Madden 2004
Written: Sep 05 '04 (Updated Sep 05 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Online gameplay, Fair Play, Deeper defensive game
Cons: More of the same in the offensive game
The Bottom Line: If you're a Madden fanatic, you will be playing more of what you love.
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| Nintendo64PSX's Full Review: Madden NFL 2004 for PlayStation 2 |
The undisputed king of football sims hits all three consoles yet this year as John Madden wraps up his final EA Football game as listed in his contract (unless, he decides to renew it of course, and why wouldn't he -- knowing that this series has sold millions of units every year?)
Other companies try to rival it, but critics and fans can agree Madden will always be on top. Whether it's the sales or the reviews (www.gamerankings.com), Madden is king year after year.
Thus, to keep fans coming back, Eletronic Arts has to make sure to keep their series fresh. Whether it's prettying up the graphics or adding certain gameplay elements, E.A. seems to always succeed as told by it's success.
So, what's different about Madden 2005 from Madden 2004? Well, for one, the defensive game seems to be much more expansive, giving you atleast ten different ways to change your defense before the ball is snapped to better stop the play. Where as in 2004, a player would just have to flick his controller up or down to have 'Playmaker' in effect, this year, you have many choices whether it's the standard having your cornerbacks play loose/tight to having your whole line crash in or out to having your extra safety cover their dominant reciever. True, you have more options, but it just seemed easier to flick your right analogue. If you saw the quarterback hand the ball to the running back, you'd flick the analogue down which would lead all your men to go after him. Or if you saw the QB go back ready to pass you'd flick your analogue up so all your cornerbacks would be alert to the pass. It may very simple, but it was fun for the fun, and it's something I missed when playing the defensive game of Madden 2005.
As for the offensive game, nothing much seems to have changed. Some plays for certian teams have been thrown out in favor of new plays for the playbooks. The running game takes a little bit more skill as the player seems to react more tigthly. Passing looks to be a little more difficult this time around as the 'blitz' manuever to be successful has become easier for the defense. Otherwise, it's the same offensive game.
Graphically, there is almost no improvement over Madden 2004. The players seem to have different expressions whenever the camera has a close up on them but otherwise it looks clean and polished as it ever did.
Online play seems to been given a makeover. Eletronic Arts records even the smallest details when playing the game against a friend from how many points you score to how many times you were in the shotgun formation. It's now possible to read up on your opponent before the game as the game stores information about his favorite formations and his favorite plays. There is the introduction of 'Quick Tournaments' where you and 3 or 7 friends can play in a tournament over the weekend. It's meant to be done quickly so you can play your game and get on with your life. You also don't have to worry about your opponent playing unfairly with the help of 'Fair Play'. This blocks them from playing unfairly or being a cheese. For example, if the opponent is up and it's 4th down with 8 yards to go, the likely case would be that the game would block out any plays in his playbook besides the punt formation.
The game isn't that bad, but it just seems to be a rehash of Madden 2004. Besides the defensive overhaul, it's the same game with updated rosters. With that being said, you'll still get the fun you had playing online or playing with your friends. If you are a Madden fanatic, you'd have the game by now of course. If you are new to football games, Madden 2005 would be a good place to start than any. However, if you're on the fence whether or not you should buy Madden 2005 (knowing you still have Madden 2004/Madden 2003/whatever), then you better just skip it and wait for bigger changes.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Nintendo64PSX
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Location: NY, USA
Reviews written: 80
Trusted by: 8 members
About Me:
The monkey stares endlessly, after seeing some of the insanity effects in Nintendo's "Eternal Darkness"
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