Madden NFL 2004
By Erik Lande,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Heavy commercialism taints game.
Add rating
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this game.
Where to Play
Community Reviews
There aren't any parent reviews yet. Be the first to review this title.
What’s It About?
MADDEN NFL 2004 allows almost unlimited gameplay, according to the player's interest. One can simply play a football game or build an entire football franchise.
Controls can be complex at the highest levels, such as when one is trying to control both the running back and blockers, but this is not required. Those who wish to play in a simpler format can let the computer control the rest of team, and even have plays recommended for particular situations.
Is It Any Good?
Madden NFL 2004, part of the series of popular and realistic football arcade-style games, provides great depth of football strategies and possibilities, including star teams that must be earned and ways to enhance players and teams. It also provides a great deal of control over the team, from ways to control multiple players on the field to ways to control the team franchise off the field. Young football fans will enjoy the ability to draft and trade players, hire coaches, build new stadiums, and monitor fan support.
While the game provides an immense amount of depth in its play calling and its ability to control the team, rampant commercialism is a major concern. As expected the game uses licensed NFL players, but it also advertises music, and encourages the player to get other EA sports games and additional equipment, such as that required to play online.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the extensive advertising in the game. Do you find it distracting from gameplay, or is it just background clutter?
Game Details
- Platforms: Windows , PlayStation 2 , Xbox , PlayStation
- Available online?: Not available online
- Publisher: EA Sports
- Release date: November 25, 2003
- Genre: Sports
- Topics: Sports and Martial Arts
- ESRB rating: E
- Last updated: November 4, 2015
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Play
Our Editors Recommend
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate