Jason won't pretend to know, or like, anything about the NFL
Publisher: EA Sports
Fri, 6 October 2006
by: Jason
American football is a subject I claim complete ignorance of. I know it involves large men in larger padding occasionally hitting each other and another not quite so large bloke that comes on to the filed every now and then to actually kick the ball. But that's about the extent of my knowledge. So the NFL fans (they must exist or there would be little point to EA Games punching out this title on a yearly basis) will have to excuse me if I say something stupid.
 | | The original Stormtrooper uniforms were much more bulky |
Once you kick your 360 in the guts and fire this game up something will grab your attention pretty quick; this game looks pretty damn good. Truly like a next gen title should, with players so detailed you can see them sweat and massive stadiums full of individual people, rather than the cardboard cutouts we're used to.
The game also supports the full roster of teams - so whoever floats your boat, from the Green Bay Packers to the Miami Dolphins, all of them are here with apparently current rosters of players (I wouldn't know - large blokes in sumo suits all look the same to me).
Having said the game certainly looks the shiznit, we come to the less than stunning part; the controls. I don't know if all NFL games are the same, but for a game that is supposed to be fast moving, after selecting your play from the lists of freaking hundreds (do they really make any difference?) there seems to be at times a 5 second window of opportunity in which to actually do anything to influence just when the bloke on your team is dropped in a crumpled heap by the opposition.
 | | Nice tight end |
As far as actually selecting a play; if you're a total NFL noob, like me, then its nice to know you have some assistance. You can ask your team's coach, or the enormous sink of NFL related stuff that is John Madden (well the blokes got his name on the box so we'll assume he has some idea of what he's talking about).
Audio-wise the game doesn't exactly leap out and scream "listen to me dammit!" - the dull roar of the crowd and the thump of bodies impacting are adequate, while the menu music is your fairly standard mix of rock, rap and other weird crap you will never hear on the radio.
So, what this one really boils down to is, are you a NFL nut? If not then this certainly isn't going to convert you. By the same token, if you are a fan then this is probably what you're looking for. But, like all EA sports games, with their yearly updates - if you've got the last one then unless you're desperate leave the follow up alone. Having said that, if the Next one (i.e. Madden 2007) comes even close to living up to the hype, it will be the experience all fans have been looking for.
by: Jason
More articles by Jason
|
Latest Game
Latest DVD
Latest Music
Latest Wrestling
By Australian Ninja
