Madden NFL 06 (DS)

CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
Detailed editors' rating
Overall score: 7.4 (3.5 stars)
• Average user rating:
  Write your own review

Product summary

Gamespot editors' review

• Reviewed by: Brian Ekberg
• Reviewed on: 08/19/2005
• Released on: 08/08/2005

Last year's debut of the Madden series on Nintendo DS resulted in a solid, but unremarkable effort--it offered a fine game of football but wasn't without its problems. One year later, EA Sports is the sole purveyor of all things NFL and the second football game for Nintendo's dual-screened handheld is here. The result is a game that has eliminated most of the ugly bugs from last year's entry, but it still doesn't manage to rise much above the quality of its predecessor.

Kicking gets a touch-screen makeover with Madden NFL 06.

In an attempt to keep the DS's touch screen relevant for sports, the developers at EA Tiburon have added more functionality to the lower screen than that found in last year's game. This is most apparent in the new kicking controls, which make full use of your ability to quickly draw a straight line on the lower screen (the quicker and straighter you trace the line, the more powerful and true your kick will be). Draw too slowly or manage to skew your line left or right, and your kick will suffer accordingly. There's also an important gauge that you can adjust before the kick to set the vertical angle of it. If you set it too low then your field goal attempt will be ripe for the blocking, as happened to us on one occasion. The touch-screen kick meter is an interesting take on kicking (it's akin to the swing mechanic in the first DS Tiger Woods PGA Tour game), and it brings an extra bit of challenge to long-field goal attempts; however, it also feels a bit forced. Anyone who has played a Madden game understands how the kicking game works, and altering it only for DS users seems like it would be a change just for the sake of saying that the touch screen has been utilized.

You're able to access a lot of different information with a single tap of the DS's screen this time around. The lower screen has a number of different icons that line each side--one icon lets you see game stats, another lets you review a breakdown of yardage per down. On the right-hand side of the screen, you touch the H button to call a hot route, the A button to execute an audible, and the T icon to call a time-out. Of course, these are all functions you can accomplish with the simple press of a button (without a touch screen and stylus) as well. Finally there's the touch-screen passing, which you can enable in the gameplay-settings menu. You can tell your quarterback where to throw the ball simply by tapping the screen in the appropriate area. In the end, the touch-screen features of Madden have their ups and downs. Some players may like having all of the game-specific information just a tap away, while some will prefer the touch-screen passing mechanic, and some will get a...ahem... kick out of the new kicking controls. These controls, which seemed novel in last year's game, seem a bit superfluous this time around, especially considering you can perform nearly every one of them without the stylus and touch screen.

The dual screens give you two different views of the action on the field.

The two-screen setup in Madden NFL 06 looks a lot like last year's game. The upper screen is for on-the-field action and the lower screen provides a top-down X's and O's look at the field. We like the two different perspectives, especially for the passing game. The upper-screen camera angle is just a bit too low to the virtual ground for finding eligible receivers downfield. With a quick peek to the lower screen, however, you can easily spot receivers who've put some distance between themselves and their coverage. The odd camera angle of the upper-screen view of the field, which shifts downward once the ball is snapped, can make for some strange pursuit angles, and you'll likely miss a few sack attempts until you get used to it.

Once you get used to the game's presentation quirks, you'll find the same rock-solid football gameplay that lifted last year's game from the murk of mediocrity. The illuminated passing cone that made its debut in the console and PC versions of Madden 06 is nowhere to be found on the DS game and, as such, the passing game is nearly exactly like last year's. Players can sink into performance-reducing slumps or go on a tear and literally pick you apart. (How else can one explain a three-touchdown passing performance by Trent Dilfer?) The ground game, on the other hand, seems more effective this time around, both when running up the middle and when darting to the outside. Big holes can open up through your offensive line when running between the tackles, and thanks to the game's mostly solid frame rate, you'll be able to take advantage of these running lanes to pick up some big yardage. If there's one big gameplay complaint, it's the relative difficulty we had bringing down mobile quarterbacks. Sure, Michael Vick can dodge some sack attempts, but no way is he going to be able to brush off a head-on diving tackle from a defensive lineman like he can in this game.

Setting your depth chart, trading players, negotiating contracts...just part of the fun of the franchise mode, which makes its debut on the DS.

See more CNET content tagged:

Madden NFL 06,

Madden NFL,

touch screen,

Nintendo DS,

kick

User reviews

Write your own review Be the first one to review Madden NFL 06 (DS) and share your experience with the CNET community!

Where to buy

store	price	in stock?	rating
	$29.79	Yes
	$19.99	Yes
	$31.49	Yes

see prices from 3 stores

Where to buy Madden NFL 06 (DS)

• store price in stock
• Amazon.com $29.79 Yes
• GameQuest $19.99 Yes
• Amazon.com Marketplace $31.49 Yes
• See all stores