10 -- The Mich an Daif -Frfa, Se tember 17, 2004
FRIDAY Focus
MADDEN '94:
THE WAY rr WAS
MEANT To BE PLAYED
There are four seconds left in the fourth
quarter and the clock is ticking down
-just enough time to call one more play.
You're down because Emmitt Smith of the Dal-
las Cowboys just broke seven tackles for an 80
yard touchdown run. Phil Simms, better known
as "11," steps up to the line and quickly yells for
the snap. Your B receiver runs a slant that leaves
him wide open and way ahead of the pack. You
hurl the ball downfield for an amazing over-
the-shoulder catch, and even though your man
is still 40 yards from the goal, a timely speed
burst and a few well-placed jumps secure the
winning touchdown. The crowd roars for the
1994 New York Giants, and just when you
think it can't get any better, you hear it
from the big man himself: "Now that
is big-time football!"
If "Madden 2005" is the premiere
game for the football aficionado, then
"Madden '94" for Sega Genesis was
football for the nerdy everygamer. Noth-
ing was realistic and anything was possible.
Play-action passes that looked like Hail Marys?
Check. Kickoffs that never went out of bounds?
Check. Punt rushes that earned more sacks than
any blitz in the playbook? It's in the game.
Perhaps the most memorable feature in "Mad-
den '94" was the ability to flip an offensive play.
According to the back of the game box, flipping
a play allowed the offense to "avoid roving LBs."
It was true. Running a flipped halfback counter
in the I-formation - basically a run that swung
out to the left - was nearly a guaranteed first
down, even on third and long. Come to think of
it, Michigan's play calling would'work pretty
well in this Sega Genesis universe.
Speaking of play calling, running a solid
defense was a breeze. While the punt rush has
already been hailed as the ultimate run/blitz
defense, making the right call against a pass was
as simple as pressing any two buttons at random.
Anything from "Prevent" to the intimidating
"Red Dog" carried the same odds of knock-
ing down a pass. Pass interference was rarely
enforced, so there was no need to be shy about
shoving prospective receivers into the sidelines.
With Madden '94, EA Sports achieved the
arcade feel that always felt forced in games like
NFL Blitz. It thrived on its ability not to mimic
actual football, but to stand on its own in a world
of fairy-tale football illusion.
- Jared Newman
15 YEARS OF MADDEN
1989 - JOHN
MADDEN FOOTBALL
APPLE I COMPUTER
1990 - JOHN
MADDEN FOOTBALL
SEGA GENESIS
1991 - JOHN MADDEN FOOTBALL
SEGA GENESIS
1991 -JOHN MADDEN FOOTBALL '92
SEGA GENESIS AND SUPER NINTENDO
1992 - JOHN MADDEN FOOTBALL '93
SEGA GENESIS AND SUPER NINTENDO
1993 - MADDEN NFL '94
SEGA GENESIS AND SUPER NINTENDO
1994 - MADDEN NFL '95
SEGA GENESIS AND SUPER NINTENDO
1995 - MADDEN NFL '96
SEGA GENESIS AND SUPER NINTENDO
1996 - MADDEN NFL '97
SEGA GENESIS, SUPER NINTENDO,
PLAYSTATION AND PC
1997 - MADDEN NFL '98
SUPER NINTENDO, PLAYSTATION AND PC
1998 - MADDEN NFL
'99 'a 1
NINTENDO 64, l
PLAYSTATION AND PC
'MAIRSTIFTEEN
In the past 15 years, John Madden's name has becom YOQU ihoetig iegms h eondfobl nls n
Super Bowl champion coach probably thought addingmhisnm wtoh Sonthifootball game s uT aohredreetda.Hw
ever, the franchise exploded through the years and Is playedballntt f ga me ad o otballnst ath
es themselves. "John Madden Football" Is the epitmelyd by aldiferent types of gaesfo as oe dreetda.Hoa-
Btstesle ohad Fof sports videogames and a phenomenon that grows strn er yea
By Adam Rottenberg 0 Daily Arts Editor very year.
,.,
BA Sports could easily rest on its laurels
with the "Madden" franchise and just
rehash the previous games with mere
roster updates and still sell millions of
copies. Fortunately, the sports videogame jugger-
naut continued adding to its reputation of excel-
lence this season. "Madden
2005" plays and looks bet-
ter than last season's entry, Madden
boasts some huge addi- NFL 2005
tions and remains the PS2, GameCube,
best NFL game on the Xbox and PC
market. EA Sports
Upon playing the
game, it becomes evi-
dent that the focus has shifted towards a
more defensive style. First, there are now
defensive playmaker options. Introduced in the
2004 season on offense, playmaker enables gam-
ers to call individual player audibles, changes to
the player's designated action, before the ball is
snapped. Now, with a touch of the right thumb-
stick, individual defenders can be designated to
either fall back into alternate coverage patterns,
act as a spy or blitz the quarterback.
Additionally, the defense's ability to stop plays
has been ramped up significantly since last sea-
son. The developers made it much less likely for
players to be able to convert on long third and
fourth downs - emphasizing the play of the
defense. Creating turnovers and injuring the
..
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opposition both rely heavily on the use of another franchise. Garners can take the
new feature - the "hit stick." By using the right Detroit Lions from lowly door-
thumbstick during the action, the player lays out mat of the NFC North to Super
a vicious tackle on their opponent, usually caus- Bowl contender by drafting talent,
ing fumbles or fatigue. However, a misaligned picking up free agents and making
tackle with the hit stick could lead to a large gain trades. Further options enable the
by the offense, as most offensive players can eas- player to go as far as to set concession
ily bounce off these harder tackles when they are prices at the stadium and watch atten-
not lined up perfectly. dance figures fluctuate. The entire mode is now
Offense, while largely unchanged, still feels as set up to look like a PDA. Through this PDA, the
sound and smooth as ever. Players familiar with player can choose how to alter or observe his team.
the "Madden" game mechanics will have no trou- To increase the realism this year, EA included news
ble at all -- calling audibles, using playmaker, reports about the player's team and from the rest
setting "hot routes" (reciever route audibles). EA of the league in the central hub of dynasty mode
also made sure that Michael Vick - last year's called "Storyline Central." A radio show plays in
coverboy - is no longer unstoppable, which the background throughout Storyline Central, fea-
makes things a lot more balanced. turing interviews with almost all of the marquee
In regards to the offensive players in the NFL. As the overseer of the fran-
playbooks, there is a chise, the player can also view newspaper articles
new ability for receiv- from USA Today and a local paper (the Detroit Free
ers to have option routes. Press for the Lions) as well as receive e-mails on
These plays allow for the the status of players and fan response.
CPU-controlled receiver Also, new to this mode is the ability for the
to decide which of three players currently on the gamer's roster to get
potential spots is the best for increased stats during the season. These enhance-
beating the coverage. It adds ments occur after the preseason and at four sched-
to the realism and strategy of uled points during the season. As always, players
the passing game. can choose to load their rosters from "NCAA
The requi- site game modes are found in 2005" into the "Madden" draft class, bringing
this latest iteration of the series. In addition to EA's preeminent football franchises together.
the standard exhibition, dynasty and practice Even though vast improvements have been
options, there is now a mini-camp mode. Mini- made throughout the game, Xbox owners are
camp enables players to practice the drills found receiving the greatest upgrade - Xbox Live
in the preseason portion of dynasty mode. compatibility. Last season, PS2 owners were
These drills include: pocket passing exer- granted the ability to play online, and now
cises, running against practice dummies, r Xbox owners can join in the fun. Instead
coverage workouts and more. While these of being stuck against CPU opposition,
games can be fun for a few minutes, they Xbox players can challenge other football
mostly just add to an already complete pack- fans from around the country to prove who
age. really is the best. With the headset, smacktalk will
The heart of "Madden 2005" is its dynasty mode, flow freely from participants in living rooms to
allowing players to control every aspect of an. NFL complete and utter strangers. With the addition of
"Mad-
den 2005" to an already strong Xbox
Live line-up, the online revolution
has truly begun. Additionally, roster
updates are available for both Xbox
and PS2 owners, shifting players to
the correct teams and improving rookies'
attributes.
The big bonus available only to PS2 owners
is a special "Collector's Edition" of the game. It
includes a bonus disc commemorating the 151"
anniversary of the series, which has three clas-
sic gameplay types. These enable players to use
the current NFL rosters and play with them in
a Super Nintendo and two Playstation environ-
ments with the classic graphics, music and com-
mentary. Although the nostalgia of revisiting old
favorites is initially amusing, the entertain-
ment is short-lived.
The graphics have been cleaned up,
but not radically overhauled. Some
of the players still look a bit too car-
toony, but the motions and textures
are solid. The soundtrack features a vast
array of artists from Franz Ferdinand to
The Hives. EA even managed to secure the
rights to the new Green Day single "Ameri-
can Idiot" before it hit radio. The eclectic mix
of rap, rock and punk should provide enough songs
that everyone who plays the game will be able to find
something they like. While the soundtrack is strong,
the commentary failed to improve much over last
year. John Madden and his broadcasting partner on
"Monday Night Football," Al Michaels, providethe
voices for the action, but it still sounds fake and a lot
of the dialogue is repeated from last year.
"Madden 2005" is the premiere football game
on the market. Even in its 15th season, it shows
no signs of slowing down. EA Sports proves yet
again why it has become the reigning champ of
sports videogames.
4
1999 - MADDEN NFL 2000
NINTENDO 64, PLAYSTATION AND PC
2000 - MADDEN NFL 2001
NINTENDO 64, PLAYSTATION,
PLAYSTATION 2 AND PC
2001 - MADDEN NFL 2002
GNINENDO 64, PLAYSTATION,
PLAYSTATION 2, XBOX AND PC
2002 - MADDEN NFL 2003
GAMECUBE, PLAYSTATION,
PLAYSTATION 2, XBOX AND PC
2003 - MADDEN NFL 2004
GAMECUBE, PLAN STATION,
PLAYsTAJIoN 2, XBOX AND PC
THE CURSE OF THE COVER
hat do Daunte Culpepper, Marshall Faulk
and Michael Vick have in common? They
all appeared on the cover of "Madden"
and fell victim to unfortunate circumstances in the
following season. Whereas the Sports Illustrated
jinx is well documented, the latest curse in sports
follows the no. I videogame franchise.
Minnesota Vikings quarterback Culpepper was
featured on "Madden 2002," the second season
in which players were included on the cover art.
Coming off a 33 touchdown season and an NFC
Championship game appearance, Culpepper came
down to earth. His 2001 stats paled in comparison
to his all-pro 2000 numbers. Culpepper has since
the league following his tumultuous "Madden" sea-
son.
Whereas Culpepper completed his season in for-
gettable fashion, St. Louis running back Marshall
Faulk's campaign was disastrous following "Mad-
den 2003." His Rams were coming off a Super Bowl
season, yet what followed was injury and disap-
pointment. Faulk's career still hasn't fully recovered
with nagging injuries and unspectacular play.
"Madden 2004" featured the new poster boy
of the league, Michael Vick. The up-and-coming
quarterback led the resurgent Atlanta Falcons to
an exciting playoff appearance, but 2003 wouldn't
be as kind to Vick and his squad. In a preseason
nificant scrimmage ended up crippling the Fal-
cons for the rest of the season. And even when
Vick finally returned, it was way too late to restore
order to the team.
This season, with the emphasis on the defen-
sive alterations, Ray Lewis, linebacker for the
Baltimore Ravens, takes the cover. If week one
of the NFL is any indication - where Lewis's
Ravens lost to an inferior Browns squad -
Lewis may be in for a long season. The "Mad-
den" curse may be coincidental, but the
evidence is staggering. If Lewis fails
to survive the season successfully,
then will anyone pose for EA next