Yeah I was Right
Posted on Thu, May. 05, 2005
Knight Ridder Tribune
“Madden NFL 2006” will bring some major innovations to video football, including more options for the quarterback.
Through the goalposts
By The Game Informer
EA Sports' “Madden” NFL series is one of gaming's most bankable franchises, but the last few years have been controversial for the series.
In the last few seasons, the game has faced considerable pressure from 2K Sport's ESPN NFL titles, which garnered excellent reviews and a loyal audience of players who thought that “Madden” had been resting on its laurels.
In 2004 things got even more interesting when publisher Take 2 Interactive dropped the price of “ESPN NFL 2K5” to an unprecedented $19.99, a move that allowed the game to take a real bite out of “Madden” sales for the first time.
However, this won't be the case in 2005. Perhaps because of the pressure from “NFL 2K,” EA entered into a blockbuster deal with the NFL to receive the exclusive rights to the league license. Adding fuel to the fire, EA then cut a deal with Take 2's partner ESPN.
The bottom line for gamers: “Madden NFL 2006” is the only officially licensed NFL video game to be released this year.
As you might expect, fans of the 2K series were incensed, and the whole incident proved to be a massive PR crisis for EA Sports. Now the company intends to prove that, despite the lack of competition, “Madden” has not lost its drive for excellence.
From what we've seen so far, “Madden 2006” will bring some major innovations to video football and should likely win back any fans left cold by the company's strong-arm business tactics.
Take the addition of Quarterback Vision and Placement, for example. In real life, quarterbacks must understand receivers' routes and be able to decipher defenses to know where to throw the ball. “Madden 2006” puts the responsibility on gamers' shoulders with vision passing. This is an optional gameplay system that shows the player what direction the QB is looking with a highlighted cone of vision. Attempt to pass to a receiver you aren't looking at, and your throw will suffer.
Meanwhile only QBs that pass to players in the cone will be able to use the game's precision passing controls. This means players have to physically scroll through their progressions, just like a real-life QB. After the snap, your QB will automatically turn his head in the direction of the play's primary receiver (which you can switch pre-snap). To scan the field, you swivel the right analog stick or hold down R2 or L2, press the face button of the person you want to throw to, and your QB will swing his head around in their direction. It's a very responsive system that is intuitive — even as the pocket collapses.
Each QB's cone of vision varies depending on their awareness rating, so a guy like Peyton Manning who is already expert at understanding his opponents' and his own team's plays will fare better than a shaky kneed rookie. Of course, as your QB progresses, his accuracy rating will increase and so will his on-the-field vision. Scrambling affects the size of your cone, and those gamers who like to drop back 15 or 20 yards behind the line of scrimmage will find themselves penalized. There is also a gradation of accuracy within your field of vision, depending on whether someone is on the perimeter or in the middle of your gaze.
If this is getting you excited for the upcoming “Madden,” it's only the tip of the iceberg. The franchise has some exciting new features coming your way in just about every area of the game — including some different directions you might never have guessed but will be blown away by.
Instead of worrying about EA taking a year off and phoning in this new “Madden installment,” the on-the-field changes it's made will ensure you never take a play off.
