Madden 2000

Madden 2000

PSX

“What you want?

The ROCK in the PALM of my HAND

What you got?

I got JOHN MAAA-DEN!”

                - Ludacris in opening theme

Click HERE for screenshots.

Madden 2000 opens with a bang, featuring the first ever John Madden rap, written and performed by Ludacris.  While I would have preferred seeing Madden perform the rap himself, the song is set to action packed NFL clips and gets me fired up and ready to play every time.

After this intro video, one IMMEDIATELY notices how much smoother the menu interface is than it was in Madden ‘99.  The PSX seems less overwhelmed by the game menus than it was in ’99- responsive controls, much faster load times between screens. 

In getting into the game itself, my first reaction upon seeing the players run onto the field for the coin toss was to burst out laughing.  The player models look ridiculous!  The best description I have is “fidgety umpaa-lumpaa bubble men” – the players all look squat and fat and can’t seem to stop moving around, even when they are standing still.  The player models did remind me a bit of the popular football arcade game from the era, Midway’s NFL BLITZ, but the players look less muscular and more tubby.  Wide receivers look like lineman and lineman look like sumo-wrestlers.  This said, they run smoothly and the frame rate is excellent, resulting in faster, better game play than ’99. 

The presentation of the game is MUCH improved over ’99 as well.  Player names and numbers are much easier to read and to understand.  For the first time, a yellow line has been included for on-the-field action to indicate the first down marker. 

Getting right into the Patriots in the playoffs, my wildcard matchup was against the evil New York Jets, who had recently stolen from the Patriots hall of fame coach Bill Parcells, hall of fame running back Curtis Martin, and a variety of others.  Once again, there is a little pre-game show featuring James Brown and then on the field “analysis” with Pat Summerall and John Madden.  While these “shows” are still pretty silly (“you have to play hard, play tough, and put points on the board to win today”), the in-game commentary from Madden and Summerall does seem to be improved and more spirited than in previous years. 

As soon as gameplay was underway, I was struck by how much faster the game was.  All the players fly down the field in a way that is vaguely reminiscent of Madden ’96 on the Genesis.  Definitely more in the vein of arcade action than “simulation”, but not AS dumbed down as BLITZ.  The controls are extremely responsive – again, a HUGE improvement over ’99 – which actually make the game FUN.

My game against the Jets was in New York and as the game kicked off, I was greeted with the signature crowd chant : “J-E-T-S! JETS! JETS! JETS!”  A nice touch.  The game was a defensive struggle, with the Pats clinging to a 3-0 lead at the half.  Midway through the fourth quarter, with the same score, Bill Parcells rolled the dice by faking a punt on 4^th and long.  The gamble worked and the Jets ended up scoring later on the drive.  Down 7-3 with less than two minutes to go, I managed to put together a 12 play, 62 yard TD drive to win the game 10-7.  An exciting nail biter that ended in a Patriot victory- as it should be. 

Going into the Divisional round at Denver, I took note of the funny ska music that played on some of the menus.  From Ludacris to SKA, Madden 2000 sure knows how to kick it.  This game was set in the snow, but still managed to run well and look pretty good.  After the Broncos got on the board first with a first quarter field goal, two late TD strikes by Bledsoe put me up 14-3 at the half.  I opened the second half with a 5 minute, grinding TD drive.  This effectively put the game out of reach for the Broncos, who managed just one more score (and a failed 2-pt conversion), in a fun 28-9 thumping. 

The AFC Championship game was at Miami against Dan Marino’s Dolphins.  The pre-game show was noteworthy as Brown, Madden, and Summerall all described the game repeatedly as a “slugfest”.  Brown: “This game is sure to be a slugfest.”  Madden: “I think we are looking at a real slugfest today.” Summerall: “How will the players cope with a slugfest like this?”  Madden: “That’s the thing with a slugfest, you have to slug it out!”

Well, the “slugfest” ended up being one sided- I was up 21-7 at the half and cruising to victory into the 4^th quarter when the game FROZE on me.  My reboot and replay of the game played out completely differently.  I managed only a 3-0 lead at the half, which I stretched to 10-0 going into the fourth quarter.  The Dolphins then put together an impressive 15 play drive that took them 79 yards to my 1 yard line.  Somehow I was able to keep them out on four attempts from the 1 and preserve my 10-0 win.  A completely different experience than the game that froze, but a win is a win. 

The Super Bowl featured the Pats vs. the Vikings.  I must admit that I was feeling under the weather when I played this game, and it actually impacted the way that I played the game.  I managed a first quarter TD on a pass from Bledsoe to backup running back Lamont Warren, but could barely move the ball after that.  I had a decent drive late in the first half that got me to the goal line, but Bledsoe fumbled on a QB sneak, killing the drive. 

The Vikings’ offense, led by Randall Cunningham, could not do much better.  They managed an opening drive fieldgoal attempt (wide right), and were effectively shut down the rest of the game.  Randy Moss had a terrible game- 1 catch for 10 yards – and that was it.  7-0 at halftime, and a 7-0 final.  This lame score felt pretty anticlimactic after playing through a very good game in Madden 2000.  To me, it drove home the idea that focus mattered in the game.  I was not feeling well, I was not paying as much attention as I would normally to the game, and my gameplay suffered.  

On the whole, Madden 2000 is one of the best games in the series yet (’91-2000).  Madden ’96, 98, and 2000 are all the front runners so far.  While ’98 might have inferior graphics (2-d player models), it felt more real to me than 2000.  Madden 2000 is a lot of fun and features lots of fast action and great controls.  For great arcade football action that is smarter than NFL Blitz, Madden 2000 is the answer.  For a more realistic feel, Madden ’98 stays at the top.  

Madden '99

Madden 99

Click HERE for screenshots. 

SONY Playstation 1

“Hey, you want big-time football?  The boom, the doink, the whack?  It’s all here!  This is MY game!” – John Madden (from introduction)

“Don’t worry about the horse being blind, just load that wagon.” – John Madden (from Super Bowl pregame pep-talk)

Madden ’99 was a banner product in EA’s “year of the cyber athlete” – the year in which all of their major sports franchises went to full 3-d.  The game opens with a little video showing athletes jumping around with sensors attached to their bodies against blue and green screens.  These motion captured feats are the basis for the player models and animations used in Madden ’99.  Unfortunately- much like Madden ’97 – Madden ’99 feels like an unfinished product.  EA Sports was breaking down a new boundary in going over to full 3-d and as I struggled through the sluggish controls on the opening menu (that’s right, the MENU screen), I distinctly got the feeling that the kinks hadn’t been worked out yet. 

Jumping right into things, I simmed through the regular season and found that my Pats had won the right to host a wildcard matchup against the Seahawks – remember when the Seahawks were in the AFC?  Anyway, the pregame nonsense featuring James Brown, Pat Summerall and John Madden are in tact for this game and the game was preceded by the usual vague football clichés (“you have to play hard, but play smart”). 

As the game got underway, I was struck (hard) by the horror of the graphics.  The hideous graphics are only eclipsed by the choppy and almost unplayable frame rate issues that plague everything – from menus, to the play-calling screen, and ESPECIALLY on-the-field action.  This issue was particularly intense as this game vs. the Seahawks was in the snow.  Having the snow falling on the screen on top of all these 3d models was clearly too much for the PSX to handle.  Nevertheless, I adjusted the camera to “Madden classic” (the default view is WAY too close to the field to see anything), I got set to kick off and the game was underway. 

Everything in the game was slow- it reminded me of the earliest Madden games on the Genesis (’91 and 92 in particular).  As the Seahawks systematically marched down the field for the score on their opening drive, I grew somewhat detached from the game itself and tried to take in the visuals as some form of bizarre abstract art.  The player models are made up of a few boxy polygons.  White gashes (“snow”) streaks choppily across the screen.  Everything moves in slow motion as players execute pre-programmed motion captured spins, only reacting several seconds after you press the corresponding button.  It was like a ballet of horror.  The stadium itself is strange and is in pieces.  There are 3 or 4 separate chunks of stadium seats around me, and each one just ends abruptly at a 90 degree angle.  I would hate to be a fan sitting on the edge of one of those seats as there is no barrier protecting against a deadly plunge.  I thought to myself that Madden was quiet and not providing much commentary – the whole game seemed very quiet – and then I realized – EVERYTHING IS QUIET ON THE MOON!  HAHAHAHAHA!

Ok.  At halftime I was losing 14-0 and it wasn’t even close.  I had no idea what I was doing out there and had produced -6 yards of offense all day.  I managed a FG and a late score + 2 pt. conversion late, but a Bledsoe pick in the closing seconds ended my chances for a comeback.  The 14-11 loss in this dreadful game was insult to injury and I didn’t pick up the controller again for a couple of weeks. 

**

When I summoned the courage to return to this experiment, I tried to be more positive.  I noted that the 3-d player models DID seem to give the players a better sense of weight.  The physics seemed improved by it.  These were no longer paper men than could turn on a dime, but were instead boxy chunks that rumbled down the field into one another.  Yes, the animations were not great, but at least players didn’t explode like they did in Madden ’97. 

In my rematch vs. Seattle, Bledsoe threw 3 interceptions.  I lost 10-7.

**

I took another week or so off from the game before my third attempt against Warren Moon and the Seahawks.  I was angry and annoyed at the slow load times and cruddy menus.  The fact that the game took place in the rain was appropriate for my mood. 

Bledsoe came out hot and completed his first 10 passes.  I raced to a 17-0 lead.  They scored a TD with 2 minutes left in the first half, but for some reason opted for the 2-pt conversion (which failed).  I went into halftime up 17-6.  The second half opened with another impressive drive by me, resulting in a Ben Coates TD and cementing my 24-6 shellacking of the Seahawks.  Third time is a charm, I guess.

The divisional round put me in Buffalo against the Bills.  A defensive struggle throughout, I had a 45 yard TD pass to Terry Glenn called back after a holding penalty away from the play.  I went into halftime tied at 3-3.  The third quarter was just as sleepy as the first two – sluggish controls and short drives resulting in punts- and it wasn’t until late in the 4^th quarter that Terry Glenn caught a key pass to set up (what I thought was) the game-winning field goal with <1 minute remaining.  Up 6-3 with :27 seconds to go, the Bills had no time outs and a long way to go for a tying field goal attempt. 

I went with the Prevent defense and put all of my corners deep.  Inexplicably, this resulted in the completion of a 60 yard bomb that put them at my 20 yard line with the clock running down.  8 seconds, the wide out passes the ball to the ref, 7 seconds, the players start to line up for the snap, 4 seconds, the players get set, 2 seconds, Rob Johnson snaps the ball and SPIKES it to the ground to stop the clock – but it reads :00!  The game is over!  I win!

Whatever- I will take it.

The AFC Championship featured the Raiders at New England in the snow.  As mentioned above, the game runs slowest and looks the worst in these snow games.  By this point, I had noticed that there was an unusually high percentage of tipped passes at the line of scrimmage in this game.  On defense, as long as you press the “jump” button when the QB throws the ball – regardless of which player you are controlling – the ball will be batted down about 60% of the time. 

Another boring, low scoring game was 6-3 Pats at halftime and ended 20-3 after a pick six late in the fourth quarter by Ty Law to close things out.  The Raiders marched down and scored a field goal on their opening drive and were held to 1 first down for the rest of the game.  Not the most realistic scenario, but a win is a win in Madden ’99. 

The Super Bowl XXXIII matchup featured the Pats vs. the Rams in a preview of the real life Super Bowl XXXVI.  This game was far less interesting than the real life game however.  I watched the pre-game show and was confused as to why the Vince Lombardi Trophy- which is made of sterling silver- is completely transparent during the pre-game show with James Brown.  Was it a trophy or a hologram?  Whatever.  I was going to win that hunk of glass no matter what. 

After another eternal wait for the game to load, the game was underway.  Damn this game is ugly.  Why did they pick such crappy fonts to show player names under the selected player?  It is just barely legible and I am playing the game on a giant television!  What would it have looked like on a 19” screen? 

Anyway, I scored a rare TD on my opening drive and the rest of the half was typical stagnant Madden ’99.  7-0 at the half.  I thought I was going to score again to open the second half, but another holding call wiped out my TD and on the very next play Bledsoe threw a key interception which was run back deep into my territory.  The Rams couldn’t move the ball on this drive though (or on any other drive), so they had to settle for a field goal, putting the game at 7-3. 

That was really the game.  I managed to grind out the clock and ended up scoring again (almost by accident) on the final play of the game.  This made the score a deceptive 14-3 final, but 7-3 is far more accurate.  In fact, this could have been the tagline for Madden ’99 – “Every game feels like it is 7-3.”

In one final parting shot, the “prize” for winning the game was a Super Bowl championship video, which featured a number of clips showing the Packers hoisting the Super Bowl trophy after their Super Bowl XXXI win and the Broncos doing the same following Super Bowl XXXII.  As a Pats fan, this was just insulting.  The Packers BEAT the Patriots in Super Bowl XXXI and now I had to watch their celebration all over again?  The Broncos THRASHED the Patriots the following season, but I had to watch them celebrate too?  Fuck it.

Madden ’99 is garbage.  

Madden '98

Madden ‘98

SONY Playstation 1

Click HERE for screenshots. 

Following the debacle that was Madden ’97 on the PS1, Madden ’98 is a marked improvement all around.  Everything is polished and runs smoother- from the menus all the way through game play on the field.  The graphics might be lousy by today’s standards, but at least the game WORKS. 

Getting right to the action, the first thing I noticed upon launching into my divisional playoff matchup (vs. the Bengals in New England) was how much more consistent and smooth the frame rate was.  The player models are largely the same from Madden ’97 (2-d bitmaps on a 3d-ish field), but they have been tweaked a bit (player numbers are back on the jerseys, but they look garbled and terrible).  In spite of these minor graphical improvements, the game mechanics seem much improved and, unlike Madden ’97, Madden ’98 plays like a GAME.

The presentation has also been enhanced.  The additions of a “keys to victory” screen that provides little team-specific anecdotes harkens back to Madden ’91 and the addition of in-game instant replay appropriately surfaces after a big play.  I was also very happy to see that drive summaries were back in the game- why did they ever take these away after Madden ‘93?  At the half of my first game against the Bengals, the Pats were up 14-7.  My notes reflect a well balanced game that did not feel too easy, but was far from impossible.  I ended up with a 21-7 win, and while the running game still had some issues (though not quite as egregious as in ’97), on the whole the mechanics made sense and the game was fun. 

The AFC Championship was the Broncos at Patriots.  In reality, the Denver Broncos annually smoked the Pats in this era.  Even when the Pats had a great team, they always struggled against the Broncos.  In a game with 40 MPH winds, the CPU surprised me by coming out passing.  The Broncos of this era had a Hall of Fame QB in John Elway, but what made them 2x Super Bowl Champs (’97 and ’98) was their strong running game with Terrell Davis.  Nevertheless, the CPU went almost exclusively with the pass and was shut out in the first half.  The Denver defense was excellent and I only managed 2 field goals for a 6-0 halftime lead.  While I was killing them statistically, I was weary of my tenuous lead on the scoreboard. 

It turns out, I was right to be concerned.  In the second half, the CPU switched gears and turned to the running game.  This change caught me off guard and they marched to the goal line on the back of Davis.  After stuffing them twice at the 1 yard line, the CPU called a play action pass, which completely fooled me, and they scored the go ahead TD, putting them up 7-6 in the early 4^th quarter.  It was at about this point that one of my players got injured and a motorized cart had to come onto the field to take them away.  This was the first time I had seen anything like this since the homicidal ambulance of Madden ’92! 

In any case, I couldn’t convert in the fourth quarter and with just over a minute to go and no time outs, I opted to let them score rather than run out the clock.  Down 14-6, my hopes for a heroic comeback were dashed when they picked off a pass and ran it in as the clock expired, leaving me with an embarrassing 21-6 loss.  Just as in real life, the Broncos seemed to own the Patriots in Madden ’98.

In my replay of the game a few days later, I was once again struck by how realistic and tough the gameplay felt.  Against the Broncos, an excellent team in that era, I felt like I really had to fight for every yard.  One big defensive mistake cost me when Davis broke a 45 yard TD run to put the Broncos up 10-0 just before halftime.  I pulled out all the stops on the ensuing drive and managed to connect on a long field goal as time expired to make the score 10-3 at halftime. 

Early in the third quarter, from deep in my own territory, I boldly decided to go for it on 4^th and short.  The play worked and sparked a four minute, 76 yard TD drive, tying the game at the end of the 3^rd quarter.  Broncos QB John Elway was a legendary 4^th quarter comeback player, so I braced myself for the passing onslaught. 

As expected, Elway came out on fire and the Broncos marched down into field goal range without much of a problem.  However, I sent a blitz on a key third down that hurried Elway and forced him to through an interception to Ty Law with less than two minutes left in the game.  I then marched the ball downfield 44 yards from the spot of the pick to set up a long field goal to win it with just seconds remaining in the game.  As in real life, Adam Vinitieri came through when it mattered most and booted the 50 yarder through as the clock expired.  The 13-10 win felt like the most realistic yet – every yard was earned and the game came down to a couple of big plays- the 4^th down conversion, the late interception, and the long field goal. 

The Super Bowl XXXII matchup was against the Panthers (the real-life opponent of the Pats in Super Bowl XXXVIII).  While this game was not quite as prophetic as the Patriots vs. Eagles game I played back in Madden ’95, it was still a great game that was tight throughout.  Once again, Madden ’98 added some special touches for the big game- the Super Bowl Logo placed on the 50 yard line, the team logos in each endzone.  After an initial defensive struggle, Kerry Collins unleashed an 82 yard TD bomb to Rocket Ishmael, putting the Panthers up 7-0.  After a drive stalled for me (and Bledsoe threw yet another incompletion), I mixed things up with a fake punt on 4^th and long.  My chicanery worked out beautifully and the unlikely combination of a Tom Tupa pass to Lovett Purnell resulted a TD and my first points in the big game. 

Later in the half, I drove all the way to the Carolina 1 yard line.  After being stuffed three straight times, I once again decided to go for it on a 4^th down play.  This time, things did not work out so well and I got STUFFED, which resulted in a tie score at the half- 7-7, with the stats dead even. 

I came out firing in the second half, and Bledsoe managed to hit Terry Glenn on a 58 yard TD bomb to open the 3^rd quarter.  The Panthers responded with a good drive of their own and drove to my goal line.  After I stuffed them on three plays, they lined up for the field goal to cut my lead to 14-10… but STUNNED me by FAKING the FG and throwing for a TD, which was BROKEN UP at the last second and I managed to hold onto my 14-7 lead.  Whew!

After three plays, backed up deep into my own end of the field, I couldn’t advance the ball a single yard.  On 4^th down, with just under three minutes to go and a 7 point lead, I made a risky call.  Rather than punt the ball to them (and give them great field position with a very good chance to score 7), I opted for an intentional SAFETY, guaranteeing them 2 points, put giving me the chance to pin them deep on the ensuing kickoff.  I ran the ball out of the back of my endzone, resulting in an awkward 14-9 lead as the two minute warning approached. 

Fortunately, my gamble worked out.  I stopped their ensuing drive and managed a late field goal with :14 seconds left (after I failed to run out the clock) to put the score at 17-9.  Collins threw up a pair of deep bombs as the clock wound down to :00, but failed to convert.  Chalk up another trophy and another Madden game crossed off the list.  8 down, 13 to go. 

Madden ’98 is the best of the first 8 games (probably by a wide margin).  It is basically a fixed and improved version of ’97 – it doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it doesn’t have to in order to deliver fun and realistic gameplay.

Madden '97

Madden ‘97

SONY Playstation 1

Click HERE for screenshots.

My initial reaction upon starting up Madden ’97 and watching the intro video was simple- “WOAH!  FULL MOTION VIDEO AND FANCY GRAPHICS!  SUPER BOWL XXXI!  NEW ORLEANS!  AWESOME!” 

This is what happens when you first make the jump from playing Madden on the Genesis to seeing Madden for the first time on a Playstation 1.  I never had a Playstation growing up, and I actually sat out from playing Madden ’97 (as I was still busy playing Madden ’96 on SEGA every day after school).  Madden ’97 jumps out from the start by showing off the “full motion video” capabilities of the Playstation (utilizing CD-ROMs rather than cartridges).  Rendered images of Bourbon street (Super Bowl XXXI was in New Orleans) followed by “high-tech” rendered images of 3-d players in the opening video create a sense that the game is going to be a major breakthrough in the series – the new technology should mean new life, right?

Well, the answer is a bit more muddled.  There are certainly a ton more options out of the gate regarding rosters, trades, team management, etc.  Figuring out the option screen (not to mention the comparatively more sophisticated PS1 controller- a jump from 3 buttons to 6) – took a little bit of getting used to. 

After simulating through most of the regular season, the Pats were teetering on the bring of elimination at 9-6 coming into Week 17, so I decided to play through that final game of the regular season (vs. the Giants) to help lock things up. 

Before the game began, I was treated to a “Pregame Show” featuring FOX commentator James Brown, who said a few generic sentences (something like: “It’s week 17 and the regular season is winding down.  Who will win?  Let’s go to the field with John and Pat.”)  Then there is another FMV sequence with John Madden and Pat Summerall offering even more generic “analysis”.

Pat:  So John, what can we expect to see on the field today?

John:  Well, in order to win, the home team will have to make some plays and put points on the board.

Pat:  Thanks John!  Let’s go to the coin-toss. 

(LOADING SCREEN)

*

Right then- so FINALLY, I am ready to get on the field.  Seeing the “in-game” engine for the first time is a bit jarring because to this point all you have seen is full motion video.  Put simply, everything suddenly looks a bit crap.  Does it look better than the Genesis?  Well… I guess. 

The newest feature seems to be a 3d-ish field.  For the first time, a player can actually rotate the screen around 360 degrees (in replays and things).  The field also seems BIGGER and the players seem scaled differently.  The camera is also zoomed in a bit closer to the field, bringing you “closer to the action”.  The player models seem to be 2d bitmaps, giving the game a surreal feel.  Put simply, imagine a 3d-ish field and 2-d paper men running around on it.  This was the Madden franchise entering the awkward tween years of its existence - past the 2-d arcade play of the Genesis, but not yet quite grown into full 3-d. 

The gameplay and pace of the on-field action was strange to me.  Plays take longer to develop- especially in the running game.  At first, I thought that this was more realistic, but pretty soon, it got ridiculous.  Unless I ran a QB sneak from the goal line formation, the defense would come crashing down on my runner just as the ball was handed off by the QB (usually resulting in a loss of yards from scrimmage). 

With the running game seemingly useless, I had to rely on the passing game.  Again, this strange mix of 2-d players with a 3-d field made it difficult for me to properly judge where the (2-d) football was in the passing attack.  After the QB throws a pass, the ball simply disappears off the top of the screen and then reappears just before it hits the ground.  You can see the ball’s shadow on the field, but this is awkward and makes it a guessing game as to where the ball is going.  Adding to the surreal nature of the passing attack is that it is difficult to determine if a pass was completed or not.  A selected receiver who just made a catch looks pretty identical to one who just dropped the ball (the possession indicator at the player’s feet is hard to read). 

All of these complaints added up to a lot of frustration for me- receivers would drop (or just miss) wide open passes time and time again.  When I tried to manually control the receiver and catch the ball, it would go through his hands. 

Anyway, my Week 17 game vs. the Giants was loaded with these sorts of incomplete passes and backward runs.  I fell behind 10-7 at the half, struggling to figure out how to work the game and how to handle the pacing.  There were times when the speed of the game would slow down and speed up within a single play.  I assume that this was a hardware issue, but I blame it on bad programming. 

It is also worth noting that there are rather detailed motion captured TD celebrations.  These actually look pretty good.  What is weird about them though, is how the high frame-rate for these celebrations contrasts with the choppy on-field player animations during gameplay. 

Going into the 4^th quarter, I was losing 13-7 to the Giants.  I still had not found a rhythm and did not think I had much hope.  It started to rain in the game and the wind picked up.  I thought it was over, but completed a “hail mary” on 4^th down and long to Terry Glenn for a 68 yard score with :38 seconds to go.  Tied at 13, I lined up for the XP.  The ball was snapped and I put it through (in spite of the intense wind), but there was a holding penalty, so I had to re-kick.  Backed up 10 yards further, I lined up and kicked it through once again.  But wait- ANOTHER holding penalty.  Suddenly my XP attempt had become a 34 yard field goal attempt into the swirling rains.  I just barely put it through for a third time, putting me up 14-13 for the win.  Phew. 

The wildcard matchup was against the Oilers.  Remember the Oilers?  Anyway, I felt like this game was more of the same, but this time with even more wacky penalties.  I also noticed that the player models all had the same ugly smudged jersey number (something that looked like an 81 or 31).  WHY COULD THE GENESIS SHOW JERSEY NUMBERS BUT NOT THE PLAYSTATION??

Penalty after penalty against me.  Random calls I had no control over- holding on the offensive line, personal foul.  1^st down and 30.  Second and 45.  What the hell was going on?  Was this game broken? 

After a defensive pass interference call against me, the Oilers managed to tie the score 3-3 at the half.  Why did the field feel so huge?  It felt like it was miles wide and even more miles long.  After the super fast players on the comparatively tiny fields of Madden ’95 and ’96, this game felt radically different.  Why did my receivers ALWAYS DROP THE BALL? 

Deep into the 3^rd quarter, the Oilers threw up a lame duck pass into triple coverage.  I watched in disbelief as the ball went THROUGH THE CHESTS OF 2 OF MY DEFENDERS and they went on to score on the 81 yard pass.  At this point I noted that the game would have been better titled BULLSHIT ’97. 

The only talented player I seemed to have was my punt returner (David Meggett).  I could usually make the first person miss and gobble up a lot of return yards.  After one of these returns, I finally found an offensive play that would work for me.  QB Sneak, up the middle, Drew Bledsoe.  It would guarantee 2-4 yards every time.  Not saying much, but better than the rest of my offense.  Based on the strength of lumbering Drew’s running, I managed a score at the end of the 3^rd to tie the game at 10. 

Why does every play take so long to develop?  Why does the game feel like it is a half finished product?  Why is there one tackle animation that looks like a grenade explosion- sending the player straight up into the air doing back-flips? 

As I pondered these questions, I managed to get the ball back with 3 minutes left in the game.  I got some semblance of a passing game going and scored the go-ahead TD before getting a pick-six to win the game 24-10.  It was ugly, but a win nonetheless. 

The divisional playoff game was against the Raiders in Oakland.  My frustrations with the game continued- I couldn’t complete anything and running plays took far too long to develop.  Somehow, I managed to take a 7-3 lead into halftime.  My running game continued to struggle in the second half (negative yards on the day), but I was able to overcome an inexplicable Curtis Martin fumble late in the 4^th to hold on 10-6.

The championship game was at Pittsburgh against the Steelers.  Once again, I quickly gave up on the running attack (except for QB sneaks!), focusing on my aerial assault.  The tables were finally turning however, as I got a sense of the rhythm of how passing works in Madden ’97.  The key is not to run TO where the ball is projected to land, but slightly in front of that spot.  It is weird, but once I figured this out, the game was a route- 41-8 domination.

Super Bowl XXXI was vs. the Cowboys.  The Super Bowl logo was featured at mid-field and each endzone featured the AFC and NFC champ, respectively.  Dallas was an elite team throughout the early to mid 90’s, so I was anticipating a dogfight.  This never materialized.  I raced to a 20-7 halftime lead.  Coming out of the half, I delivered a monster 81 yard, 5 minute TD drive.  This was a knockout blow from which the Cowboys had no hope of recovery.  Pats win, 27-7. 

After years of lamenting the Patriots real-life loss in Super Bowl XXXI to the Packers, I had finally seen my team win bring home the 1996 championship.  While this was gratifying, I was even happier to know that I was done playing the erratic and seemingly unfinished product that is Madden ’97 on the PS1.  

Madden '96

SEGA Genesis

Click HERE for screenshots.

“Madden 96 SACKS the competition” – Electronic Gaming Monthly

Madden ’96 is the Madden game that I have played the most in my life, hands down. For me, as a 13 year old, Madden ’96 was the culmination of all that was great about football on the SEGA Genesis. I played the shit out of it every day after school (seemingly) for years. This game came out in late 1995 – mere months before the release of the SONY Playstation (and a year before the N64). This would- sadly – be the last time a Madden game was given full attention by developers on the SEGA Genesis. Fortunately for Genesis owners, they went out with a bang.

To begin, this was the first year that lots of extra features started to creep in- a “general manager” option was offered allowing the player to trade and sign players while taking the salary cap into account. This system is pretty crude by today’s standards, but it is an interesting effort nonetheless. A “scouting combine” allows you to create your own players and run through drills to determine your player’s stats. While this most often is little more than button mashing, it is still a novelty to create yourself in a Madden game on the Genesis.

One of the features that I find oddly fascinating and really appreciate is that you can clearly read jersey numbers on players while in-game. The player models may be closer to the “cartoony” style of Madden ’94 and less like the “realistic” models of Madden ’95, but there is practical value in being able to see jersey numbers while in game. I think it is a huge improvement.

On powering up the SEGA, the opening screens grab you immediately. The opening stomps from Queen’s “We will ROCK YOU” start playing as photo-realistic images of star players flash across the screen. This bliss culminates in a still photo of Madden with the FOX Sports theme song triumphantly blasting.

After seeing all of this, I resolved to play through an entire season. Why not? The game is based on the 1995 schedule, which is the first year I watched every game in the Pats season (they went 6-10). It was also Curtis Martin’s rookie year!

I launched right into it, taking note of the excellent presentation of the menu screens as I went. Photo-realistic images featuring on-field action and famous players are sprinkled throughout. I also noticed that Pat Summerall is now in the game as a play-by-play commentator to complement John Madden’s “color” commentary.

Week 1 in the 1995 season was against the Bill Belichick coached Browns. The first chink in the armor in presentation of Madden '96 was on the coin-toss. In a bizarre twist, the animation and sequence is IDENTICAL to Madden '95 - the player models, fonts, color schemes, everything is identical to Madden ’95 and nothing else in the game looks anything like this screen. It is like they forgot to program a new coin-toss sequence (or ran out of time) so they just threw in the old one at the last minute.

This gripe was quickly forgotten as the game got underway. The aforementioned jersey numbers, the team logos featured in the end zones, even Mary Snow with an injury report from the sideline. All of this was nice, but the gameplay itself was the biggest improvement. Player speeds feel more balanced. The controls are responsive and accurate- I felt completely in control.

Feeling like I was in complete command of the game was a double edged sword. While it was fun at first, soon the score got out of hand. I won the game 31-0 and outgained the Browns 300 yards to 9. I found one defensive play that seemed to always work (3-4/LB Blitz) and I just ran it every time I was on defense. The thought of playing through 18 more blowout games like this one seemed ridiculous, so I decided to abandon the idea of playing a full season and skipped right to the playoffs.

Ironically, my wildcard matchup was once again against the Browns. Once again, I employed a dumbed-down strategy and annihilated the Browns- this time 49-7. The only thing I really “learned” from this rematch was that pressing the “start” button while mid-play would let me lateral the ball and that the grass textures in the game were well done.

For the Divisional Playoff, I headed to Pittsburgh to take on the Steelers and I fully anticipated yet another route. This time, the game played out differently. I couldn’t get anything going on offense and struggled to a 7-3 halftime lead. The slow and lumbering Drew Bledsoe had rushed for more yards than he had thrown for and was 1 for 10 through the air. In the third quarter, the Steelers managed another field goal, and I was barely clinging to a 7-6 lead into the 4^th. Pass after pass was either inaccurate or simply dropped by my wideouts. With less than 2 minutes to go, the Steelers managed to score a TD and take a 13-7 lead. I got the ball back and tried to get something going, but the outcome was the same as it had been all game. I simply could not move the ball and LOST the game 13-7.

I was stunned. I felt like I had been rejected by an old friend. It had been some time since I had last played Madden ’96 and even longer still since I had lost to the CPU playing the game. As was the case following my loss back in Madden ’93, I resolved to redouble my efforts and win the damn championship.

After being eliminated from the playoffs, I had to restart the season (there is no “start from the playoffs” option) and simulate the whole thing, crossing my fingers that New England would make it in.

As fate would have it, the Wild Card matchup was once again in Pittsburgh against the Steelers. This time the game was in the snow. A big play came early when I audibled to a deep pass on 3^rd and inches. The gamble worked and I scored a deep TD. Building on this momentum, I was able to put together two more scoring drives (I also remembered a bizarre quirk in Madden ’96 where players will actually run FASTER if they are on the sideline rather than in the middle of the field).

I was extremely aggressive in the first half and I was happy with my 21-0 lead going into the locker room. As I wrote in my notes: “In your FACE Pittsburgh!” My plan for the second half was to grind down the clock and come away with a win.

As the third quarter began, something changed. The Steelers had actually made halftime adjustments to counter my signature D (3-4/LB Blitz). I was stunned when Pittsburgh opted to go for it on 4^th down, deep in their own territory, early in the 3^rd quarter. The play worked and they ended up scoring on the same drive. The 4^th down call was surprising so early in the game, but what was even more surprising was when they went for the 2-pt conversion and got it, putting the score at 21-8 at the end of three quarters.

I got the ball back and relied heavily on the run- milking the clock with every play. When the drive finally stalled, I managed to shave nearly four minutes off the clock, but failed to score any points. The Steelers got the ball back with 1:17 to go and a few plays later, I was stunned to see them in the endzone once again, drawing closer with the score at 21-15.

What had happened? I was killing the Steelers and all of a sudden they were a TD away from winning? With less than 30 seconds left on the clock, they attempted the onside kick, and after a pileup, I ended up with it. I was fortunate to be able to run out the clock and come away with the 21-15 win. They dominated the second half, but fortunately came up a bit short.

The next game was at Oakland against the Raiders. Once again, I found myself in trouble against the CPU. The Raiders had a couple of quick scoring drives and raced to a 14-3 lead. When I got the ball back, I went with the no-huddle offense and was able to answer with a good drive, cutting the lead to 14-10. As the half expired, I managed to put through a 50 yard field goal with the wind at my back and narrowed the score to just 14-13.

The game felt even at the half, but the second half was a completely different story. I was able to put up another 22 points while blanking the Raiders to come away with what ended up being a dominant 35-14 win.

The AFC Championship game was at Cleveland, and once again (for the 3^rd frickin’ time) I found myself matched up against the Browns. There was snow on the ground and once again, I went to my 1 dimensional strategy on defense (3-4/LB Blitz). It was all I needed to destroy Cleveland for the third straight time. It was the worst blowout yet- not only did I get to a 38-3 lead by HALFTIME, I had also sacked Vinnie Testadverde so often (7X!) that he got injured. I tried to slow things down in the second half, but everything I did seemed to result in a touchdown. Everything worked and I came away with a 68-3 win, outgaining Cleveland 415 to 8 in total yards.

I thought it would be difficult to replicate my success against the Browns going into “Super Bowl XXX” against the 49ers. The 49ers of that era were an excellent team and had won Super Bowl XXIX (in reality). I was completely wrong.

The game proved to be a comedy of errors for the 49ers in every regard and my team was reminiscent of the basketball team in Pleasantville. No matter what I did, everything worked out beautifully. I seemed to be able to score on every play, offensively, defensively, special teams, whatever. I was up 35-0 at the half, but it was much worse than that. For this game, I shrank my offensive playbook down to 2 or 3 plays (and stuck with just 1 play on D) and it did not matter.

The one time I deviated from the strategy (and chose a defense that was not “3-4/LB Blitz), the 49ers scored a TD. This score, along with one in the closing seconds, meant nothing as I dominated with a stunning final score of 76-14. 49er QB Steve Young (a Hall of Famer in reality) was sacked 7x and David Meggett (an “above average” 3^rd down back) finished with 300 yards rushing. The game took forever to finish and was completely ridiculous and unrealistic in every regard. No matter, I got another trophy to put on the wall.

Madden '95

Madden '95

SEGA Genesis

Click HERE for screenshots.

"I see the rookie down the sideline. I make the read, fire a bullet and the kid actually hauls it in, straight arms the corner and high steps down the sideline for six. Sweet. I peel myself off the turf in time to catch him cabbage patching through the paint. "

-- Any Madden 95 QB

Alright, Madden ’95, here we go. Madden ’95 is the first Madden game I ever owned and is based on the 1994 NFL season. I was 12 years old in '94 and this year marked the first football game I had ever seen on TV. I watched the Patriots regular season opener against the Dolphins with my uncle Pete (a 39-35 loss for New England). I remember him talking about the Patriots lead running back, Marion Butts- “He’s got a girl’s first name and his last name is ‘Butts’, but he can RUN!” (The internet tells me that Butts ran for 25 yards that day on 15 carries for a 1.6 ypc average.)

While I didn’t watch another Patriots game for the rest of the 1994 season, an interest had been sparked in the sport and I started to learn about the team, the players, and the game itself. My primary method of learning about the game came from Madden ’95—incidentally the first Madden game to come with a full NFLPA license, meaning that it had the NAMES of every player on every team. So began the first chapter of my fandom- I started to rely on players like “V. Brisby” at receiver, as well as “C. Slade” at LB.

How does Madden ’95 hold up? Well, in my mind, the biggest advance in the game is the option to TURN OFF PASSING WINDOWS! FINALLY! As noted in my previous reviews, passing windows were a disaster- it was impossible to tell where you were throwing or if the intended receiver was covered. By turning them off, you can see the entire field and actually read defenses before throwing it up.

The box says that the player models are now “3d-rendered”, which is a rather strange claim for a Genesis game. The players DO look different- I will admit that. I suppose they do look more realistic and less cartoony than in previous years – this said, the models seem less well defined and less colorful. It is a different look, but I am still not certain that it is an improvement.

In starting up the game, the EA Sports logo pops up and the Genesis barks the tagline still used today- “E. A. Sports. It’s in the game!” Seconds later the music for FOX Football Sunday starts up and there is a STATIC image on John Madden. Thank you EA Sports for abandoning the scary choppy animations of John Madden. The static image is straight forward and works much better. A+

Once again I opted to skip the regular season and go right to the playoffs. Right off the bat I noticed how the ratings for the Patriots as a team had improved from previous years. The Patriots finished the 1993 season with a 4-game winning streak and things were looking up at the start of ’94 (apparently).

My first game was against the Broncos in Denver. On the opening kickoff, a little FOX Sports logo popped up on the lower right hand corner of the screen. Immediately I noticed how FAST the game was. The pace of the entire game had been sped up a great deal. Passes zip down the field, and even slow players can fly down the field at record speeds. After having played through the first four Madden games, Madden ’95 seemed wild and out of control.

After I adapted to the change of pace, I was able to move the ball downfield and put up some points. After a 14-3 lead at the half (where J. Elway couldn’t complete ANYTHING), I finished off the game with a 28-3 win. A boring game that was never competitive, it seemed that it didn’t matter which defense I called- the CPU was incapable of completing a pass.

My next game @ Pittsburgh was equally non-competitive. After racing to a 21-3 halftime lead, I focused less on the game play in the second half and more on the details. Why did they opt for such a hideous font for all of the in game title screens? Why were there gray and black lines underneath these ugly yellow letters? Why does the gun at the end of each quarter sound like an explosion? Why does the CPU repeatedly fail to connect on passes even when the WR is uncovered and wide open downfield? As I pondered these questions, the Steelers were able to score a couple of late TDs, but their rally fell far short and I held on to a 42-17 win.

The AFC Championship game was against the Bills in snowy Buffalo. Everything in Buffalo was gray and drab. Again, while this might be more realistic, I can’t say that it made the game any more fun to play. Drab player models with faded colors against a gray field made for the most somber football experience Madden had yet to fork over.

The game itself was another blowout (a 38-9 Pats win), but it was entertaining throughout. The snow element seemed to increase the percentage of fluky plays- especially turnovers (there was one play where my player fumbled, the Bills recovered, but fumbled again, and as I recovered the second fumble, the CPU ruled the play an “interception”). The Bills always use the “no-huddle” which made the pace of the game fast and furious. The Bills could move the ball all day, but could not finish drives so it ended up not being close. Once again, the CPU repeatedly missed wide open receivers, especially on deep passes in critical situations.

As this game came to a close, I began to note some of the positives in Madden ’95. It is great to have detailed player stats (w/player names!). The return of the 2-point conversion to the NFL in 1994 is reflected in the Genesis game as well. The controls on the whole in Madden ’95 are also more responsive than in previous years.

All of this set up “Super Bowl XXIX”, Patriots vs. Eagles. In a bizarre twist, this game played out a lot like the “real life” Patriots/Eagles Super Bowl (XXXIX). The Eagles scored first to get up 7-0, but I responded with a lucky TD pass to Ben Coates (my MVP for the entire playoffs) after the ball was batted up in the end zone. The Eagles scored again in the second quarter to take a 14-7 lead, but once again, I was able to respond with a short TD run by big Marion Butts. I tried to take the lead before halftime with a long field goal, but hit the crossbar and the game remained tied (in Super Bowl XXXIX, the score was tied at 7 at the half).

I managed to get that FG back to take a 17-14 lead in the third, and this was the score in the fourth quarter when I managed to score on another fluke play. I had reached the Philly goal line and ran it up the middle with Butts who FUMBLED, but once again Ben Coates was in the right place at the right time and managed to recover in the end zone for his second TD. Up 24-14 with 2 minutes to go (in Super Bowl XXXIX, the score was 24-14 Patriots at the 2 minute warning), the Eagles were driving. After missing wide open receiver on pass after pass, the CPU finally got its act together on forth and long and scored on a 61 yard pass with 1 minute left to play. I recovered their onside kick attempt and managed to hold on 24-21 (the final score of Super Bowl XXXIX).

As the final gun sounded (or exploded), I was presented with the best end-game sequence yet in a Madden game. A gilded football player -who resembles the same player on the Madden Championship Trophy from Madden 91-93- holding ANOTHER trophy triumphantly over his head as giant text repeatedly flashes between “YOU DID IT!” and “YOU WON!” in the background. This victory screen never got old as I sat mesmerized by it for several minutes. A trophy clutching a trophy. I did it. I won.

Madden '94

MADDEN '94

SEGA Genesis

Click HERE for all screenshots.

"He's All Pro tight end. He's big and pretty. Big as a dump truck. Runs like a gazelle. Buy hey. Come across the middle and I send him to another zip code. C.O.D. Next trip through my zone and he'll remember. It's a long season. Stay outta my ZONE!" - Any strong safety, NFL (r)*

*Quote from the back of the Madden ’94 box

While the bad grammar in the opening sentence makes it sound like “any strong safety” is a Russian spy, what really should stand out here is the last bit - this is an NFL strong safety. Madden ’94 is a milestone in the series for a number of reasons. First, it has the NFL license. Second, it includes the option of playing through a 16 game regular NFL season, followed by the playoffs and the Superbowl (yes- THE Superbowl).

The game boasts an astounding 80 teams to choose from (28 NFL teams, 12 All-Time Franchises, 38 Super Bowl Teams, and 2 All-Madden Squads), and features greatly improved graphics and animations. This was clearly a year in which EA decided to invest heavily in their NFL football franchise.

Upon starting up the game, the improved graphics and sound were immediately noticeable. Everything about the presentation is improved- starting with the opening EA Sports logo and the digitized speech (“It’s in the game!”). Even the cheesy animation of Madden is improved. This said, there is one frame where he talks out of the side of his mouth that looks like Madden is telling an off-color joke or using a slur. Asshole.

Madden ’94 has personal meaning for me as it was the first Madden game I ever played. I was 11 years old and my neighbor Brian let me borrow it for a week. I still didn’t watch NFL games on TV at that point, and I had no idea how the game really worked. Brian told me two key things: 1. The Dallas Cowboys were the best team (always be Dallas), and 2. Use the “hail mary” play every time.

Using that strategy as an 11 year old meant I could beat the CPU every time. I won the Superbowl back then with relative ease. But would this simple strategy work with the terrible New England Patriots who were the worst team in the NFL following the ’92 season?

I scrolled through the options screen and chose “New Playoffs” as the Patriots (featuring the new “flying Elvis” logo). (Note: I might start doing full seasons at some point, but for the sake of expediency, I am sticking with Playoffs only for the time being.) The Pats were ranked as “poor” (the lowest ranking) in virtually every phase of the game.

After a splash screen showing the Lombardi Trophy (the prize), I immediately got into the game- Patriots @ Chargers. Once again, I was struck by how much better the presentation was in ’94. The player models are bigger and better defined. Even the coin-toss looks better, with its zoomed in image of realistic looking football players and the referee. The graphics overhaul can be seen everywhere (even the fonts are better).

Once the game got underway, I noticed that the overall speed of the game had also been increased. While it was not lightning fast, it was still faster than the previous three games. This said, the controls had been switched around somewhat. I didn’t have the manual for this game, but I was stunned to find that the “speed-burst” button was missing- now “C” would only do a “hurdle” move and “A” would cause the player to dive straight up in the air (and not forward). I was also baffled by the player numbers on my team- this was supposed to be Drew Bledsoe’s rookie year—why was he wearing #14? There was no #14 QB on New England in 1993! In fact, none of the player numbers matched the rosters that I had.

This player number issue was baffling to me as other teams seemed to have the right numbers (Troy Aikman on Dallas was #8 and Emmitt Smith #22). My best guess is that it had to do with getting an NFL license vs. getting a NFLPA license, but I don’t really know. This lack of consistency basically meant that I had no idea which players I had on my team or who was supposed to be who.

In any case, by halftime, I was still figuring out the controls and was down 7-6. I noted that the crowd was more involved in the game- after big plays, good or bad, there would be a “photo-realistic” depiction of fans cheering or booing. There were also new player animations- including one where a defensive player would take off his helmet and do squat thrusts over a sacked QB’s head. This looked terrible.

Halftime stats were more detailed and in general, the game just felt more polished than in previous years- there were no frame-rate issues on punts.

After I scored a TD in the second half, I was stunned when my XP was blocked by the CPU, leaving me with an awkward 12-7 lead. Some quirks started to show by this point- as was the case in the previous two editions of the game, some players were stacked. The Chargers running backs were unstoppable, for example. Also, some of the new animations just looked awkward. Besides the squat-thrust example mentioned above, some of the tackle animations look bizarre. A tackled player will sometimes tip over like a tower, and will not use his arms to brace for impact. He will just land on his face in the turf.

The rest of my 12-7 game felt like a stalemate UNTIL the last minute or so. The Chargers got the ball back with just under a minute left and no time outs, deep in their own territory. After three incomplete passes, they went for it on 4^th and 10 with a surprise run up the middle. Caught off guard, they picked up the first down and much more, stopping the clock with :01 at my 38 yard line. I decided to blitz with my linebackers while keeping everyone else deep. On the last play of the game, I got heavy pressure and knocked down Chargers QB as he rifled the ball deep down the left sideline and the final gun sounded. My safety dove to make the tackle as the WR hauled in the pass at the 8, but MISSED, and it looked like the receiver was home free. I took control of the closest corner and frantically DOVE to make a game saving tackle. I thought I MISSED, but the WR crumbled at the 1 yard line. I had just barely won 12-7.

My next game was the Pats @ the Dolphins- I decided that I would employ Brian’s old strategy of throwing hail mary after hail mary in order to stay competitive. This strategy was not ideal, but it led to my having a 10-3 halftime lead. For the second straight game, the CPU had horrible clock management skills. Miami had a clear chance to score a field goal before the half that was squandered by bad clock management.

I continued the “bombs away” approach in the second half and realized that if I took control of my WR while the ball was in the air, I could jockey for position and throw the DB out of the way before catching the ball (there is no “offensive pass interference” in the game). I was up 24-3 before Miami tried to mount a comeback. Too little too late- in spite of a safety and a questionable defensive pass interference call against me, Miami came up short, 24-12. They mangled clock management at the end of the 4^th quarter by allowing me to take a ton of time off the clock. I finished the game with 2 yards rushing and 24 points. Brian’s “hail mary” strategy seemed to have worked, even with the lowly Pats.

The AFC Championship game was against the Bills. In the early 1990’s, the Bills were consistently the best team in the AFC (4 consecutive AFC Championships!). Their stats reflected this and it was disheartening to see “excellent” ratings compared against my “poor” ones more or less across the board. I went into the game trying to repeat my deep ball strategy from the Miami game, but was failing miserably in the first half. I simply couldn’t move the ball- running or passing. In contrast, the Bills could do whatever they wanted- especially on the ground. I was down 10-0 at the half, but it should have been worse.

It got worse fast- I started the second half with a fumble. Another questionable pass interference call against me on the Bills drive that followed resulted in my falling behind 17-0. I managed a quick score at the end of the 3^rd quarter, making it 17-7 into the fourth.

Things got weird at this point. The Bills offense- which had been unstoppable- suddenly shut down. All of their runs were lateral and went for no gain. All of their passes were incomplete. I was not complaining, and was able to narrow the score to 17-14 with 1:30 left on the clock. After forcing a 3 and out, I got the ball back on my own 6 yard line with 1:00 left on the clock. Suddenly, my incompetent offense roared to life and I was able to march 94 yards downfield with relative ease to score with :06 left on the clock.

In the end, I overcame a 17 point deficit and 3 turnovers to win the game 21-17. I was relieved, to be sure- I didn’t want to have to start the playoffs over again- but I also couldn’t shake the fact that the CPU seemed to have laid down when I should have lost the game. There is an important lesson here- in Madden ’94 on the SEGA Genesis as well as in life- “Hang in there!”

The “Superbowl” matchup was vs. the Bears- a rematch of Superbowl XX! This was a weird game that involved yet ANOTHER bad pass interference call against me (and subsequent CPU score) - every game I played in Madden ’94 involved at least one major pass interference call against me. When I blocked a punt deep in their endzone, I managed to score a safety and after two field goals, I was up 8-7 at the half.

As I glanced through the halftime stats, I realized that there had been no mention by Madden or anywhere else that this game was the SUPERBOWL. Given that this was the first year that EA had the NFL license (and the right to use the “Superbowl” name/logo), I was surprised at the lack of effort here.

My analysis of the stats led me to believe that I could run the ball against the Bears. I opened the second half by giving this a try and it worked beautifully- a 10 play, 80 yard drive that took over 5 minutes off of the clock and put me on top 15-7. While the Bears threatened to score late in the game, I stopped them four times in a row at the goal line to preserve the win.

I eagerly awaited the picture of the Lombardi trophy with “PATRIOTS” written underneath it, but this moment never came. Instead, I was treated to a cheesy animation showing a generic parade with players driving by in sports cars. This animation repeated itself endlessly and when I finally pressed a button, I was dumped back to the main menu! What happened to the trophy???

I am including the picture of the trophy from the playoff bracket on my trophy gallery on the right column. For evidence that I actually WON it, click HERE .

Ultimately, Madden ’94 marks a huge stride forward in the series. Getting the NFL license, overhauling the graphics and presentation while improving the play selection all add up to the best game yet in the series. This said, it still has issues- the apparent lack of a “speed burst” button is missed and the excessive “pass interference” calls mar the experience. The player speeds are also still a bit sluggish, but this is undoubtedly the best of the first four Madden games.

Madden '93

MADDEN 93

SEGA Genesis

Click HERE for screenshots.

The third version of John Madden football to hit the console market boasted a number of improvements- most notably the introduction of digitized speech from Madden himself while “in-game” and battery-backup (no more convoluted password system). The box (once again, I have the box for the game, but no manual), calls the game “Football’s Greatest Lineup Ever!” and is sure to highlight the addition of 8 “greatest-ever” teams including the ’72 Dolphins and the ’85 Bears--- oops, wait--- still no NFL license in this game, so make that “Miami ’72” and “Chicago ‘85”. With these 8 teams, plus the two “all-madden” teams, the game boasts 38 “pro-teams” to choose from.

As has been the case with the first two Madden games, I don’t have any personal connection to Madden ’93. This was still a bit before the dawn of my football fandom. To me, the biggest improvement to this year’s game from ’92 (besides battery backup) was the addition of new team and player stats that are automatically saved throughout the playoffs. It was neat to track how I was doing throughout the tournament for what would be my final “John Madden Championship Trophy” (the LOMBARDI trophy is introduced in ’94).

In popping in the cartridge and powering up the good ol’ Genesis, a brief screen featuring many EASN (Electronic Arts “Sports Network”) logos spinning around was followed by a terrifying animated image of John Madden. He looks huge and the two frame animation of his mouth chomping up and down made me think he wanted to eat the player (me). Skipping quickly past this screen, I found the menu screen to be an interesting variation on the previous year. Instead of static pictures of two players with color changing jerseys (’92) or no images at all (’91), there are two little windows showing little players running around, making catches, diving, jumping, etc. The jersey color of the little players change depending on which team you are choosing. I found this weirdly charming.

Once again, I jumped right in by choosing “New Playoffs” from the option screen. I was eager to achieve my third John Madden Championship trophy. My matchup was Oakland @ New England – in the snow! 2001 Snow bowl rematch, but in 1993! For the first time in a Madden game, the game actually began with a coin toss. For some reason though, they screwed this up. When the “captains” run onto mid-field to call it in the air, the animation is incredibly choppy and they move like South Park characters. I’m not sure how this happened—the players can run smoothly in-game and there are many more of them. Weird.

As the game got underway, I was immediately struck by the addition of having Madden’s voice interjected in-game. The game was punctuated by frequent digitized speech from the man himself- “He’ll remember THAT number!” after a big hit or “That one didn’t have a chance…” after a bad pass. It could get a little redundant- I think there are only like 6 or 8 comments that he has, but I do think it adds something to the game.

The play-calling system had been improved a little bit (split screen) and I also noticed that the snow actually had a notable impact on the way players ran around. It seemed slippery and players did slide on it. Passing windows are still atrocious, but they refined them a little this year by showing the receiver’s numbers in the window, which can help (a little) in sorting out who is where on the field and whether you are throwing to a back out of the backfield or a wide receiver streaking down the sideline.

I also loved the touchdown music- it features “shredder guitar”, Genesis style, and the only word to describe it is “gnarly”.

A quirk that I noticed was that the game always drops frames on punts. When the screen switches angles from kicker to returner, there is always a laggy gap that lasts about a second when the ball is reaching its apex. Fortunately, this doesn’t impact gameplay very much.

I was up 7-3 at halftime against Oakland (they had scored a cheap field goal in the closing seconds of the half), but I felt ok about the game. My passing attack was horrible (0 yards passing in the first half), but my running back, #32 (Leonard Russell) was quick and effective (RELATIVELY speaking- the game is still pretty damn slow). As mentioned above, the addition of halftime stats was a nice touch, even if they were primitive (basically just info on QB passing).

I got up 14-3 in the third quarter before I was stunned by a 63 yard Oakland TD pass. Down 14-10 with four minutes to go, Oakland surprised me by going for it on 4^th and 10 from deep in their own territory. Given that they had 3 time outs, I thought it was a questionable call. In spite of heavy pressure they converted and ended up scoring on the same drive two minutes later. With less than 2 minutes left, I found myself behind 17-14 and backed up in my own territory. I fumbled the ball on my first play and after forcing them 3 and out, they kicked a field goal to go up 20-14 with :30 left. I completed a deep pass on the next drive, and with :03 left, I heaved the ball into the left corner of the endzone… and it was PICKED OFF.

I lost 20-14.

At first the sting of losing made me depressed. I had just lost 40 minutes of my life that I would never get back. I had lost in Madden ’93 on the SEGA Genesis. What was I doing with my life? While I suppose I could have questioned why I didn’t feel this way earlier (given my recent play-through of Madden ’91 and ’92), I concluded that it was because I hadn’t lost in either of those games. I decided the best thing was to get even with Oakland.

In restarting the playoffs, Oakland was once again the visiting team in New England. This time I showed no mercy and went for the throat from the opening kickoff. Madden’s digitized comments: “AMAZING!”, “WHAT A HIT!!!”, “THAT’S the way to hit ‘em!”, “THAT was a perfect pass!” and “BOOM! He’s on his back!” all sum up my 21-3 revenge beat down.

My next game against Cincinnati was similar- while the buttons weren’t always responsive or did what I intended, I was able to smack down the “Cincinnati pro-team” 21-7. I took note of some of the new player animations for Madden ’93. Most of these are celebratory- players “walk like an Egyptian” and will head-butt each other after a good play.

The next game, New England @ Indianapolis, was more of the same. I overcame the sluggish controls and my atrocious field goal kicker to blank the Jeff George led Colts, 14-0.

My third championship game was fittingly against New York. In looking up the player numbers, it became clear that this squad was based on the ‘92 New York Giants (not the Jets). #15 (Jeff Hostetler) and #27 (Rodney Hampton) were leading the charge, with the support of third down back, #30 (Dave Meggett). The game was set at night and as the players took the field for the opening kickoff, they spun in place and put their hands in the air. I suppose this was to show their enthusiasm for the big game, but instead it just looked like they were all having seizures.

On my first possession, I drove 99 yards and took almost six minutes off the clock to get up 7-0. A pass interference call against #56 (Laurence Taylor) was the key play. When New York got the ball back, it became clear that Rodney Hampton was a “magic” player like Barry Sanders and Ickey Woods had been in Madden ’92. Every time he touched the ball, he would automatically get 6 yards or more. He would literally go THROUGH my defender for +4 yards after contact. Fortunately for me, the CPU did not opt to run it that often with Hampton and instead went with its unreliable passing game and runs with Meggett, who was as bad as Hampton was good. I could routinely stop Meggett for 8 yard losses.

After my terrible field goal kicker shanked a 30 yard field goal before the half, I found myself protecting a weak 7-0 lead at halftime in spite of the fact that I had dominated the game. Midway through the third quarter, disaster struck when I took a shot deep down the right sideline only to have it picked by a Giatns defender and returned 51 yards for the game tying TD.

When I got the ball back with about a minute left in the third, I decided to play it conservatively and rely on the run to control the clock. The drive stalled at the Giant 45 yard line, so on 3^rd and 6 I decided to take a shot deep. As soon as I released the ball, I watched in horror as my receivers collided on their crossing route. While they didn’t fall over, it knocked them off of their intended routes. I got lucky though and the under man came up with the catch intended for the deep man. This 26 yard pickup put me deep into NY territory with just a minute to go. I switched back to the run and managed to score with :18 left on the clock- this put me up 14-7. The drive ended up being 78 yards in total and took over 6 minutes.

New York failed to covert after the kickoff and I held on to the win, which meant my third (and last ever) “John Madden Championship”. In addition to the standard picture of the trophy with “New England” written underneath it, I was also greeted to a special fireworks extravaganza. The spectacle was glorious and well earned. I was champion once again.