John Madden Football

This is the most stunning sports simulation I've ever seen! It perfectly recreates all the thrills and spills of American football. There are so many amazing touches, I just don't know where to start: the absolutely gob-smacking 3D graphics which have to be seen to be believed, the superlative music and sound effects, the incredible amount of play options, the way the players celebrate a touchdown, the completely brilliant two player option, the way the players all gather round before a play, the highlights from other games that are played after a match... I could go on, but I'm sure you've got the message. John Madden's Football is the best Megadrive game yet - if you're a sports fan it's an essential addition to your cartridge library.

John Madden Football hat den Schritt vom Mega Drive auf den Amiga erstaunlich gut überlebt. Zwar sind die Spriteanimationen nicht ganz so flüssig wie auf Segas Maschine, die Grafik an sich sieht jedoch noch eine Ecke besser aus. Der famose 3-D-Effekt und der kernige Stadionsound (1 MByte vorausgesetzt) sorgen für gepflegte Superbowl-Atmosphäre. Die gegenüber dem Mega Drive etwas kompliziertere Steuerung (vom Pad mit drei Feuerknöpfen zum Joystick) entpuppt sich nach kurzer Eingewöhnungsphase als durchdacht und sehr zweckmäßig. Erstaunlich viel Taktikvariationen runden den extrem positiven Gesamteindruck ab. Spielt Ihr zu zweit, werden zwar gleichzeitig die Taktiken ausgesucht - der Gegenspieler kann aber, dank ausgeklügelter Bedienung, keine Rückschlüsse auf die erwählte Strategie ziehen. Das Gefühl, den Angriff meines Kumpels im Keim zu ersticken, ist unbeschreiblich - wieder landet sein mickriger Quarterback unter meinen 130-Kilo-Verteidigern.

Bei Electronic Arts kommt man immer mehr auf den Videospielgeschmack: Handelte es sich bei den ersten beiden Mega Drive-Modulen dieses Software-Hauses noch um 1:1-Umsetzungen von Computerspielen, so wurde die Sportsimulation "John Madden Football" von Grund auf neu programmiert. Mit dem gleichnamigen Computerspiel für PCs hat es nur noch den Titel gemeinsam, Grafik-Look und Steuerung wurden Mega Drive-gerecht aufgemöbelt.

When choosing plays, you also need to choose which type of players you want, including big, hands, fast, or normal. After that, you often have to wait for half the team to run off the field, and THEN wait for the substitute players to run ONTO the field! This needlessly slows down the game. The physics aren't very realistic. Players can dive for over five yards or be knocked back just as far! Passing windows are used to view your three receivers, and while these windows do indicate how open your receiver is, they do not tell you how deep you he is, or how many defenders are in the vicinity. As a result, luck plays a major role in the passing game. The sound effects during the game are minimal, dominated by grunts and the "water faucet" crowd. It's a bit rough around the edges, but overall it was a great start for a classic series.

Madden football was an institution on the 16-bit video game consoles, but its first SNES incarnation is just plain rough. Released around the same time as Madden '92 for the Genesis, this version appears to have an edge at first glance. The players are exceptionally sharp and the sound effects are much clearer than the Genesis game. Unfortunately the gameplay is marred by choppy animation, almost to the point of being unplayable. The erratic scrolling is very disorienting, causing players to jump around and making it hard to follow the action. Longtime Madden vets will also remember (but not miss) the three "passing windows" that provide a very limited view of your receivers. Players are constantly substituted before almost every play, needlessly slowing down the action. John Madden Football for the SNES has all the features of the Genesis version - the only difference is, you won't want to play this one.