ON MovieTome: See a BOOTLEG trailer of DRAGONBALL!
CNET Networks Entertainment:
GameSpot: TGS 2008
GameFAQs
SportsGamer
MP3.com
TV.com
Metacritic
History of Madden Football
  Intro
Madden
Madden 92
Madden 93
Madden 94
Madden 95
Madden 96
Madden 97
Madden 98
Madden 99
Madden 00
Related Links
   
John Madden Football 92
Date: 1991
System: Genesis, SNES

The Basics
Back in the early '90s, the general consensus among gamers was that if you wanted to play cool adventure or action games, like Zelda or Super Metroid, you bought a Super Nintendo. However, if you wanted to play great sports games you bought a Genesis. One of the reasons for this view was the release of two versions of John Madden Football 92. The difference between the second iteration of Madden on the Genesis and the first iteration of Madden on the SNES could not have been more noticeable. This was combined with a similar gulf of quality when comparing EA's NHL hockey and the strength of Sega Sports Genesis-only titles, and ultimately 40 percent of all Genesis sales were sports titles.

The Details
The '92 Genesis version of Madden was a stellar effort, and of the early installments it is the one that gamers remember most. All 28 teams in the NFL were represented, even though there was no NFL license yet. The Electronic Arts Sports Network (EASN) made its debut, and the early team-name color-bar graphic defined a number of the early EA sports series. The quarter lengths (five, ten, and 15 minutes) that would become the standard for years were added, along with different stadium options (open and dome), different field surfaces (grass and turf), and multiple weather conditions (wind, rain, snow, and fair).

 
Genesis version
Click for more shots
Other aspects of the game also underwent some tweaking: The run-and-shoot formation was added, the 3-4 and goal-line defenses were included, and the control defensive option was changed to attack. In many ways, most of these aspects would go unchanged until Madden 97, when multiple sets would be added as a subset of the standard formations.

'92 was also the year that EA distinguished its sports series with levels of chrome that would often be imitated in years to come. Scores from other games in progress were introduced, along with an easy-to-use kicking meter, end-zone celebrations, and the beginnings of a detailed statistics packages that would become the norm in such games. The overall gameplay, which remains to this day, followed an easy-to-pass, hard-to-run model.

 
SNES version
Click for more shots
Although the improvements to the Genesis version of the game were good, the first Madden on the SNES appeared to have learned nothing from the ongoing additions being made to its brother. While 28 teams were available, and multiple weather, pitch, and quarter configurations were also included, there was no 3-4 defense or run-and-shoot offense. Worse yet, the overall control was poor, the player graphics far too small, and the entire gameplay confusing.

The Verdict
Madden 92 on the Genesis set the style of incremental increases that would define the Madden series. While in some years the game would take two steps forward and one back, this was a year in which the game uniformly improved. On the other hand, the less said about Madden on the SNES the better.



Now show me John Madden Football 93 Next