1989 saw the official end of the Cold War and is also marked as the year that the World Wide Web was conceived. It is also the first year that John Madden Football hit the pavement in a big way (technically the first release was in 1988, but don't tell anyone). The game was available on MS-DOS machines (PC's), the Commodore 64, and the Amiga. If you are not sure what those platforms even are, you need to do your gaming homework.
Here we are now, with the next generation in hand and I sat down with both the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One versions of the game. I'm going to be honest here, other than dabbling a little bit here and there, I haven't really played much Madden since the early days. Keep that in mind when it comes to my score and my feelings.
The graphics in the next-gen are certainly more polished than their older-gen cousins. The crowd is more realistic and the environments (the grass in particular) is absolutely incredibly. The player models, however, still need a bit of work. They don't quite feel like they have made it into the next generation, but the field degradation and uniform "wear" are certainly making the game feel more realistic than ever. It's funny to think that back in 1989 they were just worried about getting the right number of players on the field. Now, we're worried about every blade of grass. Times have certainly changed.
The presentation overall is one of the weaker parts of the series, there are no half-time or other "shows" that make watching the games on television a full experience. Then again, you aren't watching television are you? Sometimes it gets difficult to tell. The commentary while interesting is still not quite up to par with other sports games of even the last generation so it's definitely an area that can be improved.
When it comes to gameplay, this version shows definite improvements especially on the newer systems. With so many options and ways to play the game you are virtually guaranteed that no two games will be anything alike. It's also a nice touch to have the "PVR" recording capabilities of the next gen to be able to share your amazing moments. I was very excited to share my first touchdown, which was so close to the line that I wasn't even sure if I had it. The replay showed I did but barely by the skin of my teeth.
The modes are not really new in this version but the Connected Franchise is pretty darn perfect as it was, with challenges providing a much more interesting way to play the game if you get tired of just "playing". The newer generation adds PS Vita remote play so you can play on the handheld and not miss a moment of action and CoachGlass (the implementation of SmartGlass on the Xbox One) is pretty cool allowing you to see your opponent's offensive tendencies.
There are many other minor enhancements throughout the game, too numerous to mention. 351 new plays added overall, more than 20 new impact block animations, and an improved Madden Share option are just a small sampling of what this game has to offer. It might be just about the only game in town, but at least it's a good one.
The Good:
- Takes advantage of many of the newer next-gen features
- Reintroduces Madden Ultimate Team with new modes
- Physics are improved as well as some of the graphics
The Bad:
- No half-time, pre-game or post-game presentation worth speaking of. With that, it could just replace football on TV
- Even with all the new options it still might feel like every other Madden you've played
- No half-time, pre-game or post-game presentation worth speaking of. With that, it could just replace football on TV
- Even with all the new options it still might feel like every other Madden you've played
Score: 8.5 / 10
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Syd Bolton surrounds himself in thousands of classic video games as Canada's top video game collector at the Personal Computer Museum (http://www.pcmuseum.ca) in Brantford, Ontario, Canada.
