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134 of 150 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Don't complain... especially if you're in line EVERY August buying the 'next' one., August 23, 2006
Fun:3.0 out of 5 stars
Yep... I said it. Everyone seems to have the same ideas and views that I've been saying for years now. I think one of the other reviewers put it best: "Buying Madden every year is like getting a new calendar - yeah, technically it's 'different', but in the end..." well, you get the point. This review is a little long, but since I don't think I'll be doing another one for ANY EA title anymore - as I won't be buying them - I wanted to cover everything that I could think of, in case anyone is (like me) a longtime player and customer.
EA has effectively eliminated all competition by purchasing the NFL license - no need to push the envelope by putting out innovative and fun quality products now. Hell, they're bold enough now to even take Madden out of the 'Madden', so why are some surprised that other features are gone?? (RIP 2K Series... you were the best) But who's really to blame - the companies, who obviously are in this to make $$$ (and doing a good job), or the fools out there in line at midnight (saw it on the news - how retarded is that??) throwing all that $$$ away every summer? Me - I hate everybody in this equation equally...
I really wanted to like this game. I REALLY did... In the end, I think I received it in the best possible fashion - got it as a gift. Just can't see paying $60 for roster updates - that's essentially what this amounts to. Yeah, it's supposedly better than last year's version (which I hadn't played on the 360), but it's now just as good as MAYBE '05 on the regular XBOX. Why are we settling for moving backwards - ESPECIALLY when we're talking about the 360? Why are we so excited over possibly getting to a point that WE WERE AT 4 YEARS AGO? (Use the gas-price analogy if it helps you understand why so many people are pissed: You get excited now when you see gas prices at $2.25-$2.50, even though you were using the same or better quality gas for $1.10 or less a few years ago. Same general principle here...) Because people b***h and moan, but EA can count on them to be in line at GameStop or WalMart on release day, with hard-earned money in hand, hoping they won't be disappointed this year. PRAYING that THIS is indeed the year. No. EA knows this. (Yeah I can talk - I stopped purchasing Madden in '03 when I realized that they were more interested in that little "#1 Selling Football Franchise" tag in the corner of the game box than in keeping their customers satisfied.)
Overall, the graphics are nice - decent is maybe more accurate. I play this on my 62" HDTV... the perfect setup for those sports nights - this game just seems to fall a little short to me. Even my wife said, "This doesn't look like it's by the same people that did the boxing game." (Fight Night Round 3, which we love - the only thing keeping EA afloat as far as I'm concerned) Don't get me wrong - it's not the worse game by any means. (I disagree with the review that said it was like Gameday '99 - that's a little extreme.) I don't need the jerseys to get dirty, or care if I can actually see the field get torn up as I play... it would be NICE, definitely. Don't know why we CAN'T have that, but anyway... There was some detail put into the movement of the faces and all - I can see the effort there. Whoever said that these were spot-on, accurate representations of the real NFL players must have been smoking something highly illegal. These are detailed faces indeed, but of very ugly people. Cracks me up, actually... and why is everybody ridiculously cut on this game? My punter is the same size as my LB?? Is Balco in on this game too? I'm willing to deal with mutant players and the lack of certain other details. I don't think we should have to settle for average overall games though, especially with a title as established as Madden. Definitely expecting more from a system that's supposedly more powerful than any home computer you can get.
Gameplay is familiar; same running patterns, with a few new animations - still choppy and unrealistic, even on the "mighty" 360. Who do I have to talk to about getting some gang tackling on here?? Jesus... it's 2007 - this should've BEEN a part of Madden by now. ...but I digress. Button configurations are overly-complicated... the menu interface is probably more confusing than it needs to be, but you kinda get used to it. (much like a rash) Camera views, particularly in the Superstar Mode, are absolutely horrific. As a QB, you can't see a damn thing on either of the sidelines. I guess it's still a decent idea, but I much rather play the Superstar Mode from last year on the XBox - who really thought that giving players the ability to play as an OL was the one element that was missing from the series, seriously?? The idea of only controlling your 'Superstar' annoys me... I guess it is realistic in the sense that you only control YOU in real life, but in a video game? Nah... I'd still at least like the option to control the entire team on offense and defense. Glitches? The Fatigue button is a joke, and doesn't work realistically. (I mean seriously doesn't work - to the point where there's a patch in the works to fix this.) Why is such a hyped product still having MAJOR glitches before release, and still being rushed into stores?? Another thing - I unlock a Mr. Barry Sanders... not bad. But why does he automatically end up on another team (in this case, the Panthers) throughout the course of my Franchise? You have absolutely NO SAY in what happens. I don't like that. Again, this isht should be ironed out before the final product is released. I'm not a fan of patches and quick-fixes - you get enough of that dealing with a computer.
Gameplay interface still allows for ridiculous ease: beat the CPU 87-3 on All-Madden, my Bears (87 points??) against Indy with 5 min quarters. (Of course, an 80+ point deficit in the 4th quarter didn't deter the Colts from ONSIDE KICKING after their sad field goal... why does this STILL happen on every Madden game?!?!) First time playing - nothing new there. All of the little gimicks and everything wear out their welcome by game number 4, because at that point you've seen every (and I mean EVERY) item and animation this game has to offer. Remember 2K4 and 2K5, when you still found new stuff, or heard new commentary/saw new animations like 9-10 months later? Yeah, me too... (sniff) Another gripe of mine (maybe small to some) is the music and commentary. I know NO ONE, even die-hard Maddenites, could say with a straight face that Madden's painfully obvious play-by-play could be mentioned in the same breath as the 2K series', but I actually MISS Mr. Madden in this installment. The radio announcer thing... no. Doesn't work. Music? Well, I know everyone has their different tastes, but I'm not feeling this. Considering this is the 360, why don't we have more control over what music is played, and when/where? True, you can have your saved music playing, but guess what? It just plays continuously throughout EVERYTHING. (Compare this to the original XBox - on NFL 2K5 you could not only choose the individual songs you have playing, but assign different points in the game - after touchdowns, long drives, turnovers, etc. - that the particular song would be cued. You could even pinpoint a particular moment in the song and have it start from there! For my money, nothing was more fun than listening to Lil' Jon scream "WHAAAAT?!?!?!" after a big sack or Truck-Stick hit.)
You can say I'm nitpicking, but is it really, on a $400+ system? Why do we have to wait until Sony comes out with the "competition" (or arguably superior product - PS3) before MicroSoft actually cares enough to put out what we - as consumers - deserve for our money? If EA (and MicroSoft, for that matter) would like to get back some fans and loyal supporters (Yes EA, your NBA Live series sucks too... what the hell happened to you?! Those previews look promising... but so did Madden/NCAA 07.), they should offer - instead of ridiculous prices for garbage - maybe roster update/new feature patches for the 360. If you subscribe to XBox Live Gold (which isn't free), you should get this for no fee. If you don't have the Live connection, you should be able to download it on a computer and put it on a disc or something - charge about $15-$20 for this. I think that would be fair.
If you HAVE to buy the new version every year, then you'll go and get this, or already have. If you love Madden for whatever unrealistic reason, you'll find a reason to love this game, if only to defend your choice to purchase it. Having played Madden since SEGA GENESIS, I'm expecting more. For you Madden-heads out there whose hearts hurt when you read a negative comment about Madden, stop being so damn sensitive. Do you need a hug or something? Did your sister or son make the game? No? Then don't take it personal. These are MY opinions of a game that I own. Stop reviewing the other REVIEWS, and put your honest comments about the actual product. If you like it, then put why. (Other than the fact that you may secretly be Mr. Madden's lovechild)
How's this: Madden's gonna be the best football game for '07, guuaranteed. See? Feel better?
Madden '08 will be the one, though, right? LOL... yeah, right.
Overall, 2 and 1/2 stars... okay, 3. Looks pretty. The rest is kinda forgettable. Not the worst game ever, but nowhere NEAR where it should be... charging $60+ for this is insulting.
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59 of 72 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
I say boycott the title!!!!!!!, August 23, 2006
Fun:1.0 out of 5 stars
Due to Madden Football's strong following they think they can take advantage of us by putting out subpar games at top notch prices. Personally, I'm getting tired of this. This game use to be great! Now... for the last two years it has been terrible at least compared to the years between 2002 to 2005. I was hoping EA wouldnt start cutting corners once they got that exclusive deal with the NFL. I thought they were better than that. I guess I was wrong. I didnt buy this game this year however I borrowed it. If this or the 2006 version is the first madden you have played, you'll probably love it, however, if you remember the top notch games of the past, you'll be disappointed. This is a watered down version of past titles that has good graphics.... nothing more. I wont buy another until they up their standards again.
Cons:
1. No fantasy Draft (You can't make up your own team)
2. I have experienced this game freezing up on me numerous times before finishing a game... very frustrating.
3. During franchise mode, the draft and signing of free agents is hard to follow and poorly done which takes away from the overall franchise experience.
4. You still can't change individual defensive players assignments. For example in the past you could change each defensive player on the field to blitz, play deep zone, cover the flat, or quaterback sneak. Not being able to do this takes away from being creative defensively. You have to just run the play as is. You can still do things such as spread out the line, move all LBs and change cornerback coverage but it still isnt the same... not as good.
5. During Superstar mode, sometimes the camera angles doesnt allow you to see enough of the field to do what you need to do to be successful.
6. The game play, how the players move, still isnt as good as it was on the old XBOX. This is suppose to be a next generation system/game.... that doesnt make sense. Its better than last year though.
7. Madden still doesnt exist. How can you take Madden out of Madden football?.. that doesnt make sense. Instead of listening to madden, you have to listen to boring repetitve radio announcers.
8. They again changed what buttons do. Why do they have to keep changing what every button does? Keep the sprint button the same each year, keep how to do the hot routes the same each year!!! I have to relearn how to play the game each year because they change the buttons.... its annoying. Its not like they added anything over the years in order to have to change buttons... they took stuff away for crying out loud.
9. There are other things about the game I do not like, however, the above things are the most important. I'm sure you can find your own problems especially if you are not new to Madden Football.
Pros
1. Sad to say the pros of this game really arent pros at all. For example, the "new" superstar mode really isnt new. Its been on the old XBOX version for two years now. Its only new to this system because they stripped it from last year's base title.
2. This is an improvement over last years title in regards to game play. The players do move better and quicker. Last years title was way too slow especially running.
3. Of course getting the update rosters and new hot rookies is a plus. This is probably the main reason people will end up buying this game any ways regardless of how subpar it is. (I wont though)
4. Nice graphics. To tell you the truth, compared to the old title, this is the only thing the newer version does better. In all other categories, this title lacks.
Bottom line: Its sad I have to get out my old XBOX to play a really good football game. This is an improvement over last years game however that isnt saying much.... last year was that bad. This still isnt worth even close to 60 dollars. I guess you all can see that by looking at the 30 dollar used copies. In the past there is no way this would be selling this cheap so quickly. Come on EA... Lets do better than this.
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12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Utterly Horrible, September 17, 2006
Fun:2.0 out of 5 stars
I knew coming in that this game wasn't going to be the Madden of old. Since getting the deal with the NFL EA Sports has cut corners and produced shotty work. But I really wanted to play football on my fairly new Xbox 360 so I went ahead and traded in NBA Live 06 for 9.99 to purchase this game.
When I started the game things seems to be excellent. Beautiful stadiums filled with fans that at most times are full 3D rendered. Then the gameplay started. I experience horrid slowdown when picking plays. After it shows the players it lags horribly and feels like its going to quit. It think they tried to put too much on the screen.
Then the sound. The announcing I think is horrible. It sounds like hes speaking over a tin can and a piece of string. And you hear the same things over and over again. He counts down the yards starting at the 30. Only one announcer makes it bland also. And you would think Madden would announce on his own game.
Then while playing my friend the first time I played, the game FROZE at halftime. I was so angry that I spent money on this garbage I was ready to package it back up and go to EBgames and demand a refund. Or maybe call EA Sports and tell them how horrible their game is. What does it take to get a game that plays without major issues like this.
Despite the freezing, the gameplay is bad also. RB can run 80 yards without even a touch, quarterbacks that can't run like delhomme can bust out a 30 yard run, and tackling is near on impossible unless you are right on top of the guy and even then a little juke and you bounce off them. Mostly the fun factor is lost when I cant even stop them. Games are 40-32 or 55-45. That doesnt seem very realistic to me. When I play a sports game, I want the whole package. I want to feel like its a real game on TV and I'm controlling my favorite team to victory. You don't get this here because the announcer is not realistic, the scores, the tackles, etc.
My suggestion, if you dont mind slowdown, freezes, and bad overall gameplay, then pick this up. But if you require better gameplay for $60 protest this game and make sure to tell EA your displeasure. This has to stop. I cant even play a football game because its Madden or Madden.
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