John Madden Football

John Madden Football is a highly realistic American football simulation developed by Park Place Production and published by Electronic Arts. it was released in 1990 for the Mega Drive/Genesis and in 1992 for Amiga. The game was designed by Scott Orrand, Richard Hilleman, and famous football coach John Madden.

The game offers a wide range of options and strategies that allow you to become both coach and quarterback to one of 16 NFL teams.

The game offers more than 100 plays, including running and passing options backed up by some severe defensive strategies. The comprehensive options screen allows you to choose from 16 of the NFL's top teams and the John Madden All-Stars, a squad of players that are almost invincible and can run, pass, and catch better than any other team. The instruction manual provides a complete breakdown of each team's strengths and weaknesses and each player's skills and attributes, which are rated on a scale from 0 to 15.

In addition to one or two-player modes, the game offers a choice of keyboard (Amiga only) or joystick controls and variable pitch and weather conditions. Matches can either be part of a regular season, sudden death, or part of the Superbowl playoffs. Each quarter can be the regular 15 minutes or scaled down to last for five or 10 minutes.

Once you've waded through all the options, a pre-match Scouting Report lists the strengths and weaknesses of both teams, which is essential to study, as spotting a team's weakness and then exploiting it is the way to win games. Play is viewed from above and behind the offensive line-up so that the defensive team always runs downfield. The screen scrolls up and down the field and from side to side, depending on where the ball is at any given moment. However, each time the ball is lost, the screen flips around so that the offensive team progresses up the field. It's a bit disorienting at first and can cause you to lose points.

After the referee spots the ball, a football-shaped strength gauge appears. By holding down the joystick and moving it from side to side, it's possible to determine the strength of the kick up-field and the direction the ball will take. Once the ball has been caught by the opposition and returned up the field, both the offense and defense must select their plays for the first down. This consists of picking the players participating in the play, the formation they'll take up on the pitch, and the strategy used to pull off the play. This is done by a clever menu system that displays a selection of running, passing, or defensive plays depending on which team you control.

John Madden Football is an impressive game that offers an unparalleled level of detail and strategy for an American football simulation. The graphics are detailed and colorful, and the sound effects are realistic. However, the flipping screen after losing the ball can be disorienting and frustrating, and it may take some time to master all the different strategies and plays available. Nevertheless, it's a classic game that has stood the test of time and remains a favorite among American football fans.

The game was voted Videogame of the Year (Genesis version) at InDin 1990, and it was elected Best console game at the Golden Joystick Award in 1991. Not bad.

Bonus Information :

John Earl Madden was an American football coach and sports commentator who served as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 1969 to 1978. He led the team to eight playoff appearances, seven division titles, seven AFL/AFC Championship Game appearances, and the franchise's first Super Bowl title in Super Bowl XI. After retiring from coaching, he became a color commentator for NFL telecasts from 1979 to 2008, which earned him 16 Sports Emmy Awards. He was also involved with the Madden NFL video game series, which became the best-selling football video game franchise of all time. Madden was born on April 10, 1936, in Austin, Minnesota, and died on December 28, 2021, in Pleasanton, California, at age 85.