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1989--The beginning of John Madden Football on the Apple II, DOS and Commodore 64. We don't have screenshots of the game, but you can throw a bunch of Lego bricks onto a bright green carpet to make a passable representation.

John Madden Football, Genesis

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1990--Madden hit the Sega Genesis console and featured a spiffy new isometric perspective with handy passing windows.

John Madden Football '92, Genesis

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1991--Park Place Production Team developed John Madden Football for the SNES, while EA handled John Madden Football '92 for the Genesis. Now with two player co-op!

John Madden Football '93, Genesis

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1992--Though the Genesis and SNES versions were both called John Madden Football '93, the former was developed by Looking Glass Technology, while the latter was handled by EA. Now with taunting, stupid.

Madden NFL '94, Genesis

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1993--This year marked the introduction of audibles, as well as the introduction of players who didn't understand how to use them. The franchise name also changed from John Madden Football to Madden NFL '94. Why? Because EA wrapped up the licensing rights to NFL teams. It also threw in a brand new mode called Season.

107 Comments

  • Foxx193

    Posted Oct 20, 2010 7:28 am GMT

    I love Madden, but this year in Madden 10, the scoreboard looks awful, I think that the 2006-2007 scoreboard looks so much more appealing. As well as the blur effect they have on the crowd, they need to bring that back because the graphics of the crowd look horrible, on a rather good looking game.

  • Sporkguy3

    Posted Jul 22, 2009 1:38 pm GMT

    2003 may have looked crappier than 2002 (which it actually didn't. graphically there wasn't much of a difference.) I remember 2003 definitely playing better than 2002

  • jjwalker9600

    Posted Jun 19, 2009 3:54 pm GMT

    I have been playing Madden football the very first game came out. It has gotten better and better.

  • TheAtrain

    Posted Jun 9, 2009 3:00 pm GMT

    Madden is a great game i have enjoyed it over the years i was a lil bit dissapointed with this years version though.I realy hope that madden10 comes thru it looks promising

  • kinglargo

    Posted Oct 4, 2008 2:33 am GMT

    2003 looks crapier than 2002

  • Smoolander

    Posted Sep 8, 2008 4:20 am GMT

    Wow, really shows how EA can incrementally pump out a game every year, with minor upgrades and people will fork out money each time. Talk about a cash cow con.

  • cristhiansj_1

    Posted Sep 2, 2008 8:50 am GMT

    ¬¬! XboxSpot.

  • alquich

    Posted Aug 31, 2008 8:55 pm GMT

    I thought Football was meant to be played with your feet. Oh wait, you guys call it soccer.

  • jgon_9

    Posted Aug 28, 2008 1:08 pm GMT

    We've come a long way.

  • diamond2d

    Posted Aug 27, 2008 1:17 pm GMT

    serious,, it don't matter dude

  • LoserMike

    Posted Aug 20, 2008 11:32 am GMT

    To ao28.
    EA didn't start calling it 06 until Madden 06. Before that it was known as 200X. Look at the screen caps.

  • ao28

    Posted Aug 19, 2008 2:54 pm GMT

    they made an error, they say madden 2000, but is it madden 01, 01 is 02, 02 is 03 is 04, 04 is 05, 05 is 06, etc. but 09 is the best.

  • smileatdeath11

    Posted Aug 18, 2008 10:24 am GMT

    madden 04 was the best madden.

  • Crazy_Kid314

    Posted Aug 17, 2008 10:44 am GMT

    Peyton will be on the cover, my guess is either in 2 years after Tom Brady is (because everyone at EA Tiburon is a Pats fan) or he wins another super bowl.....but he will.

  • rodss

    Posted Aug 16, 2008 8:50 pm GMT

    i like madden nfl 07

  • Hybrid_Theory

    Posted Aug 16, 2008 4:27 pm GMT

    HBOMB29. CAPITALS! LOLZ.

  • ronnet

    Posted Aug 16, 2008 10:28 am GMT

    HBOMB29,
    Its huge in the USA, in other places FIFA is the biggest. I can not comment for most countries but my own while not the biggest football (yes, thats soccer) nation in Europe has FIFA on the number one spot for weeks with atlrast 10 times the amount of sales.

  • HBOMB29

    Posted Aug 16, 2008 12:06 am GMT

    MY BAD MADDEN 2001, WAS one of my favorites, id say madden 2001,madden 97, and madden 93.

  • HBOMB29

    Posted Aug 15, 2008 11:52 pm GMT

    WOW man the madden franchise has grown and me with it. ANYONE who sds madden isnt the biggest name is sports gaming is crazy and probably under the age of 26 id say. I will always play madden, hell im 30 years old and my dads friend told me about JOHN MADDEN FOOTBALL back in 1990. BACK THEN I WAS LIKE WHATEVER IM PLAYING JOE MONTANA FOOTBALL, BUT I GAVE MADDEN A SHOT AND it was the best game since tecmo bowl on nintendo. Wow ive went from a kid to a grown man with a house and kids and MADDEN IS STILL AROUND. it is the best game over the years in sports. but i agree madden 94 was trash right i think madden 93 was the best of the older back in the day ones, and my favorite might be madden 2000 they came back with a vengence on the ps2 and that was primarily one of the reasons the dreamcast was done in cause a. lack of ea sports games on it and 2 ps2 played dvds(another subject). but im glad madden is still around, it has outlasted every other football game thats challenged it aka. GAMEDAY 2K( WELL BOUGHT OUT SORDA HAHAHAH an games back in the day like MIKE DITKA POWER FOOTBALL HAHAHAHA. again have to be a certain age to even know that was a game. Just congrats to ea in general and contrary to popular opinion NCAA FOOTBALL IS GETTING UP THERE IN AGE ALSO because BILL WALSH COLLEGE FOOTBALL CAME OUT IN WHAT 1990 AND WAS EXCELLENT. NOW IF WE ARE TALKING BEST EA FOOTBALL GAME id have to give it to the college ive had it every single year , starting with bill walsh, (AGAIN HAVE TO BE A CERTAIN AGE TO REMEMBER BILL WALSH COLLEGE FOOTBALL.)BUT ANYWAY CONGRATS TO EA FOR BEING ABLE TO MAINTAIN AND MAKE GREAT FOOTBALL GAMES IN THE PROCESS.

  • HBOMB29

    Posted Aug 15, 2008 11:52 pm GMT

    WOW man the madden franchise has grown and me with it. ANYONE who sds madden isnt the biggest name is sports gaming is crazy and probably under the age of 26 id say. I will always play madden, hell im 30 years old and my dads friend told me about JOHN MADDEN FOOTBALL back in 1990. BACK THEN I WAS LIKE WHATEVER IM PLAYING JOE MONTANA FOOTBALL, BUT I GAVE MADDEN A SHOT AND it was the best game since tecmo bowl on nintendo. Wow ive went from a kid to a grown man with a house and kids and MADDEN IS STILL AROUND. it is the best game over the years in sports. but i agree madden 94 was trash right i think madden 93 was the best of the older back in the day ones, and my favorite might be madden 2000 they came back with a vengence on the ps2 and that was primarily one of the reasons the dreamcast was done in cause a. lack of ea sports games on it and 2 ps2 played dvds(another subject). but im glad madden is still around, it has outlasted every other football game thats challenged it aka. GAMEDAY 2K( WELL BOUGHT OUT SORDA HAHAHAH an games back in the day like MIKE DITKA POWER FOOTBALL HAHAHAHA. again have to be a certain age to even know that was a game. Just congrats to ea in general and contrary to popular opinion NCAA FOOTBALL IS GETTING UP THERE IN AGE ALSO because BILL WALSH COLLEGE FOOTBALL CAME OUT IN WHAT 1990 AND WAS EXCELLENT. NOW IF WE ARE TALKING BEST EA FOOTBALL GAME id have to give it to the college ive had it every single year , starting with bill walsh, (AGAIN HAVE TO BE A CERTAIN AGE TO REMEMBER BILL WALSH COLLEGE FOOTBALL.)BUT ANYWAY CONGRATS TO EA FOR BEING ABLE TO MAINTAIN AND MAKE GREAT FOOTBALL GAMES IN THE PROCESS.

  • Emandudeguy posted Aug 15, 2008 9:56 pm GMT (does not meet display criteria. sign in to show)

    Emandudeguy

    Posted Aug 15, 2008 9:56 pm GMT (hide)

    Madden = football = lame = not worth the money.

  • jweb24

    Posted Aug 15, 2008 6:28 pm GMT

    I have bought mostly all the Madden games since the beginning.(Yes I still have my Genesis versions)I enjoyed most of them despite year to year marginal updates in some of the games. I admit to liking the NFL 2K brand better (in some ways) simply from the competition factor. Madden shouldn't have feared the competition but welcomed it, then crush the competition not with sales but with gameplay and features.(Sales alone didn't make Madden better its history did) Sorry for the minor rant. I still enjoy Madden and it will always be the best video sports franchise, period!

  • kc0lcs04

    Posted Aug 15, 2008 9:12 am GMT

    This brings back memories of the Madden PC games that I've played (and own). I have Madden 97, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2004 (and hoping to get '06). Interesting thing to me from looking at the game photos; to me, the PC's graphics look better for its year than the console's graphics do. Like Madden 97 for PC, I think the graphics on that look better than they do in the Playstation version. Just an observation.

  • theclaw135

    Posted Aug 14, 2008 8:33 pm GMT

    I've decided it's best to just enjoy the game. Very fun series.

    You don't need to buy every year's edition.

  • Shmoe82

    Posted Aug 14, 2008 8:24 pm GMT

    I have only played a couple of Madden games. I don't really like the games but the series is a power player in the video game industry and I do give it props for helping the industry for the last 20.

  • Zoomer30

    Posted Aug 14, 2008 6:14 pm GMT

    I played Madden on my Sega Genesis pretty hardcore from the 1991 version to 1993, I swore myself off of it after the 1994 version, that was a step backwards. I did not get a new Madden game will Madden 2000 for the PS2. To look at the visual change in just 20 years is insane. Makes you wonder what we will be playing in 2028.

  • LancerVI

    Posted Aug 14, 2008 11:37 am GMT

    Less than half of a days work? I earn that in an hour and a half. I agree with ya though, Madden is a solid football franchise. I buy it every year. I will say that it sucks not having a competing NFL product, but hey, what's a football fanatic to do?

    Lancer VI

  • halo1hater

    Posted Aug 14, 2008 9:31 am GMT

    nice graphics

  • USASandman

    Posted Aug 14, 2008 5:27 am GMT

    OK it is getting out of hand...any person who comes on these boards and says these words in any variation is not a "real" football fan. Im talking has grown up watching their favorite team year in and year out and doesnt just say the patriots and cowboys are my favorite team because they are so damn good. Im talking being a seattle seahawks fan when other fans were hoping there teams win and you just hoping your team doesnt get skunk'd. Now the words are "This game never changes," you do realize that the game of football was made up in 1869? How "big" have the changes been since then? It took them almost 80 years to start wearing helmets, football is what it is from tradition not change. Madden has only been out for 20 years and if you look at the first madden 20 years ago and look at the one we have now...that everyone is "change" i dont understand what you are expecting madden to turn into when the nfl doesnt change so why would a simulation of the nfl change? If $60 dollars once a year is a waste of money then you need to ask your parents to up your allowance because for us big kids that is less then half a days worth of work, which in turn equals at least a months worth of fun. So shut your mouth and just play the "game"

  • xerxes5678

    Posted Aug 13, 2008 10:09 pm GMT

    I still remember the theme song from John Madden Football '91 (or was it '90?) on the Genesis.

  • speedjunkie4

    Posted Aug 13, 2008 8:30 pm GMT

    Crazy Kid, i agree with wat you said. I loved Madden 06 on the PS2, and it will be my fav madden.

  • jsmoke03

    Posted Aug 13, 2008 8:26 pm GMT

    for me the best madden was 03. i wonder why payton manning hasn't been on the cover of madden?

  • Crazy_Kid314

    Posted Aug 13, 2008 8:00 pm GMT

    Madden 09 is good, but personally my all time fav is Madden 06 on the PS2. That game had it all, and looked rather K

  • cool55dude

    Posted Aug 13, 2008 7:58 pm GMT

    the madden 05 pic on the first page is actually madden 06 on the 360 and the madden 07 pic is actually madden 08

  • NoseWeed619

    Posted Aug 13, 2008 6:06 pm GMT

    Wow, i love how the graphics were all so grainy and lacked...everything that we see in a new game today. And seriously, you guys need to stop talking about Farve nonsense, and start talking about Madden 09, instead of arguing like drunk women.

  • monkeytoes61

    Posted Aug 13, 2008 4:17 pm GMT

    Will everyone just chill about Favre. You should be talking about Madden, not Favre. Like we haven't heard enough about Brett already on ESPN. He was traded to the Jets, the story is over. Move on.

  • Normaral85

    Posted Aug 13, 2008 3:58 pm GMT

    Don't hate on Favre, he's just tryin to progress and change. I just wonder if they are gonna come out with some special edition Jets jersey covers or maybe a version of the game with maybe madden 97 and then 98 and 2000 so that it's worth droppin 90bones on a game that is a 20th edition because it reminds you of where you've been and where you can possiblely go. HOlla

  • clawboy

    Posted Aug 13, 2008 3:39 pm GMT

    Don't care about Farve. Madden 09 is here. Let's just enjoy it people.

  • Aimmarked

    Posted Aug 13, 2008 1:49 pm GMT

    I do enjoy when games are compared to the first and shown progression throughout the series. It makes me appreciate the ones they are working on today more.

  • NuKkU

    Posted Aug 13, 2008 9:35 am GMT

    lol i wonder what will happen to favre this season dont care if he broke his leg cause i dont like him anways

  • dragonvizard

    Posted Aug 13, 2008 7:57 am GMT

    Bah...Favre should have just have stayed retired, so the Madden curse would be broken.

  • fooldog01

    Posted Aug 13, 2008 6:08 am GMT

    I tend to agree about the curse this year. Whats worse than being essentially told you are unwanted on the team you spent 16 years with and won a superbowl, 3 MVPs and took to the NFC title game just the year before? To a lot of players that might just be worse than a season ending injury! It would be to me! Just when we thought the curse was going to be snapped completely...

  • daJonesy7

    Posted Aug 13, 2008 6:05 am GMT

    Excellent feature GS, I love these "little walks" down memory lane!!

  • Paulitis

    Posted Aug 13, 2008 5:34 am GMT

    OMG look @ the changes from genesis to playstation

  • dD4679

    Posted Aug 13, 2008 1:25 am GMT

    @scc88
    they might be different reviewers?

  • scc88

    Posted Aug 12, 2008 11:28 pm GMT

    But why gamespot gave lower "points" to madden 09 than other madden games, check the past years.
    Does this mean that madden is going backward? Look madden 05 it recivied 9.0

  • J_Dodson GameSpot staff member

    Posted Aug 12, 2008 10:07 pm GMT

    We weren't listing the nicest, huggiest, or chicken-soupiest moments in Madden history. We were listing milestones. And EA used their number one milestone to beat the competition completely to death, then they used it to mark their shallow graves. That isn't just a Madden mile stone, it has to be the single biggest can of whup ass ever opened in the video game industry. It makes what Sony did to Sega look like a half-hearted wedgie.

  • Durhamster

    Posted Aug 12, 2008 10:02 pm GMT

    I'm scared of the madden curse now I know I'm no football player but....if it's growing stronger...what if it attacks people who play the game next?!?!?!? OHNOES!

  • TENTHROW2

    Posted Aug 12, 2008 9:02 pm GMT

    While it's interesting to see Madden over the span of 20 years, I have a ton of problems with this article.

    First of all, how is the addition of voice commentary from John Madden and Pat Summerall not on a milestone!?!?!

    And how did the exclusive license granted to EA from the NFL/NFLPA make the number one slot?!?! The single worst thing that could have happend to football gaming enthusiasts!!!! This practically monopolozed EA's marketshare in football games by not even giving rival companies the chance to make a football game so consumers can choose what they want instead of being forced into Madden every year?!?!!

    After NFL 2k5 outdid, outsold, and outclassed Madden 05, EA sought out to not let this happen the next year for not only 2k games, but every other developer. Hopefully when their contract expires in 2009/2010 with the NFL, they will not be granted exclusivity again.

    This single act by EA was not only one of the darker days for the gaming industry, it turned EA into what they are now. A gigantic no talent corporation who buys out competitors when their own development team can't put anything worth playing on the market.

    Yet it's number one in Gamespots mind....

    WTF Gamespot, W. T. F.

  • Super_Amanda

    Posted Aug 12, 2008 7:54 pm GMT

    Didnt I read this on IGN yesterday? Gamespot, Gamespot ,Gamespot. (shaking my head in shame.)

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