The Bottom Line
- Madden NFL 2005 is the best football sim to hit any console, period
- Collector's Edition features three full classic versions of Madden
- New StoryLine Central and Player Attitude features really change the game
- Perhaps too many features for the casual football gamer
- Xbox and GameCube owners won't get the Collector's Edition
- Player Attitude works well for Baseball games, but not so well for football
Description
- Graphics: 4 - Madden 2005 Still looks very sharp, but no big differences over last year's version.
- Sound: 4 - Madden's commentary can get repetitious, but such is the case with sports games.
- Concept: 5 - This is exactly what I want from a special edition NFL game, lots of goodies.
- Control: 4 - Not the most intuitive, but once you get it, you'll be slammin' and jammin'.
- Difficulty: 3.5 - If you've played it before, no sweat, if you're new, prepare to practice.
- Replay: 5 - Madden 2005 is a game you simply won't put down. Online play gives you infinite play.
- All scores are out of 5. The overall rating is not an average of the above scores.
- Rated: E for Everyone... unless you are offended by hip-hop music and digital cheerleaders.
Guide Review - Madden NFL 2005 Collector's Edition - PS2 Exclusive
The big question is, how does it play? Well the major differences between Madden NFL 2005 and Madden 2004 are the new Hit Stick system, Player Attitudes, and the StoryLine aspect of the franchise mode. The Hit Stick makes big tackles easier, pure and simple. The StoryLine addition lets you read about yourself in the paper, and the story that surrounds your team affects how they play. Finally, the new player attitude feature is perhaps the biggest change. Styled after MVP Baseball, you must keep players happy in order for them to play well. I think attitude works for baseball, which is a more individual sport, but with football, I felt like I was babysitting, more than coaching.
Bottom line, Madden is still the top-dawg. This version shines even brighter than last year's, and the additional content of the Collector's Edition make this a must have title for any PS2 sports fan.
