The Madden NFL franchise has been around so long, it's hard to remember what came first: the game or the actual NFL. Through the years, the series has had no worthy challenger, until last year, when ESPN NFL 2K5 gave Madden a run for its money. So did EA Sports embrace the spirit that keeps capitalism strong and really knuckle down to produce a superior game this year? Hell no. They forged an exclusive licensing deal with the NFL, thereby obliterating the ESPN franchise. Now, with laurels firmly rested upon, Madden 2006 is virtually identical to last year's installment.
Aside from a few tweaks, the only real change is how your quarterback operates. Instead of merely pressing a button to choose a receiver, you now have to use the right thumbstick to move your QB's "sight cone" to look where you're throwing. Though arguably more realistic, this complex feature means you'll get sacked a lot more often. It can be turned off if you prefer, but then you're pretty much left with Madden 2005. It's still the best pro football sim out there, but then again, there really isn't any competition.
EYETOY: PLAY 2 (E10+) (3.5 stars)
Sony Computer Entertainment
PlayStation 2
Whether you're strumming on your air guitar or swinging an imaginary baseball bat, the mini-games in Play 2 could almost be considered exercise. Unfortunately, the load times are long enough for your muscles to atrophy. This collection of party games improves upon the original Play in just about every way, but the temperamental technology of the EyeToy still holds the concept back.
GHOST RECON 2: SUMMIT STRIKE (T) (4 stars)
Ubisoft
PlayStation 2, Xbox
One of the best, most content-packed, squad-based, first-person shooters out there right now is camouflaged to blend in with bargained-priced expansion packs. Break out your low-light goggles and set your sights on Summit Strike. For a mere $29.99, you get 11 enormous single-player levels and 24 diverse multiplayer modes on 25 gorgeous maps.
OUTLAW TENNIS (M) (3 stars)
Global Star
PlayStation 2, Xbox
Outlaw Tennis suffers from a bit of split personality. It's a fairly deep tennis sim, in which you have to take things like stance and spin into account, so it takes some finesse and time to get a feel for it—unless you just want to hop the net and beat the crap out of your opponent, and you'll want to, since the A.I. is somewhat unbalanced.
Matthew Scott Hunter has been known to mumble, "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start" in his sleep. E-mail him at
[email protected].