Madden NFL 2004 Review

Developer	Tiburon
Publisher	EA Sports
Genre	Sports

Every year gamers have a lot to choose from when it comes to football games. For the past few years, it is safe to say that the majority of gamers have chosen the Madden series over the “other” football titles, and for good reason. For one, the series sells on its name alone. Since the franchise’s debut in 1990, Madden has become synonymous with football videogames. This alone helps sell truckloads of Madden games. In addition, Electronic Arts’ massive marketing blitzkrieg ranging from multi-page print advertisements to constant plugs and integration on each and every Monday Night Football guarantees a wide exposure to the Madden series. However, strip away the advertising blitz and the Madden name, and what are we left with? A damn good football game. And that is where it counts. In any videogame, what it all comes down to is how it plays, and Madden NFL 2004 plays better than any Madden before it.

Gameplay - This year’s version of Madden offers a level of on-field control no other football game has yet to match. Appropriately dubbed “Playmaker” control, with the use of the right analog stick on the respective system’s controller players have more control over their entire team (as opposed to just the one man you’re controlling) then ever. On offense, you can discretely change receivers’ routes before the snap and during the play and direct blockers during kick/punt returns and run and draw plays. On defense, pre-snap you can switch zone coverage to either the left or right, and after the snap you have a split-second decision to cheat against the run by instructing your linebackers to attack the line, or cheat against the long pass by instructing your safeties to drop back further down the field.

These Playmaker controls are far from a gimmicky gameplay addition. After learning how to use them successfully (via the invaluable video tutorials included with the game) you won’t want to play another football game without them. Here’s some examples as to how the Playmaker controls, when used effectively, can turn an otherwise disastrous play into serious crowd-pleaser. Notice your opponent has three wide receivers on one side? If your current defense is in zone, simply flick the right stick left or right to concentrate zone coverage where it need be. When you are on offense about to do a toss play to the right, see those linebackers shift to the right? Flick the stick left to change the toss play to the weaker side of the defense. During the actual run itself, the right analog stick becomes your back’s blocking assigner. For instance, if your running the ball to the outside flick the stick in the desired direction and the closest available blocker will move into position to help you gain a few more yards. This same on-the-fly blocking control is granted to you on kick and punt returns.

Lastly, the Playmaker controls allow you as QB to have more control over receivers’ routes pre-snap and to direct receivers off of their planned routes during any point of the play. Before the snap, flick the right stick in any direction to accordingly change the route of your primary receiver, without the obviousness of the Hot Routes option (which is still available by the way). After the ball is hiked, you may see an open part of the field that you need one of your receivers to run into for a clean pass. By pointing the right analog stick in the direction where you want your closest receiver to go, he will break off his assigned route and into that direction, possibly putting you in a better position to connect with a pass for a big gain. While these various techniques are easy to grasp an understanding of after you try them out, knowing how and when to use them most effectively is the key. The Playmaker controls add a whole new dimension to the on-field play of Madden, adding both another layer of realism and enjoyment to the game.

Other areas of gameplay improvements in Madden NFL 2004 include mostly what you’d expect from year to year. This Madden has the most team-specific playbooks of any Madden yet. Chances are you can execute many of your favorite team’s plays on the field. Even the defensive playbooks are semi-customized to your team by including some player specific blitzes. Many returning defensive plays from last year have been improved, too. The selection and quality of the Goal Line defenses this year are noticeably more effective than in the previous installments. Instead of just including man-on-man coverage, there are quite a few zone coverage goal line defenses as well. On the whole, the defensive playbook has received some much-needed variation.

Another innovation in this year’s Madden has to do with play-action and draw plays. In every football game until now, play-action and to a lesser extent QB draw plays have proven ineffective because the games never included some aspect that could sell the intended fake. In Madden NFL 2004, play-action tricks the defense in game as much as it does in the real NFL. After hiking the ball on a play-action play, the QB fakes the handoff to the running back, as usual. However, the game camera continues to follow the runner for a short time before the camera finally pulls back and reveals the passing icons, which by that time the defense has been effectively fooled into thinking the play was a run. The opposite happens on a QB draw play. After the hike, the camera pulls back and the passing icons show, as if the play were a pass. The defense is thrown off as the QB runs up the inevitable middle hole. Who knew a little camera-play could go such a long way in making two very useful football strategies work correctly in football a videogame for the first time.

Both defensive and offensive computer A.I. have been ramped up and/or balanced out in several areas. On the default difficulty setting (“Pro”) The A.I. reacts to your audibles and has become more aggressive on the front line. I’ve also noticed that the computer opponent on offense has become a lot less predictable. Games against the computer are more closely matched then ever before. (Don’t expect to see as many blowouts against the CPU as you might think.) Your own CPU teammates are also noticeably smarter. Safeties cover zones much more effectively and the cornerbacks often make more of an effort to swat or intercept passes on their own now, just in case you weren’t fast enough to take control of them in an advantageous situation. The solid running game is pretty much unchanged from last year except for the previously mentioned integration of the Playmaker controls.

As anyone knows, no amount of artificial intelligence can compare to the intelligence and sheer unpredictability of playing another human being. That is where Madden’s online play comes in. Of course, you can still play offline-multiplayer matches, but nothing beats the experience of having literally thousands of human opponents to square off against. An important fact to remember, though: Online play is only available on the PlayStation2 version of the game. Sorry Xbox and GameCube owners, maybe next year EA will show some love. Last year’s Madden (on PS2) had online play; but unfortunately, rampant cheating ruined many of the games. However, Electronic Arts has all but eliminated online cheating in Madden 2004. The new (and optional) Fair Play settings rewards players only if they complete full games, which helps greatly in discouraging sore-losers from disconnecting. Aside from regular roster updates, new online features include user-created tournaments, a messaging service to contact and keep track of up to 40 buddies, and in-game USB headset support if you’re using a broadband connection. By using any USB headset (the SOCOM one works) you can trash talk to your opponent at any time during the game. If you grow tired of his or her constant whining, simply press the R3 stick in to mute the voice chat. Whether you are playing over dial-up or with a high-speed cable or DSL connection, lag is minimal. I’ve only experienced occasional lag after choosing your play as the screen switches to a full-field view. No lag appeared during any actual point after the hike, which is a very good thing.

Madden 2004’s Franchise mode is deeper than ever, thanks to the addition of the incredibly deep Owner’s Mode. Now, you have complete control over almost every financial aspect of your team with the goal of making them a successful and profitable franchise. You can view and set ticket prices for different areas in the stadium, set the prices of various concessions such as hot dogs and beer, set stadium parking prices, and choose how to spend your money on advertising your team through various types of media. You also have to deal with real NFL salary caps, and make sure fan attendance at home games stays strong. If you have a couple of really crappy seasons, fan support may be so low that you may have no other choice but to relocate to another city in order to become profitable again. You can actually attempt to relocate anytime you wish, but if the city in query doesn’t want your team there, be prepared for an angry backlash of your fans back home when they find out you wanted to move the team to another city. As owner, you’ll of course have to upkeep the team’s stadium and even have the option of modifying it or building a new one from scratch, by adding your own custom seating zones, tunnel entrances, field type, field decals and logos, and more. To keep track of your progress, Owner Mode provides you with numerous pie charts, graphs, and revenue sheets so you can tell exactly what your income and expenses are. You also have a board of advisors who will give you general tips on what you should do next, or what your doing right. There is no doubt that hardcore NFL fans will definitely appreciate this mode. If you just want to play Franchise mode without having to worry about all this micromanagement, you can simply turn the Owner Mode off.

Graphics - Visually, Madden 2004 sports a few subtle improvements, mainly fixes and tweaks to some of the quirks in last year’s game. There are now four different player helmets and player-specific tattoos. Also, you will see the hair of longhaired NFL players sticking out from the bottom of their helmets. Ball texture has been slightly improved, and you can actually see detailed hand lines and muscular veins on the player’s arms. Sunlight and shadows have been improved, as so have the particle effects (used when it rains or snows). The most noticeable visual improvements are the new tackle animations and speedier overall gameplay. Players don’t “float” unrealistically anymore after missed tackles, they hit the ground hard and quick, and also get up on their feet faster. Tackling feels a lot more satisfying in Madden 2004 due in large part to the fact that players finally make full contact. (The invisible “wall” between player/ball and player/player that plagued past versions of Madden has now been removed.) Both offensive and defensive lineman look much more aggressive when blocking and cutting their opponents.

The visual change that most players will notice immediately is actually the redesigned playcalling screen. After the whistle has blown, the playcalling screen immediately comes up, showing the instant replays, celebrations and other field footage in the middle portion of the screen, while you select your play from the playbook section on the bottom portion. The top sliver of the screen displays various score and ball position and possession information. This new design works well simply because there’s no time wasted after the play is over – you are brought immediately to the huddle to choose your next play. The only drawback is that it seems the PS2 version of the game has occasional bouts of slowdown when it is showing an action-intensive instant replay as you are scrolling through your playbook. It never becomes more than just a minor annoyance. Another instance of slowdown in the PS2 version is when you zoom in on a large group of players (usually the line) in the user Instant Replay. For some odd reason the graphics become quite jaggy and the screen seems to jitter when you move the camera. Luckily, this never occurs in game.

Sound - If there is one aspect of the Madden games that is always lagging behind as the rest of the game evolves and improves, it’s the commentary. John Madden and Al Michaels’ lines are basically what you have heard in Madden 2003, which are basically what you have heard in Madden 2002…so you get the picture. It is not so much the repetition that hurts the commentary; it’s mainly John Madden’s vague and overly obvious comments and insights about players or events on the field. Electronic Arts needs to scrap all of Madden’s current lines and plan out entirely new ones for next year. Al Michaels, on the other hand, isn’t that bad, but his lack of interaction with Madden sorely stands out. You never actually get the feeling that Al and John are sitting right next to each other; they each talk separately as if the other guy was not there. Although Madden is still quite boring on Monday Night Football, at least the two guys acknowledge each other’s presence. Another problem with Al Michaels lies within his tone of voice during certain situations. For example, Al might say something like this: “Brett Favre has thrown for over 300 yards today.” That sounds fine on paper, but when Al says it, he overly stresses the players name and then quietly finishes out the rest of his statement. It all makes for a very stilted and unnatural sounding commentary, and certainly it can (and has) been done better.

Otherwise, expect the norm for ambient field noises, crowd noise, and tackle sound effects. I still wish the crowd would react better (or sooner) during certain situations. Scoring a few touchdowns in a row during a home game, say, should be met with extra-loud and lengthy cheering, and the crowd should start cheering as a player approaches the open end zone, not just when he gets inside of it.

Concerning the menu music, this year’s EA Trax selection is much more varied (read: better) than last year’s. You won’t find any Bon Jovi or Andrew WK here. The music ranges from a yet-to-be-released blink182 song to rap songs including one from Bubba Sparxxx. If you don’t like certain songs (or any), you can choose those you don’t want to hear in the options menu. And if you have the Xbox version, you can rip your own songs into the game. That is definitely a cool feature.

Overall Value - Madden NFL 2004 is simply THE pro-football title to buy this year, no matter what system you own. If you happen to have a choice, go with the PS2 version. It’s the only one with the awesome online play, and it controls like a dream with the Dual Shock controller configuration. The Xbox and GameCube versions are both pretty much the same, except the Xbox version allows you to rip your own soundtrack and the GC version boasts connectivity with the Game Boy Advance Madden 2004. (This somewhat gimmicky feature allows you to view your playbook on the GBA screen and unlock hidden Madden Cards and teams.) For the record, the Xbox version controls second best, while the GameCube’s controller will take the most getting used to, since it has less buttons.

All versions of this year’s Madden need a serious commentary overhaul, but when it comes to the all-around solid game engine, online play (PS2 only) and mega-deep Franchise mode, Madden NFL 2004 cannot be beat.

Review by Nick Pappas