E-Mail This Article to a Friend Boom! A harder-hitting Madden is still the champ BY JIM MURRAY
	Madden NFL 2005 Published by EA Sports. Developed by Tiburon. For PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube and Xbox.

Every August, guys around my age (that’s 27 calendar years, 14 mentally) and younger can look forward to two things: the Red Sox "pulling you back in" Godfather-style, and the latest installment of the football videogame that for 15 years now has been destroying relationships and making guys think they can out-coach Bill Belichick. Of course, I’m talking about EA Sports’ John Madden Football.

This year, "Madden 2005" returns with a new motto: "Fear the D" — and the D is for defense. Yes folks, for the first time since, well, ever, the defense in "Madden" actually works. For years now, I haven’t been alone in my thinking that it’s ridiculously easy to put up points when it comes to offense in "Madden." Last year’s version of the game solidified this theory when EA decided to make Atlanta Falcons QB Mike Vick as unstoppable as Bo Jackson was back in the day in Tecmo Bowl. And really, it wasn’t just Vick and other offensive beasts like Clinton Portis and Ricky Williams that allowed players to easily put up 35-40 points; nope, if you have played "Madden" in the past, you know how frustrating it was to watch when your DBs didn’t execute the play you picked, or worse, refused to try to make a play on a ball thrown in their vicinity.

Well, with "Madden 2005," you no longer have any excuses for giving up a 35-yard streak or, hell, even a 10-yard run. That’s because EA has now given you complete control over every single defensive player on the field. Want that D-lineman to drop into coverage instead of crashing through the line? Just flick the right analog stick before the ball is snapped, and it’s done. Are you afraid of Randy Moss burning past your cornerback all game long? Well, now you can assign your safeties to double– or even triple-team him any time you want. This kind of defensive control really changes the way the game is played. I won’t lie — it takes a little bit of practice to get used to having all of this control. However, when you do get the hang of it, "Madden 2005" becomes more of a chess match than a videogame.

This year, "Madden 2005" also introduces another weapon to the defensive side of the ball: the lethal, fumble-inducing "Hit Stick." To the casual Madden player, the "Hit Stick" may seem like just a stupid gimmick, but believe me when I tell you that it is not. When you are controlling a player on defense, you can utilize the "Hit Stick" by flicking the right analog stick to make the tackle. If (and it’s a big if) you time the hit correctly, you will absolutely crush the opposing player. Often, the hit results are an animation that will make you wince, and more importantly, result in a momentum-changing fumble. Trust me: the "Hit Stick" is a game-changer, and the real deal. Practice it until your thumbs bleed.

Other than the defensive changes to the game, there’s not too much "new" to "Madden 2005." The only other things that stood out to me were the way the weather can change during a game (very cool) and the "Create-a-Fan"(very stupid). Everything else that I have come to love and expect from this game has returned — the ridiculously-deep "franchise" mode, on-line play (now with less cheatin’!), and great graphics. It’s no wonder that EA Sports has already sold nearly two million copies of the game within just a few weeks. And now that you can actually play defense, this just may be the best "Madden" ever. Boom!

Score: 10.0 (out of 10)