Madden NFL 06

"Madden 06 the best Madden game for the PC yet? Close, but not quite."

The madden series has been the most popular series for years. While many people found it to be the best football game for years, I can't say I was much of a fan of the series until recently. That's not to say I didn't like previous versions of Madden, I just thought that the NFL 2K series beat Madden in terms of gameplay, quality, and fun. I liked the 2K series better then the Madden series every year... with the exception of Madden 2003. Since Madden bought the rights to the NFL license, there really wasn't any other choice for a pro football game besides Madden 2006. The one thing I have liked about every Madden game in recent years was that it was released for the PC, while the 2K series forced me to play it on a console year after year. I admit that Madden is much more enjoyable on the PC then any game consoles.... if you have a controller.

Graphics: 8/10

Let's face it... with the exception of the XBOX360, computer graphics have always been miles a head of console graphics. Madden 06 seems just a tad bit better in terms of graphics than the 05 version. Even with a decent graphics card(ATI RADEON 9600 PRO), the game seemed to lag quite a bit on the highest graphical settings. It became kind of a frustration when you press the button to change players and it takes a second and a half for you to see that it actually changed players, and it became a real bother when trying to kick field-goals and punts. When I moved the graphics level down to medium, the game played smoothly and without much of a problem, though there was an occasional small frame-rate slowdown. Moving up to a great graphics card(NVIDIA 7800GS), however, was quite an improvement as the game ran near perfectly, with a few very occasional lags here and there. If you have a pretty good graphics card though, it really shouldn't be much of a problem.

Control: 10/10

It's the amount of control that has me quite a fan of the new Madden version. The new installment of the hitstick was a bit of a nuisance to get used to at first, but as I started to get the hang of it I was hooked, I can't imagine playing another football game without it ever again (Except the Wii version of Madden 07, but that's not the point). While you can still use the traditional button to tackle, using the hit stick just lets you have so much more control on defense. Other than that the controls stay the same from the previous versions for the most part. You can customize controls, as in the past version, but it's the hit stick that really makes control scheme flow better then in recent years.

Sound: 8/10

Sound in Madden games has never been spectacular, but the soundtracks over the years have gotten a bit better each year. While you can of course, put whatever music into the game as you want, like in the past few years, the default soundtrack this year is quite a bit better than previous years. Unfortunately though, Madden's voice is still just as annoying as it has been in all the years I can remember. Maybe it's that I pay too much attention to Pro Football, but just like in real life, all he does is state the obvious. I also think that there could have been quite a bit more lines, since you start hearing the same thing being said in games after what seems like just a short while.

Gameplay: 10/10

This is where Madden 06 shines. With such an in-depth Franchise Mode, letting you manage your players to keep it under the salary cap each year, adding much more depth to the offseason, to being able to renovate your stadium or even doing such things as setting the price to tickets or private skybox's, it almost feels like it could be NFL Headcoach 2006 in itself. There's even an option where you can relocate your team at the end of the season. The online play is stable and fun, along with every other type of game available... it just feels much more whole then it has in previous years. With the addition of the hitstick, the amount of control you have over your defense easily shines as the most improved part of the game. The one complaint about the gameplay that I do have, is that you can go to sack the quarterback, and he loses the ball before his arm is in forward motion, it rules it as an incomplete pass 19 out of 20 times. Overall though, the gameplay is good enough where the littlest of flaws won't be any problem.

Overall: 9/10

Madden 2006 is a great game, but that isn't to say it doesn't have its flaws. The quarterback vision feature just gets annoying and feels like it's in the way. I also wish they would have taken ESPN Football 2k5's lead and done a whole EA Sports Halftime Show and Post Game Show, but all you get is EA Sports weekly radio show, and it simply doesn't seem like it fits in all that well. It would also be a lot better if the commenting done by John Madden wasn't so bad. With such a deep franchise mode, great online play, and the great addition of the hitstick, Madden 2006 has great replay value. While I haven't played online for months, the Franchise Mode has kept me playing the game since its release(which is a big reason I haven't played it online for months, I'm hooked on the Franchise Mode). It's also probably a good idea to have a controller for the PC, otherwise the hitstick feature just goes to waste, which ruins one of the best features in the game. Since the game is down to $19.99, it's a great value and should be picked up whether a fan of the series or a newcomer!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/05/06