Madden NFL 06

 GameCube
User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 15 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 15
  3. Negative: 2 out of 15
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  1. DevinJ.
    May 20, 2005
    10
    Wow this game is great!
  2. KyleH.
    Aug 10, 2005
    10
    Awesome.
  3. JackL.
    Aug 18, 2005
    7
    So while waiting for 06 to come out, I dusted off my copy of 05 but...couldn't play my copy of 05 cause the disc had vanished. I had no other choice but to play ESPN 2K5 which I could never really get into just because I felt like I had to learn to play the whole game again. Anyhow, ESPN 2K5 is amazing and so is Madden but this years Madden 06 falls flat on its face. Where? Gameplay. So while waiting for 06 to come out, I dusted off my copy of 05 but...couldn't play my copy of 05 cause the disc had vanished. I had no other choice but to play ESPN 2K5 which I could never really get into just because I felt like I had to learn to play the whole game again. Anyhow, ESPN 2K5 is amazing and so is Madden but this years Madden 06 falls flat on its face. Where? Gameplay. They just don't get it. They can add a new 'X' factor feature every year to intrigue us but until they improve the base gameplay they will never get it. ESPN does however in spades...but 2K5 has a rather ugly GUI and can be confusing to navigate thru while Madden is super pretty and slick. So you know...I did all the tutorials, learned the new controls set my team, the Steelers and then when I got to the game, the whole thing just farted and laid an egg. I never thought the player animations could get worse but they did. I never thought the presentation could get worse but it didn't it just stayed EXACTLY the same except this time I was subject to agro grunge pop and gangsta music every two seconds. It begs the question? What the hell does that music have to with football? Thankfully all those horrible decisions by the ignorant brass at Tiburon can be changed. These are first impressions I'm talking about here. The precision passing is the only redeeming feature. The defensive features are impossible to work with because you just do not have time to select your coverages. Play 2K5 and you'll see amazing and extremely ambitious presentation as well as very realistic gameplay. Somehow we got to the ideas of these two franchises (one is now deceased) and put them together in one game. The entire AI has to be rewritten for Madden. All player animations have to redone from the ground up. And replays for God's sake! Madden completely misses the boat on every single great play I make. I could go on and on about the weaknesses in gameplay with punt returns, catch up logic from CPU, fluid motion dynamics, cookie cutter celebrations, excessive audio to cover up for no work put into art and coding, the stupid EA radio and one last thing the horrible blazing white EA splash screen which appears after scoring a TD. I don't know what the hell that is....but is so ugly and so old school that it looks like it comes from the cutting room floor of Madden 98. It practically blinds me every time it comes on. So in conclusion, if you want a sexy front end, menus, horrible teenage-angst-ghetto-wannabee-slacker music, unfootball-like animations and feel, poor AI, and weak gameplay then get this game. I get it a 7 based on the strength of the Front End alone, it's that good.… Expand
  4. BubuchiS.
    Aug 30, 2006
    10
    This game is awesome! Love the graphics.
  5. LawrenceG.
    Jul 27, 2005
    10
    With the new features added to this game such as precision passing and the 24/7 mode this game is easily the best madden yet and deserves a 10.
  6. BillK.
    Aug 16, 2005
    9
    I played both the gamecube and ps2 versions in a store, and the gamecube version looked and felt a good deal better. The passing cone didn't change the game as much as I thought it would. The game still has the same familiar feel to it.
  7. RichG.
    Sep 15, 2005
    4
    Madden 06 is a total joke and still proof that ea/Tiburon is more interested in successful marketing and shareholder profits than making a game worth playing.This years version is horrible and should be sued on a class action basis for causing such mental anguish.Need examples;no need to worry I have plenty of them :Like Alex Smith being able to run down from behind All Pro cornerbacks Madden 06 is a total joke and still proof that ea/Tiburon is more interested in successful marketing and shareholder profits than making a game worth playing.This years version is horrible and should be sued on a class action basis for causing such mental anguish.Need examples;no need to worry I have plenty of them :Like Alex Smith being able to run down from behind All Pro cornerbacks (no angle at all)and force fumbles to seal bogus victories for online opponents,how about Billy Cundiff shanking straight forward 38 yard feildgoals from the very center of the field with 100 percent accuracy and 97 power in a dome no less against the cpu(while playing Atlanta) after the opponent quit the game just to give the cpu another chance at a last second victory.How about certain players with lesser abilities making great clutch plays while others with much greater abilities dropping balls or fumbles when the A.I.feels the need to assist a playoff team or a team from California.Why is it that all a rookie need do is pick a 3-4 cover 3 zone package and put 8 in the box.Blitz the fastest linebacker or linebackers and your screwed.Iv'e been playing Madden for 16 long years and this is the worst version ever.MY tag name is Sutherndevil I was consistently in and out of the top 100 last year playing with the lowly Saints and didnt use glitches etc.to get there unless someone glitched me first and continued to do so.Yeah all the new "bells and whistles are neato torpedo" but the player attributes are a complete disreguard for reality and the computer A.I. totally disgusts me. Absolutely positively a reason to sue or turn them into the Better Business Bureau for such a poorly made game.People everywhere deserve theyre money back.… Expand
  8. KyleS.
    Jul 23, 2006
    9
    A great game of football to play with your friends, Superstar mode seems unrealistic, but overall a good buy.

Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Best GameCube Game of 2005
31
#31 Most Discussed GameCube Game of 2005

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
86

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. Yahoo!
    90
    Recent releases have seen plenty of tweaks, but they merely nudged the gameplay. This year's implementation of a quarterback's cone of vision really changes things by rethinking the foundations of passing the ball.
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  2. Stuff
    95
    Once again, EA and Madden manage to do the impossible: They made us fall head-over-cleats in love with this frigging game all over again.
    Read full review
  3. DailyGame
    91
    Madden NFL 06 is still an outstanding game, but EA needs to re-think the reality and practicality of its Superstar mode, and it has plenty of work to do to make QB Vision both effective and enjoyable.
    Read full review
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