I'm sick of all the mainstream reviews...

[DawgcityClev]

Spin16, is out of his mind. IGN is notorious EA jock-holders, and they threw out 9+ ratings always higher than NFL 2K every year just to keep Madden ahead. Now there are no competitors, and they want to give an 8.8? This is a bunch of B.S.

[grunt]

What if OS give the game 3 out of 5 stars. People will lose their minds. What if OS do a comparative review of Madden 2006 and 2k5. Play the game you like and forget the critics. Last year spin you review 2k5 and you said that Madden 2005 was so good that 2k5 wasnt worth the 19.99. Clearly I disagree with you but your contribution to my hobby still has value. I enjoyed your wishlist site.

I am waiting for 360. That game better sweat diamonds.

[jmood88]

Quote: Originally Posted by spin16

Before you spout off about this post, it would probably be wise of you to actually read what I have to say before jumping to conclusions, not only here, but also in posts #3 and #5 below. Every single mainstream review -- IGN, EGM, OXM, etc. -- are coming down hard on 2006. Yet all of these reviews are written by guys who probably barely played previous versions of Madden, and clearly don't know football very well. (Ed Lewis? Ledanian Tomlinson? Jerome Betis? Apparently these are the all-star players familiar to the IGN reviewer.) The new features this year -- V&P, adaptive AI, progressive fatigue, and the injury slider -- are hands down, bar-none, the most important additions to the game since franchise mode, with the possible exception of last year's defensive enhancements. That's why 2006 will be the best Madden in history -- that is, of course, if all these new features work as advertised. The problem with the reviews is that of the four features listed above, 3 of them -- adaptive AI, progressive fatigue, and the injury slider -- all operate "behind the scenes". If you're a casual player, you probably didn't notice that they weren't in previous versions, and you probably won't notice that they're in this version. But these are all must-have additions for the hardcore player. The injury slider will hopefully rescue franchise mode from unplayability. Adaptive AI should introduce a "chess game" aspect of playing against the CPU, and prevent us from running the same routes repeatedly to win. And progressive fatigue will force us to manage our running backs and defensive linemen, and make sure that we have depth on our rosters to rotate players effectively. All will present new and welcome challenges -- but again, there's nothing tangible for a casual review writer to get his/her hands on when writing a review. V&P passing shouldn't even be an issue. If you don't like it, turn it off. It's that simple. But what these guys don't realize is that now, for the first time in the history of Madden, the AWARENESS of your QB -- possibly the most important attribute of any on the field -- MATTERS in the gameplay. This has never before been the case, despite the fact that it's obviously a crucial feature. I just hope everyone here will give 2006 a fair shake, and give it some time to grow on you -- V&P in particular -- before coming here to complain about it. I fear that a lot of these great new features will not make it into Madden 2007 due to poor reviews and perhaps the subsequent lack of sales. Most likely, Madden 2006 deserves rave reviews, and if that holds true, let's make sure that EA gets their much deserved props from the hardcore community.

Does anyone else find this ironic?

[HMcCoy]

I for one am also a bit dissapointed in the reviews. I hope and pray that EA won't heed the backlash and revert to trying to please ******s who don't even know who the DPOY is. Its a little late for these fools to cry about the game feeling old...uhhh, we've been shouting that for 3 years now. Cool thing is, 2K fans who haven't played Madden for a few years won't feel the staleness as much.

Kudos to EA for trying to drag these lames into the future. While we hardcores have been BEGGING for innovation, Tiburon's hands have long been tied by a mega-fanbase that isn't particularly skilled at video-gaming, nor terribly knowledgeable about football (no offense to the Madden fans here...the very fact that you're reading these words on a hardcore venue like OS excludes you from that camp)

I've often said that the only silver lining in the exclusitivity deal is that EA doesn't have to worry about losing fans to the comp now, and can move this franchise forward without fear.

I'll enjoy this Madden (and 2K5) and I expect big things on the 360.

[onetonmartin]

Wow, after reading that article it sounds like EA has given it's fans nothing more than new Arizona uni's & a roster update.



"Competition is not only the basis of protection to the consumer, but is the incentive to progress."

-Herbert Hoover

[CaptainZombie]

Quote: Originally Posted by HMcCoy

I for one am also a bit dissapointed in the reviews. I hope and pray that EA won't heed the backlash and revert to trying to please ******s who don't even know who the DPOY is. Its a little late for these fools to cry about the game feeling old...uhhh, we've been shouting that for 3 years now. Cool thing is, 2K fans who haven't played Madden for a few years won't feel the staleness as much. Kudos to EA for trying to drag these lames into the future. While we hardcores have been BEGGING for innovation, Tiburon's hands have long been tied by a mega-fanbase that isn't particularly skilled at video-gaming, nor terribly knowledgeable about football (no offense to the Madden fans here...the very fact that you're reading these words on a hardcore venue like OS excludes you from that camp) I've often said that the only silver lining in the exclusitivity deal is that EA doesn't have to worry about losing fans to the comp now, and can move this franchise forward without fear. I'll enjoy this Madden (and 2K5) and I expect big things on the 360.

2K Fans will have something fresh if most of them haven't played Madden in years. How about us fans of both games, we will be the ones to know if Madden progressed this year. I feel that 2K5 last year was a very good football game overall, minus all the bugs and glitches that VC has a bad habit of leaving in their games.

I find it kind of disappointing when you turn off V&P if you don't like it, then all you have is an updated Madden 2005 (roster, uni's, AI, player progression, and fatigue). Some people may just not want to spend the $50 and stick with Madden '05 or 2K5.

If I wasn't such an impatient person, I would rather wait for Madden 360. I've been playing Madden since day 1 and I am ready for a change. EA forgot that competition is excellent for business. Look at the WWE, ever since the demise of WCW and ECW they have been a sinking ship. Thank goodness for TNA providing an alternative. That is the closest analogy I can come up with on EA securing the NFL license. We are stuck with 1 football game this year which is a shame.

NFL Blitz just doesn't look appealing either. If Madden '06 is a rehash to me, than I'm just trading mine in toward Madden 360 and picking up 2K5 to tide me over.

[Radja]

hey spin,

the part you may not realize is that these guys reviewing the game are what the majority of sports gamers are, CASUAL 'SPORTS' GAMERS. all you are seeing is the possible reaction to the "new" madden that a certain segment of the country is going to have.

i agree with the irony someone mentioned earlier. the innovative features of 2k were rejected by many casual gamers because it wasnt madden, it had a learning curve, and other childish reasons.

equally ironic, many 2k fans will probably like the new madden.

[jdros13]

Quote: Originally Posted by Radja

equally ironic, many 2k fans will probably like the new madden.

That's what I'm hoping!