In 2000, Madden celebrated its 10th anniversary, as well as its chart-topping 13 million games sold. And there are no signs that the powerhouse franchise is slowing down. That year saw the release of undisputedly the best version of the game ever on both the Sony PlayStation 2 and PC. Adjustable AI sliders made Madden 2001 fully configurable, enhancing play for anyone that felt the default settings weren't quite accurate. The 2002 season featured another outstanding addition to the series for the PlayStation 2, although PC gamers were somewhat annoyed that all they received was a year-old port of the first PlayStation 2 effort. Madden 2002 also marked the first appearance of the series on Microsoft's Xbox console, and though the debut didn't exactly set the world on fire, it was only a matter of time (three years, actually) before the maker of the black-and-green console and EA Sports finally put their differences aside and made nice. Up until Madden 2005, networked play had been strictly reserved for the burgeoning PlayStation 2 set, and if it took a few years before the publisher worked out all the kinks (a process that still continues today), it was clear that making sports games without some sort of online presence would no longer be acceptable in the modern-day sports gaming world.

With the NFL Fever series struggling to get a foothold on the Xbox, and with the NFL 2K series making solid appearances on both the PlayStation 2 and Xbox, the 2003 and 2004 entries of Madden really found the series hitting its stride on the next-generation consoles. Veteran ABC commentator Al Michaels made his debut in Madden 2002, replacing John Madden's longtime companion in both the real and virtual booth, Pat Summerall. The following year saw the debut of Madden 2004, a game that will likely be remembered for the incredible playmaking abilities of the game's cover star, Atlanta Falcons' quarterback Michael Vick. Vick was darn-near unstoppable in the game, a fact that irked many online players searching for opponents whose strategy consisted of something more than simply calling QB draws or rollouts and letting virtual Vick take over the game. The irony? Vick fell victim to the so-called "Madden curse" during his cover-athlete season, suffering a broken leg and only starting four games that year.

The digital Vick was a force to be reckoned with in 2003.

This importance of online play was no more apparent than in the full-scale makeup session staged by Microsoft during E3 2004. After trotting out the likes of Carmelo Anthony, Muhammad Ali, and Madden 2003 cover star Marshall Faulk onstage, the announcement that football gamers had been anticipating for months, if not years, was made: EA would bring Madden (along with a host of other games) to Xbox Live. It wouldn't be the only big change for Madden 2005, because, after years of focusing its development efforts on the offensive side of the ball, it was time, it seemed, to get the defense involved. This was true not only of the cover star, Baltimore Ravens legendary linebacker Ray Lewis, but also of a new spotlight on defensive controls in the game. By making use of the right analog stick, dubbed the hit stick, players could finally have a modicum of control over making big defensive plays, mostly in the form of laying out a ball carrier with a vicious hit. The ability to make subtle and effective defensive adjustments using the defensive hot routes, a feature bolstered by the game's ever-improving defensive AI, gave further credence to Madden 2005 being one of the best-playing games in the history of the series.

Madden 2005's hit stick sent ball carriers sprawling.

As tough as the competition was on the gridiron in Madden 2005, the battle between EA Sports and its toughest sports business rival, Take-Two, came to a head when a pricing war broke out between the two companies. Take-Two's move to price its line of ESPN sports games, including the popular ESPN NFL 2K5, to a mere $20 was a hard shot across EA Sports' bow. The publisher-developer reluctantly reacted by slashing the price of not only Madden, but also several games in its sports lineup. As is the case in any price war, the sports gaming fan was the big winner during the pricing tiff between the two companies. Little did anyone know, however, that EA had plans for a much bigger strategic reaction to this market incursion by its competitors. In December of 2004, EA dropped the bomb--by way of a newly minted agreement with the NFL--that EA Sports would be the sole publisher of NFL games for the next five years. That deal was followed up shortly by another licensing blow that would rock the sports gaming world, a mammoth 15-year deal between EA Sports and ESPN. In the span of these two announcements, EA Sports had flexed its considerable financial muscle and had claimed sole rights to not only the most important and lucrative American sports license, but also the biggest name in sports broadcasting in the country. More importantly, it had snatched both away from the hands of its direct competitor, a strategic move we're still feeling the effects of today.

The street theme didn't quite work for football the way it did for hoops.

Outside of this cutthroat business, EA Sports found time to offer up a unique vision of the game of football: the brightly-colored, arcade-inspired NFL Street series. Developed by the EA Sports Big crew, NFL Street was equal parts backyard football, urban machismo, and fast-paced seven-on-seven action. Real, recognizable NFL personalities (there are no helmets in streetball, after all) mixed with fictional street pigskin players to create an arcade football game that had the same hard-hitting arcade action of Blitz, though without the kind of objectionable content that would draw the ire of the NFL. 2004 saw two NFL Street games, as the sequel dropped to retailers a mere 11 months after the original. A PSP game based on the sequel, featuring online play and more minigames (and atrocious load times), arrived in early 2005. No subsequent NFL Street games have been currently announced, but, considering EA has to pay for its NFL-exclusive license, we expect that won't be the case for long.

Which brings us to 2005 and the just released Madden NFL 06... Just as Madden 2005 reintroduced the gaming world to defense, Madden 06 takes a fresh perspective on an aspect of the series that hasn't changed in a decade or more: the passing game. By implementing an illuminated passing cone that represents each quarterback's specific cone of vision (and is tied to his particular awareness rating), the publisher-developer is adding a new layer of complexity and, in theory, depth to how things play out on the virtual gridiron. Among its other new features, Madden 06 features an entirely new method of playing the game: NFL superstar mode. This is a feature that puts you in the driver's seat of your own personal NFL rookie as you take him from spring practice, through the NFL Draft, and on to a career as a superstar athlete...with all the on- and off-the-field perks and pitfalls that surround being a pro football player.

The next generation of football?

With a stranglehold on all things football (the publisher has also signed exclusive agreements to solely publish both NCAA and Arena Football League games), where does EA go from here? While it's far too early to speculate on where Madden NFL 07 will head (Oh hell, a little speculation can't hurt. We'll call our shot here: The cover athlete for Madden NFL 07 will be Miami Dolphins' running back Ronnie Brown.), we do know that the Madden series has a very important stop to make even before details on the 2006 version of the game come to light: next-generation consoles.

Details on the next-gen versions of Madden are scarce at this point. Beyond a cool-looking commercial aired during the 2005 NFL Draft and a brief glimpse at the incredible graphical quality of the game at this year's E3, we don't know what to expect from the game. The commercial seemed to hint at some new directions for the menus and playcalling systems for the game, and you can expect plenty of camera angles and broadcasting tricks that make the most of the game's stunning visuals. Will the game use the passing cone, offensive truck stick, and NFL superstar mode, all of which are new features in this year's Madden game? Will it be a slimmed-down version of Madden 06 that's been designed to whet our appetites for next year's main course? Or will we be treated to modes and features that are entirely new...ones that make use of all the unique hardware capabilities of the next generation of consoles?

One thing we do know for sure: The mighty Madden brand name is in it for the long haul. EA announced in its most recent earnings call that it's signed a 12-year deal with John Madden to use the venerable coach's likeness and name for its football series. As for other questions regarding the next generation of Madden football games, the Xbox 360 launches in the fourth quarter of this year. So we should have our answers soon.