Madden NFL 2005 Review

By Patrick Garratt Published 21 September, 2004

Only EA could make a sport you don't understand about men who think pushing people over and shot-gunning 'Bud' is a way of life massively enjoyable. It's Maddening. We kill ourselves.

Version tested: Xbox

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Life, if we're being facetious, contains certain inalienable truths, most of which are equatable to sport. You always get taxed. You die. You begin to smell in your "special place" if you don't give yourself a good scrub down in the shower after hockey practice. And Madden games are always good. Always. They should be: if EA spent its Madden budget on soap for the locker room, the entire solar system would be a maze of suds. Madden, like sport in general, is very serious fun indeed.

As with past incarnations, Madden 2005 takes "pick up and play" to an obscene level, allowing novice "sports fans" easy entry (and we're not talking about soap in the showers now) into what is ostensibly a baffling sport. If you keep pressing A, you find yourself playing a game as the Chicago Bears in one of the most professionally presented spectacles in games. You're making plays, hustling quarterbacks and quite possibly scoring touchdowns within minutes of turning Madden on. Considering you're unlikely to understand anything but the bare rudiments of American football, that's a feat indeed. And you can leave the "wide receiver" gags at the door, bucko. The frat house comedy stops right there.

Updating the roster

'Madden NFL 2005' Screenshot 1

Everything you can possibly imagine being in an American football game exists in Madden 2005. Everything. Every player, every team: everything. The Franchise mode is enormous, allowing you to build your team via a likeable PDA interface. FIFA aficionados will be right at home in here, and in the game in general. Essentially, Madden is FIFA with American football in it, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the Franchise mode. Obviously, there's Tournament play (as with any sports games, it's essentially all about multiplayer), and the parallels between the ubiquitous soccer title and America's finest are blatant and, frankly, welcome. "Slick" doesn't really begin to describe the overall experience.

In-game, Madden subscribes solidly to the EA mantra that player reward is key to player enjoyment. American football can be complex at the best of times, but the core ideas (get the ball 10 yards with passes and rushes, kick field goals, make fat men chew astroturf) are presented in beautiful simplicity. Madden's real success is the sheer depth of its play, allowing experienced users sublime freedom with its combination of Hot Routes rushes and Playmaker passing and showboating, all wrapped up with the now familiar method of selecting formations followed by set plays.

Madden never stops giving. It makes you feel brilliant about making the right choices with some highly refined commentary. "Everything had to work on that one: and everything did," bleats John. "That was a heck of a throw." If you're being inept (usually through the fact that you really don't have much of an idea why taking a field goal three yards away from your only end zone is a bad idea) the commentary will politely ask what in Sam hell's name the coach was thinking to try a play like that, and that he must really trust his defence to go for so outlandish a move. The words "trust" and "coach" instantly comfort. The player is constantly made to feel good about the situation even when acting like the NFL equivalent of Paula Radcliffe's training mentor. It's a joy to play, even for a beginner.

DE-FENCE!

But it's still American football. And if you don't like American football - like the rest of a large part of the European population - Madden's fairly pointless, really. The stop-start play may well bore many, and defending is nowhere near as much fun as attacking. Obviously. And actual online play is replaced with Live leagues. For shame.

They're small gripes, but valid ones. But you should see past them, because ultimately, Madden is a sensational game in the literal sense, delivering unparalleled replayability for those with open minds. Americans do sport well, and this is the multi-million dollar spawn of that absolute truism. Don't care about American football? Your loss. Madden 2005 is worth every cent of admission.

Order yours now from Simply Games.

8 / 10

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Comments (20) Latest comment 7 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Feanor #1 8 years ago

    Did ESPN NFL 2k5 get released in Europe? That has even better presentation than Madden, although most reviews think Madden's defensive gameplay is significantly better.

  • Stilicho #2 8 years ago

    Sega are not releasing their ESPN sports range in Europe this year. There's no Online play in any of the currently released versions of Madden. Only the PC version supports it which is due mid-October. All the excitement of EA supporting LIVE Play seems a bit pointless. Burnout's OK in short bursts but gets old fairly quickly, Tiger Woods isn't getting LIVE and FIFA will be upstaged by Pro Evo (hopefully). And FIFA only supports one on one - hopefully Pro Evo will support more.

  • infoxicated #3 8 years ago

    Pound / Euro for Dollar, PAL players pay double that of our NTSC friends across the pond, yet we get less of a game. No online play, no updated rosters via Live or PS2 online.

    Thanks for a great update to the franchise, EA... and thanks for ripping us off too.

  • spuncken #4 8 years ago

    First of all why do let someone who obviously hates the sport review the game!?

    That being said ESPN 2KX series is for american football what Pro evo is for European. Madden is a fine game but it doesnt touch ESPN IMO.

    But Stilicho where did you read that SEGA isnīt releasing any ESPN games in EU this year? I e-mailed them a few weeks back and they only said they dont have a date yet.

  • Eighthours #5 8 years ago

    I'm boycotting this because of the lack of LIVE. As will many people....

  • Feanor #6 8 years ago

    "That being said ESPN 2KX series is for american football what Pro evo is for European. Madden is a fine game but it doesnt touch ESPN IMO."

    That's really not true at all.... ESPN has much better presentation than Madden but has significantly less gameplay depth (on defense). If anything, Madden is American football's Pro Evo, though ESPN is not nearly as arcadey as Fifa.
    Edited by 1 at 21/09/04 @ 20:51

  • patlike #7 8 years ago

    I don't hate the sport, spuncken. I have no idea why you think I do...

  • Clive_Dunn #8 7 years ago

    Well I foolishly splashed out of this version of Madden, it really is very poor in comparison to ESPN ( even last years version ). The player models are horrendous and look totally unrealistic. Not sure on the gameplay yet ( only played for an hour or so ), it seems to give me reasonably accurate stats but doesn't feel as responsive as ESPN.

    Have we got confirmation ESPN isn't coming out in Europe ? I know the German and Australian versions definately aren't happening but no one has mentioned an English version. Bloody Take 2, its a simple NTSC - PAL conversion without any localisation, grrr.

    Tbh I'm thinking of importing a US Xbox, anyone have any recommendations on where to get them from ?

  • infoxicated #9 7 years ago

    Patrick, you have to admit that the review is a little on the brief side for a game you awarded 8/10. Heck, even if, say... Kristian had reviewed it and hated it there would still be twice the word count.

    The sheer depth of the game this year deserves a full and considered review.

  • ERG1008 #10 7 years ago

    I thought last years version of Madden was crap & I've been playing Madden since it was on the megadrive. ESPN 2K4's gameplay, admittedly in areas, wasn't as good but the the game on the whole was much more enjoyable & playable IMO.
    After reading several reveiws of Madden 2005 it just seems the usual EA Sports "add a couple of gimmicks but keep it the same as last years".
    So can anyone definitely confirm that ESPN 2K5 ISN'T coming out in the UK?

  • sam_spade #11 7 years ago

    Never really got on with the Madden games, but I picked up ESPN NFL and it was like it all made sense. I even managed to rope in a few mates to play a game.

  • infoxicated #12 7 years ago

    This years play is totally different from 2004. Even EA admit they dropped the ball on last years game, but the playability this time is far better.

  • kcimkram #13 7 years ago

    ESPN NFL 2k5 will get released in UK.I believe it is end of October/early November.The goods news is that it is almost definitely going to be Ģ20.
    Wait for this and don't give EA any more of your money.

  • Clive_Dunn #14 7 years ago

    Are you sure ?

  • Stilicho #15 7 years ago

    kcimkram Where are you getting your info from? Sega aren't releasing any of the ESPN series in Europe, the company responsible is Take 2. There is no listing on Take 2's UK/European website, no retailers have got a release date for it because it doesn't appear on any schedule, so please explain.

  • Stilicho #16 7 years ago

    I've just contacted Take 2 and even they don't know if it will ever be released. Chip your Xbox and get a US copy from eBay.

  • kcimkram #17 7 years ago

    I have it from a good source that it will be released in UK.It has only been confirmed this week and I doubt many people at Take 2 are aware of this as they're probably all concentrating on GTA:SA.
    There should be official confirmation very soon.

  • trailofdead #18 7 years ago

    In case anyone is interested, NFL 2K5 has now appeared on Amazon with a release date of 29 Oct.

    Check out the price too!

  • ChrisBrownUK #19 7 years ago

    Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Amazon have just changed the release date for NFL 2K5 on both PS2 and XBOX to January 7th 2005.

    :(

  • #20 7 years ago

    Aw man, that's the ultimate mind-killer. We all know amazon is the ones publishing those games!!

  • Clive_Dunn #21 7 years ago

    Gameplay release now 28th Jan.

    I am going to burn down Take 2's offices for this.