Madden NFL 97

Madden NFL 97 is the first Madden NFL football game to be created in the 32-bit gaming era. It was originally created for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn, but other versions were also released, including the 16 bit Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis.

This was the first edition of Madden to implement the use of a salary cap when customizing team rosters. It also featured the new Baltimore Ravens, the expansion franchise that absorbed the roster of the Cleveland Browns for the 1996 season. The game also adds a team of real free agents (as opposed to the blank slate used in Madden 96) which can be traded and added to other teams' rosters (led by recently semi-retired quarterback Randall Cunningham), and could be played by using a cheat code.

Classic teams were once again used, although most were different from the previous year's teams; the years ranged as far back as 1952 (Detroit Lions) and as recent as 1990 (Buffalo Bills). Jacksonville and Carolina, once again, did not get classic teams, but Baltimore was attached to a classic Cleveland Browns team.

NFL '97

NFL '97 is a follow-up video game to Sega's classic Joe Montana series on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. NFL '97 featured some sound effects directly from that series. NFL 97 was released exclusively for the Sega Saturn.

Reception

NFL 97 sold well but received mostly poor reviews (from sources like Gamespot and Videogamecritic.net). For example, GameSpot gave it a 4.8 rating, mainly because they felt it was not at the level of the current generation of video games. There were some positive reviews. In 1996, Charles B. Mattingly of Sega-Saturn.com said with the exception of Madden, NFL 97 is the best football game on the Saturn. Game Revolution gave it a B+ rating for: the ability to create your own playbook, bigger player graphics, control of passing arc, and the balanced level of difficulty.

External links

Madden NFL

Madden NFL (known as John Madden Football before 1993) is an American football video game series developed by Electronic Arts Tiburon for EA Sports. It is named after Pro Football Hall of Famer John Madden, a well-known former Super Bowl–winning coach of the Oakland Raiders and color commentator. The series has sold more than 100 million copies, and influenced many players and coaches of the physical sport. Among the game's realistic features are sophisticated playbooks and player statistics, and voice commentary that allows players to hear the game as if it were a real TV broadcast.

Electronic Arts founder Trip Hawkins conceived the series and approached Madden in 1984 for his endorsement and expertise. Because of Madden's insistence that the game be as realistic as possible, the first version of John Madden Football did not appear until 1988. EA has released annual versions since 1990, and the series' name changed to Madden NFL in 1993 after EA acquired the rights to use NFL teams and players. Despite Madden's retirement as a broadcaster in 2009, he continues to lend his name to and provide expertise for the game.

Madden NFL 2002

Madden NFL 2002 (also known as Madden 2002) is an American football video game. It features former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper on the cover. Pat Summerall and John Madden are the commentators.

Features

Madden NFL 2002 features play now, season, franchise, tournament, create-a-player and create-a-team modes. It also has the Madden Card feature. It is also a GameCube and Xbox Launch title as well as one of the last titles released on the Nintendo 64, as well as the Game Boy Color. This is the first Madden to feature the Houston Texans in the team select. It was also bundled with NBA Live 2002 and NASCAR Thunder 2002 as part of the EA 2002 collector's edition for the PlayStation. Also the game featured the 2002 Expansion Draft where the player can add the 32nd team into the league but it will force the Seahawks to move into the NFC.

The Baltimore Ravens had the best team overall in the game with the score of 99. The worst team in the game belongs to the Houston Texans with the score of 39. The best offense in the game belongs to the St. Louis Rams with the score of 96. The best defense in the game belongs to the Baltimore Ravens with the score of 96. The best special teams in the game belongs to seven different teams (Minnesota Vikings, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers and Denver Broncos) all with scores of 99.

Madden NFL 06

Madden NFL 06 is an American football video game which was released in 2005. It is also a launch game for the Xbox 360. It is the 16th installment of the Madden NFL series by EA Sports, named for noted color commentator John Madden. The product features former Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb on the cover. It is the first Madden game for the PlayStation Portable and Xbox 360. The game also features WWE and UFC superstar, Brock Lesnar as a playable character in the Minnesota Vikings.

Significant changes

One of the additions to the 2006 version of Madden is Superstar mode, which allows the player to create and take control of an NFL player from his rookie year all the way to retirement. An athlete can be created by evaluating pairs of parents — judging, based on their IQs, occupations, and hobbies, whether their child would excel in the NFL — or by importing a player from NCAA Football 06 or NFL Street 2. This player is 21 years old at the start of his career. Superstar mode is essentially Madden's Franchise mode seen through the eyes of this athlete. Rather than manage the team's front office, the player manages the career of his athlete: selecting movie roles, accepting product endorsement, etc. The player can access different areas of the city the Superstar is playing in such as the barber shop, to get a haircut or the performance institute to raise attributes if the player's agent has a key. As the player gains in popularity and prestige the superstar's home will transform from an apartment to a luxurious mansion. The player will receive calls from former NFL running back Terrell Davis, who is the player's mentor and guide. This addition has met with mixed reviews from video game reviewers. Although the idea is considered great in concept, many found the actual execution of the mode to be lackluster.