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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 22, 2005)
BY ADAM DIAMOND SALSA DANCING WITH Getting Sacked New Madden game is mostly an improvement. L et me save you some time. Yes, this is a great game; but no, it’s not as great as the EA publicity machine would have you believe. And that’s sad. But what’s really sad is that what’s good about this title is not what’s been advertised, and what’s been advertised isn’t that good. Confused? Play the game. All will become clear soon enough. As any real football geek well knows, Madden is the premier foot- ball franchise in the video game world. The ’06 version is no slouch, offering all the fun Madden has pro- vided in the past but with a few inter- esting new touches. For example, under certain circumstances during Franchise mode, you can save a key game and replay it as long as you maintain the Franchise file it came from. This is called Spawning, and can be useful for when you want to play a game with your Franchise ros- ter against a friend but don’t want to mess up your Franchise record should you lose. But Spawning is small potatoes compared to NFL Superstar Mode. Similar to one of the modes in NCAA ’06, Superstar Mode allows you to MADDEN NFL 2006 create a player from scratch and put P u b l i sh er : EA SPORTS him on the team roster of your choice. Don’t want to start from P la tf or m : PC, PS2, XBOX, GC, DS, GBA, scratch? Take that graduating senior (PSP & XBOX 360 coming soon) you created a few weeks (and four virtual seasons) ago in NCAA ’06 and P r ic e : $49.99 for consoles, turn him into this year’s Pro. More of $39.99 for DS & PC, $29.99 for GBA an NFL Streets fan? Created players E S RB Ra t i ng : E (Everyone) in NFL Streets 2 can also come in, giving EA the synergy they desire. Wh a t’ s c oo l: Playing the same franchise Superstar mode is rich and deep on both your PS2 and PSP; a vastly and may make you forget about the improved running game; and the omnipresent Franchise mode alto- exclusive NFL license. gether. Not only do you have to play games, but you’ve also got to attend Wh a t ’s u n co o l : The QB Vision practices and handle the media with Control makes passing more skill. Pick up a mentor to help you challenging and less fun all at deal, and you’ll get the advice you the same time; graphics are need to do well. You’ll also have an less than expected; nothing agent. Now this can be a good thing spectacular in EA Trax. and a bad thing. Your agent will do Gameplay 4, Graphics 3.5, Sound 4 what you ask but he may involve the media and that is something that never goes over well. If you and your agent handle the media well, however, you’ll end up with a sweet endorsement deal. And isn’t that exactly why you started playing the game in the first place? Now, what’s really disappointing is the much ballyhooed QB Vision Control. I found it hard to get the hang of and not very fun to practice. When a compo- nent of a game is hard to master, the mastery should at least be fun. And get- ting sacked every time your primary receiver is covered is never any fun. Let’s just say that this feature, and the rest of the passing controls, still need a bit of work. The graphics aren’t all that impressive either. They’re not much better than the graphics in the college game, and those were pretty disappointing as well. Even more of a letdown is the music. EA Trax has offered us many hits over the years in their many titles, but this particular batch really seems to fall short. Despite some of the negatives, though, this game is well worth the $50 you’ll have to spend for it — just don’t expect that this is the chosen game that will change your life and give it meaning. Despite all EA’s advertising to the con- trary, it’s just a great football game. ew Adam Diamond writes for Weekly Dig (www.weeklydig.com) in Boston. CALIENTE FRIDAY - VIERNES, SEPT. 23 FREE DANCE LESSON 9-10PM • MUSIC AND DANCING 10PM-1:30AM Vet’s Club Ballroom 1626 W ILLAMETTE S T . • 342-3021 • N EXT SALSA EVENT F RI ., S EPT . 30 N E W S • A R T S • C U LT U R E NEXT ISSUE COMING OCTOBER 13, 2005 RESERVE YOUR AD SPACE BY OCT. 6 • 484-0519 There’s something for everyone at THE EUGENE CELEBRATION! Presented by Entertainment on 6 Outdoor Stages & 6 Indoor Stages • Marketplace International Food Court • Film Festival Community Causeway • Pet Parade Mercado Latino • Custom Car Show Oregon Organic Foods & Wine Court Sandcastle Building • Kidzone Parade • Gallery District Art Walk Get your wristband today! Washington Mutual Banks Dutch Bros. (Free 16oz. Dutch Coffee with wristband purchase) Jerry’s Home Improvement, LTD (11th & Willamette Station) 3-day wristband $10 / Single day $6 / Kids 12 & under FREE! For info. or to volunteer call: (541) 681-4108 Ride LTD free during event with proof of admission See the complete schedule at www.eugenecelebration.com 681-4108 SEPTEMBER 22, 2005 33
