With the release of Madden NFL 2005, the Madden franchise is back for yet another year. Aside from the routine updates to the roster, the most significant alterations to the gameplay in this iteration primarily concern defensive play. Along with various other additions and modifications, there are also expansions to the franchise mode and the online methods.
Incorporating the Hit Stick, which enables precise and context-sensitive tackling through the second analog stick, is one of the significant adjustments that have been made to the defensive play style. In addition, there is now defensive playmaker control, which enables players to make position changes on the fly and defensive hot routes. Additionally, the offensive playbook was expanded to include formation shifts at the line of scrimmage.
The franchise mode now has an option called Storyline Central, which includes a show called “EA Sports Radio” by Tony Bruno. The show consists of news and reports surrounding games and the league, interviews with players, and fan call-ins. There are also emails from players and coaches and stories from legitimately licensed newspapers around the United States. In addition, there are other things. A revamped user interface that looks like a personal digital assistant (PDA) is used to retrieve all of this information. The players’ morale will alter throughout the season depending on various factors, such as their contracts, their performance in wins and losses, whether or not they are benched, and more. Additionally, the draft system has been altered, and it has been found that selecting new players can impact the existing players’ sense of motivation.
Create-A-Fan is the name of another game’s brand-new features. It allows players to make their supporters using an editor, dressing them up in bizarre outfits, and then watching them sit in the stands during a game.
This year’s edition is the first to incorporate online play for the Xbox through Xbox Live, and it is also the first to introduce online league play on both PS2 and Xbox. Both of these innovations were made possible by this year’s edition.
