I just dont get it, how so many people enjoy Madden. Just because it has a popular name, doesnt make it a great game.
User Rating: 6.6 | Madden NFL 06 XBOX
First, lets talk the bad.... Becuase I have no choice, actually I have a choice and that is dont buy it, i decided to go ahead with Madden 06. Though the most importnat element to me is the gameplay and I feel that Madden's gameplay is fine, the second most important element is the presentation and feel of the game. This is what Madden lacks. This may be just my personal preference, but Al Michaels and Madden are not the most interesting people to listen too. There is so much silence in the game that its boring to play, even in a good game. There just isnt 'Boom!' in the presentation. What Take 2 had done with NFL 2K5 and ESPN presentation was just awesome, far superior to anything EA will ever attempt. The sound bytes for any big play like a first down, or touchdown were great, they pulled you into the game. Madden doesnt have that. You get a raised level of annoying crowd noise but thats it. Also, though the playbook itself is ok, the play selection screen is just downright ugly. Looks no better than what someone could draw up on an intelevision. Its also dissapointing that EA wont, and problably will never, because its all about the bottom dollar, invest in making this game specifically for the xbox. Now it seems that they may be doing so for the 360, but I have a feeling as well that this is just gonna be a port from the PS3 development kit. Once again, so long as consumers continue to buy the game, even if it was just paper football with Maddens name on it, then EA will continue to limit its spending dollars on production costs for a great NFL game. Now for the good. I think the QB Vision is excellent. I really like that and how you can direct the pass to the reciever. This was done very well. Kudos to EA. Umm, thats it I guess. 
