Historically speaking the American Football video game market has had a few common characteristics. Principally being that if you wanted the best you bought Madden and you avoided the flood of average games that sat at the bottom of the market. These rules however are now rapidly becoming obsolete. Both NFL Gameday and NFL Fever will not be putting out 2005 editions of their yearly gaming franchise, adding to the intrigue is the increasing high regard for which the SEGA Sports ESPN NFL series is attaining. Because of this we now have a 2005 heavyweight title fight between Madden and ESPN that would rival any Ali vs. Fraser showdowns of yesteryear.

Due to the decision to delay the release of ESPN NFL until December at least Australians don’t have a NFL decision to make, it’s Madden or nothing. Encouragingly though Madden is still a brilliant take on American Football, anyone with an interest in the NFL and who has some patience to learn a deep control setup will eventually be thoroughly rewarded.

In every yearly franchise update you really have to ask yourself whether or not the developers have strived to actually improve the game or are merely content with releasing a slightly updated product. To attempt to emphasise a leap from 04 to 05 EA have focused heavily on the improvement of defence. Typically in 04, games would quite often subside into offensive shootouts whereby QB’s would finish with 500 passing yards and the score would be 49-47. Due to defensive improvements in 2005, gamers can expect more correct score lines with games more closely mirroring the real NFL.

First and most notable is the inclusion of the ‘hit stick’, where by moving the right analogue stick in the direction of the ball carrier, you can pull off some frightening hits which quite often are rewarded with fumbles or even better, injuries. Absolutely hammering Priest Holmes in the first quarter and putting him out of the game with a dislocated elbow is sure to bring a smile to your face. The feature is well implemented because it provides a better balance between offence and defence. Sure, it’s still possible for the RB to run for 85yards for a TD, but it’s just as possible to lose 5 yards after a big hit.

Another large defensive complaint that existed in last year’s version was the amazing ability of Michael Vick. All you had to do to win games was to play with Atlanta and constantly perform QB runs. It’s all different in 05 because we now have a more thorough application of defensive playmaker control. Now we have the ability to do certain actions such as a QB spy and altering individual defensive assignments. So when you think Vick is going to have a little run simply alter a linebacker’s assignment to monitor Vick. Likewise if you think Vick is going to pass to WR Peerless Price just move a Safety into double coverage on Price with a CB. Simply put, with these additions it feels like you have a more active role to play on the defensive side.

The only concern with these additions is the increased complexity it brings to the control system. For instance to change a Linebackers assignment you have to tap the R trigger, select the corresponding face button and then select the new move with the Left thumb stick. Certainly for new Madden players it may take a few solid days of playing to feel at ease with the new controls and even Madden veterans may take a while to get used to it.

On the offensive side of the ball everything is basically as it was in Madden 04. We still have the ability to alter the direction of runs to match the defensive setup with a nice little nudge of the right thumb stick. Tiki Barber fans will be pleased to know that the game includes a button to wrap up the ball if you going into heavy traffic. In reality the offensive game didn’t need a great deal of tweaking for 05, it was brilliant then and it’s still brilliant now. It does however have a slight bias towards the passing game and typically 3rd and long passing play are completed a little too often. On the whole though it’s nothing that draws criticism of any significance.

Visually Madden is almost exactly the same as last years title, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Player models are still very good, if not quite up to the ESPN level and certain effects such as dynamic lighting are particularly impressive. Starting a game at dusk and watching the light gradually change from dusk to darkness, as well as alterations on the reflections of players helmets are fantastic. New animations are certainly evident such as when a RB simply runs straight over a small corner back and leaves him flat on his back, or when a QB jinks sidewards to avoid the close attention of a 350 pound defensive tackle. Unfortunately the prospect of player pinball still exists, thanks to the lack of an animation for running backs placing there forearms on the back of a blocker. It’s a small animation hole that makes a large overall difference.

A final point about the graphics is that EA really need to fix up the coaches faces, Baltimore supremo Brian Billick looks like he’s had his head stuck in an oven for a few days, whilst Philadelphia’s Andy Reid looks like he’s attempted to shave with a pair of scissors.

One thing that Madden has always done brilliantly is the franchise mode. It’s always been extremely deep and immersive and this year it’s no different. A great new addition is the inclusion of player moral and personalities. Basically whenever you attempt to sign someone from the free agency or a trade they have their preferences and desires. Some want a good team, others a nice location, most however want money and lots of it. It’s basically impossible to sign a new player with out flashing lots of notes for a fat million dollar plus signing bonus.

This feature can become very deep when you’re juggling your starters and backups. For instance Drew Brees was in no mood to sit behind rookie QB Phil Rivers at the Chargers, his morale was terrible and he informed me that he “hated this place” and “come the off-season I’m gone”. The owner mode from last year is basically the same, as is the NFL Draft. So we can still transfer teams to new cities and perform pedantic tasks like setting the price of a Team Foam Finger or Valet Parking.

Game commentary is still done by the duo of Al Michaels and John Madden. It does seem as though this element of Madden has been largely unchanged. “Most people like to think of him as deceptively fast” is a line that was heard in 04 and now it’s heard a lot more on 05. Generally it just feels weak in relation to the competition with a general lack of enthusiasm and too much repetition.

The game soundtrack includes well known acts like Green Day and Franz Ferdinand, so a collection of licensed tracks that fit the game perfectly is a welcome addition. Custom Soundtracks are included but you can only draw up a play list of around 20 songs, meaning that repetition may become a problem. Alternatively in franchise mode you can listen to a weekly radio show by Tony Bruno, it’s a nice little diversion that contains plenty of trivia and player interviews.

Xbox Live compatibility made its debut this year on Madden 2005 in NTSC regions but unfortunately online play is noticeably absent from the PAL edition that we get here in Australia and also in the U.K. As per usual traditional multiplayer is an absolute blast with most games turning into hotly contested audible and hot route wars. Multiplayer is also enhanced with a small little mini-game called rush attack, which gives you 60 seconds to score as many 3 on 3 touchdowns as you can. It’s just a shame that the game is not on Xbox Live because feedback from America on this feature has been largely positive. Really, what would it have cost EA to leave it in?