles fan and this year the cover features Donavan McNabb and the Eagles.

If you follow football, you know the year the Eagles have had and the soap opera that has been going on with T.O. and McNabb being hurt. It sort of fits see Philly fans take things hard and we can love the team one minute and hate them the very next second. After all, we are the team that snowballed Santa on National TV. The reason I bring this up is that Madden fans are the same way when EA brings out something new for the series. Fans either love it and sing their praises or really get down on it. A lot has been said about Madden for the 360 but what is the official XBS word? Read the full review of Madden NFL 06 for the Xbox 360 and find out.

Gameplay

Long time fans will notice right from the new intro the game has been made with the idea of using the graphical powers of the 360. I enjoyed the two-minute drill and seeing my favorite team needing to score to win. It seems fitting if you follow the Eagles. The way it plays out is realistic but more importantly sets a tone for what players can expect. I wish they would not have ended that cut-scene with only two-seconds on the clock I wanted to see if McNabb could pull it off or not. Of course that’s the whole point leaving the ending open like that showing the new attitude of Madden for the 360. You the player must make that final call and win the game or blow it and take that long walk back to the showers.

Now with new enhanced menus, call playing modes and new models for the players, the game sounds great so far. Hold that thought! The phone just rang from the owner’s box. The game has some new features this is true, but just like getting that call from the owners box Madden is missing a few things that has fans like me confused. There is no challenge option for starters and that was one of the things that fans wanted added the most. The rest of the things that are not in this version for the most part don’t bother me. I never liked the Dynasty mode and could care less about raising ticket prices and beer sales. I thought those extras just seemed like they were added for those who wanted more to keep busy.

I do like the new play calling and the coaching calls, but again the commentary is a radio-style presentation. This really takes time to get used to and in some ways seems like they could not get Madden in to record a new commentary. No offense as much as I like the Madden franchise even the ask Madden can work on your nerves. The good news is that announcer in the radio mode seems to fit. Gamers will notice they are really playing up the QB vision with the shots that go right into the helmet. After playing it, I went back and played the Xbox version and for the most part I like the 360 better but do miss the challenges. In a way it reminds me of the first time that NHL made its way to the Xbox. A few things were missing and a few things were different. This is normal and to say that it’s not solid is not really fair.

The revamped things like the kicking and the presentation are really different. For me, the lack of certain modes was not the issue. It was the penalty calling and the overall Defensive A.I. system that seem to be lacking. The game nails the home team for everything. I noticed that the defensive A.I. can be tricked too easily when playing the CPU. Okay so there are some things that needed to be tweaked. The game looks amazing for the most part, plays well and offers a few nice controls from the Xbox version. I love the truck stick when running but at times can be used too easily to take advantage of the A.I. defense, especially in the running game.

Offensively, I like the fact you can choose when to use the QB vision and mix things up. I did not really like the kicking system. It reminded my too much of Fever’s style of kicking and we all know how great that franchise was. It’s not perfect and does need some tweaks but again it’s a first attempt on a new system. If this was just a port from the Xbox version with the same angle, then the flaws would not be acceptable. I think it took some guts on EA’s part to make a new version rather than rely on the Xbox version and it seems they were in a no win situation. If they would have just brought the other version over to the 360, fans would have been mad. Now they made a brand new one and some are still mad. My advice is to take the game and enjoy it for what it has to offer. The passing and running is just as solid, the defense is easier to disguise when playing against players online or a friend at the house. Maybe EA’s and Tiburon’s goal was to get new gamers to be able to enjoy the game and the new enhancements. Personally, I am sure that the next game will have the issues fixed and hopefully bring back the old kicking system. There are improvements in almost every area, but yes it does have some issues that need to be fixed.

It almost seems like they are getting fans ready for a major change and did not want to introduce everything so they just added a small bit of it and then next year are going to unleash the full revamped version. Hey, fans have been saying Madden needs to be revamped so it makes sense. I noticed that the game seems easier to learn and they spent more time to ask several times in the options and settings. Again, pointing that they are the only official NFL licensed game around and want to draw in the new 360 owners. It is not perfect and it has some issue but it is fun and the Franchise and Play It Now as well as online play is all there. As a huge fan of football, I miss the challenges but the gameplay really has not change except that now you have the shoulder buttons.

Control / Playability

Thanks to the 360’s controller every control button or trigger is right at your finger tips. For the most part it has the same control scheme as the Xbox version. You need to remember to go into the QB’s vision mode you push in the left trigger. Each control and button responds perfectly I would recommend looking over the controls in the game book. The learning curve is about 15 minutes and then learning the more advance controls can be learned by going into a practice game. I like the added shoulder buttons and they really come in handy for certain aspects of the game. You may want to look over using the Hit Stick when on defense and how to use the Truck Stick while being on offense to deliver awesome hits. It takes a little time to get the timing down but over all the controls is easy to learn for any one.

Xbox Live

The lobbies are almost the same and if anything its easier to set private games. Some have complained that you can only play one-on-one. I really feel this is due to the new graphics and again given time, they will find a way to increase it back to four-players, maybe more? The server is easy to connect to, but I did notice a little lag. It’s still as enjoyable to play and I really only ever enjoyed one-on-one matches anyhow, so I have no complaints as far as that issue. I have to say the game seems to miss penalties online more than when playing offline. It’s almost like they need to work on the penalty A.I system.

Pretty standard EA lobby really and has the same rooms as found on the Xbox system. It seems to take a few extra seconds to sync with the player you’re going to play with and I did have to load the online roster twice before it would use it for some reason. Really no complaints and everyone I have played against has seemed happy with the look and gameplay. It’s just missing the ability to challenge and the penalties not being called as much. The injuries are now more realistic and they have a great way of showing where it happened and exactly how long the player will be unavailable.

Graphics / Presentation

The lighting and the stadiums look fantastic and really make a great first impression. You will notice that the crowd looks and reacts real finally and yes the players now sweat and you can see it. I like the graphical changes and the new juke and special moves, which now seem more realistic and add to the overall gameplay. I will say a few players need work as they just do not look as accurate as they did on the Xbox. The zooming in on the QB’s eyes gets a bit old and sometimes the player looks half asleep. I know they are trying to emphasize to QB’s vision mode but I feel it’s overused.

One major complaint is some of the coaches are not realistic looking at all. Andy Reid looks huge and not in a good way. They had the same issue two years ago and may have just missed the fact Andy has lost weight but he looks almost comical. The glare from the helmets and the lights hitting the field at night look as real as on TV. It really has some impressive graphics but at times some of the old issues come back. I have seen Madden evolve over the years and it’s the best looking version ever made. I would like to see more celebration moves and animations though.

Audio

The new radio style broadcasting does take a bit of time to get used to, but when used with the regular arena announcer it seems to work and looks like they are trying for more of a real game experience rather then a televised game presentation. The commentary is solid and stays true to what is going on but could use some beefing up and more added to it. The on-field smack talk is great and really makes you feel like you’re on the field and the hits sound better then ever. Overall a nice job here as well.

Replay Value

Now that the 360 has achievements to earn, this adds another dimension to the game and die-hard players will want to unlock them all. The franchise mode still has the option to simulate the games or allow you to play every game in any week. With the new enhancements and play calling, Madden still offers football fans plenty although you have to remember a few things have changed. Once you get past that, the whole game seems better overall. I enjoyed it and while it has some issues, it has plenty of replay value to offer fans of Madden.

Overall Score

Overall Score: 7.8/10 [not an average]

Additional Comments

Madden NFL 06 for the Xbox 360 is truly the next generation of sports games. It is not perfect but it looks amazing and shows promise. It can only get better and if they add a few things, the game is going to be hard to beat. Knowing Tiburon and EA in general, they are already making next year’s game and will adress the few issues. Every new system takes time to reach its full potential and this is Madden’s freshmen year on the 360.

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