Madden NFL
Madden NFL is an American football video game developed by Electronic Arts Tiburon (EA) for EA Sports. The Madden NFL series consistently is one of the top selling video games in North America every year. The first version of the game was released in 1989 for the PC, as John Madden Football. The first console version (and the version that made it a top-selling franchise) for the Sega Genesis followed in 1990 with a Super Nintendo version available a year later. EA Sports has released annual updates for all versions since 1991's John Madden Football '92. The series gained full NFL licensing and became known as Madden NFL with 1993's Madden NFL '94; NFL players licenses came two years later.
The game is currently available for Xbox, PlayStation 2, GameCube, PlayStation, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, PlayStation Portable, Palm OS, and Xbox 360
History
The game is named after John Madden, a well-known football commentator and formerly a successful Super Bowl-winning professional football coach during the 1970s with the Oakland Raiders. Madden insisted that he would only give his endorsement to a game that was as close to real life football as possible.
The game has grown, refined and matured over the years, adding many new features. Among these is voice commentary, allowing players or watchers to hear the game being called as if it were a real game on TV. The commentary is by John Madden teamed with his regular broadcast partner, which meant Pat Summerall until he retired; the role is now filled by Al Michaels, John's current broadcast partner on ESPN's Monday Night Football.
The original version of the game was commissioned by EA founder Trip Hawkins in 1984, and originally ran on an Apple II. EA had just shipped the hit Dr. J and Larry Bird Go One on One and would soon begin work on Earl Weaver Baseball and World Tour Golf, which together were the foundation for the EA Sports line of video games. The Apple II was not fast enough to show all the players running in real formations on the field. Madden personally rejected the initial proposed build because there were only seven players on each team. After several years of unsuccessful experiments the game finally shipped in the late 1980s and did not sell well.
When the Sega Genesis gained popularity in the early 1990s, EA tried again. Producer Richard Hilleman brought in veteran sports game designer Scott Orr, who had founded 1980s Commodore 64 game publisher GameStar and had led the design of their best-selling sports games. The team of Orr and Hilleman designed and led the development of what is today still recognizable as the modern Madden Football, the highest revenue-generating video game series in North America in game history. Early versions of Madden were created by outside studios (including Park Place Productions and Stormfront Studios) but by the late 1990s development was centralized internally at EA Tiburon in Orlando, Florida.
There are multiple modes of play, from a quick head-to-head game to running a team for a whole season or even multiple seasons. Online play, which was a new feature for Madden NFL 2003 was only available for users of the PlayStation 2 console or a Microsoft Windows PC until earlier this year. At E3 2004, Microsoft and EA Sports released a press statement announcing that games made from July on will now be Xbox Live-enabled. In August of 2004, EA Sports released Madden NFL 2005 and thus became a fierce competitor in the Xbox Live Community.
Also, starting with Madden 2004, EA Sports created the new "Play Maker" tool, using the right analog joystick found on many controllers. This allows the players to make pre-snap route adjustments, as well as defensive alignment adjustments. In Madden 2005, EA Sports further utilized the right analog joystick by creating the "Hit Stick", an option on defense that allows the controlled player to make big hits that can cause fumbles. In the most recent edition to the Madden series, Madden 06, the truck stick was introduced. This feature allows the offensive player to lower his shoulder and break a tackle, or back juke to avoid one. Another new feature is the 'Superstar Mode', which allows the player to take control of a Rookie, and progress through their career. This includes an IQ test, the NFL draft, hiring an agent, and other aspects of a superstar's life. However, the Xbox 360 version of Madden NFL 06 lacks many of these features and only includes a play now, season, and stripped-down franchise game modes; the graphics, however, are superior to the other versions.
Due to a contractural obligation, Bill Parcells cannot appear in the Madden NFL series until his television contract with ESPN actually expires (however with ESPN partnering with EA, that remains to be seen for the 07 version). Currently, the game makes the Dallas Cowboys head coach named "Dallas Coach".
On December 13, 2004, EA Sports announced it had secured exclusive rights to the NFL for the subsequent five years, precluding any other game company from selling a football game using NFL players, teams, stadiums or other licenses.
The "Madden Curse"
Prior to 2000, all of the Madden NFL game box covers prominently featured John Madden only. When EA started to have NFL players on the cover of the Madden NFL games, some later (half-jokingly) speculated that there was a "Madden curse": a coincidental series of misfortunes that befell the product's cover-boys. People started noticing a pattern when the Atlanta Falcons' star player, quarterback Michael Vick, was injured during the 2003 preseason after posing for the cover of Madden 2004. Vick suffered a broken fibula in a pre-season game against Baltimore, the day after Madden 2004 was released to retailers. The injury resulted in a painful 5-11 year for Vick's team. Some of the people that believed in the curse stated that the player featured on the box would get injured, or simply have a weak season.
The first NFL player to be on a Madden NFL cover was Barry Sanders in 1999, for Madden 2000. He shared the cover with the then-customary picture of John Madden. However, a week before training camp began in 1999, Sanders abruptly retired -- ending his career and leaving the Detroit Lions without their star running back of the previous 10 years. Sanders' part in the curse is debated because he is not pictured alone on the box, and because he left by his own choice.
Eddie George, then of the Tennessee Titans, who graced the 2001 box, was the second 'cursed' player. He was cursed by bobbling a pass in the playoffs, which was then intercepted by Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, who returned the ball for a touchdown. George, (up until then) known for his durability, would also get injured the following season. After regularly averaging nearly 4 yards per carry in his first five seasons, he averaged only 3 yards per carry in the 2001 season. For the rest of his career, he never averaged more than 3.5 yards per carry.
Former Minnesota Vikings star quarterback Daunte Culpepper appeared on the 2002 cover and, although he didn't suffer any type of injury the following season, he saw his totals for passing yardage and touchdown passes, as well as his quarterback rating, drop sharply.
Running back Marshall Faulk of the St. Louis Rams, who was on the 2003 box, suffered an injury and had a bad season overall. He has yet to break 1,000 yards rushing since.
Madden 2005 featured Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens. He had an injury that kept him out of the last game of the regular season. The Ravens won it, but still missed the playoffs altogether. It was also Lewis' first season without a single interception, after posting a career-high 6 the previous year.
EA officials point out that Ray Lewis and Eddie George appeared on the covers of the 2005 and 2001 versions, respectively, and had successful seasons without injury. [1]
The Philadelphia Eagles' star quarterback Donovan McNabb is on the cover of the current version, Madden NFL 06. Prior to the beginning of the 2005 season, McNabb began having a feud with fellow teammate, wide receiver Terrell Owens. In the first game of the regular season, McNabb took a hit to the chest from the helmet of Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Chad Lavalais. After the game, it was revealed that McNabb had a 'sports hernia' (i.e., a serious rupture of the lower abdominal muscles key to quick running and torso movements) that needed surgery. Refusing to have the required season-ending surgery while the Eagles (who had made the Super Bowl the previous season) still had a chance to make the playoffs, he played in discomfort and pain throughout the season. Later in the tenth game of the season, McNabb re-injured his groin while attempting to tackle Dallas Cowboys defensive back Roy Williams, who was returning an interception for the eventual game-winning touchdown. On November 21, 2005, McNabb, on the advice of his doctors, opted to have season-ending surgery for his sports hernia; the Eagles had been eliminated from playoff contention.
Criticism
The Madden NFL series each year is given annual updates that are generally small, sometimes a new feature or two, and updating the graphics slightly, all for the same $50 price as the previous years' title (now $60 on next-gen consoles). For example, Madden 2005 introduced a new feature: Build-A-Stadium. The 2006 version had absolutely no updates on this feature. Many players have been calling for a Career Records listing in Franchise Mode (such as the top ten all-time rushers or passers) for many years, though the producers of Madden have never obliged. Still, the game sells well each year because of player movement in the NFL, as well as being the only "real" (or, official) NFL football video game. The new added features, however, are key to the Madden attraction as they take another step into bringing the player into the game. Since fall 2005, EA has significantly lowered the retail price of the game, as well (as of February 2006, it sold at most U.S. retailers for just $19.99).
Each year, Madden developers also fail to address certain issues that fans have found with the game. For example, it is almost impossible to return a punt for a realistic amount of yards due to shoddy AI. Also, wide receivers and defensive backs can often, seemingly psychically, know that a pass is coming even when the player is not looking for it and the pass is ill-timed. From as far back as the Sega Genesis releases, many dedicated users have complained that CPU-controlled teams too often mount unlikely and seemingly unstoppable late-game comebacks. These complaints - which some gamers claim are unwarranted - continue to surface with each release.
It has been debated that each year, Madden removes features from previous editions only to make returns in future versions of games. The Xbox 360 version of Madden NFL 06 removed many features and the ability to challenge plays. While the missing features from the Xbox 360 version of Madden would appear consistent with the argument, it has also been argued that EA simply rushed this version of the game to release so that the game would coordinate with the launch of the next generation console.
In 2005, the producers of the Madden series, EA Sports, signed an exclusive licensing deal with the NFL league and players to give them the exclusive right to use the NFL's teams, stadiums and players in a video game, something which has been widely criticized. This exclusive license has put an end to competition in NFL video games and, some have suggested, this gives EA less incentive to maintain quality and a greater opportunity to increase prices. In this climate, some football games, such as the ultra-violent Blitz: The League, have elected to continue, seeking to distinguish themselves through innovative gameplay, while others such as the well-reviewed Sega NFL 2K / ESPN NFL Football series have been forced to cease production.
Madden NFL 06 Music
- Foo Fighters - No Way Back
- Disturbed - Ten Thousand Fists
- Bump J - Move Around
- All-American Rejects
- Chamillionaire - Hate in ya Eyes
- Avenged Sevenfold - Bat Country
- Memphis Bleek - Like That
- Bullet For My Valentine - 4 Words (To Choke Upon)
- Papoose - Born to Win
- Rev Run - Mind on the Road
- Fall Out Boy - Dance, Dance
- Sam Scarfo - Tear Em Up
- Finch - Ink
- Slim Thug - Get It Started
- Funeral For A Friend
- Spider Loc - When I Get Angry
- Stat Quo - Rock Da Party
- Godsmack
- Tech N9ne - The Beast
- Hot Hot Heat
- Nine Black Alps
- Da Riffs
Madden Bowl
Madden Bowl is a Madden tournament held since 1995 among NFL players and celebrities two days before the Super Bowl. The participants play the latest Madden game using the "Tournament" mode; many of them pick their favorite teams and they play against each other. The best player wins the Madden Bowl.
Madden Bowl Winners
- 1995 - Reggie Brooks
- 1996 - Reggie Brooks
- 1997 - Jimmy Spencer
- 1998 - Morris Chestnut
- 1999 - Ray Mickens
- 2000 - Terry Jackson
- 2001 - Jacquez Green
- 2002 - Jacquez Green
- 2003 - Dwight Freeney
- 2004 - Dwight Freeney
- 2005 - Michael Lewis
- 2006 - Alex Smith
Main cast
- Note: Dates indicate the version number, not the calendar year when it was actually released.
- Color commentator: John Madden
- Play-by-play: Pat Summerall (1995? - 2002)
- Play-by-play: Al Michaels (2003 - present)
- Sideline reporter: Lesley Visser (1997 - 2002)
- Sideline reporter: Melissa Stark (2003 - 2004)
- Sideline reporter: Jill Arrington (2005)
- Studio host: James Brown (1997 - 2002)
- Sports radio host: Tony Bruno (2005 - present)
- Referee: Red Cashion (1998 - 2000)
References
- ^ "McNabb has history with 'cursed' products". ESPN. Retrieved June 21.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ "Cover and out? McNabb latest Madden star to fall". ESPN. Retrieved November 21.
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