Madden NFL 06

"Next-Gen sports title with less than Current-Gen options"

The current-gen versions of this game are honestly better. Graphics hardly change anything at all with this game. I wouldn't recommend buying this unless you NEED a game for your 360 if you have an Xbox or PS2, since IMO Dynasty Mode is what Madden is all about, and it is sadly not included in the Next-Gen version of this game.

Now that that is out of the way, onto the review. I may be a bit biased because I don't like Madden that much. I didn't say I don't like football, or football video games, Madden just got annoying to me that one time I played it and got Pass Interference three times in one drive.

Let's start with the good. The graphics of this game were excellent. You can see individual strands of grass as you throw the ball and look out into the stadium and see actual people watching the game. The graphics are so amazing. However, I expected nothing less than this for an Xbox 360 game. In fact, it should be even more amazing, it should be beyond perfect. I felt as though the increased graphics on this game did not justify the exclusion of Dynasty Mode, because that is the sole reason I play sports games today.

I found the controls like every Madden game. Press a button, throw the ball, run a play. I didn't feel anything special about this game because it was on Xbox 360. Where's that next gen console excellency? Mako, please tell me. It felt exactly like on the Xbox.

I felt that the library of plays wasn't enough for me. It's not like I felt constricted and didn't have enough choices, it's just that this is Xbox 360. If I'm gonna go and spend $450 to play this game, it better be worth that money. So I want to see extra plays I'm never going to use just because. They should be there.

I finally get to enjoy some football with out the constant yapping of know it all madden. The sounds in this game are somewhat more realistic. You can hear it when you get sacked and when you make a TD, the crowd roars in excitement.

The difficulty settings were not right. The easiest setting was too easy, but the next setting above, I was getting sacked left and right. I need Mako on my OL to block some of these guys. Wait, no Created Characters?

There are very little extra modes that most sports games nowadays include. No create-a-character, no Dynasty Mode (my biggest gripe about this game), now way of doing a Fantasy Draft... the list goes on and on.

Overall, I would have to say a subpar game. My expectations for all Xbox 360 games are very high, and said simply: This game didn't quite reach the bar.

It says 10, but my official MZ not Mako rating would have to be around 9.9. Repeating of course.

Reviewer's Score: 6/10, Originally Posted: 03/31/06, Updated 11/25/06