Madden NFL 2004

"Not as good as you might think"

I have played the Madden series since it began, and let me tell you: this is no revolutionary game. I believe one person said that it would make a good expansion pack. I second this. But, let's go through and see just where the game fails and succeeds.

GRAPHICS: This would be the best part about Madden 2004. The graphics are nearly perfect, and with a lot of attention to detail, at least on the field, no other NFL game comes close to what is presented here. No pop-up, although EA could have paid a little attention to a real NFL sideline and stuck more than 7 or 8 guys on each sideline.
9/10
SOUND: And we dip low now. Most of the soundtrack (all the rap and all but one or two of the other songs) suck. I think Monday Night football with Madden this year has made me hate his commentary even more. He just says the most obvious things, over and over again. Michaels does a good job, but whenever he says a score, players name, or team name, they sound patched over. Also, as I'm now in my franchises 10th season, he doesn't say the names of any players that weren't in the original design (i.e. any rookies from the draft) The only saving feature here is that you can import your own music and play it.
7/10
GAMEPLAY: This is the lowest point of the game. Those who say that Madden is a sim game are not looking at the gameplay close enough. First of all, the DL gets absolutely no push, sacking the QB is a rarity, and the human-controlled player will rarely get to the QB anyway, because the CPU-QB's, no matter their stats, can always find the open man. The designers seemed to put little value on stats for CPU teams. It doesn't matter who you are playing against, they can always move the ball on you if they pass. Basically, the game is always designed to favor the offense, for the CPU and human. I wish it wasn't this way, but it is. Defense is no fun, because coverage is hard, and one wrong move gives up an 80-yard TD. But going back to the DL, playing there and all you will do is get jammed at the line the whole game. I just think that there are deficiencies that could be improved here. One more thing:the fumble-recovery system needs serious improvement. This is something that has plagued the series for a long time: the players should automatically reach down and scoop up the loose ball, they shouldn't have to dive.
6/10
NEW STUFF/OPTIONS
This is a very deep game, and an abundance of play modes and such means that you will be playing for a long time. The Madden cards are a fun item that will keep those who want all of them hooked for many hours. Owner mode seems a little gimmicky but adds some depth to the franchise mode. Some people will like all the control they have. The Rebuilding and relocation options are not as major as you might think, and the stadium design option is a bit limited. Still, they fact that you can relocated to Bismarck is pretty cool.
10/10
OVERALL: 7/10 A good game, but kind of lacking, especially in the area where it counts, gameplay.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 01/29/04