Madden NFL 06 Image
Metascore

Generally favorable reviews - based on 39 Critics What's this?

User Score

Mixed or average reviews- based on 39 Ratings

  • Summary: With its new modes and enhancements, Madden NFL 06 offers an authentic football experience. Among the game's offensive enhancements are "QB Vision Control," which gives each quarterback a unique field of vision, and "QB Precision Placement," which lets you throw the ball more accurately. In the new NFL Superstar mode, you can experience the life of an NFL player by earning one of more than 60 personas ranging from MVP to movie star. Expand
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 38 out of 39
  2. Negative: 0 out of 39
  1. 100
    Kudos to EA Sports for not being afraid to juice the complexity factor of an already complex game. Rookies will have to pay their dues, but veterans get treated to a brand-new challenge. [Sept 2005, p.82]
  2. Kiss the rest of your summer (and your loved ones) goodbye and get ready to spend all your waking hours indoors, sitting next to a giant bag of Fritos, agonizing over 4–3 blitz packages.
  3. This is still a great game and it is the only licensed NFL game out there whether you like it or not.
  4. 70
    Tiburon have added a reasonable amount of new material for the 2006 edition of Madden, but we really feel as though they could have done more.

See all 39 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 18 out of 34
  2. Negative: 8 out of 34
  1. MattW.
    10
    This game is absolutely amazing and the graphics are sweet it blows any other football game out of the water.
  2. Will
    8
    Once i got used to the new passing feature i cant go back to the old one. The only problem i have with it is when friends come over, they dont have the time to get used to the new feature so they have to use the old one which gives them an advantage of seeing where my qb's eyes are. It makes quick games wiht friends hard to play bc i am too used to the new way but it is too complex for my friends to learn in a few minutes. Anyway i still love this game and have probably logged over 100 hours into it. I will definately get the 07 when it comes out. Expand
  3. BillW.
    7
    I've never been a fan of the Madden series, preferring what seemed to me a more realistic game in the ESPN series, but since the NFL sold their rights to the highest bidder, I had to try my football through Madden this year. Many of my gripes with past editions are still here. First of all, the graphics are not as strong as the 2K series and neither is the rest of the presentation. I can overlook that, but the biggest problems remain in the gameplay and its lack of realism. Examples: 90% of the time a receiver has a step on the db, and the pass is lobbed in there, the db jumps up and knocks it away from abover the receiver's head. Ok, this can happen occasionally but honestly, most of the time in the NFL, all a receiver is going to get is a step on the corner, and a well thrown pass will get in there. How does a db make up that step by jumping in the air and swinging his arm? Another example: the way to complete passes is to throw the ball high and underneath to the receiver who 90% of the time will outjump the db for it. This makes tight ends and tall receivers nearly indefensable by db's. Again, this happens in the NFL occassionally but not at this rate. Another example: speed is not represented on the d-line. I play the Colts and Dwight Freeney, the best edge rusher in the league, gets pancaked half of the plays and can't beat the tackle to the corner. On the other hand, I can use power with the interior tackles to drive back and get sacks at a much higher rate than the ends, so Freeney is not my first option as a pass-rusher because he isn't powerful and his speed isn't well represented. Another example: it seems the o-line will either give you 30 seconds to throw the ball or none. There isn't much in-between. Because of this, the effectiveness of blitzing is highly over-represented. Many times, if you don't bring multiple extra defenders on blitzes, you will never get to the qb, while calling all out blitzes is way too effective and you don't get burned nearly as often as you should. Another example: it often seems easier to complete a long throw by just throwing high and underneath rather than shorter routes which the db's react to better than the receivers. Why throw short passes when there's a much higher chance of being intercepted and you complete a lower percentage than your plays that are deep throws. This is the complete opposite to the short, precision passing that rules the NFL these days. I also tire of having my receivers chased down from behind by safeties. At a higher difficulty, I have never outrun a defender in any of the games. The difficulty settings are way out of line as well. At Pro-level, I scored 50 points against the Ravens, and their great defense. Bumping up one level to all-pro difficulty, I scored 3. So, I either win with ease, or get bored out of my mind. I very much wanted to enjoy Madden this year because it was my only choice, and I have to have my football game, but at this point, I'm considering taking the time to try and update rosters myself on the old 2K game. Madden is just too unrealistic and has too many little bugs in it that grate on your nerves. I'm not mad at EA, they made a wise business decision; I'm mad at the NFL for putting it to the fans and forcing me to play an inferior game. Madden is fine if you like arcade-style football, but it's horrible as a football-sim and is just the same, recycled gameplay and graphical experience regardless of the little tweaks and new features they add each year. Expand
  4. JohnH.
    3
    The new passing game just makes the game less fun. Yeah, it might be more realistic, but it detracts from the overall gameplay.

See all 34 User Reviews