Madden NFL 2005

"Football... in good form"

Every football season begins with a bang. But before football season lifts off, the anticipation is exciting – who will be the surprise teams; who will be a superstar; who will be Superbowl Champs? To keep that football hype alive, why not simulate some game situations?

Immerse yourself… in a close game, with you barely in front, 20-19. With 20 seconds left on the game clock, fourth quarter, your opponent has the ball 1st and goal 10 yards from the red zone. Stiff on defense, you await the snap. Your fans roar and chant for a defensive stop. They hope you can cling onto victory. The opposing center snaps the ball! The play has begun. The opposing quarterback draws back for what looks like a handoff to the fullback. Playaction fake! Your defense scrambles around to cover the receivers. Taking control of your Defensive Tackle, you break through the O-line! You charge the QB, who is slowly sidestepping with his back to your linebacker. As draws back his arm for a throw to a wide open receiver, you charge him and tap the new HIT STICK command! Boom! The Quarterback fumbles the ball upon impact from your train-like collision! You jump onto the ball and recover the fumble! A knee is taken, and you manage to win the game, thanks to the momentum swinging Hit Stick that made a big hit!

Madden 2005 continues to excite football fans who are competitive and looking for a good time. Impressively, Madden has become more realistic each year, which the addition of better graphics, a more surreal environment, and increased variety of game modes. Practice Mode is now a little more sophisticated. You can practice your rushing in various difficulties of Rushing Attack, or test your composure under pressure of the panicky two-minute game-clinching drill. Madden 2005 offers many modes of gameplay other than a normal game itself to improve your skills. What I found extensive was Franchise mode. Want to manage your own football team? With several hundred million dollars, you have the power to form your own team. Why not sign an offensive tandem of Terrell Owens and Peyton Manning and become the best QB-WR duo? Or maybe form a stiff pro-bowl defense. Also, you can develop some less skilled players into superstar in Training Mode – practice in the form of mini-games. It's up to you to scheme a winning franchise. Low on money? Why not boost your ticket prices and the digits on those already expensive stadium hot dogs. This is the entertaining yet challenging task of being a team owner.

The level of challenge remains dependent on gamer abilities more than anything else. I like the options available for each situation – sending players into motion, commanding your secondary to move, blitz, or spy, and calling audibles at the line of scrimmage. Many of the traditional pocket QBs are pretty immobile. I think their agility in movement should be increased a little. But their speed when running can remain the same. The running game now utilizes Triangle as a means of protecting the ball. This increases your chances of breaking tackles and decreases the chances of fumbling the ball. It would help if they brought back the Jump command for the running game, however. I've gotten stuck many times trying to run past my line and guys who have fallen on the turf. Playbooks are still in good variety. I hope for next year that some trick plays will work better, like the WR Reverse or a RB Throw play. These plays are unsuccessful it seems at all times. Usually they end up in a big yardage loss. Give'em a better chance for success, but not until they are unstoppable or cheap. Maybe the CPUs should utilize these plays too from time to time.

The game is accurate in its adapting of player abilities. Though teams and players quickly change each new season, I still found a satisfying job done here. I thought the Tampa Bay offense was somewhat overrated though, after their 4-12 season from 2003-2004. I like how Tony Gonzalez's height influences his ability to catch over coverage in this game. It seemed in older titles that size didn't matter, or you couldn't really notice its effect. Hopefully next year's Madden will boost ratings on the Chargers and Steelers, who have been phenomenal and successful teams this year.

Of course, total newbies to Madden NFL should start off with Rookie difficulty until they get used to the game. The AIs for the computer are pretty inactive and lethargic. It's a great way to develop your normal game skills for a first-timer. All-Pro offers a lot more of a challenge, where you won't be completing a lot of your passes. Big plays are much harder to perform, as the CPU will usually shut you down or stop you short. Surely it can be conquered after you've gotten good in all aspects of the game – knowing what plays to call and executing perfectly. All-Pro mode is more of punting on those fourth-downs, rather than going for them like on Rookie and Pro. All-Madden is the most daring difficulty of all - trying playing it after adjusting sliders as well! Sliders are used to decrease or increase the abilities of your players – simply put, a handicap implemented. The computer may get a little boring to play, so why not hook yourself up for online play? You never know what to expect from human players. Now you have something better to play for – bragging rights. Multi is a lot more competitive and intense.

What amuses me especially in the game is the player personalities – those celebrations on big plays. High-step your way into the endzone and see what happens. The variety of celebrations for touchdowns is fun to watch; it could be a dunk into the uprights or maybe a little dance. Come up with a big sack and maybe your secondary who came up with the sack will do push-ups as the QB winces on the ground in pain. Celebrate as you've come up with the big play, or motivate yourself to equal your opponent's big move. Instant Replay has always been a great feature. Marvel at the realism as you replay your kick returner spinning, juking, and breaking tackles on a kick return for a TD. It's also fun to find out how a wide receiver caught a ball amidst a crowd of defenders. Madden continues to improve visually, offering fluidity and realism. The movement appears natural. I enjoy the different types of turf and weather you can play on. All this graphical realism offered by the current systems enhances gameplay and improves replay value. Just remember the days of Emmitt Smith Football on SNES and you'll realize that you're on a totally different level. These football games have come a long way into imitating real football itself.

I especially enjoyed the Create-a-Fan mode. The fans give football its personality as well, with their enthusiasm and wild antics. Among a crowd of painted fans, you can customize your own individualized and devoted fan. They add to that energetic, loud and spontaneous football atmosphere, enlivening the Madden experience.

If football is in your blood, this game is for you! EA has successfully created another Madden. Madden continues to be a very competitive title for sports fans. This series has packaged the disposition of football and the game itself into one little disc for your Playstation2. So put your game face on and get ready to play.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 01/03/05