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The one thing to keep in mind though, the actual gameplay (vs the CPU, or another player) is nearly the same. To some extent scoring & making plays is more difficult, but that is probably to encourage use of the advanced gameplay features like "playmaker control" (which is cool but takes a while to master). Altogether, the game has improved in several small aspects, but remains a natural flowing, realistic footbal game with top-notch graphics & sound. Also, many of the game features like the Madden Cards are identical.

PROS:
- More team management features with Owner Mode.
- More and better organized stat views
- Advanced gameplay features while running, etc.
- Addition of Training Camp
- All things that made 2003 great are still there

CONS:
- Cannot use Owner Mode when you create-a-team
- Too many things unchanged (Madden Cards, Create-a-team logos, Minicamp drills, etc.)
- Misleading game preview item: Playbooks really haven't changed much.

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:

The A.I. is on steroidsMar 12, 2004
By Jose Noboa
I have always been a big fan of the series and I love the mini camp drills, i think thats a brilliant idea. The ability to set concession prices, hats, etc. is also a clever addition. The graphics are solid, though still need tweaking but I feel as if I am playing Madden 2004 Blitz. I am sick and tired of the computers magical ability to erase any deficit in the 4th quarter. Mind you, I have been playing football games, including Madden, for years.

I have had the Cardinals come back to beat me in the 4th quarter, erasing a 24 point lead. This quarter from hell included, 1. a blocked punt, 2. a punt returned for a td, 3. 2 fumbles by my rb (Ahman green) who was running great until this dreadful quarter. 4. a td return for a td 5. and a game winning 90 yard drive by the cardinals.

Sure this can happen once, twice, whatever. But when I constantly lose 4th quarter leads over and over again, it annoys me. I love games that are hard but this computer assistance borders on the surreal and it is enough for me to spoil an otherwise terrific game.

One last gripe, too much room for the QB to run. This is not NCAA. I think this was done to appease Mike Vick fans and I guess I can understand and live with that.

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:

A must have for any football fanOct 05, 2003
By Lisa Shea "medieval swordfighting enthusiast"
It's amazing that Madden NFL is in its 14th year of release!! The graphics and gameplay are almost photo-realistic at this point, and you can control EVERYTHING.

First, of course, the graphics. We play this on a 36" TV and even on the big screen the graphics are incredibly sharp. The characters are realistic down to their hair styles and tattoos. The fields each have their own configurations - including the baseball diamonds on some. The lighting, player moves, reflections and more are incredible. You easily get the sense that you're playing a real game and controlling it.

The gameplay builds each year on what came before. So you can create your own team, go through the draft, play it through a season, and get the full satisfaction of getting through the superbowl (if you're good enough). You get to make decisions everywhere from the owner level down through the manager and actual player level.

If you're not into that level of detail, there are of course many ways to just "play". There are training levels to get you learning the basics. There are many training camp features that feature great graphic/gameplay combinations to really help you learn about blocking, throwing and more. Once you understand the game mechanics and keys, you can jump into a wide variety of games under all sorts of conditions to see how well you'd do.

Like any strategy game, this is NOT a game just to pick up and expect to do well in after 5 minutes. If you're looking for an "easy arcade" kind of game, you might do better elsewhere. The strength of this release is with its details. Once you get into the great complexity of really handling a team, you learn real life lessons that help you understand how actual football teams are managed and developed. You can almost consider this game a training system for people who really want to enter the NFL and work there. You learn a great deal about how plays are designed, how managers coordinate the team's efforts and how owners work to make the team the best it can be.

I found the 'background comments' far less annoying than in previous versions of Madden, but on the other hand the choice of music in the background wasn't the best. I'm a big fan of all varieties of music, but what they have playing just isn't enjoyable after the first listen or two. So it might be good to mute that and play your own stereo while you play.

In general I highly recommend this for any football fan. Even if you're not really into "gaming", this becomes an incredibly well done football education tool which will be sure to open your eyes to something new - no matter what your knowledge level.

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:

The best Madden game ever, but....Aug 15, 2003
By J.Phillips "Sportsman"
Let me start this review with some back ground. I have been playing video football games since the playstation one and have been a major Madden fan un until a few years ago. That changed when I bought the Dreamcast and the NFL 2K series was born. Even last year I chose to purchase NFL 2K3 over Madden. This year because of the attration I had with the owner mode and my 100% love for NCAA 2004, I decided to buy Madden 2004. To save you time I won't list all of the additions since you can read that on any gaming web site and on the box. Instead I will tell you what I like, what works and what doesn't.

Whats Great!!
--The owner mode, if you want to make the decisions to own your own team and make all of the decisions then this is worth the price by itself.
--The mini camp mode, which is inside the dynasty mode, which is inside the owner mode.
--The little things, for me I like the little things, when a player gets hurt they clutch the sore area and you see the grimace on his face, the new mode where even during the play calling part you can watch the field or replays. The uniforms getting dirty as the game goes one. The crowd changing its actions depending on the situation, on and on with the little things.
--The new play mode that allows you to change the play at the line of scrimmage this is not the same as an audible or a hot route, you can actually on the fly tell your running back to run left instead of right if you notice a blitzing line backer.
--Just playing the game is superb.

Whats good!!
--The commentary is better then the madden games that I remember, NFL 2K3 was really good. The main flaw is the emotion of Al Michaels, he counts down the yard lines when you make a long run like he is reading war and peace The 20, the 10, touchdown.
--The animation is good, gang tackles, side line views etc.

Whats not so good!!
Luckily for me it is only one thing. I am playing in Pro mode and as I have said I have been a major football fan in every way, I know the rules, the guidelines the formations the plays etc etc. Nothing is more annoying then when you have been making the right calls and doing what is right and then all of a sudden the game decides that it needs to win no matter what. Example, I was beating the Raiders by 10 points with about 4 minutes left in the game. At that point I was sacked twice in a row, my receiver who was wide open dropped the ball and then on my first down I was called for holding. Ok, that will happen, however the Raiders get the ball back, their running back breaks 5 or 6 tackles for a 20 yard run and then the next play their receiver catches a 60 yard touchdown with three guys covering him. Now the on side kick, they go for it and get it. Next play with no time left on the clock the receiver catches a 20 yard pass and breaks 5 or 6 tackles and streaks down the middle to score the winning touchdown. Now that is not cool. NFL 2K never did that. Yes there are always questionable catches and fumbles at opportune times but it is usually fair on both sides, this was completly one sided.

Overall!!
It is a five star game when you consider all that it offers and I would tell you to go out and buy this game if you like the kind of depth that this has. But I will also tell you if I encounter too many more games like the one described above on Sept 2nd I will once again be an ESPN Football owner (Formally NFL 2K) and Madden will be sold on Ebay. If not I will be playing Madden all football season long.

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