I rather go outside and throw the football to myself.
GAMEPLAY
Everything you expect from a standard football game is here and fully intact. Not to say more is necessary in such a sport, but it does say a lot when simple things like the franchise mode lacks any real depth. When actually playing the game the real quirks become more visble than a kicker who pats butts a little too much. From the moment of the coin toss you notice the presentation is there, but due to strange laggey transitions from on field action to replays, the delay effect becomes a very painful thing to stomach. Controls are basic and the highlight/hit stick are a fun concept that tend to work well with star players but can be silly with anyone else.
VISUALS
Ever hear of the expression all flash but no substance? In no way am I saying for a football game on a great system like the 360 Madden could have been better, BUT! What is a gamer to do when they purchase something new but walk away feeling like they already been there, done that? All financial complaints aside, the game is pretty identical to what was on the Xbox and Playstation2. If you are a fan of the original animations and player gestures and such, then you might actually be pleased to see much was not changed. As for being wowed by stellar celebrations and awesome stadium atmosphere, don't hold your breath.
AUDIO
One question, how does EA slide by creating a game representing the name of one the most recognized men in the sport and not actually use him within the game? I got no answer for you!! Besides the standard field ambience of players talking trash and the crowd cheering and booing during gameplay, Madden doesn't speak a word in the entire game. Maybe you'll hear him during EA's extra content side video, but instead you are left with some no name announcer who is not only alone during the broadcast, but his mic seems to be lacking any BOOM. At the very least, if you are a music person you will find some familiar names to jam out to during the menus and much props goes out to my guy Sam Spence who makes great NFL related music
EXTRAS
If you are a sports fan and you want 1000 gamer points in a few sit downs, this is your ticket. The achievements in Madden 06 were more or less an after thought, which could be blamed on the fact that its an early 360 game and for the few of them that suffered from those times, there isn't much effort to recieve them besides playing the game from start to finish. One thing I must admit to is the 30 years in franchise mode. 400 gamer points has never been known to be easier and I now know why thanks to an afternoon of pure simulation. Once you simulate to the year 2033, which I highly doubt anyone will actually play that much of this game, the achievement is pretty much yours. The sour note for me was that the people at EA assume that football or humans will no longer be around by then, so you are forced to either start another franchise or simply stop playing the game.
OVERALL
With lackluster presentation, sluggish gameplay, moronic computer Ai, and most notably a massive audience who takes full advantage of every exploit and considers themsevles skillful NFL guru's, Madden 06 offers nothing more than something to do for a few hours. I hope that future versions are much more worth while or at the very least better put together for the "next gen" ventures that EA seems oh so confident in taking head on.