PlayStation 2
Released in 2005 by EA Sports
Grade: A
Madden 06 is almost exactly like its acclaimed predecessor Madden 2005. Unfortunately, it has the most unusual and unnecessary added feature in the history of video games, called “QB vision,” which can thankfully be turned off.
Where it falls in the series
It’s the sixth of 12 installments on PS2. Madden 06 is also the first to appear on Xbox 360, and Madden 07 is the first on PS3.
Praises and gripes
QB vision requires you to move a cone of light, which represents where your quarterback is looking, before making an accurate pass. You move it with the right thumbstick, or hold L2 and press the receiver button before pressing the receiver button again to pass. Top-tier QBs have a wider cone of vision than bad QBs. CPU defenders react to this cone of light, just like real-life players read their opponents’ eyes.
This makes the game more realistic, in theory, and definitely makes it harder to play. Only the toughest of video game tough guys will claim to embrace this added challenge.
Everyone else turns it off, which then presents the “seed of doubt” problem. (See MLB 11: The Show.) You might wonder, am I playing this game right? If defenders are programmed to react to the QB vision, what do they do when it’s off?
Luckily, I didn’t notice anything too unusual playing without QB vision and could simply enjoy the well-tuned football I expect from a Madden game. The game still plays great, with responsive controls, realistic AI, huge playbooks, and deep tactical options. In comparison to 2005, I think it’s slightly easier to move the ball, with defenses who don’t lock down quite as hard as they did in 2005.
Other new additions include the “truck stick,” giving running backs the chance to plow defenders over, and a crafty pre-snap option to make a receiver run past the first down line before making his cut. (This is such a good addition I don’t know why it’s not in every other football game.)
The playbooks feature more option routes than before, which can be difficult to use. There are also quite a few plays that never seem to work right, and some have receivers running out of bounds before they could conceivably make a catch.
And in a disappointing glitch, CPU teammates never block for a punt returner, so you’ll see a lot of fair catches. Maybe EA was too distracted getting Madden onto Xbox 360 to spend time testing its PS2 product. More cynical reviewers think EA got lazy once they shut 2K Sports out of the NFL market. (See ESPN NFL 2K5.)
The franchise mode is the same as 2005, which is fine if you ask me. There’s a new be-a-pro mode, which I ignore but I’ve read is laughable nonsense.
The meat and potatoes of Madden is its quality gameplay, and it’s still here, only slightly tweaked from the year before. Even if you add up its various problems, it’s one of the best football video games you could own.