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[Flipmo23]

Best sports games this year IMO:

-MVP Baseball 05
-NBA Live 2005 [only b/c ESPN B-ball was exactly like last year]
-ESPN NFL 2k5

I used to like Madden, as 2002 was the first 3D Madden I had ever played. And though it sucked, 03-04 were really good, with 04 I think being the best.

I bought 05 and thought it was a little too much like 04. Ive only had 06 for a day, and I must say that the Vision Cone gimmick looks really, really cool, but it doesnt make sense to me. Why in the world do we need to look at the receiver to throw to him? Aren't we as gamers scanning the field with our REAL eyes and choosing the correct receiver already? Aren't pump fakes enough to fool the secondary [I'm sure half of you don't even use pump fakes].

I think this was a desperate move to add to a game that EA knew wasn't changing enough to satisfy people. I don't think people would care if EA would release Madden with new rosters for $29.99 one year and then giving the series a proper sequel for $49.99 every OTHER year.

I can see it already, Madden 2007, with HB/FB/CB/SS/FS and optional WR Cones. Just give the fans a roster update with a couple new game modes for 29.99 and give us a real sequel every 2 years.

 

[1st Born]

I'm picking it up at midnight.

I haven't bought a Madden game since Madden 2003, so this will be a very fresh experience for me. I did get Madden 2005 DS (review copy), but that doesn't really count.

I'm back in the Madden fold baby!

I am renting NCAA 2006 right now, and I think I made a mistake of buying Madden over it. NCAA is better looking, The crowd is better, and the gameplay is nicer.

 

[Cerebral Palsy]

Why in the world do we need to look at the receiver to throw to him? Aren't we as gamers scanning the field with our REAL eyes and choosing the correct receiver already?

Uh, are you serious?

So, you think a QB should be able to drop back 15 yards, run around in circles, and then throw a perfect pass to receiver that isn't even in his vision? What does the person playing the game, and scanning the field with their eyes have to do with this?

 

[Jeff-DSA]

I am renting NCAA 2006 right now, and I think I made a mistake of buying Madden over it. NCAA is better looking, The crowd is better, and the gameplay is nicer.

Huh, that's funny. I actually traded in (which I rarely do with any game) NCAA 2006 yesterday because I hated it so bad. Different strokes...

 

[Cerebral Palsy]

I am renting NCAA 2006 right now, and I think I made a mistake of buying Madden over it. NCAA is better looking, The crowd is better, and the gameplay is nicer.

:lol :lol :lol


Major problems with NCAA:

1) Deep bombs are the highest percentage pass in the game.

2) Dbs have horrible swat animations. T-rex style. Not only are deep bombs a high percentage catch in the first place, but they are never swatted due to poor animations.

3) 5-15 yard passes to wide open receivers are almost always dropped.

4) The super human jukes and spin moves.

5) Some beyond questionable broken tackles.

6) I also love how on counters, and direct snaps the HB starts off running at super human, faster than using turbo, speed.

7) HFA is majorly unbalanced.

8) Even if HFA is turned off a lot of the time it almost feels as if the game is scripted, and the winner was determined before the first kickoff.

9) Returning a punt or kickoff for a TD is ridiculously easy.

Keep playing the game. Get online with it. You'll be beyond frustrated with it in a day.

 

[dskillzhtown]

I think the difference between Sim and non-Sim players is being drawn with Madden 2006.

 

[Jeff-DSA]

Uh, are you serious?

So, you think a QB should be able to drop back 15 yards, run around in circles, and then throw a perfect pass to receiver that isn't even in his vision? What does the person playing the game, and scanning the field with their eyes have to do with this?

Yeah, that would be like a QB hitting a receiver in his blind spot because Joe Dudley in the stadium upper-deck can see him.

 

[Cerebral Palsy]

Yeah, that would be like a QB hitting a receiver in his blind spot because Joe Dudley in the stadium upper-deck can see him.

:lol

 

[Kintaro]

Been seeing that Slants are broken this year (aka the money play...always seemed to be the money play to me anyways). Any truth to this?

 

[Ramirez]

I think the difference between Sim and non-Sim players is being drawn with Madden 2006.

Yea,really.

 

[Slo]

Been seeing that Slants are broken this year (aka the money play...always seemed to be the money play to me anyways). Any truth to this?

I sure hope so.

 

[bob_arctor]

Uh, are you serious?

So, you think a QB should be able to drop back 15 yards, run around in circles, and then throw a perfect pass to receiver that isn't even in his vision? What does the person playing the game, and scanning the field with their eyes have to do with this?

So this would have been added to combat that sort of cheez online then? Makes sense if that's the case. Playing with people you know would at least allow you to turn it off then, if you never really liked it anyway. For me it would be a waste as I never play people that do that drop-back 100 yards garbage anyway. Also, couldn't they just have implemented some sort of penalty against this w/o a big-ass cone highlighting the field (again, my main beef is that the D sees it as well)? Basically, if one plays "honorably", I don't see the need for it. In ESPN, I never dropped back other than the built-in drop after hiking; I was like a piece of lint in the pocket, only coming out when forced, and even then, never on those silly fucking jaunts the Vick's of the online world like to go on.

 

[Open Source]

Or is it the difference between enjoyable gameplay and needless complexity?

 

[dammitmattt]

:lol :lol :lol


Major problems with NCAA:

1) Deep bombs are the highest percentage pass in the game.

2) Dbs have horrible swat animations. T-rex style. Not only are deep bombs a high percentage catch in the first place, but they are never swatted due to poor animations.

3) 5-15 yard passes to wide open receivers are almost always dropped.

4) The super human jukes and spin moves.

5) Some beyond questionable broken tackles.

6) I also love how on counters, and direct snaps the HB starts off running at super human, faster than using turbo, speed.

7) HFA is majorly unbalanced.

8) Even if HFA is turned off a lot of the time it almost feels as if the game is scripted, and the winner was determined before the first kickoff.

9) Returning a punt or kickoff for a TD is ridiculously easy.

Keep playing the game. Get online with it. You'll be beyond frustrated with it in a day.

What difficulty level did you play on? Are you talking about CPU or Human games? I ask because on Heisman, half of your problems go away, although more are introduced, especially in Human games...

 

[Slo]

I smell an agenda.

 

[Cerebral Palsy]

So this would have been added to combat that sort of cheez online then? Makes sense if that's the case. Playing with people you know would at least allow you to turn it off then, if you never really liked it anyway. For me it would be a waste as I never play people that do that drop-back 100 yards garbage anyway. Also, couldn't they just have implemented some sort of penalty against this w/o a big-ass cone highlighting the field (again, my main beef is that the D sees it as well)? Basically, if one plays "honorably", I don't see the need for it. In ESPN, I never dropped back other than the built-in drop after hiking; I was like a piece of lint in the pocket, only coming out when forced, and even then, never on those silly fucking jaunts the Vick's of the online world like to go on.

The vision cone definitely does help with the cheese. But I think it adds far more to the game than that. Reading the defense and calling the right audibles/hot routes is now very important. Timing on your passes is more crucial than ever. It's fun picking apart someone's zone, or gaining huge yards off a quick dump when you knew the blitz was coming. Making plays just seems that much more rewarding now. And again, it's nice that it has taken care of some of the Vick cheese.

 

[Jeff-DSA]

Vick cheese...that sounds disgusting.

 

[Cerebral Palsy]

What difficulty level did you play on? Are you talking about CPU or Human games? I ask because on Heisman, half of your problems go away, although more are introduced, especially in Human games...

Lots of online ranked games. Mostly against legit playing GAFers. No matter how legit someone tries to play... the cheese cannot be contained in NCAA.

 

[Cerebral Palsy]

Vick cheese...that sounds disgusting.

It burns

 

[satterfield]

I completely disagree. A real QB can scan the field for all three receivers in a matter of a second or two. It takes far longer than that to change your vision cone in Madden 06. And what was said previously is correct. As the player, you're scanning the field just like a real QB would. Of course, your vision is up higher, but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll be able to tell if a guy is open more than you would from the QB position on the field. A good QB would probably still be better picking up open WRs from behind the LOS because that's where he's thrown passes from his entire life.

Sure, the Mike Vick glitch that every "pro" Madden player uses over and over is a pain in the ass, but this isn't the way to fix it. This is another example of increased realism zapping the fun out of a game.

 

[Mrbob]

I completely disagree. A real QB can scan the field for all three receivers in a matter of a second or two. It takes far longer than that to change your vision cone in Madden 06. And what was said previously is correct. As the player, you're scanning the field just like a real QB would. Of course, your vision is up higher, but that doesn't necessarily mean you'll be able to tell if a guy is open more than you would from the QB position on the field. A good QB would probably still be better picking up open WRs from behind the LOS because that's where he's thrown passes from his entire life.

Sure, the Mike Vick glitch that every "pro" Madden player uses over and over is a pain in the ass, but this isn't the way to fix it. This is another example of increased realism zapping the fun out of a game.

Depends on what version of the vision cone you want to use. Before the snap you can choose which receiver you want the QB to look towards at the snap. Which you probably know. If you use the quick vision control it makes switching between receivers easy. You just hold down the R trigger and hit the receiver you want to throw too and the QB then locks in on that new receiver. This is the first football game you can hold the safeties and linebackers with QB vision, then snap the vision to an outside receiver to one on one coverage with the safety lagging behind. It doesn't always work but once in awhile you can use it to your advantage.

Using the R stick for the QB vision is a pain in the ass. I won't use it. I'll use the quick release method.

 

[FrenchMovieTheme]

I completely disagree. A real QB can scan the field for all three receivers in a matter of a second or two.

have you even played madden yet? i can do this all the time. god fucking forbid you KNOW your receivers routes! here is what i do as a good strategy, and it literally takes less than 3 seconds. I start on a far receiver and i basically have 3 routes in mind. i'm holding the R trigger and have the cone begin in the middle. right after the snap i identify what the LOLB is going to do. if he's going to drop back and i have the WR on the left running a button hook i leave that alone and glance at my TE, usually sitting in the middle of a field between the short zone. finally if that is no dice i will work my way to the rb on the opposite side or even the other WR possibly running a short slant or post or whatever.

bottom line is you can read the defense and get the cone around in the necessary amount of time. if you can't you need to practice more. a real qb can't read the D and throw in 1 second, not even dan marino could. there ARE designed plays in the nfl where you snap and throw, which you can do in madden as well (even with the cone HOLY SHIT!) but you better be confident the D isn't going to jump to the inside or shade wherever you are planning on blindly throwing.

 

[SickBoy]

I wasn't sure I'd like the cone of vision, but here's my two cents after a bit of playtime:

- If you don't like it, it can be turned off
- It doesn't make passing all that tougher... hold down R2 and double tap the receiver you want to throw to. It's as easy as that. The cone moves fast (like a 10th of a second, tops).

For me, what it adds is looking off the D. Don't know how much of an impact it has, but I set it to a guy I have no intention of throwing the ball to pre-snap and go from there. I don't think I've yet been sacked because of this new feature... if anything, the one new (to me) feature that got me sacked was WR option routes.. wasn't sure how to work them and I got hammered for it.

I don't think it makes Madden a million times better, but it's a cool feature.

EDIT: I want to add that my fantasy draft team rocks, although it'd probably be considered "cheese" in competition with Antonio Gates and Jeremy Shockey at the tight ends. I have never before run so many two-TE sets in a game. Still, if it is cheese, I lost both my RBs in preseason as compensation -- McAllister and Davenport. ....let the Shawn Bryson era begin!

 

[satterfield]

have you even played madden yet? i can do this all the time. god fucking forbid you KNOW your receivers routes! here is what i do as a good strategy, and it literally takes less than 3 seconds. I start on a far receiver and i basically have 3 routes in mind. i'm holding the R trigger and have the cone begin in the middle. right after the snap i identify what the LOLB is going to do. if he's going to drop back and i have the WR on the left running a button hook i leave that alone and glance at my TE, usually sitting in the middle of a field between the short zone. finally if that is no dice i will work my way to the rb on the opposite side or even the other WR possibly running a short slant or post or whatever.

bottom line is you can read the defense and get the cone around in the necessary amount of time. if you can't you need to practice more. a real qb can't read the D and throw in 1 second, not even dan marino could. there ARE designed plays in the nfl where you snap and throw, which you can do in madden as well (even with the cone HOLY SHIT!) but you better be confident the D isn't going to jump to the inside or shade wherever you are planning on blindly throwing.

If you need any further proof that the feature is a cumbersome pain in the ass, just look above to see how many sentences it takes just to defend it. I don't like having to press thee buttons to throw a pass. I don't know how anyone would. You can't turn the feature off when you're playing online.

 

[Mrbob]

If you need any further proof that the feature is a cumbersome pain in the ass, just look above to see how many sentences it takes just to defend it. I don't like having to press thee buttons to throw a pass. I don't know how anyone would. You can't turn the feature off when you're playing online.

Hmm, I have to disagree with you here. Vision passing is the best thing to ever happen to a football game. Let me ask you this. If you are a QB, and are focusing on a receiver on the left side of the field, why should you be able to throw it to the right side of the field without having to adjust your vision? This is how passing in football games have been in the past. You could throw it anywhere at anytime. Yes a QB needs to have good vision, but you can't look both ways at one time. You can still do that do a degree. If two receivers intersect within your QB cone or near it you can still throw the ball to either receiver with decent accuracy.

 

[FrenchMovieTheme]

If you need any further proof that the feature is a cumbersome pain in the ass, just look above to see how many sentences it takes just to defend it. I don't like having to press thee buttons to throw a pass. I don't know how anyone would. You can't turn the feature off when you're playing online.

what the hell are you talking about? who said anything about pressing 3 buttons. i said LOOK (as in, with your eyes). are you telling me that you are switching your vision cone to everyone you just look at?? :lol listen dude, the vision cone is not perfect, but it is a welcomed addition. if you have a problem with it, it might be because you suck at it. the feature is probably the best feature ever added to a football game.

the only thing i worry about is that whiny casuals will cause EA to remove the feature in the future. finally EA appeals to the sim-style players and we get a bunch of whiny people -_-

 

[Open Source]

You can solve the same problem without such a needlessly complex solution. The way to fix poorly tuned gameplay system and bad AI is not to add a layer band-aid features that cause as many problems as they solve.

You can also appeal to sim gamers without making the game too complex (not too hard, there is a difference) for people who don't want to learn 57 different game mechanisms just to play a game of football. Set the primary receiver before the snap to the person you DON'T want to pass to? How counter-fucking-intuitive is that?

 

[FrenchMovieTheme]

You can solve the same problem without such a needlessly complex solution. The way to fix poorly tuned gameplay system and bad AI is not to add a layer band-aid features that cause as many problems as they solve.

:lol it never stops guys...

 

[BlackClouds]

Well he's right, sort of. I still suspect the band-aid features will get exploited but I don't want to get ahead of myself. As soon as some used copies get in, I'll probably get the game.

 

[Cloudy]

Using the R stick for the QB vision is a pain in the ass. I won't use it. I'll use the quick release method.

Yeah...

 

[FrenchMovieTheme]

gee what a surprise blackclouds shows up to have negative comments about madden

 

[WasabiKing]

Well he's right, sort of. I still suspect the band-aid features will get exploited but I don't want to get ahead of myself. As soon as some used copies get in, I'll probably get the game.

So EA won't get your money, right? Haha, now this is the best...

The second you logon to PS2 Online or XBox Live, they'll get money right there. Your one time use counts as a user of their online userbase. From there, it's more numbers they will use to brag in a press release, which coincidentally will be release before Q3 close on the stock market. Then the number gets repeated again in ads before the holidays, then once more during the playoffs, giving EA more money to play with. Losing cause... just don't play the game, kid

 

[Cerebral Palsy]

Somebody call the Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahmbulance. There is too much crying in this thread.

 

[SonnyBoy]

I had some time to play the game before I had to rush to work, here are my thoughts:

1. The vision cone is pretty cool feature. This definately adds more a more sim type feel to the game. Anyone who knows football knows that QB's dont have 5-10 seconds to throw the ball and this accurately simulates that time table. I find thats it easier to lock onto the WR than to sweep with the right stick for QB's with limited vision. I think that it helps the QB's with limited experience gain more points towards their development. I feel that if Im using a rookie QB and I take the time to make sure he completes passes using the cone that he'll progress moreso than in previous interations of this game. I have yet to see if this is true but Im hoping it is.

2. The running game is definately improved. Last years gimmick was the defense and EA made it too powerful. It seems like they have balanced things out pretty well for both sides of the ball this time around. More needs to be done to improve the running game. MARIO running has been tuned down quite a bit but is still there and that suction cup tackling in the trenches is a bit tiresome. I hate to see a hole, go to it and have the defender warp to me like Im some kind of super conductive magnet. I was a huge ESPN fan last year and their running game was bliss. If there was a hole and you got to it before it closed up, it was yours for the taking. I still feel like the defense is a bit overpowering for the offense at times but I have not had enough time with the game to be 100% sure.

3. Challenging plays needs considerable effort for next year. ESPN had a TERRIFIC system that always seemed to be on point. Maddens system is very vague in comparision.

4. Presentation has been improved but thats as much as I'll give it. It's still subpar in contrast to ESPN's offering last year.

I'll post more impressions as I go on but I will say that Im enjoying the game a lot more than I enjoyed 2005. Within minutes of unwrapping 2005 I turned it off, it just felt like trash to me. 2006 definately seems like an improvment thus far.

 

[satterfield]

Hmm, I have to disagree with you here. Vision passing is the best thing to ever happen to a football game. Let me ask you this. If you are a QB, and are focusing on a receiver on the left side of the field, why should you be able to throw it to the right side of the field without having to adjust your vision? This is how passing in football games have been in the past. You could throw it anywhere at anytime. Yes a QB needs to have good vision, but you can't look both ways at one time. You can still do that do a degree. If two receivers intersect within your QB cone or near it you can still throw the ball to either receiver with decent accuracy.

The idea is, the QB is looking wherever you're looking as the player. If you're scanning around the field spotting receivers why can't the QB in the game be doing the same thing at the same speed. And if you try to throw across a QB's body in Madden (what I think you meant when you wrote about throwing to the other side of the field), the pass is never sharp--it's always a floater in danger of the pick. Generally, it's expected of NFL QBs to complete their receiver progressions by the time they finish a five-step drop. That takes about 2-3 seconds. I've been playing Madden for over a decade and my problems with the passing game have always been more about dropped balls, unreasonable receiver stats, and the scramble glitch. I never had a problem with how I threw the ball to receivers.

Sorry I'm geeking out so much on Madden, but I'm so pumped for the NFL season and Madden's the only game in town now, so I guess I care a little more. At any rate, I'm glad some of you like the new feature. At least I can turn it off when I play head-to-head offline.

 

[Battlezone]

Okay, I have a question.

I am a casual Madden player. PLEASE do not take this to mean that I know nothing about football, video games, or video game football. I am very much a hardcore football fan, but when I play Madden, I'm not looking for an uber-realistic, sim-heavy, stat tracking fest. I want to have FUN. And no offense to you hardcore players here, but everything I've read about this year's game sounds like no fun.

I have no interest in online play. Superstar Mode and Vision Cone Passing seem like what The Crib and First Person Football in 2K seemed to me: a gimmick. Something I'll try once or twice and never touch again. I want a game that I can pick up for a couple of hours during the week when I need a football fix. I want a game that my buddies and I can play while we're in the break between the afternoon games and Sunday Night Football. I want a game that's not an arcade score-fest, but not so hardcore sim-like that I feel I need weeks of training before I play an Exhibition Game.

I was leaning towards picking up the game this Friday, but everything I've read here makes the game seem kinda tedious. So, since I trust you guys' opinions more than most of these reviewers: is there enough new stuff for us "casuals" to justify a purchase of 2006, or should I try and grab an older copy on the cheap?

Thanks for the help.

 

[SonnyBoy]

Okay, I have a question.

I am a casual Madden player. PLEASE do not take this to mean that I know nothing about football, video games, or video game football. I am very much a hardcore football fan, but when I play Madden, I'm not looking for an uber-realistic, sim-heavy, stat tracking fest. I want to have FUN. And no offense to you hardcore players here, but everything I've read about this year's game sounds like no fun.

I have no interest in online play. Superstar Mode and Vision Cone Passing seem like what The Crib and First Person Football in 2K seemed to me: a gimmick. Something I'll try once or twice and never touch again. I want a game that I can pick up for a couple of hours during the week when I need a football fix. I want a game that my buddies and I can play while we're in the break between the afternoon games and Sunday Night Football. I want a game that's not an arcade score-fest, but not so hardcore sim-like that I feel I need weeks of training before I play an Exhibition Game.

I was leaning towards picking up the game this Friday, but everything I've read here makes the game seem kinda tedious. So, since I trust you guys' opinions more than most of these reviewers: is there enough new stuff for us "casuals" to justify a purchase of 2006, or should I try and grab an older copy on the cheap?

Thanks for the help.

Just put the game on easy and you'll have what you want.

The game is fun to me and I can pick up and play just because I've practiced. I dont play for 8 hours at a time but if you take the time to learn the game then you can use the vision cones and play on the hardest level and still title it a pick up and play game.

 

[EAJAPAN]

Okay, I have a question.

I am a casual Madden player. PLEASE do not take this to mean that I know nothing about football, video games, or video game football. I am very much a hardcore football fan, but when I play Madden, I'm not looking for an uber-realistic, sim-heavy, stat tracking fest. I want to have FUN. And no offense to you hardcore players here, but everything I've read about this year's game sounds like no fun.

I have no interest in online play. Superstar Mode and Vision Cone Passing seem like what The Crib and First Person Football in 2K seemed to me: a gimmick. Something I'll try once or twice and never touch again. I want a game that I can pick up for a couple of hours during the week when I need a football fix. I want a game that my buddies and I can play while we're in the break between the afternoon games and Sunday Night Football. I want a game that's not an arcade score-fest, but not so hardcore sim-like that I feel I need weeks of training before I play an Exhibition Game.

I was leaning towards picking up the game this Friday, but everything I've read here makes the game seem kinda tedious. So, since I trust you guys' opinions more than most of these reviewers: is there enough new stuff for us "casuals" to justify a purchase of 2006, or should I try and grab an older copy on the cheap?

Thanks for the help.

I'd almost suggest waiting for Blitz: The League in that case

Regarding Madden 06, I am loving it so far. The passing cone is a brilliant addition. Screw the mainstreamers who think it's too hard, go back to NFL2K and enjoy pressing Y 50 times a second, fools.

 

[Cerebral Palsy]

I have no interest in online play. Superstar Mode and Vision Cone Passing seem like what The Crib and First Person Football in 2K seemed to me: a gimmick.

You don't have to play online. You can turn the vision cone off. EA won't force you to play Superstar mode either.

The vision cone is hardly a gimmick.

 

[shpankey]

the vision cone is hella cool. it's no gimmick, trust me. i used to think that too, until i tried it and fell instantly in love with it.