Madden Football is truly one of the staples of the video game industry. Since the franchise’s introduction in 1989, Madden games have been one of the longest running and highest grossing series of games. It’s not just the famous name or the fact that the Madden games are the only football video games endorsed and licensed with the NFL – these games are known for their high quality and entertainment value. So when EA Sports announced a new Madden NFL game designed for the first next-generation console, the Xbox 360, people had great expectations. The reality of the game, though, is a bit disappointing.

But first, the positives. The graphics on Madden NFL 06 are truly spectacular. The stadiums and player models are incredibly detailed and beautiful to the eye, even when viewed close up. The game is equally stunning mid-play: the passes, tackles, runs, and catches are all very impressive from a graphical perspective. The newly upgraded menus are clean and much easier to use, making important aspects of the game like play calling much more straightforward. The menu is broken down by category for quick reference, and even features an “Ask Madden� advice option to help the gamer make a successful play selection. Madden NFL 06 also makes very good use of the Xbox 360’s new controller with the result that the gameplay feels very tight and controlled, as opposed to the much looser, almost sloppy, feel of some other sports games. The online mode allows players to challenge each other over the internet, expanding their options for gameplay and increasing the game’s re-playability factor.

In spite of these positive features, though, Madden NFL 06 lacked a number of key features, including many that gamers have come to expect from the Madden franchise. There are no defensive playmaker controls at all, making it impossible to control the actions of an individual defensive player – this really limits the gamer’s playing options. There are also substantial graphical animations that are painful to watch, especially when contrasted with the fluidness and beauty of the rest of the game. For example, players frequently freeze and lock up in the game when a play end and if a player injury occurs. Some transitions between the animations and actual gameplay are very abrupt and choppy. Previous Madden games have been plagued with has been called the “vibrating blockers� issue, a situation where offensive players bounced all over the scrimmage line trying to determine which defensive players to block. Although developers were aware of this shortcoming in earlier Madden games, the problem still exists in Madden NFL 06. Due to this, players often flicker around on the screen at the beginning of the play. Animations are few in number and are therefore seen over… and over… and over… during the course of just a single game. There is no practice mode or training camp option for players to test out new skills and abilities before launching into a full-on game. And perhaps most notably absent from the game is the ability to challenge plays and referee decisions. For a game that prides itself on being as close to the “real thing� (as in real NFL football) as you can get, it doesn’t make sense to exclude such a fundamental element of the game. After all, how often can you get through a real game without AT LEAST one play being challenged?

Overall, though Madden NFL 06 has spectacular graphics, the game leaves much to be desired and even lacks some of the advanced features that were found in previous versions of the Madden football series. So is Madden NFL 06 is good example of a next generation game? Perhaps graphically, yes. But the gameplay still has a long way to go before it meets the standard gamers are coming to expect from a truly exceptional game.

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