Madden Football 2004 Review

The Madden football series is presently in its 14th year. Needless to say, Electronic Arts has mastered the art of creating a great football sim. Madden 2003 was the best football game released last year on the PC or console. Surprisingly, last years PC version actually had a few extras such as the ability to accelerate the game clock.

This year, the game options are as varied as ever. You can play a single game against the computer or a friend or simply take your skills online. The game also offers the 2-Minute Drill, the Mini Camp where you improve your player’s abilities & Practise where you can test your plays and learn the controls. However you’ll spend a lot of time in the Franchise mode, which allows you to take control of a team of your choice for a period of 30 seasons.

It has an all new sub-feature called Owner’s mode which is simply meant to be an add-on. Choosing to turn it on or off does not affect the basic elements of the franchise mode. The Owner’s mode is ‘inspired’ by text games like Front Office Football and Football Mogul. If you turn it on, the game gives you control over the business side by allowing you to change the prices of tickets, merchandise & parking, fiddle with the team budget, allot finances for advertising and even take your team to a new city if you feel like it. Realistically, even the computer-controlled teams migrate to greener pastures when they get a better deal. You have the ability to hire and fire coaches as well as hiring the training facility that helps prevent player injuries. You can also renovate your stadium using the stadium builder to attract more fans. If your team makes a loss for too long then you might lose the entire franchise and be forced to start with another struggling team. You also have the option to create your own team complete with uniform and stadium. Add to this a player editor that lets you change the names of existing players and you have a game with almost infinite replayability.

Once you enter the on-field action, the first thing you’ll notice is the better defensive Artificial Intelligence (A.I.), an improved blocking system, superior defensive backs and a more true to life passing model. However, it’s the new Playmaker system that will really please fans. This allows you to adjust your play on the go, before and after the ball is snapped during offence or defence. You can change the direction of a play once you view the defensive scheme, change the primary receivers route before the snap, adjust receivers in mid-route, instruct your defence to anticipate a run or a pass, add more hot routes to receivers, and even instruct blockers during a play. This really adds to the overall feel, but PC owners will have to buy a dual analog stick controller in order to make full use of this option.

In a game of this type, all the gameplay improvements in the world would fall flat without great graphics and audio. In keeping with their “If it’s in the game, it’s in the game” motto, EA has gone all to make this the most graphically advanced football sim ever. Madden 2004 features nearly 800 new animations ranging from tackles from behind and the sides to running backs who actually reach out to regain balance when they stumble. The stadiums themselves are detailed and easily recognisable to any fan of the sport. The sound effects are ripped right out of a championship game, with the home crowd booing visitors and falling silent when their team is behind. The only problem with the audio is the lack of emotion shown by its commentators, Al Michaels and John Madden. Graphically the only thing missing is dirty uniforms. No matter how down and dirty you get with your players, they always come out looking like they’ve had a close run in with Ariel white.

It has been a long road for EA and Madden; with Madden 2004 they have come agonisingly close to creating the perfect football sim. There are still a few issues that have to be worked out. Computer teams still do not trade between themselves or place players on the Injured Reserve list. Plus, the roster management and overall team ratings are bizarre. The best team is at 88, the worst is at 78 with 28 other teams between them. This makes several games that should have played like an Australia-Holland match end up being more close to an India-Pakistan World Cup final. Unfortunately the controls of the PC version are not as good as the consoles. For example, the bar on the kicking meter doesn’t stop immediately after you press the button. Lowering the resolution sometimes improves this.

When it comes to multiplayer, Madden hits all the right spots unless you own an Xbox, as EA Sports does not support Xbox Live yet. The online code has reached a level of perfection which ensures that playing online is ‘as good as it gets’. The only problem you’ll have with the multiplayer is finding good players to play against. As far as the PC, PS2 or GCube is concerned, Madden 2004 is what you’ve been waiting for. Get It Now. Xbox owners might want to pick up ESPN NFL Football instead as that does support Multiplayer.

HIGHS: Solid gameplay, Great graphics
LOWS: Sluggish controls, Buggy Commentary
NUTSHELL: Best Football Sim. Ever.
Rating: 93