Madden NFL 2004

"Football Gaming at its Finest"

Madden 2004 is the newest installment in a football gaming franchise that has been around over 10 years. Madden 2004 introduces the brand new Playmaker controls and Owner Mode. In Owner Mode you pretty much take control over everything that has to do with your team. You set the prices of tickets, parking, concessions, merchandise and you even decide how much money you want to spend towards advertising. If you want you can change the jerseys of your team, move them, and create a new stadium. Well, enough of owner mode, lets get into Game play.

Gameplay 9/10
Madden 2004 is nearly identical to Madden 2003 with one big difference, Play Maker controls. With the new controls you can change the routes of your passers, lead your blockers to block a certain defender, and even audible with out your opponent knowing. Play maker controls makes use of the rarely used right analog stick. When your player is running you point the analog stick toward the oncoming defender and one of your blockers should pick him up. This doesn't work all the time but when it does work you should be able to pick up an extra 5 to 10 yards. There is more but you should look in your manual to find out. The defensive AI has been revamped and they are now alot smarter. I found my self losing on Pro which never happened in 2003. Throwing into coverage or throwing on the run will usually end up in an interception or a knocked down pass. Also the pancake and sacking issues have been fixed, I got about 10 pancakes in my first game with one of my Tackles and my Defensive end got 2 sacks. Play action seems to work alot better and actually fools me when the AI does it. The safeties cheated up when I called a play action play which allowed my receiver to burn the DB's. Unfortunately I was unable to play online so I will go right into the Graphics

Graphics 9/10

Graphically Madden 2004 looks identical to 2003. When I first played I thought I was playing 2003, but in my opinion graphics aren't important as long as the gameplay is there. There are some new tackle animations like pushing a guy out of bounds or grabbing him from the shoulders and pulling him down. The fields look shockingly similar to how they do in real life. I have season tickets to Dolphins games and I have to say, Pro Player looks just like it does in real life. The camera angles are all the same except when you roll out of the pocket the camera pans which is really annoying but after the first few times you should get used to it. It has caused me 2 interceptions because everything seemed to rotate 30 degrees to the right or left.

Sound 8.5/10

Madden 2004 brought back the EA Sports Trax, they added a variety of rock and hip hop so it should please the casual gamer but I personally don't like the songs. That's why I am happy for the new Jukebox option, you can turn on and off the songs you don't want to hear so you don't have to listen to the stuff you generally dislike. Al, John, and Melissa are back at the announcing spots. They added new lines but alot of it is recycled from previous installments. It's alot less repetitive, Al no longer says ''and he sends this one towards the endzone,'' after every kick off, he mixes it up. The crowd is pretty much the same and the guy on the PA is the same guy from NCAA 2003. He is more boring but he gets the job done.

Replay Value 10/10

You will be playing this game for a while with all the features and online play. If owner mode bores you then you can just go play some online games or try the two minute drill. I will be playing this game until the release of Madden 2005, that's for sure.

Well, that's all I have to say. I'm probably leaving something out but this is my first review, give me a break. EA has really improved on 2003 and I am looking forward to Madden 2005. The only thing I disliked was the camera panning when the quarter back leaves the pocket, other then that this game is the best foot ball game to date and is a must buy. It's perfect for the casual gamer and hardcore football simulator. It's a must buy and if you are reading this and haven't purchased the game what the heck are you waiting for! Go out and buy it!

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/14/03