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.