The next Instalment in the Madden series is here with Madden 2004. But what new features are added to make us pay out our hard earned money?

New Playmaker Control: Make pre-snap adjustments to your receiver routes, direct receiver routes during a scramble, direct blocking down field during a run, or read and react to the offense to deliver a crushing tackle.

New Owner Mode: Hire your own staff, set your team's ticket prices, build your own stadium, reward key players with signing bonuses and boost player attributes in Mini-Camp drills.

All-New Game Presentation: Keep your players on the field during the play-calling screen. Watch all the highlights in split-screen replay and revel in new player accuracy details like dreadlocks, tattoo replicas, and four new helmet styles.

Most Realistic NFL Playbooks Ever: Tons of new trick plays, multiple formation variations, and the deepest NFL playbooks from all 32 officially licensed Coaches Club Head Coaches.

New Animations and Enhancements: New QB scramble transitions to improve throwing on the run, stumbles, open field blocks, whirlwind defensive reaction moves, sideline wrap tackles, and out of bound pushes.

Do yourself a favour and pick up Madden 2004. It'll be worth the money!

I just don't see the quality product that everyone on Amazon is gushing about here. My experience with Madden was: frustratingly slow load/save times; confusing key interface on menus, poor menu design and interface; VERY annoying soundtrack filled with one-off; nearly unlistenable; basically idiotic, songs played at 1.5 time (why must every song on a videogame be played at a slightly too-fast speed?); an offseason mode in the Franchise game that takes about half and hour to complete; the graphics seems, to me, to be worse than Madden 2003, at least in terms of player appearance; the "Training Camp" mode takes FOREVER and is really annoying; and the much-touted "Owner Mode" isn't all that it's cracked up to be.

Also, the sheer amount of memory this game requires is a HUGE discouragement. Basically, you have to pay for the game AND another 20-40bucks for storage space.

This series is seriously overrated.

I've been playing madden ever since madden'97. I don't think that's the first but anyways this really is the best football game of all time. This game is better than gameday,ncaa, or any of those games. Blitz has the less breakable rules which is fun but seriously dude, maddens the game. This game, even coaches should play so they can be avoiding stupid decisions. I mean c'mon you could challenge plays, that kicks ass...!!! The funniest thing is making your team and guy and start a franchise. Playing this game online is fun too.. Even though there's not really a challenge out there. (unless you think other wise) you seriously got to get this game dude, seriously. The graphics are sweet, the gameplay is sweet, the whole damn game is sweet. The think that made me give this game 4 stars is the fact that theres really nothing different between this and madden 2003. I mean there's probably a little different thing like the playmaker but really if you play this one and madden 2003 there's really no difference. You'd agree too...but anyways this games great I don't know about buying it but...yeah buy it...