The first is back in 1998 when the Game Day series from 989 went totally 3D. This was a huge technological advancement in sports gaming, and this game revolutionized sports gaming visuals with its fully polygonal players and fields. The Game Day vs. Madden arguments was fierce for the rest of the PS One’s lifespan. The next is in present day, with ESPN NFL (Click Here for our review) not only coming to the table with already critical acclaim, top-notch visuals, and solid game play.

Now ESPN is only 20 dollars, and for most gamers out there, a 30-dollar difference is huge, especially when the game is a deservingly 50-dollar game in a 20-dollar package. What hurts Madden the most this season above others is the sheer difference in presentation between the two games; it is truly night and day. If one thing comes out of this rivalry this season for the positive, it’s the fact that EA finally gets a wake up call and will hopefully try to innovate their game, rather than use the attitude of “if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.” With ESPN having so much momentum this year, the real question remains, is Madden 2005 not only better than ESPN, but 30 dollars better. If you take both games and look closely, you will see that it is almost too close to call and a matter of personal opinion this year. What Madden brings to the table, is what they have succeeded with for these many years now, the most realistic football game on the market period. In the end, you can set aside the pretty visuals, presentation, remember is that it is the on field “action” that matters most, and Madden easily delivers the goods on that end. Just for good measure, Madden throws in a hefty franchise mode that still knocks the pants off the competition with its depth and versatility. Madden 2005 is back again for another year, sure it’s aged a bit, but the defense in Madden is where it’s at, which gives them the ever so slight edge this season.

On the issue of visuals, Madden has not changed drastically since its arrival on the PS2. Yes, some new animations come through each year, some dramatic lighting has been added, and the progressively dirty uniforms make the game feel authentic. In the end, Madden looks identical, which I hope will change next season. What you do get visually isn’t bad, per say, but it is behind the norm. You have flat textures, which is especially noticeable in the jerseys. The player models have been slightly modified, and have finally gotten rid of the “bobble head” look from days past. Some of the big named players finally have faces, but they are bit mapped plastered on, so there is no emotion show except in the snapshot taken for the face. What’s more, the players never take off their helmets. Neither on the field or off on the sidelines, the players always have on their helmets. Why? Animations are still wonderful this year, with some nice new hitting animations, wrapping tackles, and celebrations. Presentation, on the other hand, really needs redone. While the replays are nice, and the challenge screens have personality, the rest of the presentation is dull and virtually lifeless. When it is halftime, I want a recap show displaying my accomplishments and woes, not some freaking cheerleader routine. At the end of the game, I would hope to have a post game wrap up, yet I have to manually check out my stats, and even worse, wait for the loading screen to find out who my player of the game was. The addition of crowd cut scenes seems thrown in, as they are poorly prepared, especially when you see the same ones repeatedly. Lastly, Madden still has the best overall stadiums in the business, as each field seems like the cathedrals that they are. When I march down the field for 70 yards, it feels like it. In the end, EA has milked this engine for all it is worth, but fellas, this is not the 16-bit era, and gamers expect much more in terms of visuals and presentation. Madden may have set the bench mark visually 4 years ago, but that doesn’t mean you can sit on the bench for the rest the system’s life. Madden is not an ugly game, it is just extremely aged.

Audio is solid yet again this year. Commentary is what fans of come to expect from the Madden series, informative, slightly annoying, yet mostly amusing. Al Michaels and John Madden really need to put more time in the booth and provide for more lines of commentary though, as the same phrases begin to repeat after just a couple of games. The atmosphere really sets Madden apart from the rest when it comes to audio. The crowds react accordingly to plays on the field, bad calls, and even blowouts. If you are at home and getting a beat down, you will notice that the crowd noise level is almost silent at times, which helps give off the impression of a packed house that has left for their own homes. The game displays hard hits, grunts, groans, and all the normal on field sounds you would expect. There are no real surprises this year in the audio department, just a solid effort overall.

The Madden series has gotten the reputation of being the best, not because it was the prettiest, not because people like the Maddanisms, it’s because Madden plays a smash mouth, no holds bared, realistic game of football that still can’t be matched when the final box scores are said and done. Madden’s A.I. is so good that you must go in to each game prepared to face one particular team.

You can’t stick to your guns that made you successful the game before, as the following team’s defense may play you differently. It’s this randomness and day to day micromanaging that makes the game play in Madden so appealing, and is still the reason why the are the best at what they do. The game is tough, yet fair in all aspects of the game. There are no real shortcomings that you will notice throughout the course of your franchise. Even the passing game is better, and that 60-yard bomb off your back foot has been all but eliminated. Sure, you may be able to pull it off once or twice in the opening of your game, but come halftime and after, the chances off pulling off deep throws will be all but nil. The running game is strict, but not unrealistic. Expect only a 4-yard average for a bit, but that chance of a big break through the whole will be a possibility, you just have to be good enough to find it. Defense this year has been vastly improved, even on the player’s point of view. It is very fun to play defense in Madden this year, as the game offers a greater challenge to intercept, strip the ball, and sack the opposition. It’s even a fair assumption to say you can read the on field plays better too. You even have a new hit stick feature that allows for a big, game momentum changing hit or miss. Madden’s A.I. is so unpredictable that it allowed myself to experience on of my most intense games of football I ever played. After beating the Rams the week before as the 49ers 31-17, I played another division rival in the Saints. The game was tooth and nail the whole time. It was so close that everything from total yards and time of possession were almost equal. The forth quarter came about and I was down 21-17 when I pulled off a tough 4th down play to keep my drive alive, which eventually scored a touchdown. When the Saints got the ball with 2:20 left on the clock, I had a critical 4th down tipped ball as the QB went for a big play to try to get in field goal range. With only :45 on the clock I took the knee as my heart just could not handle any more drama, as I walked off with a 24-21 victory. Experiences like this happen in Madden often and will make you scout your team accordingly. All I can say is that you should play a few games, compare the box scores to the “bigs” and you’ll notice just how accurate you games play out from day to day. Easily, Madden is still the best playing football game on the market.

If having superb game play was not enough, Madden offers a lot to do with your great playing game “off the field.” Madden 2005 brings back their robust franchise mode and expands upon it with more to do and see while your preparing for your next big game. If the on field drama was not enough, you have to now contend with emails from players and agents who want more out of life. This drama plays out even in preseason, especially when you have two players battling for the same position of starter. If one player thinks he is better than the other is, he will threaten the moral of the locker room if he does not get his way. You must now either make him happy in one shape or form, or trade him away. Decisions you must make in your franchise are all critical and one false move can upset the whole applecart. The franchise mode’s personality does not end there, as you get to check out your national and local newspaper to see what buzz is going on. Everything from the sports writer betting against you winning, to trade rumors are in the paper after every game. While going through the endless amount of menus you can enjoy a new radio show feature done by Tony Bruno. This feature replicates the talk-radio shows you hear on AM radio. Some are just for background fodder, while other actually will give you insight on the past weeks best performers in real time from your franchise. This is an exciting feature that I hope is expanded as time goes on. Madden also offers the ability to customize almost every aspect of the game; player creation, team creation, and even fan creation. While fan creation oddly enough is not available for created teams, the feature is unusual, but mostly useless. What is not useless is the total depth in your team creator. Everything including; uniforms, player names, type of grass, stadium size, stadium placement, and so much more are at your disposal. Once created you can throw your new team into the franchise mode to see how well you fare against the NFL’s best. Once there, you will even notice that you are team has been randomly created as far as rosters and player names. This gives off a better representation of a building year than if you could just pick from the current NFL lineup. Madden also offers Mini Camp drills, practice modes, and online play complete with leagues and tourneys. I just hope next year, you can perform drills and such after each game, not just once before the season starts.

Madden 2005 may not be a total revolution over the past years efforts, but the additions added to the game are not just window dressing. The A.I. is better and more competitive, which leads to accurate box scores. The game play is tighter and more responsive. The graphics are good, but really need an overhaul, and the audio is standard fare, with some nice bright spots from Tony Bruno and accurate crowd atmosphere. The attitude of “if it isn’t broken don’t fix it” should stay in the game play department, but when it comes to presentation and visuals, there is some fixing need to be done if Madden plans to keep their spot on the top of the football dynasty. With all the mixed reviews with some saying ESPN is the best, and some saying Madden is the best, this reviewers money is on Madden this year as to me it is worth the extra 30 dollars for what you do on an off the field. Make your judgments if you must.