First of all, this is NOT a comparison to Madden 2004, as I have not played the game. Also I've only played 2 full games of it, so things could change, but based on what I've seen: Gameplay: A few things are done much better than 2k3, and they didn't try to fix the things that weren't broke. Tackling is MUCH better this year, with no arcade-style 5 yard diving tackles on every play, you need to situate your defensive guys to contain a play instead of counting on the stretch. Theres many more type of tackles - and penalties. I had a guy blatantly try to rip my helmet off and he was properly called for a 15-yard facemask. Also from what I've seen in 2 games, the Challenge feature is very well done. I had 2 examples, the first being when I was playing the Pats and Smith ran the ball on 3rd and 1 and didn't get the first, the shot went to Belichick throwing the red flag. The ref would then discuss what was being reviewed. The commentary would then switch to different angles of replays and hte booth guys would give their opinion on the call. This particular challenge was not overturned. Then, late in the 2nd quarter, Troy Brown busted out a big gain, but I really though he stepped out about 5 yards into it. It was within 2 minutes so it went to Official review, when the guys showed the replay they paused it to show that the play should be overturned, which it was. Also, keep in mind that you cannot choose to challenge once you've seen the replay...(Again, I don't know how Madden does it -don't care). You can tell from screenshots that Sega also changed the play-calling interface. Many of the same plays remain, but it will take you a few games to realize how they're organized and to manuever efficiently. The sub-on-the fly feature is a great way to throw in fresh linemen with a single button press. You can actually get a sack in this version!! It can be worthwhile to take a linemen because you can actually get to the QB. I got 3 sacks in my first game. Lookout though cuz the QB is more willing to take off on you than last year. He'll make you pay for a missed tackle. Coverage is tighter in the secondary. Less room for error as a QB. Also, the screen zooms out further so you can see to the sidelines, however 2k3 users might need time to adjust to the smaller-size of the rest of the field. Kicking field goals is a bit easier as the arrow does NOT move. It still moves on kickoffs and punts though. Graphics: Pretty much as-expected graphics. The ESPN presentation is MUCH more crisp than last year, and everything from replay-wipes to PrimeTime look exactly like TV. Player detail is again top-notch. There are a lot of extra cutaways this year, such as after throwing a TD to Todd Pinkston and kicking the XP, it's cut's to Pinkston still being congratulated on the sideline and saying 'hi mom'. Or a couple plays after picking off a pass, it cuts to Andy Reid talking to Michael Lewis about it and patting him on the back. Also, things like fans in the crown and cheerleaders are done well. On the field, however, the change is not drastic. If anything there's more detail in the players and playing surface and stadium. Lincoln Financial Field is gorgeous, and you can even see things like the cranes they're using to build the new Phillies stadium still in the back ground like a snap shot. Presentation: This is where the game pulls away from last years version the most. To say the least the ESPN presentation is incredible. If you thought it was cool to see ESPN on the screen and hear the scorebell ring every now and then, you'll be blown away this year. Berman's not just a gimmick in this, he actually did quite a lot for just being a guy that gets visited pregame, halftime, and end of the week. Pregame, he talks about the matchup and picks who he thinks will win and why. Again, everything transitions EXACTLY like Sunday night Football. At the half, he talks about what happened in the first half, while 'snapshots' show in the background, which ARE actually from the game, not the generic highlight you might see in 2k3. Berman's got names for everybody in this game too. PrimeTime shines too where he wraps up the weeks games and even has play-by-play comments on highlights from the games that are shown (About 3 highlights from other games per week) MUCH better than last year. Jay and Terry in the booth are even better than last year, they're commentary always seems relevant and rarely redundant. There are now player spotlights that come up if a player has a big play during the game. Much better than the rundown of the 11 players they did as an intro last year. If I had one complaint it's that there's TOO many auto-replays (every first down), not that you can't just skip through them of course. But there are different versions of a replay too, sometimes it's show on a mini-scoreboard with other relevant stats of the player involved. They also do replays of certain penalties. They're not all the same so it keeps things fresh. A lot of menu screens follow the espn.com format as well which is pretty cool Sound Better than last year, as the in-game music gets cued at the right time and it's better stuff. Crowd noise makes more sense this year too, other than that standard to my ears... Extras Obviously I haven't had a chance to figure much out other than Gameplay, but I did notice a few hings that I was wishing were there last year. One cool thing is a fantasy draft a la ESPN.com. Not a draft where you just pick your 53-man team and go to work, but you can make the settings to be like a true fantasy team (i.e. draft a Team Defense, not individuals) haven't gotte tooo into it so I waon't make any other assumptions. Online tournaments via the espnvideogames site sound cool too, where you can rate yourself within specific groups of friends instead of the entire online universe. The crib's cool, haven't tried first-person yet, CAN'T set prices for hot dogs!!! (FYI, I know I haven't played the game, but I can't stand people who say Owner mode alone makes Madden the best game) Gameplay makes the game, not extras, but the extras in ESPN seem damn nice... That's all I got for now, I've spent more time on the review than I have playing the game. I'll get back if anything major changes,,,
Ive been playing Video Games for over 20 Years. This is the single greatest football game ever made! I hate the fact that Madden is going to out sell it 10 to 1 because this is the better title by far! Maddden may have s... Read Full Review
Ive been playing Video Games for over 20 Years. This is the single greatest football game ever made! I hate the fact that Madden is going to out sell it 10 to 1 because this is the better title by far! Maddden may have s... Read Full Review
