So here’s what’s different.
Madden NFL 2005 was the year of the
defense.
Madden NFL 06 is the year of the
quarterback. What does that mean exactly? QB Vision and Precision Passing are the new tools designed to create realism within the passing game. Here’s how it works. Each quarterback has a different rating involving their vision. The higher the rating, the more they can see of the field. For example, Packers QB Brett Favre’s vision highlights about one-half of the field, whereas a rookie QB may only be able to lock onto one receiver, which is comparably smaller. When throwing to a receiver within the quarterback’s vision, you can pass to a certain location with the analog stick. You can lead your receiver or throw it behind him, make him jump for it or make him go low. It’s a bit tricky at first, but I found it made a world of difference when dealing with individual defenders.
The thing with the QB Vision is that you can’t lead a receiver that your quarterback can’t see. So if you throw to a receiver that’s not in his vision, the pass could be way off and end up in the hands of a defender. This is why it pays to have a QB with a higher vision rating. They could potentially see three or four receivers on a given play, whereas a lower rated QB may only be able to look at one receiver at a time.
The other new thing in Madden NFL 06 is the NFL Superstar mode. Instead of running an entire team, you control the actions of one player. First you select your parents, which help determine your status as an NFL prospect. Then you must hire an agent and take an I.Q. test which can improve or deter your draft status. After that, try to make the squad and carve your niche on the team, all in the hopes of one day becoming an NFL superstar, complete with interviews, endorsement deals, and a movie career.
But things just weren’t clean enough in the Superstar mode. When I tried out for a movie, I found a key error. To get the part, you must remember a line from the script by selecting one of four choices. In one instance, I kept getting denied for the part because I only got three of four answers right. However, I was determined to land a job in Hollywood, so I replayed the test. It turns out that there either is a typo or the wrong answer is designated as the “correct” answer, because it doesn’t match the script. It’s safe to say I got the part, but only because I was resetting and replaying the test over and over until I got four of four... even though I was right (in theory) the first time.
I was also a little disappointed with the limited way to improve my superstar. You can only improve some areas through practices. However, I was hoping for some training camp drills as well. Unfortunately, those are only available in the NFL Superstar mode via the Performance Institute, and your improvements only work on a weekly basis throughout the regular season.
Meantime, the other standard modes are all there including Franchise, Online, Play Now, and Mini Games.
