Madden NFL 2005

Innovative defense and topnotch controls fortify Madden NFL 2005 as a formidable football powerhouse

Each season Madden NFL holds courts as the elite of the video game football league. This year even though the competition is fewer (no NFL GameDay or NFL Fever), it?s gotten tougher (ESPN NFL 2K5); and Madden NFL 2005 muscles up to compete in fine form.

Defending the Crown
The gameplay emphasis with 2005 is on defense, and it is aggressive. For one, the new Hit Stick launches tacklers into a ferocious hit at a simple flick of the right analog stick. Your defense can change the game this way by either causing a fumble?or missing a tackle completely.

Additionally, the on-the-money controls can turn you into a tough defensive signal caller. The PS2, Xbox, and GameCube versions are all evenly tuned to near-perfection, and among the great defensive-move additions is the ability to adjust linemen, linebackers, and defensive backs as a group at the line of scrimmage with a few simple button presses. You can even make individual assignments with the DBs at the line or you can put on your defensive coordinator's headset at the Coaching Strategy menu, and assign your best cornerbacks or safeties to shadow a team?s star receiver throughout the game.

Although Madden?s offense has been polished over the years, it continues to receive welcome improvements. For instance, for certain pass plays the A.I. enables key receivers to adjust their routes to the defensive players. You have to read your receivers and either fire a bullet pass or loft a floater just like real football.

Also, Madden remains the best in the business at presenting football plays. 2005?s playbook and playcalling interface are clean, easy-to-read, and snap to use.

Feature Rich
The big story for 2005 is Storyline Central, a different sort of gameplay improvement altogether. As the owner of a franchise you deal with all the off-the-field drama that affects any team?s performance on the field. Contract disputes, playing-time issues, personality conflicts are all fair game, and the media will pounce on such controversy like the sharks that we?er, they are. A slick interface enables you to jump from a newspaper headline directly into Franchise menus for roster changes and other management moves.

On-the-field player animations just keep getting better and better. This year, great body mechanics make watching players in replay mode a wonder. The Xbox and the GameCube visuals seriously shine, with the PS2?s close behind.

Obviously with all the attention being paid to other aspects of the game, revamping the visual show was a lower priority. Presentations such as the pre-game warm-ups return from last season; and the more often the cheerleading squad shows up, the more oddly cloned they look.

The sounds sing thanks to John Madden and Al Michaels. They turn in another stellar performance with expert commentary and spot-on play-by-play calls.

Madden?s NFL
Madden NFL 2005 emphasizes the ?go? over the ?show,? and its legions of faithful fans will not be disappointed. Even in the face of stiff competition, Madden NFL maintains its winning tradition.

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