The Official Madden NFL 2006 Thread

Well, it's either Madden or nothing this year, so I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and feed Great Mammon some of my cash.

In EA' s defence, they seem to have overhauled everything so it looks as good as ESPN did last year, maybe even better. Gamespot has gameplay videos up, looks nice, and the players are a little less stumpy than last year, though still not up to real life proportions. I'd link some screenshots, but nobody seems to have anything legit yet of the on-field stuff, just staged replay screens.

This year's new features are a little wacky. There's a mentor mode where a former player coaches a player you've made - yes indeed, you can learn the secrets of multiple blown knee ligaments and a 3 year career from Terrell Davis himself!

There's also a new feature called QB vision. Basically, the screen's dimmed except for an area representing your QB's field of vision. Passing to a reciever outside this field of vision means your pass will be siginificantly less accurate. Watching viedeo of this, apparently Peyton Manning's eyes are mounted on the side of his head because he can see everything at once, which is pretty weird considering he spent 3 straight years passing to Marvin Harrison over & over & over again. Does this mean Tom Brady can see behind himself? (I'm pretty sure he can in real life - either that or he has Spidey sense).

I'm assuming you can turn that feature off. I'm also curious to how it'll handle, because QBs in the video didn't seem to be able to move their field of vision all that quickly.

The best feature is that McNabb's on the cover, which means he'll go out for the season with a Chunky Soup injury or something. My poor Giants could use a break.

There are no (real) 360 screenshots yet - I'm guessing they'll wait until September so they don't kill the buzz on the game for current systems. That's probably the version I'll end upwating for, but the Xbox version will end up getting a rental just to see what they did with it.

I'm in this year as well. Since theres no ESPN this year.....

Hopefully the game is much better than the 04' game. Since that was the last one I played.


on a side not we got copies of NCAA 06' in today for PS2 and Xbox. And they actually have a street date of July 12th on the box. Weird...usually EA doesnt do that.

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Originally Posted by StriderKyo

Well, it's either Madden or nothing this year, so I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and feed Great Mammon some of my cash.

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Not I. I'll see an NFL game again in 2010 or whatever.

good for you

The QB Vision thing is actually pretty slick. If its done right, then thats one of the better things Ive seen added to football games the past 5 years.

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Originally Posted by Yoshi

Not I. I'll see an NFL game again in 2010 or whatever.

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Oh like you play football games to begin with. :bs:

I haven't been a fan of the Madden series since the Genesis days... I played GameDay on the PSX days, and I've been a Sega Sports fan since the DC. I like 2k Sports' idea of a "legends" game, but I dunno how it'll turn out. Some of these Madded ideas sound decent, so I may have to check it out, but they'll have to do a lot to get me to give up my ESPN (I don't care about updated rosters).

I'm with Yoshi here, EA wont get a dime off me for football until theres legit competition again.

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Originally Posted by Error

I'm with Yoshi here, EA wont get a dime off me for football until theres legit competition again.

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I suppose they'll have to be content with the millions and millions of copies they'll sell anyway, you heartless boycotting bastards.

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Originally Posted by EvilMog007

Oh like you play football games to begin with. :bs:

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You're such a fucking dumbass. I have literally every NFL 2KX game.

I'll stick with my 2K5...then breakdown and buy this. DAMN YOU EA!

I'm sticking with NFL2K5 and playing through my franchise. Maybe when I see Madden 2006 in the used bin, I'll give it a try.

Just checked out the game in action. Looks like the same video from last year's Madden commercials. It doesn't look like it improved that much, but it's hard to tell from those grainy video shots.

so how does this qb vision work? is it only in a 1st person view mode or all cameras? and what if the QB is running one way but looking the other? you really cant control the way the QB looks so i assume he looks the directions he runs? kinda wonky to me.

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Originally Posted by Dragonmaster Dyne

so how does this qb vision work? is it only in a 1st person view mode or all cameras? and what if the QB is running one way but looking the other? you really cant control the way the QB looks so i assume he looks the directions he runs? kinda wonky to me.

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They show it in the gamespot videos. It's the normal top down game view (think only VC dared to try 1st person football), basically a pie-slice of the field is illuminated while the rest is dimmed. The better the QB's field of vision, the wider the slice.

You control it by holding the r-trigger and pressing the reciever buttons to progress through reads. One cool feaature is that on the highest difficulty once they finish their route, you can't do that anymore so you have to manually look with the right stick.

It's basically just a gimmick, but it's cool they're at least trying to work it in. Next year's guaranteed feature: Running back "spot the hole" vision.

As much as EA sucks I don't blame them for getting the rights for the NFL. Blame the NFL for this shit. They put the rights up for sale and EA bought it to save their #1 franchise.

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Originally Posted by Yoshi

You're such a fucking dumbass. I have literally every NFL 2KX game.

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maybe you do but we all know you bought them just to say you have a football game. That way when the bullies pick on you at school about playing games with green dinosaurs you can proudly proclaim that you have some football games. At least mommy still loves you.

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Originally Posted by gamevet

I'm sticking with NFL2K5 and playing through my franchise.

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Word. I still have a lot of stuff to unlock in my crib, and I have no intention of giving EA my money.

I dumped my 05 madden a few months ago on a trade in and I think I'm going to hold off on the 06 for now...

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Originally Posted by Melf

Word. I still have a lot of stuff to unlock in my crib, and I have no intention of giving EA my money.

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They ripped the crib off big time in this one:

http://www.gameinformer.com/NR/rdonl...24/madden3.jpg

Ugh. Crib is seriously the stupidest thing ever.

I agree with DiffX. WHy ESPN gets so much credit for putting in crap gimmicks like the crib is beyond me.

Because unlocking things is fun. Especially bobbleheads. And air hockey.

You can unlock things without having a retarded crib.

Some of the soundtracks were surprisingly awesome, yet wildly inapproriate for a football game. Unless they were meant to coincide with you actually nailing Carmen Electra, instead of just schooling her at football. Nonetheless, Oceanic Lullaby and Sound in a Dark Room are still on my makeout CD.

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Originally Posted by Saint of Killers

You can unlock things without having a retarded crib.

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If it's so bad why is EA ripping it off? Besides, there's something to be said for including a mode that allows you to create the tackiest apartment of all time.

"Let's see, I just won my 5th Superbowl and passed for 20 000 yards to unlock those last trophies so now I'm a superstar with an unlimited budget. I think I'll plaster every square inch of my home with licensed NFL merchandise and Terrell Owens posters. The trophy wife is gonna love that! I wonder what Steve-O and David Arquette are up to tonight? I wish I had cool friends like Tom Brady does."

I'm really pissed at the whole exclusive thing because I heard they were going to go the full nine with the NFL star thing in 2K6 and include a hot tub with unlockable underage virgins, and a first person mode for doing primo Peruvian lines.

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Originally Posted by StriderKyo

If it's so bad why is EA ripping it off?

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Dude, it's EA. Do you even have to ask?

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Originally Posted by StriderKyo

If it's so bad why is EA ripping it off? Besides, there's something to be said for including a mode that allows you to create the tackiest apartment of all time.

"Let's see, I just won my 5th Superbowl and passed for 20 000 yards to unlock those last trophies so now I'm a superstar with an unlimited budget. I think I'll plaster every square inch of my home with licensed NFL merchandise and Terrell Owens posters. The trophy wife is gonna love that! I wonder what Steve-O and David Arquette are up to tonight? I wish I had cool friends like Tom Brady does."

I'm really pissed at the whole exclusive thing because I heard they were going to go the full nine with the NFL star thing in 2K6 and include a hot tub with unlockable underage virgins, and a first person mode for doing primo Peruvian lines.

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Hahahahahahah

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Originally Posted by diffusionx

Ugh. Crib is seriously the stupidest thing ever.

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so is this the "improvement" you were talking about in the other thread that makes Madden worth owning every year? they blantantly ripped off an idea when they need to be fixing other things. fucking morons.

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Originally Posted by Dragonmaster Dyne

they blantantly ripped off an idea when they need to be fixing other things.

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Please list the other things they need to fix.

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Originally Posted by Melf

Word. I still have a lot of stuff to unlock in my crib, and I have no intention of giving EA my money.

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My sentiments exactly.

There's actually a bunch of stuff they fixed, mostly with the passng game. Game informer has an article with some handicapped guy interviewing the game's producer here.

There's actually alot of good information as long as you skip past all the parts that are like:

GI: What can you tell us about the 360 version?

EA Guy: Nothing. I'm not working on that version, and we're not allowed to discuss it yet.

GI: Will the 360 version have more features?

EA Guy: Like I said, that's not really my department.

GI: I'm going to buy the PSP version, then the Xbox version and play it with my counsellor at the group home, and then we'll have pudding. Chocolate is my favourite. Can I put my save game from the Xbox onto 360?

EA Guy: Can't. Talk. About. That.

GI: Will the 360 version use the touchscreen and stylus?

EA Guy: Look, I really can't - wait, what??

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Originally Posted by StriderKyo

GI: Will the 360 version use the touchscreen and stylus?

EA Guy: Look, I really can't - wait, what??

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:lol:

I hope it does!

Isn't this in stores today? Anybody picking it up? Anybody getting the DS version? (Hey, stop laughing.)

My store sold exactly the same number of the GBA version of this as the Gamecube version. (2). We sold 172 copies on PS2 and 74 copies on Xbox.

No DS copies were sold.

Got it. I love the PS2 graphics on my Xbox. At least the 360 version will fix that. Hopefully.

And the manual sucks ass. It's hardly ten pages and just describes the new features.

Starting a franchise now...

And THANK YOU EA for allowing me to turn off that shitty soundtrack you shipped the game with and letting me choose my 80s rock off the harddrive. But there are awesome NFL Films tunes in the game, too. And those kick ass.

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Originally Posted by Six

Got it. I love the PS2 graphics on my Xbox.

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Way to throw your support behind quality like that by buying it day one.

I'm still tempted to pick mine up. The NFL Films music is a nice touch IMO.

Seriously, why does NFL 2K4 look better on Xbox than Madden 2006?

ESPN 2K4:
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images..._screen002.jpg
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images..._screen001.jpg
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images..._screen005.jpg
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images..._screen010.jpg
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images..._screen012.jpg




Madden 2006:
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images..._screen001.jpg
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images..._screen006.jpg
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images..._screen010.jpg
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images..._screen009.jpg
http://image.com.com/gamespot/images..._screen036.jpg


That's 2 years of progress?

I went to a job interview today at Circuit City and they had a huge HDTV setup with this game... and I had to check to see if they were using component because I couldn't believe how shitty it looked. NCAA looks better.

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Originally Posted by Yoshi

Way to throw your support behind quality like that by buying it day one.

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IAWTP.

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Originally Posted by Yoshi

Way to throw your support behind quality like that by buying it day one.

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Not like the price will ever drop :p And unless the Visual Concepts game actually appears I'll be stuck with Madden gameplay for the next 6 years. Might as well get started on learning to play again.

After a bit of playing -

The graphics are just plain terrible. With a custom camera zoomed out enough to get a decent view of the field every player is a ball of jaggies, names are sometimes hard to read, detail textures pop in and out at certain angles and animation is stiff and unnatural at times.

The addition of the ability for custom soundtracks is better but still needs to be at least as good as NFL2k5. The "in game" music is still that new EA crap. NFL films stuff is nice but there are too few from the hundreds of pieces available.

The running game is almost unchanged from Madden 2001 as far as I can tell (the last version I played before converting back to ESPN). QB Vision is a nice idea but I don't have enough thumbs to use it effectively. Between moving back into the pocket, looking for a reciever while trying to read the defense and then deciding to pass to the other side whilst moving the R-Thumb stick I can't pass and "look" at the receiver because my thumb is busy. Needs work. I have since turned it off. Strange the "vision cone" still appears for the CPU making playing SS a bit easier. Which isn't always good.

Franchise has some nice options for team setups and colors similar to previous (like I said, 2001) Madden games and added "generic logos" for teams ripped almost directly from 2K5. This is good news for the Lubbock Helldogs. I wish there were more stadium options for general construction in addition to seating and lights. I also want to name my coach instead of having to use the coach for the team I replaced with the Helldogs. Ah well.

The autosave feature is annoying with the lack of a "Are you sure you want to exit?" window when leaving a specific mode. I found myself hitting "B" on accident and having to wait through saving, loading, menu choices, loading, and loading before getting back to my Franchise screen.

And I still think the players are too short looking and out of proportion. I dunno if heads are too large or bodies too squat but it just looks strange. I always have thought Madden models were wierd.

Started Superstar mode and it seems to be a micromanage fest. Not so sure about it yet. Although my badass self got drafted by the Redskins to play backup to Bowen. I hate the Redskins. :yuck:

I will remain optimistic until more news of a VC football game arrives.

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That's 2 years of progress?

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ROFL @ Maddon 20o6

Okay, I cracked. A store near me already had a used Gamecube copy cheap, so I picked it up. Let me preface this by saying: the game itself is fine. Plays nice, a good, solid game of football. I also didn't have a problem with the visuals. Are they as good as 2K5? Not by half, but everything looks like what it's supposed to look like, and nothing looks particularly awful. This may be a benefit of the GC version's texture filtering - I know NBA Live 2005 on Xbox looked like garbage without it. Now...

QB Vision: Totally pointless. You simply won't have time to move around, move your thumb to the analogue stick, cycle through your recievers, move your thumb back to the correct button and pass before getting killed. In real life, looking around is intuitive and instant, this is not. It's not such a big deal if you're using Tom Brady or Peyton Manning who can see almost everything at once, but if you're trying to play Ben Roethlisberger, who is apparently legally blind, get ready to get either sacked or picked off early and often. I eventually gave up and turned the feature off. Which leads us to problem #2...

This is the exact same game as last year. Once you turn off QB vision, the only other significant gameplay feature is that they added the maximum passing feature NFL 2K had since its very first edition. Excuse me while I don't get excited.

Basically, this is making me pine for 2k again. There are so many things I miss - why can't I see a play window when I call an audible? Why can't I see my play projected onto the field? Why does my running back turn and run east-west at the line, rather than moving laterally to hit the hole? Why can't he turn sideways and do the 'get skinny' thing moving through traffic? Why do I have to move my thumb over to the analogue to use that awkward 'truck stick' to do a shoulder charge, rather than just a button, where my thumb already is? Why can't player profiles save playcalling tendencies? Why is the playbook so damn small?

While I do like Madden's juke move better, and the knock-the-guy's-helmet-off animation is fun, the whole experience is just convincing me that the folks who think Madden's superior to 2K never really played 2K4 or 2K5 for any given length of time. I just don't see it.

Bah. I'll keep playing. Like I said at the beginning, it plays just fine, and the two series are nearly identical in most respects, so I'd be lying if I said I haven't have fun with it.

I'm with you on that one StryderKyo. I picked up the Xbox version for $36 at Fry's and gave it a run last night. It's good to know I can turn off the QB vision crap, cause I just am not digging it.

I may just trade this title in for NCAA 2006, if I don't start finding the little things more intuitive (Like shoulder charge).

I'm just hoping that the 360 version is a lot better.

I gave it a rental today and i pretty much agree with StryderKyo, it just makes me miss the 2k series. It's enjoyable though in terms of realism i find a bit more realistic in blitz mainly because no one catches on fire. Though anyone who thinks Madden is surperior has clearly never played a quater in 2k5

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Originally Posted by Rico

I gave it a rental today and i pretty much agree with StryderKyo, it just makes me miss the 2k series. It's enjoyable though in terms of realism i find a bit more realistic in blitz mainly because no one catches on fire. Though anyone who thinks Madden is surperior has clearly never played a quater in 2k5

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You guys are off your F'n rocker.

The QB vision is the best feature Madden has seen in a long time.

It simulates the realism of a NFL quarterback like no other game has. BTW, you can use the right trigger to help cycle to your WR's....just double tap the receiver button when you want to throw.

Forget about running right and throwing a bullet to the left sideline...wont happen anymore.

It is a better version of the excellent Read and Lead from NFL Fever 2004.

Also, give me a break about the graphics already. Anyone playing sports games for the graphics needs an adjustment. Madden has improved in the gameplay department tenfold and I'll take that over graphics any day of the week.

The amount of on the field options Madden has given us this year is mind boggling and this game truly becomes a chessmatch against a savvy player.

The running game is the best it has ever been, the mario running has been significantly reduced, and the game now makes it imperative to have a short/mid passing game as the arcade deepball is a thing of the past....finally...unlike the bomb happy NCAA Football 2006.

I loved and will miss the NFL2K series dearly, but to just brush off this Madden as a small "update" is extremely naive and shortsighted. I expect more from the "veteran gamers" here.

Ah well you see the "veteran" gamers whom you speak of are boycotting it, those above who were weak and broke down only represent a small portion of us.

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Originally Posted by pigpen81

Also, give me a break about the graphics already. Anyone playing sports games for the graphics needs an adjustment. Madden has improved in the gameplay department tenfold and I'll take that over graphics any day of the week.

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I think the point people are trying to make with the graphics is that the gameplay is not as good as the 2k series, so it should at least better graphics... the 2k series has better gameplay AND better graphics, once again proving why it's the superior series.

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Originally Posted by pigpen81

You guys are off your F'n rocker.

The QB vision is the best feature Madden has seen in a long time.

It simulates the realism of a NFL quarterback like no other game has. BTW, you can use the right trigger to help cycle to your WR's....just double tap the receiver button when you want to throw.

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Except it's not. In real life, say the strong side WR is the primary reciever. Now Michael Vick's about to get creamed and the guy's not open - does he cycle through looking at every single other reciever before he gets to his checkdown dump off pass to the HB? Of course not.

And if you're using the R+button twice method, doesn't that just make the whole thing a pointless exercise? All it means is you're holding R all the time, then pressing the button twice to pass, instead of just pressing once. It just becomes a meaningless input accretion.

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Forget about running right and throwing a bullet to the left sideline...wont happen anymore.

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Except my friend who sucks at football games just racked up 170 yards throwing to Terell Owens alone, repeatedly, after running McNabb backwards 20 yards and 10 away from him and throwing off his back foot into triple coverage. Owens came down with it almost every time. I ended up having to control the safety manually, which was a pain because he'd start running away to handle his zone assignment the second I wasn't pushing in a direction.

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The amount of on the field options Madden has given us this year is mind boggling and this game truly becomes a chessmatch against a savvy player.

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Come on - you say you miss 2K, but you sound like one of those guys that never played it. I can't find a single option that 2K5 didn't have, except maybe the "make your guy run to the 1st down line before he makes his cut" thing.

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The running game is the best it has ever been, the mario running has been significantly reduced, and the game now makes it imperative to have a short/mid passing game as the arcade deepball is a thing of the past....finally...unlike the bomb happy NCAA Football 2006.

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Actually, I find throwing deep bombs to be far more effective than running up the middle unless you have a team that can dominate your opponent's d-line. Shotgun 5 wide hail mary is my 3rd & long money play, and unless the D's in a prevent or a dime with plenty of deep zones, as long as my qb can stay alive I've been completing it with nearly a 75% ratio.

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I loved and will miss the NFL2K series dearly, but to just brush off this Madden as a small "update" is extremely naive and shortsighted. I expect more from the "veteran gamers" here.

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Come on - I can't even find a single review from a major site that doesn't say the same thing. Most of the code & AI seems to be the same thing as last year's, owner mode, mini games & franchise are untouched, Tony Bruno even says tons of the same commentary.

Don't get me wrong. The game's still plenty solid, I'm not trying to jump down your throat or anything, but it's essentially par for the course, not the second coming.

I definitely agree that the superstar mode and other filler stuff is utter crap...and a waste of programming.

As far as the double button press on QB vison, the first button press represents the QB looking to the new receiver, and the second button press represents the actual pass. Again, can it be better?.....perhaps...but it is definitely a step in the right direction and I enjoy using it.

Did you try blitzing Mcnabb? I find it hard to believe he had that much time to throw.....I admit I haven't tried the 20 yard drop with a QB....and wont start trying soon.

Shotgun 5-Wide Hail Mary? Haven't tried it. When I play I attempt to play as sim as possible....most NFL teams on 3rd and less then 20 run corner or crossing routes, run a draw or screen, rarely do they run a Hail Mary either trying to not make a sack or turnover in their end of the field or they try and set up a field goal.. Teams with 3rd and over 20 will stay conservative to again, not turn the ball over.

Maybe you and your friend can set up some house rules.

As far as NFL2K, I've played every game in the series since the original on the DC...played every Madden,(except last year....I put it on Ebay after a week), since the original on the SG.

Yes, 2K had most of Maddens on the field adjustments...except offensive line slides, primary receiver adjustments, formation shifts and route adjustmets,(something the sega series had back on the SG in the mid nineties) as far as I remember.

Look, I was hoping Madden would fall flat on its arse with this series after buying the league license....but I have to be objective and I believe on the field, that EA did a great job with Madden this year making it the most playable to date.

Would I give this game anything above a B....no....because of the superstar crap...but again gameplay wise it is very well done.

Ok, this is really not my dept. and I'm leaving after this post, but this thread should really be named the only game that SONY will let you have.

You really think that sony and EA are not planning this shit together? They both want to monopolize the video game industry so bad that they can taste it.

(To your defense, I am crazy in my first statement, thats cause hatred makes you say dumb things. But my second statement stands.)

Edit: Yes, I know that this post was TOTALLY a derailment, but I'm done, you can say what you want, I wont respond anymore.

Commence discussion.

supermario, you are keeping sl1p from his rightful title of most useless TNL poster. Please leave.

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Originally Posted by Yoshi

supermario, you are keeping sl1p from his rightful title of most useless TNL poster. Please leave.

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Ahem...

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Originally Posted by Daddy Warbuk$

Ahem...

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Wow. A re-tally might be necessary.

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Originally Posted by Yoshi

Wow. A re-tally might be necessary.

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Thx


I rented madden to check it out, Blah.

Here's my review of this abysmal product.

It sucks

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I pray to the gods that someday, somehow, somebody will learn how to program the running game correctly, I mean 265 yards with Priest Holmes in the 1st Half of a Pro level game is pretty disappointing (unless you're cyber Priest Holmes, then I would immediately hold out at half time for a larger contract) and the passing systems sucks complete butt.


That is all, keep 2K5, update your rosters.

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Originally Posted by pigpen81

Did you try blitzing Mcnabb? I find it hard to believe he had that much time to throw.....I admit I haven't tried the 20 yard drop with a QB....and wont start trying soon.

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It wouldn't work with everyone - Philly's O-Line is a brick wall against an average D-line, so blitzing wasn't very effective. It was also a situation with a good qb & a good reciever. But I saw the same thing happening with Brady.

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Yes, 2K had most of Maddens on the field adjustments...except offensive line slides, primary receiver adjustments, formation shifts and route adjustmets,(something the sega series had back on the SG in the mid nineties) as far as I remember.

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No, 2K4 & 5 had every one of those things, except for offensive line slides - I don't know what you mean by that, since it's illegal for the O-Line to move around. But the 2K hot route command let you change any reciever's route to whatever you wanted, even make them or the backs stay in and block. There were different kinds of defensive shifts you could do onfield - slide the line, change any defensive player's assignment individually - man, zone, blitz, etc., call defensive backfield shifts or pinches, assign spies to qbs or rbs...if anything, Madden seems to have a couple less options in that regard.

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Originally Posted by Daddy Warbuk$

Thx


I rented madden to check it out, Blah.

Here's my review of this abysmal product.

It sucks

Comments:
I pray to the gods that someday, somehow, somebody will learn how to program the running game correctly, I mean 265 yards with Priest Holmes in the 1st Half of a Pro level game is pretty disappointing (unless you're cyber Priest Holmes, then I would immediately hold out at half time for a larger contract) and the passing systems sucks complete butt.


That is all, keep 2K5, update your rosters.

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Pro Difficulty is actually pretty easy, for people to learn the game. I would bump it up to All-Pro almost immediately for most people, and All-Madden if you are still finding the game too easy.

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Originally Posted by supermario

Ok, this is really not my dept. and I'm leaving after this post, but this thread should really be named the only game that SONY will let you have.

You really think that sony and EA are not planning this shit together? They both want to monopolize the video game industry so bad that they can taste it.

(To your defense, I am crazy in my first statement, thats cause hatred makes you say dumb things. But my second statement stands.)

Edit: Yes, I know that this post was TOTALLY a derailment, but I'm done, you can say what you want, I wont respond anymore.

Commence discussion.

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Yes. Sony involved themselves in a massive conspiracy to put the game on every system.

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Originally Posted by kingoffighters

Pro Difficulty is actually pretty easy, for people to learn the game. I would bump it up to All-Pro almost immediately for most people, and All-Madden if you are still finding the game too easy.

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Yeah, really. You can't knock the game for being too easy if you're playing on an easy difficulty. In fact, I'm going to stop knocking the passing game until I put it up to All-Madden.

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Originally Posted by StriderKyo

Except it's not. In real life, say the strong side WR is the primary reciever. Now Michael Vick's about to get creamed and the guy's not open - does he cycle through looking at every single other reciever before he gets to his checkdown dump off pass to the HB?

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No, Vick only knows how to look to one receiver, so he pulls the ball down, runs, gets caught from behind, and breaks his leg.

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Originally Posted by Yoshi

No, Vick only knows how to look to one receiver, so he pulls the ball down, runs, gets caught from behind, and breaks his leg.

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Hey, Ron Mexico is the best quarterback in the league, the Mexican STD league that is.

Actually Vick looks at one receiver who is covered, then he freaks and looks for his running back, then decides to run around the end.


rinse and repeat x10 per game.

Ron Mexico..... hehehehehe, the new spokesman for Herpes, the gift that keeps on giving.

Maybe I'm missing something really obvious, but is there a way to set dedicated double coverage? I can assign a certain player to cover someone, but I can't seem to put two players on anyone. I can usually do it just by calling a play that'll end up with a second defender on a reciever, but my opponent can always get around that by calling trips and overloading a zone.

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Originally Posted by StriderKyo

Maybe I'm missing something really obvious, but is there a way to set dedicated double coverage? I can assign a certain player to cover someone, but I can't seem to put two players on anyone. I can usually do it just by calling a play that'll end up with a second defender on a reciever, but my opponent can always get around that by calling trips and overloading a zone.

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Which version of the game do you have? Are you talking about dedicated double coverage throughout an entire game or just on certain plays? If you're looking to double cover a guy the entire game, I think you can just look under the Coaching Strategy menu and change the defensive matchups. Or if you're at the line of scrimmage, do the following:

On the Xbox version, switch to the player you want to be the second defender, hit Y to call a coverage audible, hit the button of the receiver/back you want him to help cover, and then hit right on the d-pad.

Also, slide protection is a set of pre-snap adjustments you can make to your offensive line's blocking scheme on the play.

Madden 2006 has a lot of problems, but it isn't terrible. The frustrating thing is that I see the same problems in Madden year after year. The truck stick is no substitute for the much more realistic running game and line play of the ESPN series, and it makes you far too likely to fumble the ball, especially when it can be so easily cancelled out by the defense's hit stick. Blocking AI is beyond retarded, and coverage audibles, line shifts, receiver shading, and a lot of other options at the line of scrimmage are almost worthless unless your opponent gives you a solid 10-20 seconds to make adjustments before snapping the ball. It's nice that you have all of these options, but requiring 3-4 button presses per adjustment is just not intuitive.

ESPN 2K5 is better than Madden 2006 in almost every way, but if you gave up on the vision and precision passing after only a day or two of practice, you are a pussy.

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Originally Posted by Mamoscott

Which version of the game do you have?

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Gamecube.

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Are you talking about dedicated double coverage throughout an entire game or just on certain plays?

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Throughout the entire game. Terell Owens & Randy Moss catch just about everything if they're single covered.

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If you're looking to double cover a guy the entire game, I think you can just look under the Coaching Strategy menu and change the defensive matchups.

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Nope. That's how it works in 2K, but I don't see an option for it there, only for assigning a specific defender to cover someone, but not more than one.

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Or if you're at the line of scrimmage, do the following:

On the Xbox version, switch to the player you want to be the second defender, hit Y to call a coverage audible, hit the button of the receiver/back you want him to help cover, and then hit right on the d-pad.

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Yeah, I wanted to avoid doing that on every play, since it can be tough to do in time every down.

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ESPN 2K5 is better than Madden 2006 in almost every way, but if you gave up on the vision and precision passing after only a day or two of practice, you are a pussy.

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I'm almost positive it'll only be an option hidden somewhere in next year's version, not default. Almost everyone's going to turn it off, except for online where I don't think you have the option. I get why they did it, but no serious player just throws the ball without looking at their reciever first to avoid throwing a pick. There's no need to simulate looking at your recievers when the player is already looking around the screen anyway. It just slows things up by adding half-seconds that get you sacked. I may give it another shot for novelty's sake, but it's not a great feature.

There's an interesting Gamespot article that just got posted called The History of Football Games

It's a nice, nostalgic read for any gamer that's been actively following the virtual sports world for a while now, and it makes me want to go fire up Sega's Prime Time NFL '95 for the Genesis.

While we're linking, 1up comes through with a free online Madden Strategy Guide.

I haven't read the whole thing yet, but it seems helpful enough. Their guides aren't long, but they're usually pretty useful.

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Originally Posted by Mamoscott

ESPN 2K5 is better than Madden 2006 in almost every way, but if you gave up on the vision and precision passing after only a day or two of practice, you are a pussy.

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I'm really digging QB Vision and how it forces you to make your reads and your checkdowns. A great new feature in '06 that will make this Saturday's Madden cash tournament very interesting.

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Originally Posted by StriderKyo

I'm almost positive it'll only be an option hidden somewhere in next year's version, not default. Almost everyone's going to turn it off, except for online where I don't think you have the option. I get why they did it, but no serious player just throws the ball without looking at their reciever first to avoid throwing a pick. There's no need to simulate looking at your recievers when the player is already looking around the screen anyway. It just slows things up by adding half-seconds that get you sacked. I may give it another shot for novelty's sake, but it's not a great feature.

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It's a great option and it hasn't slowed anything down for me at all. The key does not lie in just not throwing the ball w/o looking at their receiever first to avoid the pick, it's already knowing what receiver(s) you will be looking at as you're coming out of the huddle. You don't really have time to look around the field at 2-5 receivers. You literally have seconds (there is a pass rush, you know). When you call your play, you have to already know your priority of checkdowns and when to throw it away. On Sundays, you have to make your reads quickly (by the third step of your drop at the latest) and you certainly aren't able to see every receiver on the field at pretty much every freaking second. If you're getting sacked, you're holding on to the ball too long and weren't really prepared coming out of the huddle.

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Originally Posted by Gooch

I'm really digging QB Vision and how it forces you to make your reads and your checkdowns. A great new feature in '06 that will make this Saturday's Madden cash tournament very interesting.

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Hey, if you have fun with it, that's cool. Like I said, I go through my reads anyway with my own eyes. I don't need a system to simulate that but slower. Holding R+Z triggers on the GC is a pain, & moving my thumb to the C stick, cycling through and then finding the button to pass is an even bigger pain. IRL looking & throwing is instant & intuitive, this just isn't.

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It's a great option and it hasn't slowed anything down for me at all. The key does not lie in just not throwing the ball w/o looking at their receiever first to avoid the pick, it's already knowing what receiver(s) you will be looking at as you're coming out of the huddle. You don't really have time to look around the field at 2-5 receivers. You literally have seconds (there is a pass rush, you know). When you call your play, you have to already know your priority of checkdowns and when to throw it away. On Sundays, you have to make your reads quickly (by the third step of your drop at the latest) and you certainly aren't able to see every receiver on the field at pretty much every freaking second. If you're getting sacked, you're holding on to the ball too long and weren't really prepared coming out of the huddle.

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Come on. Yes, 60% of your read happens before the snap, 30% the second you snap the ball & you see where the LBs & safeties go, but after three steps most of your recievers haven't even made their cuts yet. You don't even know whether he'll lose his man or not, or if the defender will play underneath or over him. You still need to make split second decisions.

When you pass, most of it is based on anticipation from knowledge of what routes will be run from the called play. You don't have time to drop back, and look all over the field at your X, Y, L1, R1, etc. The pocket will collapse by then or the coverage will catch on. That's why you'll see a lot of slants or comebacks thrown while the WR is still doing the five yard straight, because the QB already knows where the WR is supposed to go. He'll throw before he knows the receiver is going to be open (a lot of Kurt Warner picks came this way, unfortunately). This pretty much requires you select what WR you'll throw to in the huddle. Sure, you may have two other receivers running their patterns, but the called play was designed specifically for the Z or the Y or whatever so the others serve more as to keep the coverage honest than as genuine options, not as equal opportunity options.

Videogame football has never been able to recreate the reads and checkdowns a QB has to make because it's always been on the player, who can see everything as if he were in the broadcaster's booth. The QB cannot possibly see all receivers equally as well on the field, nor should his likelihood of completion be spread out equally amongst receivers with only the coverage being the variable. QB Vision assigns a higher probability of completion that is more reflective of a QB actually knowing ahead of time and looking in the general direction of where he is throwing, rather than dropping back and being able to see sideline to sideline without turning your head and then making a decision, because, as is often the case in the pros, you don't have that time. This also enables the defense, specifically linebackers to "follow the eyes of the QB" and make a break on the ball in Madden, another aspect of realism added via QB Vision. You don't have that in any other football video game.

What I guess I'm saying is that I agree you still need to make split second decisions, but the decision is largely already made by the time you get out of the huddle. It should not be slower or less intuitive, unless you've been accustomed to playing from the offensive coordinator's perspective instead of the QB's. QB Vision ensures that made decision has a higher probability of being successful than just saying "oh, I better throw it to Greg Lewis instead of T.O. because T.O. doesn't look like he'll get open" and being practically as likely to succeed even though the play was specifically designed for T.O.

And you probably shouldn't have gotten the GC version.

You guys heard about the glitch that shows whether the CPU called a running/passing play? I haven't tried it myself...

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Originally Posted by Gooch

It should not be slower or less intuitive, unless you've been accustomed to playing from the offensive coordinator's perspective instead of the QB's.

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Originally Posted by Ben Roethlisberger

I'm a little bit above-average, I think," Roethlisberger said after a practice last week, when asked about his 88 rating in the latest game. But he is clearly not a fan of the quarterback changes.

"I think a lot of guys don't like it as much because it makes it much harder. I know they're trying to make it more realistic and stuff, but it makes it harder, and I don't know if it's as fun," he said.

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Originally Posted by The Gooch

And you probably shouldn't have gotten the GC version.

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No custom soundtrack to replace EA Traxx says you're right. But it was used and cheap. It was originally just a stop gap until I got the 360 version, but I don't know if I'll be getting one now. GC does seem to be the nicest looking version out of the 3, though.

Holy shit. Gooch just got Canadowned by Ben Roethlisburger. Someone had to I guess.

Roethlisberger has one of the poorer QB Vision cones in Madden '06 if you've noticed. I'm not saying, I'm just saying.

People don't like change. They ask for it, they complain when they don't get it, but as soon as it comes and they're forced to adapt, they don't want to accept it.

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Originally Posted by Gooch

People don't like change. They ask for it, they complain when they don't get it, but as soon as it comes and they're forced to adapt, they don't want to accept it.

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Eh, this is true. MarkRyan was asking for sports games to be less "probability-based" and more "skill-based", seems like this is right up his alley.

Anyway, FWIW, my old boss at EB is a diehard football fan and loves the cone. Swears by it. Cant imagine why it wasnt added earlier. And so forth.

So I dunno. It takes all types.

I hope EA at least tweaks it, because I think its a really great idea.

With the NFL draft only two weeks away, I was compelled to satiate my hunger for some pro football by picking up the PC version of Madden 06 last week for $6.50 off eBay. As a gamer whose previous videogame-gridiron experience is limited to Madden 96 (SNES), Madden 64, Madden 99 (N64), NFL 2K1, and NFL 2K2 (DC), I’m quite pleased with the apparent progression of the sport in its virtual form. The sheer amount of strategic options available to both offenses and defenses in the pre-snap situations is particularly impressive, and excluding some issues in the running game (specifically, ball-carriers seem to have absurdly over exaggerated cut animations, though this might just be an issue with my mouse/keyboard control setup; keyboard buttons lack analog sensitivity), all the post-snap action seems to be fairly fine-tuned. Even the much-maligned QB vision feature has been fairly unobtrusive so far, as the precision of mouse-look allows me to move my vision cone relatively swiftly and accurately (though in my experience with the less-talented QBs like the Raven’s K. Boller, affixing such a sliver of a passing cone onto an open receiver is way more difficult than it should be).

However, while the core gameplay seems solid, the online system is a complete atrocity—hell, NFL 2K2 for the Dreamcast had a better online system. After choosing to get spammed up the butt by EA/ESPN instead of paying the $2 spam-free fee, I immediately found out that through some technical shortcoming, I—like several other players that I encountered online—am unable to create games (naturally, EA customer support, the place where the in-game text told me to seek help, has no solution to my problem). Of course, this wouldn’t be much of a problem if there were a wealth of games to join, but because of an idiotic “credit-based” system that requires players to have a certain amount of virtual currency, which can be attained by winning games, before they can join certain people’s games--users can set a desired “credit-level” when creating a game--first-time users can quickly encounter a situation where their credit level is not high enough to meet most people’s requirements. Add this to the fact that about three fourths of the games are password protected and that most players seem to be too worried about their ranking to bother playing a low-ranked newbie like me, and the end result is an extremely frustrating online experience that can create upwards of thirty minute waits just to play an online game. In all seriousness, if the actual online gameplay wasn’t so strategically satisfying, I’d probably go sell the game right now.

So if anyone else happens to own the PC version and has the ability to host games let me know and we can try and get a few games going.