With the upcoming release of the 16th iteration of one of the most venerable franchises in the history of gaming, EA is looking to pack Madden NFL 2006 with some of the most drastic improvements yet seen in the series from one year to the other. Now with the NFL license exclusively locked up, its clear that quality and content is at the forefront of the list of things to do with the game for the folks down at Tiburon.
The first and most obvious change from Madden NFL 2005 is the addition of the vision cone for quarterbacks dropping back to pass. The vision cone represents the field of vision of each quarterback down the field as they scan the nearby areas for potential receivers. The size of the vision cone is determined by each backs passing prowess. So, for example, Peyton Manning and Tom Brady can see most of the field very well and can often see from one sideline to the other while guys like Eli Manning and Ben Roethlisberger are more restricted with a narrower cone that needs to be manipulated more so than the elite athletes. Ideally, the player controlling each quarterback on the field in a passing situation will swing the vision cone over to their intended receiver in order to make a pinpoint accurate pass. The vision cone can be directly controlled with the right analog stick allowing for the player to scan the field in whatever way they want. The cone can also be snapped directly to any potential receiver by holding down the right trigger and tapping the button corresponding to the intended target, making for an easier time than having to manually situate the cone over the correct area. It is absolutely possible to hit receivers outside of the vision cones area, keep in mind, however, that the accuracy of these types of passes will be significantly lower than a pass in which the quarterback is directly staring down his target.
Also regarding the passing game, the passer side isnt the only one that was improved; receivers have also been tweaked ever so slightly in order to provide a more accurate representation of their individual skills. For example, a hands receiver like Terrell Owens or Roy Williams who are best put to use in jump ball situations will be better portrayed in game. Depending on their jump, catch, and awareness ratings, these players will be able to go up over defenders to make incredible catches that were not possible in last years version of the game. No longer will a speedy receiver be the most important player on your offense while a power receiver falls by the wayside, now the player will have to look at situations a bit more critically in order to determine who deserves the rock. Dont fret defensive gurus; the same principle will apply to your more athletic cornerbacks and safeties.
Staying with the offense, the ground game has also been improved. The new truck stick feature is similar to the defensive hit stick feature that was added last year. Any offensive player with the ball can try and blast right through an oncoming defender with the flick of the right analog stick. The most benefit will be seen with big players like TJ Duckett and Antonio Gates who will flat-out steamroll any defender that thinks a weak tackle will be able to bring these guys down while the more lithe Tiki Barber or Marvin Harrison wont be able to break as many takedown hits. The truck stick is an incredible asset in goal line or other short situations, as well as in trying to squeeze out that one or two extra yards that will get the player passed the first down marker. As a drawback to using the truck stick, the ball carrier is more prone to fumbling the ball. Judicious use of the will be the smart players choice. Along with the introduction of the truck stick, Tiburon has tweaked the blocking AI in order to have linemen and tight ends react a bit more naturally. In previous Madden games it was normal to see an offensive lineman eschew his responsibility of blocking an oncoming defender immediately in front of them in order to go and block the defensive back ten yards down the field. Thankfully this has been addressed and the players react more naturally and better than before. The effect is a much better feeling running game. My only complaint with this is that now perhaps running will be a bit too effective in game. In my few games with the E3 demo version of Madden 2006, I broke several long touchdown runs thanks to the great blockers who held their assigned blocks for a bit longer than they really should have. It was a small issue that may be addressed by bumping up the admittedly low difficulty level in the demo. Wrapping up the rushing improvements, Tiburon has taken strides in addressing the famed Mario running issue. In previous Madden titles it was common to see the ball carrier jammed at the line of scrimmage only to bounce off of linemen like a pinball. The fix for this comes in the form of a set of animations that make the runner skinnier in order to get around the players blocking his path. While it does not completely solve problem, there is a noticeable change.
Rounding out the offensive improvements in Madden NFL 2006 is the new slide protection. Slide protection allows the player to manipulate the blocking scheme in order to create advantageous situations for both running and passing plays and to counter the shifting movements of the defensive line. As an example, in Madden NFL 2005, a player that would spread the defensive line and direct them to attack the outside would create immediate and unfair pressure on the quarterback. Slide protection prevents that. Activate the slide protection and then press up on the d-pad and the offensive line will drop back in a wider pocket to protect against outside rushers. Press down on the pad and the linemen will create a denser pocket to hopefully stop inside blitzing. Even in this demo form it worked remarkably well and should definitely put an end to some of the issues with the last version of the game.
Along with those changes to the offense, the defensive side of the ball has seen a bit of tweaking as well. Though it was not available in the E3 demo, defensive backs will now be able to shade the receivers they are assigned to, meaning that they can defend on the inside or on the outside of the receivers route. This will do wonders to those that were mystified by the incredible effectiveness of the corner routes in last years game as they can now have their players defend further out to prevent a speedy receiver from getting the upper hand. It is also a bit easier to hide what kind of coverage the defense sets up in as defenders in zone will follow receivers in motion in order to make it look like man coverage. All of last years stellar defensive additions from the will return.
Outside of the immediate game play, the acquisition of the NFL license has granted Tiburon unprecedented access with both the league and the players. As an example, the soundtrack for the game is full of music from the NFL Films vault. With access granted by the NFLPA, 150 of the top players in the league have had their heads scanned for the game leading to a level of detail that has never before been seen. The final game should be packed to the gills with content that would make football faithfuls mouths water.
A few months away from release and the game looks like it will be another winner for EA and Tiburon. As far as negatives go, I could only come up with a few complaints while playing the game. The passing cone is a great concept for added realism, but the ability to quickly snap to a receiver almost negates the whole idea. In essence its just making me press three buttons to hit whichever receiver I want as opposed to the one from years past. The increased difficulty to the passing player comes in with the added split second delay of the button presses in order to get the ball off to a receiver who may not be within the field of vision. Players will be able to just chuck the ball downfield to an athletic receiver and have a good shot at the guy coming down with a jump ball that would usually be knocked down in real life. Running has definitely seen improvement, but it looked a bit too improved in the E3 demo. As I indicated above, this may very well be as a result of the difficulty level set within the demo. Defensively, problems with the slot corner routes still exist in the demo, but hopefully will be taken care of once the shading is implemented. Apart from those four niggling issues, sports nuts can expect the same high level of quality we have grown accustomed to from the Madden franchise. Dont forget that while this may be a preview of the E3 build, the final game will also features an even better franchise mode and the new superstar mode. Look for the game to hit just before football season.
Special thanks to Ryan Ferwerda of Tiburon for all of his help and patience while I played probably more games than I should have on the show floor.
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