Introduction

Madden NFL 06 on the Nintendo DS: where football is played, formations are drawn on the back of napkins, and the only crowd noise is the sound of your friends asking why you haven't let them play yet. This is a game for those who think 'huddle up' is just a polite suggestion, not a way of life.

Gameplay

Let's start with the gameplay, which for some reason tries to replicate the intensity of the Super Bowl in a portable device that is about as powerful as my pocket calculator. The game introduces the all-new 'Superstar Mode', a shining beacon of hope where you can create your own NFL player and guide him from invisible rookie to perennial benchwarmer. Here, all the decisions are yours, and watching your player grow is like witnessing a sapling slowly wilt under the scorching sun of franchise failure. Then we have the innovative QB Vision Control, which combines actual quarterback strategy with the anxiety that comes from being a twenty-something who's just realized they forgot to study for exams. There's a cone that represents your quarterback's field of vision; throw outside that range and watch your pass die like your hopes and dreams during finals week. It's a new level of difficulty that only the most practiced football savants seem to master, leaving the rest of us scrambling for our remotes and therapy sessions. Not to be outdone, they've added Precision Passing. This sounds fancy, but it just means if you want to throw it over the defender, behind the receiver, or give the ball to a random fan instead of your teammate, you better pull off a Willy Wonka-level precision. This 'feature' gives the game an extra level of realism, but also ensures you'll question your choices every time you throw an interception. Let's face it, though-nobody really comes to watch an NFL game for the precision, right? They want to see someone come out of nowhere and smack a guy wearing spandex, not the elegance of the quarterback's delivery. And let's not forget the multiplayer aspect! Even post-2007 when the online servers were shut down, you could engage in good old local multiplayer... just hope your friends don't actually want to play for real. They might recruit and then you'll be stuck playing the same plays until you both laugh nervously about it and pretend you didn't embarrass yourself in front of someone who owns a football jersey. All in all, while the gameplay mechanics have ambitious ideas, the execution often leads to chaos akin to a Thanksgiving dinner with family members arguing about the best Thanksgiving side dish-pure anarchy.

Graphics

Graphics are always a tricky subject, especially on a handheld console that initially looked like it belonged in a time capsule carved from 1998. Characters move as gracefully as a newborn deer on ice. While some players do look somewhat recognizable, most could easily be mistaken for NPCs in an old-school RPG. Each pixel takes the form of a football player and attempts to show some detail. Remember, you weren't kidding yourself that handheld graphics could compete with their console older siblings, and here it shows. The lighting is like someone flipped a switch on an LED light strip, illuminating your hopes of having the clean graphics seen on other systems. Nevertheless, the animation at least gives off a smooth, albeit somewhat clunky, visual experience.

Conclusion

Madden NFL 06 for the Nintendo DS is a mixed bag that'll have you questioning your will to continue every five minutes. It offers some interesting new features like Superstar Mode and that perplexing cone of doubt known as QB Vision but falters with execution above all. Many gamers still play Madde NFL franchise games for that sweet, sweet digital pigskin, and if you love football, there might be something here for you. But if your love for football does not override your drive for superior graphics and sandbox gameplay, then perhaps hold off for a more polished sequel. In summary, if you bought a Nintendo DS thinking it would defy all the odds and become your footballing paradise, think again. Unless you love football, nostalgia, and the thrill of occasionally wishing you had played a different game altogether, you're better off tossing your DS in the air and hoping it lands on a better game. Still, it's better than standing outside a stadium and listening to the echoes of forty thousand fans with no way to join them.

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