WRITTEN BY: BILLY MITCHELL

Ah, the life of a videogame reviewer. The glitz, the glamour, the glory. Not really. Let me tell you how it really goes here at Xbox Advanced;

sound of phone ringing
Me: Hello?
Dave Rudden, Xbox Advanced Review Team Leader: Billy? I need a favor.
Me: Dave, it's like omigod thirty in the morning....
Dave: But we don't have anyone reviewing Madden NFL 06 and I need the review up this weekend.
Me: And you need me to do it, right? But I have to work all weekend!
Dave: Look, I didn't want to resort to this, but Sascha authorized me to take away your birthday if you said no.
Me: But my birthday is in two weeks. Everyone is already invited, and I already made a down payment on the dancing penguins......
Dave: Well, I suggest you get started. I need it in twelve minutes, and for the sake of all that's holy, spellcheck. Oh, and I need a cup of coffee and a bagel, and Sascha said something about needing his tires rotated......

Without further ado, I give you Madden NFL 06.

Gameplay:

The Madden franchise has been around for sixteen years, and shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. Anyone who has ever played an incarnation of the venerable EA cash cow will feel right at home with Madden NFL 06. The controls are tight and responsive, and there are several modes of play from which to choose. Everything you have come to expect from a gridiron game is in the box, from audible and hot routes to franchise mode and online mutliplayer. The new Quarterback Vision Control is a nice added feature, and anyone who played ESPN NFL 2K5 last year will recognize the Quarterback Precision Placement control.

A new gameplay mode that was added this year is Superstar Mode. You can import one of your players from NCAA 2006, NFL Street 2, or create your very own dream player. When creating one from scratch, you pick your parents (which I spent nearly an hour on, if only you could do this in real life,) name your player, and create their look. After running a few training camp mini-games, you hire an agent, take an IQ test, and then wait your turn in the draft. Between games, you can practice various plays, do interviews, and review offers for parts in movies. Just like in Hollywood, image is everything, and your quest to become a superstar will have you firing agents, working on focus plays for upcoming opponents, and even getting new haircuts and tattoos just to make sure your image is up to snuff. Overall, it’s an interesting new twist to the game, and a nice bit of added depth.




Gee, I wonder who McNabb's passing to...


Graphics:
This is the part I was most disappointed in. There was absolutely no wow factor here. To be honest, I don't think the graphics in this game come close to last year's ESPN offering by 2KSports. Maybe I was spoiled by the trailers for the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of the game, but I was supremely let down. Every year, it seems they put a little more polish on the game, but this time there was no new shine there for me. Don't get me wrong, the graphics aren't bad, but they still have that look of a Playstation 2 port. I don't know if all their resources were tied up in the next-gen projects, or they simply didn't feel the need to improve this aspect. I hope it's the former.


Sound:

The sound was a mixed bag. The commentary does get very aggravating, but that is easily fixed with a couple of tweaks in the options menu. I also found that the EA Trax to be a little annoying as well. But again, a few tweaks in the right menu, and you can be playing with your favorite tunes, or just enjoying the game as you would hear it in the stadium. And that, my friends, is where the sound truly shines. With the Dolby Digital kicked in, you can hear your offensive line struggling to buy you the time you need to make that all important third down conversion. The immersion is incredible.

Features:
As stated before, I really enjoyed the new Superstar Mode. It gave the game a little added emotional depth, and I actually found myself caring about my rising star. The Quarterback Vision Control took a little getting used to, but after some trial and error, it becomes almost second nature. Playing online on Xbox Live was very fluid, and there was no apparent lag in any of the games I played. The people I played could have been a little friendlier, but I can't really blame that on the game, now can I?





Packers and Lions can't dance together. That's not cool.


Overall:
If you are a diehard Madden fan, then it won't really matter much what this review says. But if you are undecided about getting the game, I would highly recommend renting it first. It is not a bad game, but I really don't see but a few differences from last year's incarnation, and of those, there really isn't anything I couldn't live without. If this is the future of the NFL in videogames, consider me a retro gamer.