Madden NFL 98 - PC Review - Gamecenter

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Madden NFL 98
Rating: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 best

CNET Gamecenter Review
By Hugh Falk
(11/25/1997)

Game at a Glance
Recap: Big John just gets better
Ups: Succeeds as a player and coach's game; Madden 101
Downs: No play editor; only room for two players
Multiplayer: Good
Single player: Very good
Demo: N/A
Patch: NA
Madden Football is a lot like a deadbeat relative. It shows up every year just in time for Thanksgiving dinner, makes itself at home, takes up a lot of space, and then demands your undivided attention. I mean this in the kindest way (both to Madden and my Uncle Gary) because Madden NFL 98 builds upon an already excellent series of football simulations. Also, much like any wayward family member, Madden 98 deserves a place in your home this holiday season.
Most computer football games excel as either a strategic simulation or a playable game. However, Madden 98 is one of the few that does both well. It features great gameplay, excellent statistics, and the ability to design players, teams, and whole leagues. The only major strategy feature missing is a play designer, and the only major gameplay feature missing is the ability to involve more than two humans (four players would be enough). Historically, these features are forgivable omissions, but they are requirements of the "killer" football game I'm looking for today. But as it stands, Madden 98 has about everything else a football player or strategist could hope for.
Around the End
Gameplay in Madden 98 sizzles. Players dive, jump, spin, high step, and explode forward. (No, they don't literally explode. This is football, not cyberball.) Madden 98 also features my favorite method of scouting the field: the camera Madden NFL 98 automatically pans out to fit all of your players on the screen as you drop back to pass (and for realists, this feature can be turned off). The players are smarter than Madden 97 players, especially on the line, and I am seriously impressed with the physics of running. Backs make rounded turns based upon their agility so they move more like real people and less like Atomic Bomberman. The kicking game, however, could use a little work. For example, you can't call which direction you want your kick-return team to block. But Madden 98 features the best pregame wind indicator I've seen--perfect for determining what side will have the wind for those fourth quarter kicks. And thank you, EA, for games that can be saved and continued later--even games against a friend, which can be played on one computer, LAN, modem, or serial cable. (According to EA, an Internet upgrade is on the way, too.)

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Madden NFL 98

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