As you guys know I had a chance to go to Redwood Shores, CA to visit EA and play Madden 06 along with a lot of other EA games. It was a fun trip with a lot to do everyday. The hospitality of EA as always was great. They schedule this Madden Community day around what they call “Hot Summer Nights”, an annual press event that lasts an entire day and is an opportunity to walk around from station to station playing each game and also getting to talk to the product managers of each game. The Madden Community day spanned two days this year so we had a lot more hands on time with the game. Because of this I tried to get to as many other games as I could during the time we had at Hot Summer Nights. I had a lot of hands on time with Tiger, NBA Live, and FIFA and did look at some other games. In this initial write-up I am only going to cover Madden though. For info on the other games be looking in the Other Games forum for write-ups on those. So on to the good stuff.. Impressions about Madden 06! I will cover each section of the game as I think of them and just update the story as I write more. If you have question ask away.
Vision and Precision
I choose this first because it will be the most important thing this year and most likely will be the most talked about when the game hits the shelves. It changes the passing game 80% in my opinion. So if you have a great passing game now don’t expect to pick up Madden 06 and be great in your first game or even your 3rd or 4th. It is going to take a little time and some patience to adjust. All I can ask is please don’t go directly into the options and turn it off – give it a chance and see what happens after taking the time to play for a while. I had played in March and thought at the end I started to get a hang of it. I found out on Wednesday that I hadn’t. We played a little tournament between the guys there. I threw eight interceptions in my first game. Yes you heard it right.. a big 8 in one game. I ended up loosing 14-6 which wasn’t bad for that many turnovers but not near as good as last year where I ended up making it far enough that I won signed football. This year they gave away a signed football by Terrel Davis to the winner. By Thursday I was getting a lot better with the cone and actually started to recognize that it’s going to make the game a ton better. Although definitely still frustrated at times! Some of the guys had moved to a power rushing game. I however decided to end the day on Wednesday and start the day on Thursday doing passing only so I could try to get some rhythm with the cone. Later on Thursday I moved to a mix of each and played a conservative game which is my normal play and I felt like I was back to being pretty good at the game again. I think everyone will be frustrated the first day but as the days go on from the initial release day the frustration will stop and people will have the hang of it. I will now give you some of the things to start thinking about when using vision and precision and also give you some tips on things that I noticed while playing that will help you to get a head start when you get the game.
First you are going to have to decide how you want to switch the cone around the field. The two options as most of you already know is to either scan the field with the cone using the right thumbstick or hold the trigger on the right side (Xbox) R2 (PS2) and hit the button corisponding to the receiver you want to switch the vision to. It may be a good idea to learn both as it seems that when rolling out it may be easy to use the Right Thumbstick. Other than that the quickest way is to use the button sequence. I suggest using this method when in the pocket. You will have to get used to switching the cone to the receiver that you plan to throw it to… especially with QB’s that don’t have a large cone. Dumping the ball off to a RB after reading a blitz from the Defense doesn’t seem to require a switch of the cone. I also threw some quick slants and didn’t have a problem not switching the cone. Also if you leave the cone on one receiver the entire time the defense will react much much better to the ball when it is thrown. Trust me smile.gif This is why it is great to use a great QB this year since the cone covers so much area there is almost always more than one receiver in his vision.
Here are some tips that will help you get started on Vision and Precision when Madden 06 comes out.
1. Look off DB’s and LB’s – you can change your primary (cone) receiver at the line of scrimmage. So I suggest if you have a QB will a small cone that you actually start it on someone other than your #1 choice then quickly switch it before you throw to that receiver if he is open. This will take away the problem that I was having where the DB’s and LB’s would react really fast to each of my throws. I was using Mark Bulger. 2. If you are using a great vision QB like Brady or Manning or even some others that have a medium cone. Try making your reads off receivers on the same side of the field. That way you have a good chance of another receiver you are looking at being in your cone of vision. 3. Have a quick route that you can switch to quickly encase of a big blitz. Since it takes more time at first to switch between receivers people are going to bring the heat and you need to have an option to go to quickly. 4. Break the habit early of dropping back farther to get more time. It will not work for you this year. Early on since I was slow getting my cone switched around I would try to buy time by dropping back farther. Lets just say I had some ver long 2nd and 3rd downs to deal with.
April 15th is here and it’s time to get excited about the upcoming football season, Madden football, and NCAA football. This day marks the start of the information that will be released over the coming months. This is a landmark year. It is the first year we have first hand impressions on the new features and even hands on time with the game very early.
Let’s start with Madden news. I think this will be a landmark year for Madden as well, as EA Tiburon is going to concentrate on the passing game play. Most Madden fans know that each year Tiburon takes a part of the NFL game and concentrates on making it better. This is the first year in about ten years that the passing portion of the game has had a significant change. With the passing numbers that were put up in the NFL, especially everything that Peyton Manning was able to do, it fits well. If you are worried that passing is going to take over Madden with this new feature please read on and you will find that is not the case. We will call the feature that has been added “Vision and Precision” or “QB Vision” as I am not sure yet of the official name just yet. First, I will tell you about how the feature is implemented and then I will get into my thoughts and impressions of using it.
What QB Vision does is add a virtual field of vision to represent the real life field of vision an NFL QB has. It does this on screen by adding a lighted cone starting from the QB and getting larger as the distance increases. Everything outside of the lighted cone is shaded darker and the passing icons are dimmer. Each QB’s rating affects how large or small the cone is. Manning, for instance, would have a large field of vision and Vick would have a smaller one. If you decide to scramble, the cone will get smaller as you run and then go back to normal size as you slow down and come to a stop. Your QB is set to look at your primary receiver (orange) upon the snap of the ball but that can be changed pre-snap by simply holding the R2 (PS2) and tapping the receivers assigned button. After the ball is snapped you have two ways you can change the QB’s vision to another area. 1. You can hold down R2 and push the button corresponding to the receiver you want to look at or 2. You can use the right thumb stick to manually move the cone across the field and back. Here is how the QB Vision affects the passing game. . 1. You can only use precision passing if the receiver you are throwing to is in your field of vision. Meaning, if you want to lead a receiver using the thumbstick as your throw that receiver has to be in the lighted cone projecting from your QB. Note: you can still throw to a receiver out of the cone but the pass is less likely to be accurate and you cannot use precision passing. Also note that you may be looking directly at receiver X who is dead center of your cone of vision but other receivers close to him may still be in your cone of vision. 2. The second rule to remember is that the receiver icons are now on a timer (the length of time on the timer was not final yet). What this means is if you decide to take off with your QB and scramble around and then bring back up your passing icons only receivers inside your cone of vision will have a passing icon above their head and the option to switch the cone by using the R2 selection is gone. You now have to use the right thumbstick to move the cone around. What this simulates is if you get flushed out of the pocket in the NFL and take off running you are going to lose site of your receivers and not know exactly where they are when you look downfield again. Note: You can still throw to any receiver without the icon above their head and not in the field of vision but the pass will most likely be a really bad pass. (I tried this and it was a really bad pass)
This feature also adds something to the defensive side of the ball. It will now be beneficial to play as a DB and try to read the QB’s eyes like a NFL DB; if he was playing a zone. Of course a good QB will look off a safety or corner to fool them. It will add a new strategy and hopefully get a lot of players off the Dline on defense.
The biggest thing to remember about this feature is in the NFL QB cannot throw where he can’t see. QB’s in the NFL do throw quick slants and such by looking one way and quickly turning and throwing another direction to the slant. That was something being decided while I was at Tiburon, so I assure you they have thought of everything when designing this new feature. What this feature adds to the game of Madden is that choosing a good pocket passing QB now has its advantages too. Before, those playing with a scrambling QB had the big advantage at the QB position. This evens the playing field.
In the first game or two you will be overwhelmed by the new control of passing, but you will get the hang of it quickly. . My hands on time with the game probably equaled about the time it would take to play two or three games and by the end I was catching on. I did spend some time in the practice mode just to get my fingers used to the new controls. If you are open to change and innovation you won’t have a problem adapting to this new system. It definitely makes the game more realistic.
Your review score : | User average : 7.42 | 496 users have rated this game
Review Summary
9.5
Gameplay Contrary to some reviews, we are pleased with the new Vision and Precision feature. It works very nicely and isn't as complicated or as awkward as we expected it to be. Other gameplay enhancements, such as impoved O'line blocking fit in nicely as well. The AI is typically solid and this plays like the best version of Madden to date.
8.5
Graphics The graphics are good, make no mistake. Are they improved from last year however and it's a tough call. The game looks largely like it did in 2005. So while the graphics are certainly nice we've scored this one a little lower because it's really not the upgrade from 2005 we wanted.
9.5
Longevity Franchise mode alone gives this game incredible replay value, but throw in the new 'Superstar' mode and you could easily be playing this right through to next year ... or failing that, next gen Madden which comes in November.
8.8
Presentation The on-field presentation is the one single area where it seems like EA have not quite hit the right mark yet. Maybe the new ESPN deal will assist in that process but as far as 06 is concerned the sense of a tv broadcast is flirted with but not completely achieved. The stat overlays are ok but not offering much that is new... no lineup overlays or half=time or post-game recaps, etc... Aside from that the rest of the game is blessed with great presentation - from the Bruno radio show to the newspapers in franchise mode, to the website stuff of Superstar mode to the general navigation of the entire game, presentation is excellent. Hopefully next gen will deliver on all counts.
8.7
Sound Sense of atmosphere, a belief that you are amongst the crowd at a football game... it's good. Madden and his commentary is somewhat better but Al Michaels (as far as this reviewer is concerned) is flat out dull. Many gamers will wish Madden was dropped and while some of his comments are cheesy and need to be updated it's good to see more gameplay and franchise specific comments thrown in this year.
9.0
Overall Madden 06 is the best version of Madden we've ever seen. It's also as close to real football as most of us will ever get. Is it a brand new football game though ?... no it isn't. Is it a highly polished and accurate recreation of the NFL... yes, in the most part. Will some gamers look on it as a patched up 05 version... probably, there will be gamers out there who do. You can look at Madden 06 from any of those perspectives and on that basis score the game in vastly different ways. Madden 06 is the best football game we've ever played though and while it doesn't contain a massive number of new features over what was offered in 05 you can be sure you won't be disappointed playing a bug free, highly polished version of NFL football.
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Here is the wishlist for Madden 2006
Gameplay - Better run blocking. By better blocking I mean that they don't leave their man until either a pancake or the runner is by them. A lot of the time your lineman just lets his guy through then goes to the safety. - Get rid of or tone down the juke glitch. In previous versions this was something you could basically do manually but it required manual dexterity with the analog (or Dpad) and not just a simple tap on a juke button. The thing about this juke is that it doesn't only affect the one player you're trying to juke, it affects the entire defense for a split second and changes their pursuit angle to the ball (I should say ball carrier since it seems like the defense moves in relation to offensive player and not the ball.. - On offense, if you throw a streak, you can manually control a WR "away and to" the ball enabling you to completely take the CPU controlled DB out of position to make a play...if you switch to the DB too late, you won't be able to defend the pass because the CPU will already have taken control and any movement on your part will have a slight delay...also you can pretty much abuse and push the CPU controlled DBs out of the way without having to worry about getting flagged for pass interference. Fix this. - Make it a little easier to complete a deep pass. DB's should not always be leaping high into the air and swatting the ball down when the receiver has him beat by 4-5 yards. - Have penalties occur more often. It seems there are only offsides, face mask, false starts, and the occasional pass interference called. - Fix the stat problem where a defender isn't credited with a sack when he sacks the QB and strips the ball loose. As it is now, they only get credit for the forced fumble. - Realistic Injury Rates - Fix run blocking so that the blockers don't slowly rumble after a safety and completely ignore the Linebacker streaking right at the RB to close the gap. - Passing Accuracy - You can throw deep all game and be accurate. the quarterbacks should have a distance accuracy rating. 0-15 yards, 16-30 yards, 30- 40 yards, 41+ yards. Each of those accuracy ratings should be lower with the more yards you try to throw in the air. - Put in "head-tracking" for the Wide Receivers where they follow the ball with their eyes as it is in the air. - More catching animations (sliding, diving, one-handed, etc.). - Many more tackling animations. - Fix the spin move. It's almost impossible to successfully execute it this year when a defender is nearby. - Improve Defensive Line and Linebacker moves so that they can get pressure on the QB without having to blitz all the time. - Ability to set controller configuration to whatever you want. - Make quarterbacks that take deep drop-backs less accurate. - Better blocking on punt returns. Far too often there are 3-4 defenders standing around the punt returner before he catches the ball. - More effective replay challenges. The bad call is upheld far too often. - More blocked kicks. Not overly excessive, but easier to block one than it is now. - Bad snaps that sometimes goes over the head of the punter/holder
Presentation Pre-game: - Since it's pretty much been the same thing the last 3 years, how about opening up the game in the booth showing both Al and John? They could give their brief thoughts on the game based off of the stats for the season and feature a player or two. It wouldn't just be limited to stats, however, as it could also features several stories to watch. For example, say Peyton Manning is out for the game with an injury. John Madden could mention how one of the biggest things to watch today is how the Colts' offense responds to Jim Sorgi. If there's a young quarterback making his first NFL start, they could hit on that too. Madden could talk about how the defense is going to be throwing so many different looks at the the young QB. There are a ton of possibilities for this feature. Overlays: - Overlays showing the starting lineups with interesting stats for key players and player profiles after making nice plays - Bar across the top of the screen that is similar to the one used by Fox Sports. It shows scores from other games on the right side, the score from the current game on the left side, and a ticker underneath that shows stats from your game every now and then (rather than having to pause the game to check stats).
Replays/other additions: - More camera views on replays. - The addition of the telestrator pointing out blown coverages, holes that sprung a running back on a big run, a DB reading the QB's eyes the whole time before picking off a pass, etc. - The chain gang coming out with the sticks to measure a first down. - Game Breaks: Once or twice per half someone could break in with a game break to show highlights from another game. It might not be that difficult to come up with 30-50 plays (could be the same plays just substitute the teams/players) showing a running back taking one all the way for the TD, a DB picking off a pass and killing a drive in the redzone, or the QB hooking up with his receiver for the score.
Commentary: - It's only natural for the commentary to become repetitive and somewhat boring on a game that we play as much as Madden, but a lot of the stuff that is said during the games was put in 3-4 years ago and it gets us to that point that much quicker. Besides the usual additions, I think some of the older commentary should be re-worded and re-recorded, even if Madden is getting the same point across. I know it's not an easy job (especially with the limited time of Al Michaels and John Madden), but it gives us something fresh to listen to because a lot of us know what Madden and Michaels are going to say even before they say it.
Crowd/Celebrations/Music: - A crowd similar to the one in NCAA Football 2005. Sure the college game has more passion to it from the fans but overall the crowds react similar in the pros to the way they do in college. - "Homefield Advantage" - Not sure if "Homefield Advantage" is going to be exclusive to NCAA every year or just this year, but it would be nice to see it added to Madden. - More team and player specific chants (such as the crowd roaring "DUUUUUUCE" following a big run from Duce Staley). - More excitement after touchdowns. As much as I hate to say it (as a Bears fan), just take a look at the reaction when Green Bay scores a touchdown at home in a close game. The fans are jumping around going nuts, the music is blasting, and the players are pumped. - Signature Celebrations. We could provide a list of the players that have signature celebrations to help if needed. - Ability to setup stadium music on Xbox.
Franchise - Make owner mode an option that can be turned on or off at the start of a franchise. - CPU trading - Ability to edit coaches like we can edit players. - Fix coach progression problems. If a coach comes in and goes 6-10 with a team that was 3-13 the previously, his ratings should not fall that much. - Make the free agent period before and after the draft. If not both, then move it back to before the draft. - Give us the ability to compete with the CPU for players who their contract expiring, rather than the CPU ALWAYS getting the first shot to re-sign a player. - Players only accepting certain lengths of a contract. It's too easy to sign every player to a seven year contract. - Make the AI smarter when it comes to team management and the draft. - Larger rosters for the preseason. - Fix the problem where a roster spot isn't opened up when placing a player on "Injured Reserve." - Have the CPU use Injured Reserve more often. - Give the CPU the ability to re-sign some of their upcoming free agents during the regular season. - NFL Europe w/ the ability to allocate your players and play/simulate the games. - Practice Squad - Ability to use created teams as expansion teams - Change training camp drills to include different tasks than in previous years. - Ability to use more than one player for a training camp drill. - Injuries added to training camp drills as part of the risk/reward. The higher the level, the more chance of injury. - Ability to talk a player out of retirement - Hall of Fame - Position Coaches (RB coach, QB coach, DL coach, LB coach, etc.) - Ability to hire scouts for the draft. The better the scout's ratngs, the more accurate they are. - Larger Draft Classes - More detailed player scouting for the draft: On the scouting screen, you could select the player and it would load the events and players. Going player by player wouldn't be bad because like in real life, you could put hours into the draft to find out what you are getting. They could also have it where you have the option for "Normal" scouting or "Detailed" scouting. "Normal" would be like last year and the "Detailed" scouting would be where it loads the player and the workouts. You could have workout warriors who fly up the charts with great numbers (Kyle Boller), and good players who fall with disappointing numbers (ala Anquan Boldin a few years ago). - Show animated plyers in place of the spot where a player doesn't have a picture (could go in presentation). - Ability to put a team logo on the helmet when creating a new uniform.
Online: - Coaches challenges - Online Franchises - Eliminate the ability to call D-Line, LB, and Coverage Audibles on kicks. - Fix the fatigue problem - Individual players stats for online leagues
OUR REVIEW
9.0
Madden 06 is the best version of Madden we've ever seen. It's... ... More
With the official videogame license of the NFL and its players and in its 16th year of the franchise, Madden NFL 06 offers game changing innovation and complete NFL authenticity. With more than 40 million copies sold, Madden NFL Football continues to be the #1 football franchise.
For the first time in 10 years, the Madden NFL Football franchise has revolutionized its passing game-giving Madden NFL 06 the most groundbreaking and innovative offensive arsenal ever created. The new QB Vision Control lets you scan the field, look off defenders, and make perfect throws within your quarterback's unique field of vision. QB Precision Placement lets you put the ball exactly where you want it. Madden NFL 06 brings authentic NFL passing to video games like never before.
Key Features
* Major Offense and Passing Upgrades o Quarterback Vision Control: Look off receivers and make heads turn with the revolutionary QB Vision Control mechanic. Each QB has a different field of vision, depending on his rating. It's now tougher to hit receivers outside the QB Vision Control. o Precision Placement: Choose exactly where to throw the ball-lead the receiver across the middle or take a little off a deep pass to set up a jump-ball. o Additional Passing Features: Formation Specific Audibles-different audibles for different situations; Smart Routes- receivers adjust their routes to pick up first downs or cross the goal line; Head Tracking-players now turn their heads when looking for the ball-no more blind catches. * Experience the Life of an NFL Player with NFL Superstar Mode o NFL Superstar Mode: This entirely new single-player mode allows you to experience the life of an NFL player by earning one of more than 60 Personas ranging from MVP to Movie Star. * Unprecedented Depth and Upgrades o More Robust Online Features**: Share files via your EA Locker and instantly find a solid match-up with improved matchmaking. Check your EA SPORTS Fantasy Football stats in game. o Broadcast Presentation: Improved graphics, tons of scripted scenes, and new replays and sequences. o Truck Stick Control: Deliver big hits on offense to break tackles, pancake defenders, and clear your path to the end zone o Real NFL Gameplay: All-new features include smart routes, defensive keys, and blocking assignments. o Updated sound and commentary: More natural sounding commentary system, radio show improvements with new calls, and enhanced commentary from John Madden as he breaks down the game and analyzes replays. o Franchise Enhancements: The deepest season mode to date features: Total Control Simulation-Quickly simulate results on a play-by-play basis. o Establish a Gameplan- Practice plays to counter your opponent's strengths and exploit their weaknesses, while earning in-game attribute bonuses for your efforts during practice. o Spawn Games: Play Franchise games online. This plus the EA Locker users to compete in Franchises concurrently. o Improved Radio Show: Features new callers and segments from the Tony Bruno Show.
Publisher :EA Sports Developer : EA Tiburon Released : Summer 2005 Game Type : FOOTBALL
MADDEN NFL 06
