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-- Maxpc Expert, Maxpc  0 out of 0 found this reivew helpful |
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| Madden NFL 2005 Madden's back, and this time it has, well, pretty much everything it had before. To many English folk, this game franchise is American Football. Unless you spend your Sunday nights studying the defensive plays of the Miami Dolphins, you probably learned everything you know about downs and running backs from EA's gaming institution. And that's fair enough, because this has always been a fantastic game. Madden 2005 is one of the best-presented simulations you'll ever lay eyes on. With licensed music and funky menu screens galore, it's as polished as your mum's new coffee table. Delve into season, or 'franchise', mode, and you'll soon feel like you're watching America's famous Fox network. Particularly impressive is the revolutionary virtual radio station. Partially replacing the tired email-based formula, this runs continuously in the background whenever you're within the menu system, updating you on the latest transfers, injuries and rumours in your make-believe world. But this is spit and shine, designed to entice those who already own several iterations of the franchise. Underneath it all, Madden is still the same game it was on the Sega Megadrive. You pick your plays, you target your receivers and you run like hell towards the opposition's line. Admittedly, this year's incarnation a does see a couple of tactical enhancements. Defensive play in particular benefits from new hot routes, which only Gridiron enthusiasts will understand, and the far more user-friendly 'hit stick', which enables you to dole out some serious punishment to the opposition's quarterback. Whether or not this justifies another £40 outlay is very debatable. Russell James This article first appeared in PC Format Issue 170 - January 2005 Related Links Compare Prices Click Here to Shop Format page for printing Email article to a friend ...
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-- GameSpot Expert, GameSpot  0 out of 0 found this reivew helpful |
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| The Madden NFL series has certainly made the rounds when it comes to gaming platforms. Appearing on everything from the Xbox and the PS2 to the Sega Saturn and even the Mac, Madden has popped up on nearly every platform to come down the line. Handheld gaming systems are no stranger to the Madden phenomenon either, as versions of the game have appeared on the Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and the Game Boy Advance. So it should come as no surprise to sports gamers that Madden has shown up on Nintendo's newest handheld gaming device, the Nintendo DS. What may be a surprise, however, is how poorly Madden NFL 2005 for the DS compares with some of its contemporaries on other platforms. It still plays a solid game of football, but otherwise isn't as good as you'd probably hope. Madden 2005 for the Nintendo DS: two screens, one stylus, lots of touchdowns. Those used to seeing a huge variety of player models and animations in their football games will likely be disappointed with the graphics in Madden NFL 2005 for the DS. In fact, there's very little difference in appearance between a hulking brute on the offensive line and a speedy wide receiver. Players have a uniformly blocky, pixelated appearance. The further away from the camera a player is, the less detail you'll see in the model. You won't see any jersey numbers for your linebackers and defensive backs--in fact, other than some vaguely human-shaped blobs, you won't see much at all of your secondary. There's a good deal of animation flickering, and clipping problems abound, especially after a play has ended and several player models are literally piled on top of one another. On the other hand, the game moves at a quick pace with virtually no slowdown, even when playing with a friend via the game's wireless multiplayer capability. This speedy tempo, combined with the game's lack of detail in player models, works against it in some respects, though, especially when trying to pick out holes to run through in a defensive line. The game's sound also falls short. On the positive side, the DS's dual-speaker sound system provides a rich audio experience, especially when compared with the tinny speakers of the system's handheld predecessors. The driving rock soundtrack found in the Madden menu screens sounds especially full, both through the onboard speakers or when using headphones. Unfortunately, there's not really enough quality sound in Madden NFL 2005 for the DS to make use of its audio capabilities. The ever-present hum of crowd noise sounds OK and seems to ebb and flow depending on the on-field action. The in-game commentary, however, is not only extremely sparse, but also muffled. Al Michaels' play-by-play calls are mostly relegated to pointing out first downs, interceptions, touchdowns, and field-goal attempts, and Madden's colorful analysis is virtually nonexistent. The observations are so sporadic, in fact, that you're left wondering why the developers even bothered with what little commentary there is in the game. The DS's unique hardware configuration--specifically, the dual-screen display, the lower of which can be used in tandem with the accompanying stylus for touch-screen control--gives the DS version of Madden some unique capabilities. Dealing with two screens of information requires you to adjust your awareness of what's happening in the game, especially as plays unfold on the field. When you're on the field, the top screen displays the traditional 3D action, as well as down-and-distance information and the play clock. The lower screen simultaneously provides you with a top-down X's-and-O's perspective of the field and your players. Once you get used to paying attention to this secondary screen, it works to your advantage. You can clearly see which of your receivers are creating space between themselves and their defenders, for example. Blitzes seem easier to pick up as well, as you aren't necessarily completely focused on finding an open receiver (one or more of which may be offscreen in the DS's upper display), but rather have a more comprehensive view of the field. The top-down perspective gives you an X's-and-O's point of view as the play develops on the field. You won't be able to depend on this top-down perspective completely, however. While it allows you to gauge the distance between a receiver and the defender covering him, the 2D nature of this view makes it impossible to tell how much arc to put on the throw to ensure that it clears whatever defenders (such as linebackers dropped into pass coverage) might be between you and your target. Because of the inherent advantages and disadvantages of the lower screen, you'll be constantly flitting between both screens, trying to gather the information you need to successfully move the ball down the field. It takes some practice, but once you get used to it, you'll find the extra information useful. Madden NFL 2005 makes decent use of the DS's other main hardware innovation--the stylus and touch screen. While you can use the stylus to throw to receivers by simply tapping the receiver of your choice on the lower screen, the most effective use of the feature is in the game's play-calling screens. In these screens, you can choose your offensive or defensive set, specific formation subset, and play by tapping the stylus on the lower display. You also have the option to go the more traditional route of choosing plays using the directional pad and the A button. Where the touch screen shines, however, is in calling audibles and hot routes. Instead of having to memorize button combinations to pull off these play variations, you can use the DS's lower screen. For audibles, you simply tap the corresponding portion of the lower screen and choose from the four preset plays that are then displayed onscreen. Executing hot routes using the touch-screen is similar--you tap the appropriate section of the screen, tap the receiver whose route you wish to alter, and then choose the altered route you wish that receiver to run. It should be noted that players can still call audibles and hot routes before the snap using the traditional button combos. ...
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-- GameSpot Expert, GameSpot  0 out of 0 found this reivew helpful |
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| As the best-selling football franchise on the market for an umpteen number of years, Madden NFL is a name that is known by the masses as representative of some of the best football you can get on a video game console. Last year's Madden NFL 2004, in particular, is revered as one of the best installments EA has ever brought out--which ultimately makes it a tough act to follow. For this year's edition, Madden NFL 2005, defense is the name of the game. Nearly all the additions and tweaks made to this year's game fall squarely into the realm of defensive football, and they're all great new features. The downside to this high emphasis on one particular area of the game seems to be that the remaining aspects of the game (of which there are many) are generally only slightly improved or altered, if at all. In many ways, Madden 2005 is just a bit too much like last year's Madden for comfort--but it's still a truly excellent game of football all around. Madden NFL 2005 has finally arrived for the PC, and it definitely does the Madden name proud. If you've ever felt that Madden was simply a one-sided piece of pigskin in favor of offensive play, Madden 2005 changes all that. The additions made to the defensive side of the ball are plentiful and all superb. The first and most entertaining addition is the new "hit stick." This feature, like the addition of playmaker control last year, will require PC owners to own a good dual-analog gamepad. Essentially, when on defense, tapping the right control stick in the direction of your opponent will lay a nasty hit on him. What the hit stick translates into is context-sensitive tackling that you can control. If you're just running alongside your opponent and tap it without getting much of a head of steam, then you'll just kind of shove him. Get up a good bout of speed, and you will absolutely waylay the poor ball carrier. Using the hit stick properly will also result in more fumbles and dropped passes for the offense. However, you have to be careful, because missing with the stick leads to a badly missed tackle, which consequently gives your opponent an easy way to dodge past you. While this sounds like it could be a little overcomplicated if not done right, in this case it is done right. As a result, using the stick becomes an immensely fun way to play the defensive side of the ball. Another big-time addition is the new defensive hot route system. Similar to the offensive hot routes, you can now redesign a defensive player's assignment at the touch of a button. Want to push a linebacker into deeper zone coverage or bring a safety in for the blitz? Simply highlight the player and tap the right analog stick in the desired direction. You can also give better presnap assignments to your defensive backs now. Individual presses and pullbacks on receivers can be performed, and you can also lock a corner on to a specific receiver, thus preventing mismatches. Finally, you can now also adjust how a defensive lineman attacks the offensive line without actually having to shift your whole line. What all this amounts to is a far more user-configurable defense that actually makes playing defense much more enjoyable and strategic. The strategy works beautifully, since the defensive artificial intelligence is generally very, very good, and it performs your changes perfectly. If you're adept at defensive play calling and are able to make good reads, you should be able to dominate on defense--at least against the CPU. On the flip side of things, Madden NFL 2005's offensive game isn't really all that different from Madden NFL 2004, save for a few, small changes. For one, you can now make formation shifts on the line. Formation shifts are essentially audibles that don't change the play. You can move your running back out of the backfield and into a better position for the reception, or you can overload one side of the field with receivers. You'll also notice some new option routes for receivers in this year's game. Option routes are typically highlighted on the play calling screen and feature dotted lines coming off a curl route, for example. These lines indicate the possible directions that a receiver may run, depending on that receiver's assessment of the current coverage scheme. The intelligence of the receivers who are running these routes seems to vary depending on the quality of the player, but, as a whole, the feature seems to work well. However, aside from these few offensive changes, which ultimately don't amount to a whole lot more than nice, little touches, the offensive game feels almost exactly the same as it does in last year's Madden. This isn't a bad thing, by any means, but what it does mean is that anyone who played last year's version of the game shouldn't have a lick of trouble simply blowing up the game offensively on the default difficulty. All-pro and All-Madden difficulties are something of another story, but experienced Madden fans still shouldn't have a ton of trouble with either of them. Some of the old Madden money plays are still just as effective as ever, and there really isn't a whole lot of new "stuff" to get used to this time around. Granted, the AI defense has more tricks up its sleeve now, what with all the new defensive hot routes and shifts and such, so there is that to be taken into consideration. The changes made to the defense, including the new defensive hot routes and the hit stick, are absolutely phenomenal. On the features side of things, Madden NFL 2005 is as robust as it has ever been, though not all the preexisting modes have seen too much in the way of changes. We'll start with the franchise mode, which has seen the most work. The big change to the mode's presentation is the addition of sports radio host Tony Bruno. Billed as EA Sports Radio, the Bruno-hosted show actually plays at the start of each week, and by listening to the show, you'll hear interviews with players and coaches, hear Tony take calls from irate and occasionally idiotic fans, and hear little tidbits about things happening in the NFL. For example, we encountered one scenario where quarterback Mark Brunell was benched early on in the season in favor of Patrick Ramsey. Of course, Brunell was not pleased with the decision, which Tony was quick to report. The dialogue is occasionally a little jittery when Bruno discusses specific stuff related to your league scenarios, but the more generalized bits, like the phone calls, are pretty entertaining. ...
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| -- Gamer20 Expert, Gamer20 0 out of 0 found this reivew helpful |
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| The Madden NFL franchise has been a fixture in video games for 15 years, but over the years people have continually asked if the series would ever hit a wall. There is only so much innovation, so many new features you can add to a football game befor ...
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| -- GameSpot Expert, GameSpot 0 out of 0 found this reivew helpful |
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| Longtime GBA Madden fans will notice a few cosmetic improvements when they first fire up Madden NFL 2005. The playbook interface now looks more like the interface used in the recent console versions, instead of the one used in the decades-old Sega Genesis Madden games. The variety of different player animations hasn't changed since last year's game--there are still dozens of them--but the camera viewpoint has been pulled back and player bodies have been slimmed down, which makes the action more realistic and easier to follow. When you really dig into the game, you'll discover that Madden NFL 2005 is much more than just a cosmetic rehash of Madden NFL 2004. It's a complete overhaul, with better artificial intelligence, customizable skill settings, and a greater degree of control over play calling. The Madden NFL 2005 playbook contains more than 400 offensive and defensive plays. Console Madden games have had adjustable skill settings for years. Madden NFL 2005 is the first GBA version of the franchise to include such a feature. In addition to being able to pick from four general difficulty settings, you can now tweak the CPU's skill in 18 specific offensive and defensive categories. Sliders allow you to adjust settings such as coaching aggressiveness, run-pass ratio, interception ability, and QB accuracy in your favor (or out of it) by moving a tick mark left or right. The frequency with which referees call various penalties can also be adjusted. The playbook interface received a makeover as well, but, more importantly, the process of surveying the line of scrimmage and invoking audibles on the fly was made easier. Now, before the snap is made, you can pull back the camera to get a bird's-eye view of the entire line of scrimmage, instead of just the five or six players huddled in the middle (like last year). If you don't like how the opponent is lined up, you can use one of your audibles to change the play you want to run. Basically, audibles are a feature of the playbook that allows you to assign a specific play to each button before the game starts. Madden NFL 2004 provided a very short time window for calling audible plays. In Madden NFL 2005, you can call one right before the snap is made and for a few seconds after a play ends. In general, selecting and running plays is much easier in Madden NFL 2005 because the graphical diagrams in the playbook now actually show the exact routes receivers will take during each play. One thing that hasn't changed much is how the game plays. Before the snap, you can use the A button to cycle between players at the line. After the snap, the iconic passing system lets you toss the ball from the quarterback to one of four preset receivers using the GBA's button array. On defense, you can make your linemen sprint, jump, and leap. Whether an interception or a tackle happens depends on where your player is in respect to the ball and the opposing receiver. On offense, the GBA's button layout lets you tell your receivers and running backs to sprint, dive, spin, and juke. The CPU in Madden NFL 2005 is more aggressive than it has been in previous Madden games. On offense, the computer is better at finding open receivers and spinning through holes in the defense. On defense, the GBA-controlled player puts more pressure on the quarterback and does a better job of guiding its defenders to where a pass will end up. Although the AI is smarter in this latest game, it doesn't cheat. Most of these changes just mean you'll need to get rid of the ball faster. Owners of Madden NFL 2004 will decry the removal of the create-a-player feature from Madden NFL 2005. While that is an unfortunate loss, Madden NFL 2005 still has an impressive list of features and extras. The modes consist of season, practice, drill, quick play, and situation. Most modes support two-player link play. In particular, the situation mode is interesting because it lets you set up what-if scenarios by adjusting the teams, score, quarter, time left, possession, downs, number of time-outs, and yards left to the goal. Even though you can't save custom players, you can make trades and free-agent moves from the main menu or while a season is in progress. The game also records comprehensive season statistics and hall-of-fame records. Finally, the Madden Challenge has returned this year as an optional feature of the quick play and season modes. Put simply, the Madden Challenge is a reward system that gives you tokens for making certain plays. These tokens can be traded in--from the options menu--for player cards, which allow you to boost player attributes on a single-use or long-term basis. Visually, Madden NFL 2005 looks fine. EA pulled back the camera viewpoint this year, making more of the field visible in the process. Player bodies look slimmer as a result, but that's not necessarily bad--last year's players looked like obese cartoon characters. The quality of animation is still on the choppy side of things, like it has always been, but the wide variety of different plays makes up somewhat for that shortcoming. Touchdown celebrations can be performed by tapping the A button after a successful carry or pass into the end zone. Clinton Portis breaks left, past the defensive line, and carries for nearly 50 yards. The audio continues to center around the one-liners that John Madden and Al Michaels make after each play. Michaels is the straight man, often chiming in with comments such as "Nice play" or "The kick is good." Madden, on the other hand, is the color man. A typical John Madden comment is, "Boom, where'd that truck come from" or "Now that's what I call big-time football." Michaels and Madden speak up more often in the latest game and have a wider variety of comments than they did in last year's installment, which is good if you like their chatter. Otherwise, the sound effects are merely average: a typical assortment of grunts and collisions. Ultimately, Madden NFL 2005 is worth getting because it's still the best football game on the GBA. Those who faithfully bought the last three installments will be comforted to know that this one is well worth picking up. If you've been holding off on another (or your first) Madden game because Electronic Arts has been rehashing the same game for the past three years, this may be the right time to take the plunge. The removal of the create-a-player option is a shame, but all the other improvements--big and small--make Madden NFL 2005 an excellent update. ...
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| Madden NFL 2005 - Complete package Palm OS |
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