Photos: Midnight kickoff for 'Madden'

Hundreds of video football fans encircled EB Games at the Cambridgeside Galleria in Cambridge, Mass., waiting for midnight and their chance to buy "Madden NFL 06." Rumors of ESPN showing up turned out not to be true.

At GameStop in the Meadow Glen Mall in Medford, Mass., the wall is lined with presold games as Brett Favre, er Melissa Gavazzi, gets the next one ready. The game maker, EA Sports, purchased exclusive rights to make "Madden NFL 06" the only official NFL video game this year.

A customer is thrilled to receive his copy from clerks Jimmy Fitzpatrick, Sean Fitzpatrick and Chris Napolitano.

Rob Ferragamo (left) and Cameron Coe-Smith race to be among the first to tackle the new video game. First impressions are that the game is faster, the passing more difficult and the controls take some getting used to.

One of the more interesting features in "Madden NFL 06" is the superstar mode. The family tree is important in creating your player. For instance, having a mother who's a truck driver and a father who's a weightlifter would make your player a great nose tackle.

Your superstar can even get a small part in a movie. But you must remember your lines.

An important new feature is the quarterback vision control. Passes are more likely to be completed to a receiver who is in the highlighted vision cone. GameSpot's reviewer says the feature needs more work--you can turn it off if you want.