Madden vs. ESPN.... The Debate Rages

Aug. 13, 2004 - OK, well, I got to play more Madden last night, so I wanted to do sort of a final conclusion on both games.

I first tried a game on All-Madden to take advantage of the new, tougher, AI.  Now, keep in mind I usually play on All-Pro, so this was a leap of faith for me (so to speak).  Well, they're right.... the D is tougher.  After one quarter against the Raiders the score was 28-7.  So, needless to say, that was no fun, so I quit and started a game on All-Pro against the Seahawks.  What a game... it was 0-0 until about half-way through the 4th, when I got sacked in the endzone for a safety.  A few drives later I fumbled at the 20, and they recovered.  Luckily I held them to a FG... so I was down 5-0.  With under 1:30 left, I drove down field, only to be picked at the 15 with no time left.... and they ran it back for a TD, so I lost 12-0.  What a game though.  After playing that game and doing some of the mini-camps and the mini-games like the Rushing Attack Madden found a new life for me.

Here's what I concluded.... my first game of Madden, I was in the ESPN mindset, and you cannot play Madden the same as you play ESPN.  Madden is more of a thinking mans game.  You have to constantly make adjustments to counter the opponent.  On defense, you need to shift your LBs to plug the holes if you're being beat on dives and traps, adjust the CBs to avoid leaving the middle open, etc.  On offense, you can playmaker your play to the opposite side if the computer loads the strong side of the field.  You can do also do a playmaker as your scrambling to point the receiver to the open part of the field, or call for a block if you're the ball carrier.  I didn't use playmaker that much last year other then flipping a run play at the line, but this year it's almost like you have to in order to counter the defense.  I ran a receiver screen that looked open, but one of the LBs was coming in from the right and would have held me to a 1 yard gain... instead, I used the playmaker, pointed to him, and my TE peeled off of the guy he was blocking (who I was already past) and picked up the LB... springing me for an additional 7 yards and a first down.  Another nice touch... the hit stick.  I thought it was more of a novelty at first, but it comes in handy.  Example... Shawn Alexander got a 2nd down handoff on the 5 and was heading into the endzone.  I took control of London Fletcher at the goal line and used the hit stick to pop Alexander, knocking him down at the 1.  Had I not used the hit stick the odds are he would have broke the plane.  Instead he got leveled, stopped in his tracks.  On third they ran a play action and I sacked them, holding them to a FG which put me down 5 instead of 9 (I was losing 2-0 at this point).  All in all I believe this game to be more of a sim then ESPN.  As mentioned, there is a lot of strategy involved, and sitting down and playing a game of Madden (not playing Madden with the same mindset as with ESPN, but playing it as Madden) will bring out this game's true colors.  Think about this... when playing ESPN and you have a 2nd and short (under 2 yards), would you think of running a draw play because the defense will be blitzing?  In Madden, I had 2nd and 2 and hit the ask Madden button and that's what he said... run a draw b/c the defense will be blitzing.  Sure enough, they blitzed and I scampered up the middle for 5 yards.

Now, playing ESPN is a ton of fun.  It blows Madden away in the fun department.  The cut scenes, presentation, commentary, everything.... it's just more enjoyable.  That said, I still believe this game is not quite Madden.  It doesn't play like an arcade game like the previous versions, so don't think that's what I mean... it's just less of a sim in comparison.  Here's an example.. in an online game against the Giants, Aaron Schobel sacked Warner 7 times... in one game... 4 in the first half alone.  And that was against Luke Petitgout, arguably one of the best tackles in the game... and rating wise, one of the best in ESPN.  In Madden he did not have one sack against the G-Men b/c in Madden, you have to take your opponents into consideration.  If you're lining up against Champ Baily with Josh Reed, the odds are Baily will win that every time.  In ESPN, the match up isn't as realistic.  You can make some defensive adjustments to stop people, but even on All-Pro, you do not need to make all of the adjustments you'll find yourself making in Madden.  You can pretty much just call the play and run it.  The lack of a play flip on the line hurts also.  I know you can audible and reverse the play, but that's not the same as using a playmaker to do it.  If the D loads the left side and you're running left, calling an audible to reverse the play causes the defense to follow you, and you're in the same situation except now, on the right side.  In Madden, your formation doesn't change... you just run the play to the other side.  Watch a real NFL game and adjustments are constantly being made.  You can make a lot of adjustments in ESPN, much more then any other version, but they're not as easy to make and don't have as much of an impact on the play.  You still also have the problem of being able to complete passes in double and triple coverage on a fairly regular basis.  It still happens once in a while in Madden as well, but on All-Pro or higher.... it's very rare.

Online - If we're just talking about online play itself.... ESPN can't be touched.  This game is probably the most fun I've had online in a sports game.  The presentation remains in tact, which, by itself, gives it a huge advantage over Madden.  Something else to consider... when playing someone online... the computer AI comes in to play less then when playing offline.  Of course it still has a profound effect on the game... but if the CPU AI gets a player into position to knock a ball down and I take control of him at the last minute, miss it, and give up the big play.... I negate the effect the AI has.  Since that is the case I'd have to say that I enjoy ESPN online much, much more.  Now, if I wanted to play a serious game of football, then I'd just play an All-Pro game of Madden.  Gone are the days of doing a few running plays, then a play action deep.  Even if you call the wrong defense, as long as you have coverage, the DBs are on you tighter... and sometimes, even expecting the play action.

At this point, my problem is this.... I love both games.  I really do.  Since I've had the time to dive into each one a little deeper I've learned to love different things about each game.  If I feel like playing a smart, serious game of football, I'll pop in Madden and put my strategy hat on.  If I want to play a fun, realistic game that's a little more forgiving, I'll pop in ESPN and pretend I'm actually controlling a Sunday Night Football broadcast.

So, the bottom line.... I don't know.  I think everyone who reads these reviews will need to get their hands on each game, then spend time on each one to make their decision.  My suggestion would be to play Madden first.  I say this because most people are still in Madden mode from last year, and I find it tougher to play ESPN first, then have to really focus to play Madden.  You can play ESPN similar to how you play Madden... but you CANNOT play Madden the way you play ESPN, so play Madden first, play a few games (make sure you start on All-Pro or higher) and use all of the strategy that you've come to know and love from previous Madden's.  After you've given it a fair shake, pop in ESPN and you'll see how different it is... yet it's still realistic and fun.  Then make a decision.

Happy Gaming!!

Well, better late then never, right?

Anyway, we've had NFL 2k5 for a few weeks now, so I think it's only fair to follow the Madden reviews with one for ESPN... that way we can compare and contrast properly =)


Gameplay:
Gameplay is very good. It really is. They completely stepped it up from last year's offering. This years version is less deliberate and the game moves a long a lot more smoothly. Changing players is done much better then last year (when it seemed they just gave you random people, regardless of where the ball is). They've also gone above and beyond with pass defense... offering 3 (that's right three) separate buttons to defend a pass. There is one button to catch the ball, one to swat it down, or you can use the third button, which will either catch or swat depending on the defenders positioning (I personally use #3). They've also matched Madden by giving you complete control over defensive adjustments such as double teaming players, realigning the line, LBs or CBs, offering bump and run coverage, etc. The adjustments are a little more deliberate then Madden, but once you get used to how they're done you can do them on the fly with no problems. The defensive AI seems to have been tweaked as well as there are not as many players out of position as there were last year. Don't get me wrong... you can still get burned if you call the wrong D for the situation, but it doesn't happen as much.

Offensively not too much has changed. You still have several formations to choose from along with different variations within a formation (example, within Shotgun is 4 wide, 5 wide, 2 RBs, etc). You can also choose who to send in motion.... pretty much all standard stuff. Audibles are also nicely done. Upon pressing the audible button a window pops up in the corner of the screen showing the available plays. You use the left and right arrow to scroll through the three options, then use the corresponding button to pick that play (X, square, or circle). Another great option is that you can set audibles by formation... so instead of having only 3 audibles total, you can have three per individual formation. In Madden you could be in Shotgun, see something you didn't like and audible to one of your three plays... but if none of them were out of the shotgun formation, you'd be stuck with the new play in the new formation and players would be out of position. Anyway, I went into ESPN's audible screen, saw all of those options and left. I was just playing a quick game so I didn't want to get into it, but I must say that adds a whole new dimension to the game. I believe the same goes for defensive audibles as well. Of course there are also hot routes which are done by choosing the route on the right analog, then selecting the receiver you'd like to run that route.

Everything else is pretty much on par for what you would expect with a football game these days. All of the typical moves are available, and the game plays well. Cut scenes are entertaining and are usually relevant to the game, which is nice. Tackling has been improved as I'll touch on later, and with the use of Maximum Passing, the passing game is pretty accurate and gives you more control when throwing into tight spots. They've also improved running so now you can't just change directions on a dime (like in Madden). The player's momentum will come into play when making a move. This is a lot more realistic then the past, and something Madden should look into for next year.

So far I've played every game on Pro while adjusting and I haven't had too many problems. Pro in ESPN is definitely harder then Pro in Madden, however, I'm starting to win with more ease, so I'll probably jump up to the next level, just to see how it is. From what I've heard, stepping it up another level will increase the defensive awareness... so it should lead to more realistic numbers.

Last thing I'd like to mention in here is the online play. Playing online is excellent. I had a problem logging in once (but was able to login about 2 min. later), but other then that, no problems. No slowness, no lag, nothing. The biggest thing with online play is that the presentation is the same as playing offline. All of the overlays, replays, cut scenes, half-time/post-game shows, challenges, etc. This really adds to the online experience and gives it a huge advantage over Madden. Another key feature is that you're playing the same game. By that I mean that the presentation is synched up in addition to the gameplay being synched. So the commentary I'm hearing is the exact same commentary my opponent is hearing, which really adds to the online experience. The VIPs are another nice touch as you can download your opponent and play "against" them offline. I tried it and it was pretty cool, although it seems that it works best when your opponent has played several games. I downloaded Steve's and played it last night and it was very predictable (hence the 35-0 score mentioned below), so I think it will take a few more games to build a better database to get a real feel of how he plays and have more variety when playing his VIP.


Graphics:
Graphics are excellent. The players are large and move well, and that really gives you the feel of controlling a real player. The Madden characters appear a bit smoother, however, the models seem to be a little smaller (which could also be why the fields seem so much larger in Madden). Some of the smaller folks in Madden appear too small. Not in ESPN however, an average player looks average, and if you have some huge lineman (say, Sam Adams), he looks the part. I also think that the player and coach faces are done very well as they look more like themselves in this game. When Bledsoe goes to the sidelines and gets pissed after an INT, it really looks like him.

The fields are very well done and the stadiums are well detailed. The crowds are still crappy sprites, but they look realistic from several angles and some of the fans will react to good plays (stand up, etc.). Personally, I don't mind sprites in the crowd as I'd rather have the game itself look and play great. The fields also wear which is nice... and if you're playing on grass (or even the new turf), uniforms will get dirty. Teams (like the Bills) that are still on the old turf obviously won't get dirty, but it's nice how they keep the little details like that consistent. Snow is done very well and it feels like you can actually see the flakes sticking to the ground. The field also gets a bit slick, so cutting becomes more difficult.

There's not much more to say under this category as a lot of it will be covered under presentation except that the graphics in this game give you that wow factor.... and it's nice to be able to control player models that look that good.


Presentation:
Presentation is awesome. If you've played more then two quarters in this game, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Sega and VC really integrated the ESPN license into this game, and they did a great job of it. No matter how many games I've played, each time I enter a contest II feel like I'm participating in an ESPN Sunday Night Football Game. I really do. The overlays are great, and the commentators have a lot to say about the players and almost every time, it's relevant to what's happening. I've also heard very, very few things repeated, which is nice (whereas in Madden I played Jets vs. Bills twice, once in Pro and once on All-Pro, and the beginning of the games were almost the exact same. Now, I'm not talking about the intro, I'm talking about playing the game... Madden and Michaels were making the same exact comments they had the game before).

Replays are sweet and there are several angles and ways they're done. My personal favorite is the ESPN SkyCam, which looks and feels very real. They'll also highlight a player's stats for the game, then show the last play over again in a small window above the stats while talking about him.... very cool. The cut scenes are also excellent. Picking off a crucial pass then seeing that player celebrate by doing a 360 dunk through the arms of a teammate on the sidelines is priceless. The reactions of the QBs after INTs, the look on the defensive player's faces when the overlay shows how many yards they've given up, etc. I could go on and on. One new one I saw last night was Tom Brady kneeling near his helmet, looking depressed and shaking his head since they were losing 35-0 with about a minute left in the half.... as if he was actually upset about the outcome of the game. Little things like that go a long way.

Something that I always like to watch is the half-time and post-game show with Berman's voice. It's very nicely done and gives even more of a broadcast realism to the game. PS2 owners need to simply add a HD and they'll get real replays as opposed to snap shots. That alone is probably worth the HD. The post-game interview is also a nice little touch despite the synch issues.

Speaking of synch issues, that's probably the biggest gripe with the Presentation and Graphics of the game. When you see Berman at the beginning, then Kolber at the end with a player, it's like a bad Bruce Lee movie. But honestly, it doesn't affect the gameplay, and you only see them right before, and at the very end of the game, so in my opinion it doesn't take anything away. After a few games I got used to it and just clued in more to what they said verses watching their lips.

Endzone celebrations are cool. Everything from dances to slapping the fans 5 behind the bench to giving one a ball... very cool. The fact that you can choose a players celebration by selecting one of the main buttons (X, circle, square, triangle) after a TD is sweet, and being able to choose which 4 you want available (out of two dozen or so) on a player by player basis is just gravy.

Oh and FYI, cheerleaders in here are not scary like in Madden =)


Sound:
Sound is also excellent.

The commentators say some funky things sometimes, but honestly, it just makes you laugh. When they're doing their commentary or discussing a player (or a play), they are dead on and have some very pertinent things to say. The sideline reporting is good, but not overdone (only comes on for weather or injury updates, as well as the occasional "I just talked to the coach" updates). The players chatter a lot in this game, which is cool, and the fans do as well. I threw a pick last night only to have a fan yell "What are you doing Drew?". Like I wanted to throw and INT? Pretty funny nonetheless.

Hits sound awesome in this game and work well with the visuals. If you lay someone out... it looks and sounds like it.

Stadium music is good and you can customize what songs play when (TD music, kickoff music, etc.). The more soundtracks you unlock in your crib, the more choices you'll have at your fingertips. Personally I haven't gotten too much into this as the defaults seem fine. If I had an XBOX and I could use any song from my HD then maybe, but I haven't heard of half of the songs anyway, the standard music works fine for me.

Still no "pump up the crowd" button, however, the crowd seems to have AI like last year, as they get loud at the right times, boo at the right times, and celebrate at the right times.... so they're right in the game with you.


Overall:
Bottom line..... I like this game a lot.. I really do. Would I choose it over Madden? If I had to make the choice I'd say yes. I love Madden and have been a fan since the beginning, but the great gameplay combined with the graphics, ESPN presentation, and online play really make this game a winner..... and for $20... even if I didn't like it as much I'd keep it. But the good news is that it's a great title and I think by next year it will have an even bigger fan base.

Originally written August 12, 2004

Before I do the breakdown, let me just give you one opinion...... the game is good.
Honestly, it's typical Madden. I like some of the new features, but there are also some things I'm not too crazy about.

It's kind of long, so happy reading =)


Gameplay:
Gameplay is very good. I mean, Madden's Madden, right? I must say that playing all of that ESPN has completely screwed me up with the buttons b/c I'm so used to their configuration. And, call me crazy, but I couldn't find anyplace to change the button layout in this year's Madden. If that's the case, then I find that rather odd that they would remove it as a feature.

I played my game on Pro.... and just like last year's Pro.... it's too easy. Tonight I'll play All-Pro to see if the defense is better. For the sake of comparing apples to apples, this year's Pro is tougher then last year's Pro, but ESPN's default difficulty is definitely harder then Madden's. Last year in Madden I could run corner routes at will when I was in a 3rd and long. This year it worked twice... then the computer was on to me and knocked every single one down. I started the game 3-3 with Drew.... by the end of the half I was 3-12 with one INT. That'll teach me to keep running similar patterns. Once I mixed up the passing game to include slants, outs, ins, and some posts, the passing game opened up. I know that 300 yards is kind of doe on your first game.... but I still feel it's fairly realistic b/c you had to constantly adjust your plays. I ran plays this year I didn't even know I had in my playbook.... but I like that b/c it adds more depth to the game. As mentioned, I'll go up to All-Pro and I'm sure the game will be a lot more realistic. I know that most of the changes in the AI really don't kick in until All-Madden, however, I'd go out on a limb and say that the changes are on every level, just not to the same degree as if playing All-Madden.

I agree that the gameplay initially wasn't as tight, however, once I stopped button mashing (need to remember that X changes your player in Madden) the controls were right where we left off last year. One thing that I love is the addition of the Hit Stick. If you time it right you can flat out level someone. And I mean level... animation never seen in a football game until now. I overused the hit stick and most of the time I missed my guy, but I was dying to see what a hit was like and I accomplished it on a kickoff. Lawyer Malloy came flying down and the returner only took about 2 steps (I kicked it higher then usual). I pushed down on the right analog (Hit Stick) and the hit made me cringe and yell so loud I awoke the wife. It was that good. I was able to do one other Hit Stick during the game on a swing pass. This time I hit down/right (diagonal) b/c of my angle and I leveled Martin. Flat out leveled him. It was some good stuff. I left the couch feeling satisfied after those hits.

The defensive hot routes are very cool as well. There were times I was in a quarter when he had 3 WRs, and I'd take control of one of my corners (on the weak side), hit the right analog down before the snap (which hot routes him into a blitz) and blitz him. Pretty cool and easy to do. I know that ESPN has adjustments as well, but for some reason the ones on Madden seemed easier to execute and also seemed to have more affect on actual game play.

One thing they did add which is cool is called "Man Lock" (or something like that). Basically what it does is that it stops your corner (or whoever) from following his man when he is set into motion and you're playing man defense. Instead of the corner following the WR across the field he stays put and the defense automatically adjusts to the new formation. It's cool b/c it give the appearance the D is in Zone.

Couple of other things I noticed......
a) It is harder to rush the QB. In a way it's probably more realistic then ESPN. I used Schobel almost all game, and on many occasions I'd swim or rip past the tackle only to have the guard (if he was not engaged) step back and pick me up. Very cool.

b) Replays are not that good. This is one of the biggest gameplay type of gripes I have. It seems that they did away with the full screen replays and went to the replays during your play calling. Now, they did this last year too, but they would mix it up. For example, last year if you scored a TD you'd get a full screen replay... then when you went to your play calling screen you'd see the aftermath (players walking to the bench, QB patting the WR on the back, etc). This year almost all of the replays are in the play calling screen. Not only does that make it tough to see, but a lot of the times to see the replay you'll have to let the play clock run pretty far down since the don't always start it right away. Another strange thing is that a lot of the replays look like the camera is off... not quite on the action. Since this is a game and this is all programming (no real cameramen), I found that odd.

The last thing I'll touch on is the additional features on the Collector's Edition. Very much worth the extra $10. The retro Madden's are awesome. It's the old Madden with all the new rosters. Very cool and a lot of fun. I played the Bills vs. the Giants in the original Madden and had a blast. I only played a quarter, but I had a lot of fun. It seems the game is more enjoyable without the boring play by play. The good ole Maddenisms hold it together enough for me. Hearing Madden say "Boom, he's on his back" brought back memories and made me laugh my ass off. Between that and the little pop-up window with the fans cheering or booing and I was back in 1991.



Graphics:
Graphics are very good. I don't think the visuals are quite up to ESPN's however, the combination of the graphics and the movements make for a very realistic looking game. I played my first game in the snow (random weather, so it just happened) and the snow actually followed the direction of the wind as it fell. It was a light snow, so there was a light coating on the field, but enough to slip. What was also very cool is the players would leave footprints and slide marks as the plays went on.... just like you'd get in real life when there's a dusting on turf. I was very impressed with this.

A few things I did not like...... replays seemed to get sluggish at times. It may be b/c I was button mashing, but a few times they got jumpy. The other thing that got me was the cut scenes. There weren't many of them. You know how ESPN has a lot going on the sideline? I didn't see any of that. The one cut scene they kept showing over and over was the head coach talking to two players on the bench. They showed that same cut scene 3 times for me, and twice for the Jets. The players changed, but same cut scene. Very odd and got annoying after awhile.

One other note about graphics... the collision detection seems to be off on replays and cut scenes. It does not affect gameplay one bit... but, for example, I was in the game screen, and one of the Jets D-lineman was complaining about being held. I thought, cool, I have 28 sec. left on the play clock.. let me watch this. He's pleading his case and the ref is shaking his head no... then all of a sudden two guys walk by to get to the huddle... one goes through the ref and the other through half of the lineman. Again, not a huge deal but it happened several times, and we should be beyond that.

One other thing I can't figure out is if they took the playmaker out on Defense where you could call run or pass. I'd hit the analog right after the snap to call run or pass, but each time it would send my defender diving and it would say Hit Stick on the screen. So I found that odd as well.

I also found kicking to be a be tougher b/c the kick meter looks almost flat on the screen. It's at a weird angle and takes some getting used too, but in reality it's better then ESPNs since they make kicking waaaay too easy.

Lastly, I found that play calling was tougher then in ESPN. The way you do it is the same, however, the plays are a lot smaller, thus, tougher to read. Several times I picked a running play only to zoom out at the LOS to see which hole I was actually supposed to go through since I couldn't really tell in the play.

Tackling: Well, as I touched on earlier, the tackling has been stepped up, especially with the cool hit stick. Not as many gang tackles as in ESPN, but several times I'd have a guy wrapped around the ball carrier's legs and one of my LBs would pop him up high. Pretty cool. There's also some nice new tackle animations which keeps the game looking very realistic.

Another cool thing is that the imaginary wall on the sidelines seemed to have disappeared. I'm not sure how far you can go, but I popped someone who was running up the sideline and threw him out of bounds. He landed only a few feet from the players on the bench... so he was pretty far in there. I'm wondering if your timing is right if you could hit someone into the bench. That would be cool =).

One thing that has always annoyed me about Madden are the "chain gang" on the sideline. You know, the guys who carry the first down markers. They don't annoy me so much, but the fact that they get knocked over if you're within 5 ft of them is annoying. I fell behind the guy by about 3 yards. As I'm getting up he's running to mark the ball... he grazes my shoe, and wobbles and falls down backwards (while he was running forwards). It's little insignificant thing, but again, we should be beyond stuff like this.


Presentation:
Presentation both sucks and is good. Here's the break down:

Good: I like a lot of the overlays they use. Very simple, but full of info. They have also added a drive summary that pops down under the clock and shows the number of plays, yards, and TOP for that drive. Nice and subtle, but a very cool feature. They also will put a play summary that pops down from under the clock.. so if you just had a 17 yard first down pass, it would say 17 yrd. pass to Moulds, etc. Pretty cool.

I know I ripped the replays above, but once in a while you'll get a cool one. For example, Cherbet caught a TD that I was mad about b/c I should have had a CB deep to knock him out before he scored. So they showed a full screen replay, and they showed Pennington throwing it, then Cherbet catching it, running, and scoring. No biggie, but then they started talking about a block and I couldn't figure out what they were talking about since he was all alone when he was running. Right after they showed Wayne scoring it cut and again showed him making the catch, but then the camera "moved" to another WR and showed him leveling one of my CBs. It was the CB I was using and I would have had the angle with had I not been leveled. That explained why he was so wide open. Granted my defensive call wasn't the best, but I would have held him to a 20 yard gain had I not been leveled... but b/c of the block it was a 43 yd. TD, so that was pretty cool.

What's also cool is at the end of the game (when you click quit game) the load screen shows the game stats similar to SportsCenter. Has the line score, offensive stats, standout players, and player of the game. That was pretty neat too.

Bad: As mentioned above, some of the replays get "sticky", so that kind of takes away from it. They also didn't really add anything new other then the current drive summary and some new graphic overlays. I won't get into it here, but the commentary is horrible. You can see below for that.

I'm not sure if this is bad... but I didn't find it good, so I'll put it here. Once of the things the players do after they celebrate a TD is dunk the football over the goal posts. My first TD was to Reed, and he did it and I was like, cool. Then Henry scored, and he did it only he's too short, so it was a lay-up that bounced off of the crossbar. Then one of the Jets players did it. So this went from a kind of cool, different type of video game celebration to a played out thing by the third quarter.

Lastly, I know it's not relevant to gameplay, but I have to mention it. The cheerleaders are scary. They're all average height, skinny, and have big boobs, which is normally good... but said boobs are shaped like rockets. I skipped them every time for fear they'd skew my view of women... and more importantly, cheerleaders. Just ugly weird shaped boobs. Like a Nip/Tuck episode gone horribly wrong. They move very well, but it's just not right to look at.


Sound:
Sound hasn't changed much in this game either. The crowd seems to get more into it on big plays, but that's really it. The commentary is horrible. I love the Madden series, but I wish there was a way to do it without Madden (and Michaels for that matter). They're both pretty terrible. It's just very dry, no emotion, and I only played one game but heard a few things mentioned more then once. I know that was probably a fluke, but still, kind of disappointing. I'll tell you this... I'll take the random trying to be funny ESPN guys over these guys any day. While they (ESPN guys) may say some stupid things... at least you'll chuckle once in a while. This game is just boring to listen to. I don't know... if the game itself wasn't good the commentary alone would wreck this title.

All of the other sounds are excellent. They play a lot of stadium music which, like years past, is all from real artists. The hits are very realistic sounding and the on-field chatter is good too. I wish they did more sideline chatter like in ESPN (example, showing the coaches talking into the headset, etc.), but that's a little thing.

One other cool thing worth noting.... when you're viewing a reply yourself (meaning you went into the replay) you could hear the wind on the "microphone" as you're watching it. Cool little touch.

Pumping up the crowd doesn't seem to have the same effect in past years, but it could be b/c at the time I tried to do it was later in the game and I was up by a few, so they weren't as excited. I'll try it earlier in the game on a third down and see what happens.


Overall:
Honestly, I'm torn. I like the game, I really do... but it didn't have that wow factor that ESPN had. I know that gameplay is most important, but this game is only a little bit ahead of ESPN in that department, and combined with the wow factor ESPN has it makes it a tough choice. I'm sure going up to All-Pro will make a huge difference, and honestly, I'm counting on that. If it doesn't, then ESPN may have the edge.

I know the review has kind of a negative tone to it, but I really did like the game. The best way I can describe it is this.... if you're looking for a fun, realistic game that will visually stun you, go with ESPN. If you're looking for a fun, very realistic game that looks great, go with Madden. As all of the on-line reviews state, the games are very close, and I'd have to agree.

For fun factor and playing on-line I'd choose ESPN. For realism, depth and the Franchise mode, I'd go with Madden. Madden just seems to execute a bit better for some reason. I'll say this though.. next year, don't be surprised if all of the major on-line sites choose ESPN over Madden. Unless Madden does an overhaul they're in trouble... especially when ESPN is $19.99.

Originally written August 11, 2004 - PS2 version

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Additional Comments - Madden v1.1
Just some additions to the original review I sent out......

Kicking - I forgot to note this yesterday, but there is a very simple change here that I actually LOVE. On kick returns (kickoff or punt) the screen swings around as the ball is being kicked (as opposed to after you receive the kick). What this allows you to do is look up field as the ball is being kicked to you, so you can spot lanes, see where the blocks are being thrown, etc. I find that it works best on kickoffs b/c on punts I almost always have someone in my face. Either way, very cool little change.

Online - Well, I finally got to play an online game last night against Steve and I'll start off with four words...... It pretty much sucked. Honestly, we were not impressed at all. Several times in the third quarter the game got very sticky and sluggish. I think EA needs to upgrade their servers b/c we had the same problem with MVP last week... so much so it was unplayable. Oh and for the record, ESPN has never been sluggish for me.

Anyway, the online experience is pretty much the same as last year. There are no challenges, no replays (automatic or user selected) or any of the presentation stuff. The overlays are still there, but, as with last years version, each person seems to be playing their own game of Madden. By that I mean the screen is obviously synched up, however, there were several times Madden was yapping on Steve's side and my side was completely quiet.... so the commentary didn't match up. Last year I didn't think this was a big deal, but after playing ESPN I think it takes away from the game when you're not experiencing the same exact thing on each side.

Lastly, it could have possibly been the most painful game I've ever played online. We played 6 minute quarters like we always do... and it took us over an hour and a half. Not only that, but neither of us could get into the game.... it was almost robotic. I guess this is what happens when a game changes very little over the years. The score wasn't that high (29 - 14), so that shouldn't have had anything to do with it, but for whatever reason, it took forever.

I also played another game vs. the computer just to make sure I gave Madden a fair shot, and I have to say that the same thing that happened online, happened offline. I just couldn't get into the game, so I shut it off around half-time and played a game of ESPN instead.

Overall it's a good game, but doesn't have enough stuff to hold my attention. I honestly never thought that presentation would make or break a game, but since ESPN and Madden are so close in gameplay, the lack of presentation in Madden gives it a severe handicap, and really makes the game less fun to play. So much so that Steve and I were discussing the best way to get rid of our games. He may go with eBay while I'll probably use the bulletin board, although my new plan (came up with it this morning) is to see if I can exchange it for the Hard Drive so I can get full motion half-time and post game shows (plus, my memory cards are getting full anyway). 

The way I look at it is this, if you liked Madden last year and haven't played ESPN, you'll love Madden this year.  But if you've played ESPN (online and off) you won't look at Madden the same way again.  In fairness they are two different games.  Madden is still more of a sim then ESPN.... so it depends what you're looking for.

Originally written August 12, 2004 - PS2 version