Madden NFL 2005 (Sony PlayStation 2, 2004)

As the best-selling football franchise on the market for an umpteen number of years, Madden NFL is a name that is known by the masses as representative of some of the best football you can get on a video game console. Last year's Madden NFL 2004, in particular, is revered as one of the best installments EA has ever brought out--which ultimately makes it a tough act to follow. For this year's edition, Madden NFL 2005, defense is the name of the game. Nearly all of the additions and tweaks made to this year's game fall squarely into the realm of defensive football, and they're all great new features. The downside to this high emphasis on one particular area of the game seems to be that the remaining aspects of the game (of which there are many) are generally only slightly improved or altered, if at all. In many ways, Madden 2005 is just a bit too much like last year's Madden for comfort--but it's still a truly excellent game of football all around. If you've ever felt that Madden was simply a one-sided piece of pigskin in favor of offensive play, Madden 2005 changes all of that. The additions made to the defensive side of the ball are plentiful and all superb. The first and most entertaining addition is the new "hit stick." Essentially, when on defense, tapping the right control stick in the direction of your opponent will lay a nasty hit on him. What the hit stick translates into is context-sensitive tackling that you can control. If you're just running alongside your opponent and tap it without getting much of a head of steam, then you'll just kind of shove him. Get up a good bout of speed, and you will absolutely waylay the poor ball carrier. Using the hit stick properly will also result in more fumbles and dropped passes for the offense. However, you have to be careful, because missing with the stick leads to a supremely missed tackle, which consequently gives your opponent an easy way to dodge past you. While this sounds like it could be a little over-complicated if not done right, in this case it is done right. As a result, using the stick becomes an immensely fun way to play the defensive side of the ball. Another big-time addition is the new defensive hot route system. Similar to the offensive hot routes, you can now redesign a defensive player's assignment at the touch of a button. Want to push a linebacker into deeper zone coverage or bring a safety in for the blitz? Simply highlight the player, and tap the right analog stick in the desired direction. You can also give better pre-snap assignments to your defensive backs now. Individual presses and pullbacks on receivers can be performed, and you can also lock a corner on to a specific receiver, thus preventing mismatches. Finally, you can now also adjust how a defensive lineman attacks the offensive line without actually having to shift your whole line. What all of this amounts to is a far more user-configurable defense that actually makes playing defense much more enjoyable and strategic. The strategy works beautifully, since the defensive artificial intelligence is generally very, very good, and it performs your changes perfectly. If you're adept at defensive playcalling and are able to make good reads, you should be able to dominate on defense--at least against the CPU.

Gameplay
The gameplay is the pretty much the same as in 2004. The only differences seem to be the hit stick, defensive playmaker, and it is a bit slower. The slower gameplay is attributed to better attempts at more realistic animations. In addition, my favorite adjustment to the gameplay is the improved defensive intelligence of the computer controlled players.
overall 9/10

Features

The features are minimally different. The most notable features are additions to the online play, and the owner mode. In online play, there are competitive drills, and the premium pass feature. The competitive drills is a nice touch. If provides a quick competition, and something different for a break between games. The premium pass feature, this year is free. I think in its inaugural year for the price one can't beat it. I believe it is a very good attempt by EA to ensure a more quality competitive experience. If at a later time it costs extra, I am sure I would expect a bit more, but for free, it will be interesting to see how the Madden Nation reacts to it. The owner mode enhancements, are storylines, and enhanced presentation. I think it adds to the experience, with a little bit borrowed from the game's competitors.

features 9/10

Announcing

The announcing is pretty much the same as the previous edition of Madden. No noticeable changes, other than the radio feature in the storyline mode.

announcing 8/10

Graphics

The graphics are much the same to me, except with better animation. Some changes are better graphics on the fans, and most of the cheerleaders.

graphics 9/10

Music

The music is pretty good. It seems to be geared less for big name radio, and more for over the top gaming experience.

music 10/10

Controls
The controls are much the same as last year, but for me the better defensive intelligence has made the controls easier to adjust. In addition, a year of offensive playmaker, has made it easier to adjust to the defensive side. I believe this is the biggest factor aside from gameplay for players who play other football games. If you aren't used to another game it is easier, but I think this game has the smoothest gameplay experience and still use all of the buttons on the controller.

Overall I believe this game is enough to make you buy a football game every year if you are looking to enjoy the game, and the sport.

overall - 4/5

I bought this game because thee Madden series is one of the few lines of games that I can seriously get into. In comparison to previous titles, Madden 05 is definitely better than anything prior to it. The new Hit Stick feature makes nailing a QB a thousand times more gratifying, not only increasing the chance of a fumble or an injury, but the sound and view of the hits are almost as thrilling as watching a real game. The tutorials are so exact, you could probably give this game to someone who's never watched a football game before and within a few minutes they'd be ready to play. The Mini Games add a fun alternative to normal gameplay, and Franchise mode offers an interesting view to the team that was previously unattainable. If you have the money, I would recommend just buying the newest title out, because it'll have all these features, too, but if this is all you can afford, Madden 05 makes all football games before it unplayable.

Now in 2006, its the time to get an awesome deal on those 2005 games that "everyone" is done playing.

Madden 2005 is no exception.

This is a really good foot ball game that many people agree is from a great ongoing series of football games. Play with last year's roster and pay a fraction of what you would pay for 2006 version (which is virtually running off of the same game engine, only with "last year's" roster).

If you are looking for an entertaining football game for a fraction of the price, consider Madden 2005 :)

Not a true gamer, bought the (PS2) console to play one other game for enjoyment. I love sports, football in particular, and am a HUGE Ray Lewis fan !!! and I picked this one out on a whim. I now understand why Madden has such a huge following. I am learning so much more about football and the different plays, so it was truly a great buy, I'm learning as I'm playing.