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Madden NFL 2004
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Graphics & Sound:
Maybe it’s just me, but I’m not overly impressed with the graphics of Madden NFL 2004. Don’t get me wrong... they’re not bad at all. I’m just used to having EA Sports do something fresh and new each year with the graphics, and this year, I wasn’t "wowed." The facial features of the big name players are good, but I think they’ve actually looked better in the past. Now the animations are top notch. Since this is the year of the "Playmaker" (more on that later), the animations follow a certain mold of athlete. Kind of like the "cover boy", Michael Vick. Get ready to see some great jukes, spins, dives, off-balanced throws, and all the other stuff you see on Sundays in 2004.
A year ago, I said I felt Al Michaels was a letdown to the Madden series when he replaced longtime commentator Pat Summerall. The commentary in 2004 sounds much more realistic between Michaels and Madden. The two seem to "gel" a little bit better. Still, I’m not one to really enjoy the remarks of one John Madden. So all I can say is the two definitely sound better than a year ago. Meantime, the standard crowd noise, tackles, and other football sounds are pretty standard. |
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Gameplay:
EA Sports is putting the stranglehold on its competition each year because of one reason, and one reason only: deep gameplay. Sure, Madden 2004 has all the regulars: Play Now, Tournament, Mini-Camp, Situation, Two-Minute Drill, and Franchise. But this year, not only can you play as the General Manager... you can also play as the OWNER! Set prices for tickets, food, merchandise... everything and almost anything that help to afford your prime-time players’ contracts. You’ll also need to sign a coaching staff (Head Coach, Offense, Defense, Special Teams). The cool thing about this is after a player retires, you may see him looking for a coaching job down the road. In the meantime, you can add extra features to your stadiums like better seats, or a bigger big screen. What’s that you say? Your stadium is rather old and obsolete? Well, go ahead and build your own with your own customization. In fact, let the taxpayers fit the bill if you want. What’s that, they don’t care for the team all that much? I hear Los Angeles is in the market for an NFL franchise. So go ahead and make the move, anywhere in the country (and outside of it). That’s the beauty of Madden 2004... you can play as anybody.
Also new to 2004 is the Playmaker Control. This allows your "playmakers" to do things you couldn’t do in the past. Now you can have your scrambling quarterback have his receiver break off his route with the flip of the right analog stick. You can also do things at the line of scrimmage. For instance, if you think your run play won’t work against the defense because they’re stacked to one side, direct your running back to run to the opposite side. The same sort of thing applies to the defense. If there are several receivers bunched on one side, have your safeties play zone on one side of the field or the other. |
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Difficulty:
If you’re new to the Madden series, or football in general, you can play through two different game modes to help your understanding of the game. The first is Madden 101, which is a tutorial that describes each and every play, along with how the controls work. That’s truly for beginners. The other is the Practice mode, where you can run the same play over and over again until you get it right. This is great when you want to try out a new play you created in Create-A-Playbook. When you’re ready to step onto the field, you can choose between four difficulty levels: Rookie, Veteran, All-Pro, and All-Madden. If that’s not enough, there are a whole bunch of different variables to customize for the A.I.
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Game Mechanics:
The one difference for Madden NFL 2004’s controller configuration is obviously the Playmaker Control, which is, again, controlled with the right analog stick. This may take some time getting used to, since it is the new thing. I tried using it for all of the features (running, throwing, defense), and while I liked it some of the time, I felt it was sometimes bogging down my control of the offense. Honestly, I think it’s a handy tool, but it doesn’t heighten the game’s stature so much that everyone will be talking about this for years. For those that play the game, Playmaker Control will be used at their discretion. The rest of this section is sound. Loading time barely exists, and memory blocks are as always, spared.
Like I said earlier, the deep gameplay is what keeps people coming back for more, and EA Sports on top every year. Madden NFL 2004 is a no-brainer for football fans, especially with the Owner mode. Get this game if you haven’t already. |
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-Red Dawg, GameVortex Communications AKA Alex Redmann |
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