is it that bad
 

hey guys im in europe right now and from reading your reviews it seems madden has become a bit bad this year

and i would like to see if this is really true before i get back to the us come september 3rd

so please tell me what are the ups and down of this game thank you very much

Re: is it that bad
 

From the reviews written, it's not bad, just not much different from last year.

Re: is it that bad
 

This is exactly what I was going to say. Vision control/precision passing adds to the game, but that's about the only gameplay enhancement I can find. And I don't even find myself using precision passing that much. Another couple versions of the game, and this could be a great feature, but they'll have to make it a bit harder, I think.

Superstar mode is okay, but it adds nothing to the actual on-the-field gameplay. Were this game not in its last year on the current systems, I really think SS mode would not exist. I think they are just out of things that they want to do with the current systems, and are setting their sights on next generation (which was expected all along).

I don't know much about programming, but I would not be surprised if they spent less time on this game than on any of the previous versions. I don't think SS mode would have taken long to add---it's just a stripped-down franchise with what can be described only as a very token storyline.

I'm glad I bought it, and it is a good game, but there's really not much novelty to it. Next generation is coming at the right time. (Ideally, the new systems would have come last year.)

Re: is it that bad
 

PROS
-Vision/Presicion Passing is the best thing to happen to a football game in a long time
-The Running Game is improved - running up the middle is actaully possible this year, the truck stick is really nice as big backs are actually fun to use now
-The huge assortment of pre-play audibles are awesome - especially o-line shifting which is a must to give you QB time
-The playbooks are expanded and more realistic - the Bills for instance have tons of QB rollout plays because of the change of QB from Bledsoe to Losman, a subtle but great change
-Opposing teams play like they would in real life - the Colts audible a lot, the Falcans run a lot, the Rams stretch the filed, the Bucs D sits back, the Eagles blitz
-Not a ton of new animations but the added ones are awesome
-Some slick new presentation has been added - QB throw charts, a better scoreboard, drive summaries
-defenses are smart and will learn to shut down plays if you use them too much

CONS
-punt returns are horrible, kickoff returns are better but not by much
-the learning curve is steep for the passing game and can be frustrating at first
-PS2 has some slowdown
I can't think of any other flaws that really stand out, I'm sure I'll see more as I continue playing but I'm just having so much fun right now that the pros shadow most of the cons.

I'd say give the game a try.

Re: is it that bad
 

I don't see why people are saying the learning curve is steep. The vision cone is simple and easy to use. I was able to use it almost perfectly with Kyle Boller my first time playing the game.

The game is BY FAR the best football game ever created, it makes Madden 2005 look like Tecmo Bowl, seriously. It has a few flaws (Punt Returns for one) but overall it's near flawless gameplay, decent graphics, and perfect animations.

Re: is it that bad
 

I can add that one good thing that the NFL exclusive license has brought is that we finally get diverse playbooks. This is one nice part of the playbooks this year.

The punt returns are frustrating as hell. You can't run the ball once you catch it. You either fumble the ball due to getting hit right away, or you can't call fair catch fast enough.

It's not a bad game, I just hope come Madden 360 that a good portion of the problems from Madden 2006 are fixed and we receive the graphical and presentation upgrade that has been asked for.

Re: is it that bad
 

Whoa. That's way over the top

Have fun............

Re: is it that bad
 

Time to wake up from the dream...