Madden NFL 06

GamePro

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]

Detroit Free Press

This is quarterbacking control at its most sensitive level. This year's version of Madden gives you more of it.

Maxim Online

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.

Stuff

Once again, EA and Madden manage to do the impossible: They made us fall head-over-cleats in love with this frigging game all over again.

Worth Playing

With changes in button configuration and new features, the learning curve is a bit steeper. There is a way to convert back to the controls for Madden 05 controls, but the new button set can be advantageous, especially the X button for the "new" running ability.

DailyGame

Madden NFL 06 is still an outstanding game, but EA needs to re-think the reality and practicality of its Superstar mode, and it has plenty of work to do to make QB Vision both effective and enjoyable.

Armchair Empire

This is definitely a great football game, even though it could reach a hall-of-fame level of excellence with better presentation values (particularly in the announcing booth and by possibly using the ESPN license it confiscated from 2K Sports and replicating the ESPN studio analysis that was part of ESPN 2K5).

Da Gameboyz

More innovation than in the last few years, gameplay is as solid as ever.

Gaming Target

The ultimate culmination of the 6 Madden games released on PlayStation 2; for better or worse.

Adrenaline Vault

This is, by far, the best installment in theMadden series and despite the higher price tag is worth purchasing.

Official U.S. Playstation Magazine

The other big addition offers a nice contrast to the traditional franchise mode, which returns as fully featured and deep as ever. In NFL superstar mode, instead of focusing on the fortunes of one team, you follow the career of a character you create (or import from "NFL Street 2" or "NCAA Football 06"). [Sept 2005]

Electronic Gaming Monthly

Still excellent despite the fact that its biggest innovation really amounts to an unnecessary step in the passing game. I'm more impressed by the little tweaks--precision passing, smart routes, the "truck stick" for those Jerome Bettis moments--that improve the overall experience.

Yahoo! Games

Recent releases have seen plenty of tweaks, but they merely nudged the gameplay. This year's implementation of a quarterback's cone of vision really changes things by rethinking the foundations of passing the ball.

1UP

It is far and away the most cerebral sports title ever released, forcing both the offensive and defensive coordination to methodically attack each other in order to achieve their respective goals. Careful and well thought out strategy is the name of the game, much more so than relying on frantic, on the field playmaking.

Game Informer

Whether it's the first steps of an online franchse via your EA Locker or your life as the equivalent to Budweiser's Leon in NFL Superstar, Madden's exploration of new areas is not to be missed. [Sept 2005, p.92]

Cheat Code Central

For the first time in years, the game has been redesigned which completely alters the gameplay at its core. Tiburon appears not to be satisfied with just creating an entertaining representation of video football but to advance the realism so that the experience brings players that much closer to what it feels like being on the gridiron. They've succeeded.

Next Level Gaming

The presentation has a little more flash to it than in previous years.

GameSpy

Although it's true that the QB Vision system changes the game dramatically, it's not always for the better, especially when you're still trying to learn how to use it properly. If you can get over the steep learning curve (and trust me, it's a doozy), you'll probably learn to love it, as it makes the game feel much more realistic.

PSM Magazine

But the real highlights in Madden 06 are on the field. For starters, the new "QB Vision" feature is simply fantastic. Even for long-time Madden fans, the ability to focus the quarterback's attention on certain receivers or parts of the field adds a ton to the gameplay. [Sept 2005]

IGN

For those gamers who only buy Madden as their one game a year, maybe this could be your favorite installment yet, but for everyone else, 2006 feels like a stutter step or experimental addition to the franchise that has failed to outdo itself for the first time in recent memory.

eToychest

There are hundreds of hours of gaming wrapped up into 2006, and even more if you get a group of friends who know how to play.

Game Over Online

While the inclusion of the vision cones and the concept of the Superstar mode were creative ideas, the actual implementation of the features ranged from inconvenient to improperly constructed.

PSX Extreme

The developers should be applauded for trying such drastic changes, even if all of the new additions aren’t that enjoyable.

Game Revolution

At least the game makes you feel more like a quarterback than ever before, and that's reason enough for one hell of an end-zone celebration.

GameSpot

Ultimately, Madden NFL 06 is a highly playable game of football, but in comparison with the leaps forward the franchise has made in previous years, 06 feels like a false start.

Loaded Inc

Our test team had one little niggle about the play diagrams. We would have loved to see detailed explanations of the plays, perhaps even with animations. It can be daunting for newcomers to see the arcane drawings - the lines, the symbols, the quirky names - and then have to understand and employ them effectively.

Inside Gamer Online

Luckily, you have the option to turn the new passing system off, but if you do—what valid new additions separate 06 from the rest? Almost nothing. It’s looking like the lack of competition is a bad thing, but who knows?

Gaming Age

Not the huge advancement many might expect from a new year and especially a year when they are the only game in town, but the game still plays solid, the rosters are updated, and the new modes may appeal to those coming over from the competition.

Play Magazine

Why risk changing an already perfect passing sytem? I guess when you're the only game in town, you can do what you want. [Oct 2005]