Madden NFL Football 2006 E3 2005 Hands-On

EA has made Madden NFL Football one of the most successful names in video games. EA's consistent philosophy is to put Madden on everything with a screen, and that includes cell phones. We ran some plays on an LG VX7000 phone and were impressed by the game's TV-like presentation, as well as by its full rosters.

John Madden is arguably the most dispensable aspect of the Madden franchise. However, his likeness and voice work has been included in the game. It was impossible to hear him in EA's heavily trafficked booth, but you can be sure that Madden was imparting valuable wisdom.

NFL 2006 manages to fit all 22 players on the field without making them look like Lilliputians. The game animates very well and is shown from the isometric perspective typical of mobile football titles. Images of Madden show up when he's dropping some science on you.

The game features full rosters for all 32 NFL teams, in addition to a good selection of plays. As you might expect, receivers are linked to buttons on the number pad, and performing a toss is a simple matter of pressing the appropriate button and hoping the odds favor you.

Madden NFL 2006 looks like it's got some solid technology behind it, as well as plenty of authenticity. We're looking forward to seeing how a console franchise fares in the mobile world. Look for Madden to hit decks later this year.