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.