Madden NFL 2004, Nintendo GameCube

It has to be said that without the help of Electronic Arts, the presence of American Football games in Europe would be almost non-existent. Although there are such games from Midway and Sega, EA's offerings are far more prolific. New for 2003, we take a look at Madden NFL 2004 for GameCube. First of all, there's the eye candy. As the latest game in the series, you would expect NFL 2004 to look slightly better than its predecessors, and indeed it does. The GameCube version doesn't make quite the visual impact as on the Xbox , but it still does a fine job of putting a realistic sports simulator on screen and has the added advantage of a superior control pad. Graphical touches now include split-screen replays, brand new animations and player-specific features, such as hair and tattoos. When it's all put together, it makes for the finest looking NFL game to grace the current generation. On to gameplay, and NHL 2004 offers several refined game modes but, most importantly, this instalment sees the addition of a brand new Deep Owner Mode. This mode allows players to take control of bottom line responsibilities on top of being general manager and coach. You'll have to relocate teams, build a new stadium, and even set prices for food, merchandise and parking. For these reasons alone, NFL 2004 is undoubtedly the most in-depth sports game we've seen for a long time. The rest of the game is pretty much standard, except that gamers now have greater control of their players than ever before. Using the right analogue stick, players can quickly change routes or defensive coverage, and can call out blocks and direct receivers. It's this level of skilled control that fellow gamers look for in any sports game and, in this instance, EA has delivered.

Buy Madden NFL 2004 for 7.99 GBP

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