KEY POINTS:
Xbox (G)
Pros: Twenty years of biffing round a virtual pigskin, and Electronic Arts' NFL franchise is still going strong. How does it sell in NZ? Surprisingly it's one of the hottest sports games for EA but gets knocked back a peg on years when a rugby game comes out. A claimed 85 improvements include the effective Adaptive Difficulty Engine which makes Madden adapt to your skills, better suiting pick-up-and-play gamers. Online play is improved, graphics are bit slicker, the broadcast component is more realistic, and Madden's back with a virtual training centre. Gameplay is fast and fluid, easy to play, but hard to master.
Cons: Players who appear on the cover suffer from The Curse of Madden (Google it), which means their game goes down the drain. Michael Vick was on the cover, now he's in jail for organising dog fights. The game's a steep learning curve, but helps make sense of a complex sport.
Verdict: 20 years of improvements culminate with a stunning and entertaining American football title.
