Image via Complex Original
Twenty five years ago, John Madden aligned his name with Electronic Arts who was trying to launch a serious football video game. The two sides came to an agreement changing the sports landscape forever. Today fans camp out for midnight launches, celebrities and athletes keep controllers glued to their palms and Madden NFL is a household name. Just think about how seriously some people take the infamous "Madden curse." That alone is a testament to the magnitude of one of the most influential video games to hit store shelves.
Real recognizes real, and it’s important to note the franchise's contributions to not only football video games but all of video game sports. To celebrate the milestones of one of our most prized video game franchises, we're counting down the 25 Reasons Why Madden Lasted 25 Years.
25. The Intro
Everybody needs something to get them primed for spending a Sunday playing Madden from dusk 'til dawn. In the past "Party Hard" on EA Trax sufficed. But that ship has sailed. Besides we can totally relate to this guy. Too small, not fast enough, doesn't have what it takes? Oh wait he's a future hall of famer possibly one of the top ten players of all time? Then what the hell is he talking out?
We'd like to know which scout told Ray Lewis he wasn't fast enough. Dude has been a prototype for the evolution of the linebacker that can cover sideline to sideline like someone harnessing all the power of a deer's antlers.
Ray Lewis never makes any sense to us but he could fire up Steven Wright. If you listened to his non-sensical quotes every day before work you'd be living in the Governor's mansion. And it's a great way to kickoff any Madden marathon session.
24. It Could Always Be Worse
Had you been born in the late '60s Tecmo Bowl would've hit the shelves right about the time you headed off for college. It was a game hampered by technical shortcomings; for example a different stadium simply meant a different abbreviation in the end zone. That was it, that's all you had, and it was an absolute commercial success. Seriously, do yourself a favor and search that pile on YouTube or waste $5 buying it off the virtual console and then tell us how pained you are by the generic Madden commentary of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms. If you watch pro football on CBS, you might find their wooden virtual personalities to be strikingly realistic.
You'd be amazed, while scouring message boards, how frequently petulant grievances become the main source of aggravation. Especially when you consider how profoundly sports games have evolved. Bottom line if announcers, QB arm strength ratings, or lack of realistic accessories on players are your biggest frustration, then you've got a pretty good life.
23. Sticking To The Basics
It's no surprise that a game released annually, simulating the same sport, on the same rectangular field isn't always going to feel fresh. But Madden has tweaked some things to near perfection, like passing.
Tecmo Bowl and Super Tecmo Bowl had to deal with the fact that the NES had two face buttons. You used 'A' to cycle through receivers and 'B' to throw the ball; this made it very difficult to counteract the blitz. In some games (like Super Play Action Football) you got an entirely useless zoomed in diagonal view. In other games the camera zoomed out and didn't elevate making you feel like Spud Webb playing quarterback.
Madden gave you the wire camera and the elevation to see every receiver downfield. Every receiver represented by a different button is the best way to do passing. If that feels stale, it's because there's no way to improve upon it.
22. How Easily You Forget
NFL 2K was a franchise that was amazing in its own rite and pushed Madden to mainstream success (more on that later). In addition to game innovations, the franchise made playing fake football a hell of a lot less expensive. In 2004, then ESPN NFL 2K5, dropped prices for both games, Madden was $29.99, 2K5 was $19.99. That's both games for less than a new Madden today.
But you are concussed if you don't think 2K had its fair share of crappy ideas: First person football where you have no feel for what's going on around you, the Crib where you could lounge around watching Sportscenter ads, and playing Steve-O which was....we don't even know.
21. Multiplayer Gaming
Sports games are tailor-made for multiplayer. Anyone who grew up with a brother knows about sibling rivalry all too well. Besides smashing his face into a wall, there's no quicker way to earn his respect than by besting him in a game of Madden. It's like being the Harbaugh brothers except better because you don't get paid.
20. 11 On 11
This was a very famous sticking point for the Madden himself, refusing to attach his name to anything that didn't have eleven guys on each side. This actually led to them holding up the first edition for three years. No question someone else would've come along with this eventually but as we mentioned before people played videogames in the late eighties too and it became a statement that while other titles had their place in the market Madden was the series striving for authenticity.
19. The No Huddle
In Madden '93 videogame no huddles were introduced and, after 20 years of late comebacks, gamers have made John Elway's "The Drive" become as routine as Peyton Manning choking in the clutch. In the modern day, make sure you pre-set defensive audibles and make liberal use of defensive playmaker lest you run into one of the number of online Bill Belichick's.
18. It Keeps NCAA Football in the Game
Bill Walsh College Football was released in June of 1993, several years after Madden had already achieved a degree of mainstream success. With regret for Bill Walsh, the powers that be renamed the series College Football USA in 1995 and eventually NCAA Football in 1997. If there's a silver lining for Walsh, it's that he'll be remembered as an actual coach rather than a bloated videogame mascot.
Before this season when they inexplicably removed it you could import your draft class from NCAA into Madden and follow your "amateurs" through their pro careers as well.Even with that change the bottom line is NCAA is every bit as competent as Madden and even excels in some areas. For football gaming fans, the choice is which league do you prefer? And, for better or worse, the NFL is king. Anybody who has enjoyed NCAA over the past two decades owes a degree of gratitude to Madden. It's hard to imagine the series being greenlit without the success of its NFL counterpart.
17. Create-a-Player
So you didn't turn out 6'3" 220 running a 4.4. In Madden, you can create the player you would've been had D-1 coaches seen the potential in slow, fat fucks. I see your Michael Vick and raise you Usain Bolt, with Barry Sanders' shiftiness and Aaron Rodgers' arm. Oh, also Adrian Peterson's trucking.
16. Franchise Mode
Madden gave us the first franchise mode in Madden '99, which is now a central pillar in every sports franchise on the market (except, ironically, Madden 13). This is what gave sports games' their nigh infinite replayability; it's also a logical step for a sport with sixteen game seasons.
15. Owner Mode
In Madden 2004, the ability to hire and fire coaches, set prices, and create promotions provided a logical and dynamic step in the Franchise's eveolution. Finally, we could tap our inner Jerry Jones and gouge honest, hardoworking people who support our product through thick and thin. If you wanted you could even be a real dick and move your team. The only thing missing was holding taxpayers for ransom to fund a new stadium, but hey maybe we'll see that in the future.
14. Downloadable Rosters
First debuting in Madden 2004, downloadable rosters allowed the developers to make changes over the course of an NFL season without Madden gamers having to make edits themselves (another odd recent removal). This is great because players having a breakout season were upgraded without the user having to wait twelve months for a $60 roster update.
13. Right Analog Stick Innovation
In most video games if the right analog is used at all it's to adjust camera angles. EA takes advantage of the fact that a field one hundred horse dicks long is perfectly suited for a fixed camera angle and frees up the right analog for a multitude of innovations over the years.
First came playmaker allowing you to direct your receivers across the field like a junior Johnny Unitas; it also allowed you to do preplay audibles. Later they added hit stick to defense which was an excellent risk and reward idea for arm-chair hard hitters, pre-play audibles to defense, truck stick, hot routes, and finally lead blocker control.
Save for one these have all been good in theory and execution. As for lead blocker control for now that's just good in theory.
12. Broad Support
If not for Tony Hawk 3, Madden would've been the last game released for the Nintendo 64. Madden 2005 came out for the Playstation two months before the final game was released. Madden 08 was the last game ever released on the Gamecube. Madden 09 was the last released for the XBOX. Madden 12 came out for the Playstation 2 well after that console was forgotten.
Like Brett Favre, Madden lingers around long after it should. But unlike Brett Favre it's a good thing. If you are adverse to change or if you can't afford consoles bordering on rent payment it's nice to know you don't have to forgo updated videogame football.
11. Supersim
One of the unsung additions to Madden (and NCAA).
We've always loved this feature and we were excited to see it included way back in Madden 08. It allows you to play the plays you want and simulate those you don't. You get an ESPN gameday type screen like that above and you can jump in and out of the game whenever you want. It's great for a group of friends who want to play co-op defense (or at least it was) in an attempt to recreate the Monsters of the Midway; and it's nice to see you no longer have to muck around on O or D if that's not your preference.
This is also a great work-around for anybody who only likes playing as their create-a-player yet doesn't want to suffer through some of the limitations, constant benchings or horrendous camera angles of Superstar mode.
10. Infinity Engine
It's not perfect. Not yet. But an actual overhaul to improve gameplay is finally taking place; the idea of no two plays looking the same. Of all the crappy little tweaks every sports franchise makes that you never even notice, this is one where you do. The infinity engine is what we envisioned when we thought of true next generation football.
It's still spotty in areas. No one's going to blame you if you cite it as a source of aggravation. But unlike QB vision, it's got potential. If it's still sketchy in two years that we'll all be justified in our cynicism.
9. The Run Game
We know this is at times wonky with the new infinity engine but if smoothed out the potential is enormous. The prospect of seeing your O-line double team Justin Smith to open up a huge running lane is a dream to any diehard football fan who masturbates over blocking schemes.
8. Precision Passing
A feature that gives you the illusion of having Jay Cutler's arm without Jay Cutler's injury risk. We like the ability to place a Trent Dilfer dime wherever we want even though we can't thread a tire in real life. Also, kudos to '13 for finally ridding virtual defenses of a psychic secondary. Unless you have a full-house ground and pound offense this one should explain itself. It's a problem that has plagued EA football (And still plagues NCAA) despite the fact developers had seemed to be aware of it for years. Credit where credit's due.
7. Ball-Hawk Feature
This is a long time coming for any user DB's who have consistently seen the wrong animation when attempting to jump a route or breakup a crucial pass. Too often in the past your DB would shift his weight back with his feet stuck to the ground on a jump ball. We love Stevie Wonder, but we were sick of relying on him to bolster our secondary. Waiting with anticipation is a much better system than attempting to perfectly time everything and hope the defensive animation fits the pass. Now if only they'd fix that strafe.
6. Connective Careers
We completely understand if you're upset over the loss of traditional franchise. That said, put us in the corner of people who see the potential of connective careers. We like the fact that you can pit your team as a quarterback against your buddy as a head coach. No longer does that barrier exist for friends who prefer different modes. By day you two may be trainees holding it together at Taco Bell but by night you're the second coming of Joe Montana and he's Vince Lombardi back via zombie uprising on a quest to once again raise the trophy that bears his name.
5. TV Presentation
Like a teen discovering acne cream, Madden's come a long way in terms of presentation. EA made a real concentrated effort to make the game look like a CBS broadcast right down to the horrifying detail of a computer animated team of Jim Nantz and Phil Simms. The commentary sucks in part because it's new and in part because it's Jim Nantz and Phil Simms. Either way don't be too hard on your videogame announcers, live with the fact that there's limits of what pre-recorded audio can do. We do miss the days of Madden himself calling the game (not to mention it made a lot more sense), but the man is far too busy with retirement to read lines for the game that keeps him relevant.
4. The Graphics
Save for the crowds the graphics are getting to that next gen level where the status quo is remarkably lifelike. If you're like us and were already satisfied by those Neanderthals in pads that were so prominent in NFL 2K's on Dreamcast than this game is better to look at than naked Arnold oiled up in the seventies.
3. Inclusion Of Legends
One thing both NCAA and Madden seem to be going for this year is the ability to re-play the career of a legend. So whether you want Warren Moon to play in a Super Bowl or Barry Sanders to go out atop the career rushing yards list, oh, and also play in a Super Bowl you have your chance to correct the errors of the past.
Kudos also for Madden having retired players occasionally come out of retirement. A very cool idea. In one of ours virtual Kurt Warner felt a future as a vegetable preferable to watching seven kids and working with Rich Eisen.
2. Online
The loss of online co-op is dumb (though not as dumb as releasing it without offline co-op) and a lot of Madden die-hards lament the loss of fantasy draft but any time we go on there's still 78,000 people available for a game. A lot of people seem to be up for teamplay this year although like we already mentioned we can't believe they dropped co-op franchise. That being said whether on a couch or over a headset it's always fun to chew people out for missing their assignments.
1. The Monopoly
Here's the only technical reason Madden is still alive today. In a world of eat or be eaten, Madden was forced to swallow it's greatest competitor. Had they not secured exclusivity rights to make licensed NFL videogames it's NFL 2K that would have that lingering stale feeling right now.
The single biggest reason we are where we are with our pro football videogame climate is the monopoly that cemented Madden as the sole virtual purveyor of the league in 2004. A really unfortunate trend that is decimating sports titles and erasing variety.
If you're angry about the whole deal, any outrage at EA is misguided. Instead, place the target of your scorn squarely where it belongs, on the greed of the NFL.