Madden NFL 2005 Reviewed [Archive] - Thoughts Media Forums

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Darren Behan

03-09-2005, 07:00 PM

<img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/madden0.jpg" /> Product Category: Sports Games Manufacturer: <a href="http://www.gomdm.com/p_madden.asp">MDM (AKA Mobile Digital Media)</a> Where to Buy: <a href="http://www.pocketgear.com/software_detail.asp?id=15570&associateid=204">PocketGear</a> [Affiliate] Price: $29.99 USD (Available Via Download or on an SD/MMC Card) System Requirements: Windows Mobile™-based Pocket PC 2002 or higher devices (with SD/MMC expansion slot if ordered on the same) with 6 Mb of program memory available. Pros:<li>Very faithful to the original; <li>Accessible to beginners or fanatics; <li>Solid audio.Cons:<li>Can be a little hard to control with D-Pad depending on your device; <li>No in-game save feature;<li>Can be a bit menu intensive.Summary: MDM has done a wonderful job in porting this console classic with all of the depth and great game play of the original right at your finger tips. Read on for the full review!<!> <PAGEBREAK> Installation & Setup There are two options for installation with Madden NFL 2005 depending upon what you purchase. You have the choice of either a 5.2 Mb download or you can purchase the game on an SD/MMC card - either way the price is the same. Installation and registration are both straight forward and a thorough manual is provided to get you running, passing and kicking quickly. As far as settings go, the initial choices are minimal but pretty much what you need at that time. There is a utility for mapping the four buttons required for performing various game functions. These buttons in conjunction with the D-Pad mimic the console game's game pad. Additionally, you can adjust both the music and sound effects. Once you're in-game, there are a host of additional options which will be discussed below. Pre-Game Show <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/madden1.jpg" /> Figure 1: Madden NFL 2005 opening screen. Starting a game requires as much or as little effort as you feel like putting into it depending on what you prefer as your 'depth of experience'. Novices will likely prefer simply picking two teams and getting under way which is accomplished by the Play Now option. The more experienced among you may wish to try your hand at Season Play, where you can attempt to claw and scratch your way to the championship. For those of you who eat, sleep, and breathe this stuff, you'll undoubtedly want to head to the Front Office first in order to assemble your dream team. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/madden0.jpg" /> Figure 2: Madden NFL 2005 Team Selection screen. The team selection screen is a pretty straightforward affair. The whole of the NFL is open to you and you can create match-ups that you'd never likely see in real life. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/madden2.jpg" /> Figure 3: Madden NFL 2005 Game Rules screen. Once you have selected your teams you'll progress through a series of menus to get to the point of kickoff. The first is the Game Rules screen. Here you can set the duration of the quarters, location of the game, weather during the game, whether or not players get tired over the course of the game, whether or not your players can get injured (Season Play only), and whether to use the original team rosters or what your wheeling and dealing has produced. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/madden3.jpg" /> Figure 4: Madden NFL 2005 Controller Setup screen. In what I find to be a minor annoyance, you're brought to another screen on which you are to select which team you will play and which team will be controlled by the CPU. I'd rather think that you could have accomplished this back on the Team Selection screen but it's no big deal. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/madden4.jpg" /> Figure 5: Madden NFL 2005 Pre-Game Show screen. Having selected the controller options, you are now at the Pre-Game Show replete with the smiling faces of John Madden and Al Michaels. From here you can go directly to the game, modify yet more options, make some last minute substitutions to keep your CPU opponent guessing, view the credits, or end the game (which I can't imagine you would want to do after all these menus!) <PAGEBREAK> Kick Off! <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/madden6.jpg" /> Figure 6: Madden NFL 2005 coin toss screen. The game starts with the coin toss. The winner elects to kick off or receive while the loser selects which goal to defend. This can be relevant depending on the wind direction (shown to you during the selection process). This is just another example of the attention to detail infused into this game. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/madden7.jpg" /> Figure 7: Madden NFL 2005: Kick Off! Kicking off is accomplished by pressing and releasing the A button then pressing it again when it reaches the desired power. You can also use the D-Pad to alter the kick's direction. This takes a little getting used to, but overall is pretty easy. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/madden8.jpg" /> Figure 8: Madden NFL 2005: Play Selection. Now's the time when the rubber hits the road, so to speak. Play selection is crucial to success in this game. Each team has its own strengths and weakness and your play selection needs to reflect that. Fortunately, there is no shortage of plays to choose from. In fact, you'll need to go three levels deep to finally select your play; that too with the play clock working against you. While this translates into dozens of plays, novices may find it a little daunting at first to navigate play selection in time. <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/madden10.jpg" /> Figure 9: Madden NFL 2005: In Game. General In-Game Control Functionality: <ul><li>Passing, hand-offs, kicking, and player selection (pre-snap on defense) is accomplished by using the A button.<li>Cycling through receivers is done with the B button.<li>Running is accomplished by the D-Pad and with this game, you are only as good as your button arrangement and D-Pad's responsiveness. I played on an iMate PDA2K which I found to be generally nicely arranged and responsive. If you're not sure, download the demo (which is always a good idea with any game).</ul> From here it's up to you; if you can put all of these together in the right combination, a trip to the Super Bowl may be in your future! Post-Game Report Overall, the folks at MDM have done an excellent job in porting Madden NFL 2005 to the Pocket PC. If you are a fan of the genre, you will not be disappointed. However, your particular PPC button arrangement and the strength of its D-Pad will make a difference to your enjoyment of this game.

doc

03-09-2005, 07:44 PM

The graphics look pretty good. It would be nice if they could also include a port to the new Dell X50v graphics chip to make the graphics even better.

rzanology

03-09-2005, 07:48 PM

that looks sad. 16mb on new ppcs they should be able to come up with something better than that. some proper 3d graphics isn't alot to ask from EA.

shawnc

03-09-2005, 07:49 PM

My son is getting married in September and one of the things I picked up for him is a HP 4155. He will be new to the PPC world but since I gave his younger brother my Axim, he is already somewhat familiar. He is a HUGE gamer and would LOVE this software. The problem is that by the time he gets it they will be releasing Madden 2006 for his PS/Xbox.

If they release a 2006 version before September, I'll definitely be picking this up for him. Usually my price point for PPC games is $20, but I'd gladly drop $30 for this one.

The only question I would have is whether the SD card is swappable between devices. That way he could load it to his brother when he isn't using it.

Darren Behan

03-09-2005, 10:23 PM

As to graphics, everyone will have their own opinion. I personally thought the graphics were perfectly acceptable, particularly for a PPC that does not have VGA. BTW, this is a port of an EA game by MDM, therefore, MDM should get the credit (or blame as the case may be) for the graphics.

As to sharing the SD version of the game; I'm afraid that I only tested the downloaded version. You might wish to contact MDM and inquire about installation on multiple devices. Not sure how their licensing restrictions may apply to the removable media version if the card is required to play the game.

db

Paragon

03-09-2005, 10:37 PM

sponge

03-10-2005, 12:07 AM

By the way, if any serious gamers are around here, keep in mind this is a port of the GBA version of the game. The NDS version is superior to the GBA, and thus the PPC. So if you're thinking about getting an NDS, or already have a GBA, keep this in mind.

Proper 3D graphics ARE a lot to ask: you can't just throw money at a problem here. You'll have much more detail in sprites than you will having to split an already limited amount of polies among 18 people, excluding scenery. Sprites are a little blocky, but that's due to being a port of the GBA, who's native resolution hovers somewhere around 240x160 I believe.

Somewhat off-topic, but was a bit disappointed with the review. It just seemed to talk about how to start a game. How was the AI? The speed? The sounds of the game? Can you just run a passing game like you could for many years in the Madden series? How does the AI handle defence?

piperpilot

03-10-2005, 02:30 PM

I gave the trial version a whirl and didn't like the game, mostly because I don't know enough about the Xs and Os of football to have any real strategy in playing the game. As a result, it didn't hold my attention long enough to warrant shelling out $30 for it. I love watching football on TV but I couldn't tell you a thing about the strategy and technical aspects of the game. I just want my team (the Pats) to win, which they have been so kind to do. :wink:

Darren Behan

03-10-2005, 07:45 PM

Sponge, sorry you were disappointed with the review. It was my first one and I did my best to cover what I thought was important. With a game like this, you can spend a lot of time on all of the different compenents to it. Nevertheless, I apreciate your feedback and here are the answers your questions:

1) I think that the AI was solid and appropriately challenging. That said, this tends to be subjective since someone who is not particularly good at the game might find it too difficult and someone who is excellent at it may find it too easy.

2) The game played very smoothly on my PDA2K with it's 400 Mhz processor, no hangups or jerkiness. I should think that it would perform equally well on a similarly configured device. As with any game, however, people should download the trial and see how it performs on their device.

3) I did describe the sound in the 'Pros' section of the review but admittedly not particularly well. I thought all of the audio in the game were quite good; including the background music, Al Michaels & John Madden's commentary, and those for game play. Neither the background music nor the commentary was annoying or intrusive and you can turn down the music at least if it bothers you.

4) I am not sure what you mean about running a passing game. I did not see any options in the game for doing so having gone back to double check. I must admit not being a long running player of the series.

5) Again, I'm not sure what you mean here. The defense follows your receivers pretty well and selection of the right receiver is crucial to completing a pass. It's not impossible but it's not a cakewalk either.

Hope this addresses what you wanted to know. If not, please let me know and I will try to provide better answers.

db

Monty Gibson

03-13-2005, 07:37 PM

Just a quick note for 4700 users: If you have some sort of keyboard (bluetooth for example) you can still play this game. Use the directional arrows on the bluetooth keyboard to control the player, you have to use the rest of the buttons on the Pocket PC to pass, throw, select and tackle.

Take care,
Monty Gibson

Monty Gibson

03-13-2005, 07:37 PM

Monty Gibson

03-13-2005, 07:38 PM

Craig Horlacher

03-17-2005, 05:16 AM

I bought it an love it! For a handheld sports game it's excellent. I'm glad to add it to my small collection with Soccer Addict and good old ZioGolf 2.

I think the graphics are great for a pocket pc sports game. No, it's not vga but it's a well done 240x320 game. The sound, though not high quality is good enough and the amount is impressive with some comentary from Madden and Al Micheals.

It runs great on my Toshiba E830. It has different modes of control so you can basically do almost nothing other than call the plays if you want. Since the brilliant people at compaq released the first ipaq with a dpad in the middle of the device and set the stage for poor gaming I've given up on great button control (sniff, sniff, RIP Casio e125). I do manage to have fun by setting the conrols so it makes thigns a little easier. This may bother hardcore gamers a little much.

It's got all the teams and players in there. It also tracks all the stats during the game. I just think for a pocket pc sports game it's one of the best ones out there!