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> Results: Madden NFL 2006
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It's easy to become complacent when there's no competition, but EA Sports has managed to once again deliver a fun, accessible and deep pro football simulation οΎ– regardless of your preferred gaming platform.
"Madden NFL 06," the latest in the 15-year-old franchise that has sold an astounding 43 million copies to date, and now the only officially licensed NFL video game, introduces a slew of new features and improvements worth stepping onto the field for. While last year's version concentrated on tweaks to the team's defense, "Madden NFL 06" has implemented a revamped offensive game, particularly when it comes to passing. For example, a new feature, QB Vision Control, shines a cone-shaped light on the field to represent the quarterback's field of vision; the better the QB, the wider his field of vision, as he looks to fire the ball to an open receiver. Swivel your quarterback's field of vision by pushing the right analog stick left and right. You may throw to someone outside of your cone but the pass won't be as accurate. Newcomers to the game should first try a few practice snaps in the Madden Tutorials area.  Another fun offensive addition is something referred to as a Truck Stick. Activated by pressing the right analog stick forward at the point of impact with a would-be tackler, this feature allows you to pancake the defense to make way for the end zone. Keep in mind, however, the Truck Stick may lead to more fumbled balls, especially if the pigskin carrier isn't as big as a truck himself. There's also a new audibles that can be called at the line of scrimmage to quickly and easily change plays without tipping off the defense. And though it's a bit tricky to pull off, another new feature called Smart Routes lets you instruct specific receivers to perform better moves after the snap by pressing a couple of buttons on he controller. Along with improvements to the offensive game, the other major new addition to "Madden NFL 06" is the NFL Superstar mode, an entirely new single-player game that takes place on and off the field. Create a rookie player from scratch (or import one from either "NCAA Football 06" or "NFL Street 2" for a head start) and once you get into the NFL, you must work your way up the ranks by dealing with mentors, agents, fans and media. The goal is to become a living legend as you fly from city to city for interviews, sign endorsement deals, take on acting gigs and customize the look of your player with outfits, haircuts and tattoos. This fun and refreshing game mode should be a treat for football fans interested in the celebrity lifestyle.  Expected "Madden" features from past games are back, including: online support for the Xbox, PlayStation 2 and PC versions (multiplayer games, downloadable rosters, and so on); broadcast-like camera angles, color commentary and dramatic replays; and multiple game types such as the deep Franchise season mode, Quick Match games for one or two players on the same television and a host of mini-games such as Two Minute Drill (score as many points as you can before the clock hits zero) and Rushing Attack (the more yards you gain, the more points you rack up). Sure, a new "Madden" game debuts every year like clockwork, but because of its new features, high production values and overall fun factor, "Madden NFL 06" is a must-have football title for fans of the game. 
Football is one of the deepest sports available and video game football is a great way to introduce the game to kids. Whether its for TV watching, competition with dad or someone else in the family, or to enhance the Pop Warner experience, there's a lot to like about Madden and other football sims. Learn the strategy, the plays, the teams, the history, the players, and now control every aspect of running a successful team and business, Madden has it all. (I admit, I do still miss ESPN's game.)
Kid Factor by Andrew Bub
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