Fifteen years is a long time but in video games 15 years seems like an eternity.  But for football fans the Madden name has proven that time creates great results.  The name Madden means more than just John Madden the announcer.  For gamers the name Madden is the king of football gaming.  Madden is the brand other football games are compared to, whether fair or unfair.  No matter what any other company does, Madden is the standard bearer for the gaming industry.  With Madden NFL 2005 Collector’s Edition for PS2, EA has outdone themselves again with the Madden franchise.

To celebrate the 15^th year of Madden, EA Sports has released a special bonus version of Madden NFL 2005; Collector’s Edition.  This edition includes the regular version of Madden NFL 2005 for PS2 with some extra bonus features not available in the regular version.  Since football fans always seem to talk about the greatness of teams of yore, EA Sports has included three classic versions of Madden in the Collector’s Edition.  Now gamers can relive several classic games from the Madden catalog and hopefully appreciate just how much the Madden franchise has grown over 15 years.   Just having three additional Madden games included for an extra $10.00 is a great bonus, but the Collector’s Edition doesn’t stop there.  But really the bonus features are just the icing on the cake, since this year’s version of Madden is another solid football experience.

There are several big changes to this year’s Madden; some have a big impact on the game, while others seem to be an extra coat of wax.  The biggest addition is the new defensive controls, from the new Hit Stick option to the new defensive Playmaker controls.  The Hit Stick option allows you try and hit an offensive player with an intense, fumble causing hit.  While the Playmaker controls for defense gives you the opportunity to change the assignments for every defensive player on the field.  Now players have almost complete control over every player on the field.  Pick one player to blitz, while another play plays a bump and run coverage.  The choice is yours.

The franchise mode this year also includes some new features: Storyline Central, Progression System, Player Personalities and EA SPORTS Radio.  The Storyline Mode allows you to read and hear about the happenings around the NFL.  You can read emails, newspaper articles and listen to the Tony Bruno (sports radio host) show within the game.  The Progression System gives the players to see the performance and progression of a player every four weeks.  The Player Personalities features lets you see the attitude a particular player has regarding his position within your team.  If you wanted to trade a player then it’s probable that his personality will no longer be favorable towards you.  Another new feature included in this year’s version is the ability to create your own fan, called Create-A-Fan.  While it doesn’t impact the game necessarily it’s a nice feature to have in the game. 

There are some other new features included as well from the Rushing Attack mode to new modes available online (Rushing Attack and Quick Tournament).  This year’s Madden is another impressive addition to the long-standing Madden franchise.  The big focus this year is on defense, which comes across very well during most of the game.  The running game this year suffers compared to previous years, especially when playing against a player that use the defensive Playmaker options.  But as Madden has gotten better over the years, so can you.  Don’t expect to be a big baller right away, it will take time to adjust to the new additions this year.  It’s all about practice, whether it’s in the NFL or in a Madden football game.  EA proves once again that if it’s in the game, then it’s in this game; now loaded with a huge amount of extras for the Collector’s Edition. 

Gameplay 9.2 

The big addition this year is the upgrades to the defensive controls.  As I mentioned earlier you now have the ability to control almost every player on the field.  With the Playmaker controls you can tell a specific player to blitz, contain the quarterback, spy the quarterback or play a deep or hook zone.  The Playmaker controls are simple to use since you select the player and then press a direction on the right analog stick to choose which action to perform.  But if this isn’t enough for you (or maybe too much for you) there is the option to change the play of a specific defensive unit.  Let’s say you want to make the defensive line crash in, you press the L1 button and then the down on the right analog stick.  If you want the line to crash to the left then you press left on the right analog stick. 

Now let’s say you want to change the coverage for the secondary, you press the triangle button and then left or right on the right analog stick to change their coverage. 

The game is loaded with so many different options that it will always keep you on your toes.  If you see the defensive line moving in you still have the ability to change your offense at any time, well at least before the play clock runs out.  Call an audible or tell your player to follow a hot route if you see an opening on the line coverage.  The offensive controls are similar to last year’s version, so veterans of last year’s game will be able to jump in right away on offense.   The hot route option is very easy to execute; you press the triangle button and then button for your receiver.  You then press a direction of the hot route you want the receiver to follow.  For example pressing up will have the receiver run a fly pattern, while press down calls for a curl pattern. 

The most touted feature is the new Hit Stick feature, is probably the most over-rated feature.  The Hit Stick feature is very simple to pull off; you simply flick the right analog to execute the big hit.  It’s a nice feature when you can hit a player head on but usually your player is never lined up properly before the hit.  Usually you will get the hit but it’s nothing that was momentum changing during the game, unless it was a fumble.  Sometime it seemed as if there was a slight delay when I would try the Hit Stick.  I would see the Hit Stick icon on the screen usually after the offensive player is long gone.  But this slight delay seemed to occur on most defensive plays, especially in the secondary.  It always felt I was a split second off when I would try to tackle or knock down a pass. 

The hardcore Madden players have always expressed their opinion that Madden just plays better than the other football games.  With the new defensive control options this seems to true maybe on the defensive side but not on the offensive side.  The running game seemed non-existent within Madden NFL 2005.  This isn’t to say that I wasn’t able to run the ball, in fact with the Juke and Stiff arm moves I ran some big plays.  But the big, up the middle, running plays would never amount for anything.  It seemed that no matter what I tried the defense would always stuff the middle.  Sure this might be just like real football but why did it happen on every play? 

However the passing game was still very impressive.  Finding the correct crease and route of the player to score a big play was always satisfying.  You just can’t expect to have every playing running fly patterns and expect a catch every time.  Sometimes you have to try a crossing pattern or get your tight end involved within the passing game.  You will probably run the ball sparingly and keep the ball going in the air. 

Graphics 9.0 

The graphics are stunning in Madden NFL 2005 Collector’s Edition.  Even though this might be same graphics engine from last year, the amount of detail in the game is amazing.  The character models for the players are similar to the actual players in the NFL and the jerseys looked outstanding.  It seemed as if I was looking at an actual jersey while I was playing the game.  The jerseys would show dirt as the game would play on and the players would show signs of fatigue as the game went on.  The game always played at a steady and consistent frame rate and I never noticed any slow down.  The stadiums were all very impressive with their own unique and individual look.  The presentation of the game though just doesn’t wow you.  The replays are played out in the middle of the screen, between the play selection options.  It would have been nice if the developers spruced up the presentation of the game from the standard; you see the stadium, you see the kick off, you see the cheerleaders and then you see the coaches at the end of the game. 

Sound 8.5 

The sound effects in the game come across loud and clear.  You will hear all of the hits, the bodies crashing on the field and the sound of the crowd.  The sound effects are good but not much different than last year’s game.  This is the case with the commentary as well.  While the commentary has improved a little it’s still very dry and repetitive.  Madden will get excited from time to time but you will probably get bored after you’ve heard him repeat the same phrases over and over again.  The music during menu options was nice but just as in other EA Sports game the music becomes repetitive, quickly.  The EA Sports Radio option that’s included in the game was fun but not very informative or productive for the game.  It’s a nice feature to hear a mock sports radio call in show playing while you’re working on different options within the Franchise mode.  Tony Bruno came across great during the show but was lacking his usual attitude that I hear on his show.

Difficulty Medium 

Madden veterans will probably have no problems with the difficulty.   As long as you take the time and practice you shouldn’t have a big problem with the game.  Remember to get use to the new defensive options available for you and use them during the game.  Casual players might be turned off with the amount of options available to the player, which might hamper them succeeding at the game.  Picking a passing play and seeing it execute is a great feeling but seeing your halfback get slammed on every running play does get frustrating.  The game even includes the infamous come back option, where the computer will still try and win the game no matter how far their behind.  When the computer is trying to catch up prepare to have them catch all of their passes and stop all of your plays.  It’s just like watching a real football, except this time you’re the one that’s on the verge of losing.

Concept 9.5 

The idea behind Madden NFL 2005 Collector’s Edition is incredible; give players even more options on top of an already loaded game.  Most collector editions usually include an extra DVD or CD that most gamers will never even use.  But with the Madden Collector’s Edition includes everything on one disc.  The standard Madden game is included, which is already a great football game.  But you have an additional three Madden games that you can try; Madden 93 (16-Bit era), Madden 98 (PS1) and Madden 2000 (PS1).  The classic Madden games even include the players from teams in the 2004/2005 season.  Add this all up and you get a total of four football games included on one disc. 

The Collector’s Edition also includes a Madden trivia game with over a 1000 questions.  You earn points from the trivia game that you can use to unlock Madden cards.  There is also a Madden Moments option available in the collector’s edition that allows you to relive and play in some of the greatest games of yesteryear.  The Madden Moments games can even allow you to re-write NFL history by changing how significant games ended.  The Collector’s Edition even includes a commentary track from the developers while two players are playing the game.  This is similar to a DVD commentary track, but it’s interesting to hear this in a football game. 

The new additions in the standard game are impressive, especially the defensive Playmaker controls.  The create-a-fan mode, Storyline central mode and Hit Stick option are welcomed additions to this year’s Madden.  The Storyline Central option was interesting but wasn’t very informative and was often repetitive.  The create-a-fan mode is just a fun option to try in the game.  The Hit Stick is a feature that could be extremely useful in the right place and time.

Multiplayer 9.2 

Online with Madden 2005 plays almost exactly the same as the offline version.  The Collector’s Edition for PS2 is compatible with the regular versions of Madden NFL 2005.  You can select to Play Now, which has to competing against a random player almost immediately.  There are games room (servers) available as well where you see the other players and then challenge them to a game.  A couple of new features available in the online game are the Rushing Attack mini-game and the Quick Tournament mode. 

The Rushing Attack mini-game allows you to compete in a training camp like setting where you practice either the offense or defensive aspect of the rushing game.  It’s up to you to score a touchdown or stop a player from scoring, and the game is setup with a maximum of four characters playing.  One character is your blocker, while the other character is the halfback.  One the defensive side you can control one of two defensive backs to stop the run.  This is a quick and entertaining game that allows you to practice and still compete online. The Quick Tournament mode allows four or eight players to compete in a tournament. 

A couple of issues when playing the game online.  One is if you’re playing behind a firewall.  You will need to change settings on your router in order to play.  This is very common for online games but it’s still something that can cause a problem.  This could cause a problem with voice-chat as well, since some ISPs could block the ports that transmit the data for voice-chat.  If you do go online please be careful which gamers you challenge.  There’s nothing more humbling then getting tossed around by a more experienced player.

Overall 9.1 

Well it’s another great year for football fans and Madden doesn’t let you down.  From the great graphics, new defensive controls and good gameplay, Madden NFL 2005 Collector’s Edition is another title worthy of the football crown.  However the repetitive commentary and occasional control issue put a slight scratch on this great playing game.  With the extra content included with the Collector’s Edition, you can’t go wrong by spending the extra $10.00.  If you’ve never played the any of the previous Madden games before then you must pick up the Collector’s Edition just to see how far this series has grown.  But I would like to mention one last issue: football games are starting to become so advanced and complicated that I’m afraid new players will soon abandon the game completely.  How many more options will be included in next years version and how long will it take the casual gamer to figure them out?