Our Madden 2005 Review

[NoSkillz50]

Great reveiw, I would have prefered you have given Madden a 5/5 just so you could emphasize people reading the review instead of looking at the score and also because it seemed like you liked it more than ESPN. It was great and touched on anything and everything that came up in my mind to, it was the best review I have read for these two games so far. The score I think though will unneccesarily confuse some people or make them consider not buying Madden if they were borderline and then came here and looked at the scores, if they were both 5/5 (which I think they should be considered they were reviewed by different people) I just think it would encourage people reading the review and then making their own oppinions.

[SEGA_LOYAL_FAN]

Quote: Originally Posted by Zinthar

Sega Fan, you say that your 2K5 sliders have fixed the way the DB's react...can you post them in the 2K5 Sliders thread? BTW, excellent review -- although you know what I would like to see? Reviews of both games by both reviewers. Two reviews may sound odd, but I would at least like to see what kind of impressions the ESPN reviewer has of Madden after having played ESPN and if it effects how he feels about ESPN. We know that the ESPN reviewer loved ESPN and the Madden review really liked Madden, and liked it slightly more than ESPN. Also, thank you for doing an excellent job of actually criticizing the weak gameplay points of both games rather than just going on about the hit stick or franchise or all the other features we've read about a gazillion times already. All in all, excellent reviews.

that would be interesting to have from both reviewers. . Anyways when i get a chance i'll post my sliders on the ESPN forums.

[Blue_Monkey]

Quote: Originally Posted by fossen

We did consider this. However, the meta-review sites (gamerankings and the like) are an important consideration. We need to score to "advertise" the review.

Yeah but on gamerankings the score is changed to a % score, making 4/5 80% which looks like a review of "it sucks, mostly". Not great advertising IMO, especially when the review text is this good.


Anyway, questions:

When you say simulated stats are good, it looks like individual stats are great, wasn't too much wrong with them last year anyway. What about team stats? CPU teams' defensive yardage has been ridiculous in the past, do they all still give up like a maximum of 190 passing (most in the 160-170 range) and overall like 250-270 total yardage per game. Should be a lot more.

Is the RE (left hand side end) now useful? Are there more good (80+) free agents in the offseason?

[XxTrojanManxX]

Great review....I agree with your use with the scoring. I think that it is necessary to score. But the score should not be used as a comparison between games, but rather an indicator of whether or not this game is worth your time. For me, when I see a good score on a review, that makes me want to read the review and see what the game's all about. If the review score is bad, I don't bother with the game.

[SaltyChip]

best. review. ever. Hit the nail on the head. If a friend of mine wants to know if this game is good/bad then i'll just show them that review.

[theguru14]

Quote: Originally Posted by theguru14

Will there be a review for the PS2 version or is it basically the same thing?

Sorry but did I miss the answer to this?

[sammyc521]

No one really seemed to answer the guys question about $ of both games. I'd be interested to hear from Terry if price had anything to do with his review or for his thoughts on ESPN?

I would have say that a score of 4/5 didn't seem like it really meshed with your opinion of Madden. From what I can recall, the player models, the Play-by-Play and the lack of presentation [when compared to ESPN] were the only real issues with you. But it's your review so you can always add more gripes.

[bassiladelph]

Quote: Originally Posted by NoSkillz50

Great reveiw, I would have prefered you have given Madden a 5/5 just so you could emphasize people reading the review instead of looking at the score and also because it seemed like you liked it more than ESPN. It was great and touched on anything and everything that came up in my mind to, it was the best review I have read for these two games so far. The score I think though will unneccesarily confuse some people or make them consider not buying Madden if they were borderline and then came here and looked at the scores, if they were both 5/5 (which I think they should be considered they were reviewed by different people) I just think it would encourage people reading the review and then making their own oppinions.

I agree that it should, but I don't think it'll affect as many people as I'd like. The point system by itself is just lazy, especially when you reviewing a game of a sport that's already complicated to begin with. It's tough to just put it into a point system, and be able to accurately portray the feelings you have about the game at the same time. But because people are naturally lazy, they just want to get to the point and not soak up the feelings of the writer and exactly WHY he/she picked that score.

BTW, great review. I wasn't considering even looking at Madden this year (equal parts disappointment of Madden 2004 and fun of the ESPN series), but your review was informative, well written, and it (most importantly) made me read the review instead of thinking "This guy thinks ESPN is better because of the score". IN effect, I respect this review a ton more than the guys over at IGN, who's review is basically a copout simply because neither review seems to have spend a lot of time with the game (if they did, they would've seen the same things most people came across within the past week or so of each game's release). Adding more #s just complicates an already complicated system. If you're going to rate a game, express that sometimes you need to think outside the box to get the full effect, and that the # isn't always "the last word". The guy who reviewed Madden, it almost seemed like he put the final score in so that it could be rated higher than ESPN, while this review here shows on the surface that ESPN is better, but the feelings are reflected inside. Better isn't always the best choice for a person (My Camry over a Lexus, or even Legends of Wrestling: Showdown, as opposed to Smackdown - yes, I'm in need of help, but still).

Again, thanks a ton for the review. You've given me a reason to check out Madden after last year's disappointment.