Information AboutMadden Football |
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''Madden NFL'' is an American Football Video Game developed by Electronic Arts Tiburon (EA) for EA Sports . The ''Madden NFL'' series consistently is one of the top selling video games in North America every year. The first version of the game was released in 1989 for the PC , as ''John Madden Football''. The first Console version (and the version that made it a top-selling franchise) for the Sega Genesis followed in 1990 with a Super Nintendo version available a year later. EA Sports has released annual updates for all versions since 1991's ''John Madden Football '92''. The series gained full NFL licensing and became known as ''Madden NFL'' with 1993's ''Madden NFL '94''; NFL players licenses came two years later. The games are currently available for the Xbox , PlayStation 2 , GameCube , PlayStation , Microsoft Windows , Nintendo DS , Game Boy Advance , PlayStation Portable , and Xbox 360 platforms, while versions of the games should become available for the PlayStation 3 and Wii . The PlayStation 3 version has yet to be announced, while on April 27, 2006, EA announced plans for the Wii version. It takes full advantage of the controller; you make motions to take the snap, and you move the controller in the same manner you throw a football to throw the ball. The faster the controller is moved, the faster the throw will be on-screen. Kicking and running are also enhanced on Wii. HISTORY version).]] version).]] The game is named after John Madden , a well-known football commentator and formerly a successful Super Bowl -winning professional football Coach during the 1970s with the Oakland Raiders . Madden insisted that he would only give his endorsement to a game that was as close to real life football as possible. The game has grown, refined and matured over the years, adding many new features. Among these is voice commentary, allowing players or watchers to hear the game being called as if it were a real game on TV . The commentary is by John Madden teamed with his regular broadcast partner, which meant Pat Summerall until he retired; the role is now filled by Al Michaels , John's current broadcast partner on '' NBC Sunday Night Football '' (and former partner from 2002 through 2005 on '' ABC Monday Night Football ''). The original version of the game was commissioned by EA founder Trip Hawkins in 1984, and originally ran on an Apple II . EA had just shipped the hit '' Dr. J And Larry Bird Go One On One '' and would soon begin work on '' Earl Weaver Baseball '' and '' World Tour Golf '', which together were the foundation for the EA Sports line of video games. The Apple II was not fast enough to show all the players running in real formations on the field. Madden personally rejected the initial proposed build because there were only seven players on each team. After several years of unsuccessful experiments the game finally shipped in the late 1980s and did not sell well. When the Sega Genesis gained popularity in the early 1990s, EA tried again. Producer Richard Hilleman brought in veteran sports game designer Scott Orr , who had founded 1980s Commodore 64 game publisher GameStar and had led the design of their best-selling sports games. The team of Orr and Hilleman designed and led the development of what is today still recognizable as the modern ''Madden Football'', the highest revenue-generating video game series in North America in game history. Early versions of ''Madden'' were created by outside studios (including Park Place Productions and Stormfront Studios ) but by the late 1990s development was centralized internally at EA Tiburon in Orlando, Florida. There are multiple modes of play, from a quick head-to-head game to running a team for a whole season or even multiple seasons. Online play, which was a new feature for ''Madden NFL 2003'' was only available for users of the PlayStation 2 console or a Microsoft Windows PC until earlier this year. At E3 2004, Microsoft and EA Sports released a press statement announcing that games made from July on will now be Xbox Live -enabled. In August of 2004, EA Sports released ''Madden NFL 2005'' and thus became a fierce competitor in the Xbox Live Community. Also, starting with ''Madden NFL 2004'', EA Sports created the new "Play Maker" tool, using the right analog joystick found on many controllers. This allows the players to make pre-snap route adjustments, as well as defensive alignment adjustments. In ''Madden NFL 2005'', EA Sports further utilized the right analog joystick by creating the "Hit Stick", an option on defense that allows the controlled player to make big hits that can cause fumbles. In the most recent edition to the Madden series, Madden 06, the truck stick was introduced. This feature allows the offensive player to lower his shoulder and break a tackle, or back juke to avoid one. Another new feature is the 'Superstar Mode', which allows the player to take control of a Rookie, and progress through their career. This includes an IQ test, the NFL draft, hiring an agent, and other aspects of a superstar's life. However, the Xbox 360 version of ''Madden NFL 06'' lacks many of these features and only includes a play now, season, and stripped-down franchise game modes; the graphics, however, are superior to the other versions. Due to a contractural obligation, Bill Parcells cannot appear in the Madden NFL series until his television contract with ESPN actually expires (however with ESPN partnering with EA, that remains to be seen for the 07 version). Currently, the game makes the Dallas Cowboys head coach named "Dallas Coach". On December 13 , 2004 , EA Sports announced it had secured exclusive rights to the NFL for the subsequent five years, precluding any other game company from selling a football game using NFL players, teams, stadiums or other licenses. THE "MADDEN CURSE" Prior to 2000, all of the ''Madden NFL'' game box covers prominently featured John Madden only. When EA started to have NFL players on the cover of the ''Madden NFL'' games, some later (half-jokingly) speculated that there was a "Madden ' star player, quarterback Michael Vick , was injured during the 2003 preseason after posing for the cover of ''Madden 2004''. Vick suffered a broken Fibula in a pre-season game against Baltimore , the day after ''Madden 2004'' was released to retailers. The injury resulted in a painful 5-11 year for Vick's team. Some of the people that believed in the curse stated that the player featured on the box would get injured, or simply have a weak season. EA officials point out that Ray Lewis and Eddie George appeared on the covers of the 2005 and 2001 versions, respectively, and had successful seasons without injury.
CRITICISM The ''Madden NFL'' series each year is given annual updates that are generally small, sometimes a new feature or two, and updating the graphics slightly, all for the same $50 price as the previous years' title (now $60 on next-gen consoles). For example, ''Madden 2004'' introduced a new feature: Build-A-Stadium. The ''2006'' version had absolutely no updates on this feature. Many players have been calling for a Career Records listing in Franchise Mode (such as the top ten all-time rushers or passers) for many years, though the producers of Madden have never obliged. Still, the game sells well each year because of player movement in the NFL, as well as being the only "real" (or, official) NFL video game. The new added features, however, are key to the ''Madden'' attraction as they take another step into bringing the player into the game. Since fall 2005, EA has significantly lowered the retail price of the game, as well (as of February 2006, it sold at most U.S. retailers for just $19.99). Each year, ''Madden'' developers also fail to address certain issues that fans have found with the game. Also, wide receivers and defensive backs can often, seemingly psychically, know that a pass is coming even when the player is not looking for it and the pass is ill-timed. From as far back as the Sega Genesis releases, many dedicated users have complained that CPU-controlled teams too often mount unlikely and seemingly unstoppable late-game comebacks. Many gamers have also complained that computer teams will almost invariably score touchdowns inside the two-minute mark of each half, with some noting that even if a computer-controlled team has the ball already and the clock goes under two minutes remaining in the half, the team's offense will mysteriously become unstoppable. These complaints - which some gamers claim are unwarranted - continue to surface with each release. It has been debated that each year, ''Madden'' removes features from previous editions only to make returns in future versions of games. The Xbox 360 version of ''Madden NFL 06'' removed many features and the ability to challenge plays. While the missing features from the Xbox 360 version of ''Madden'' would appear consistent with the argument, it has also been argued that EA simply rushed this version of the game to release so that the game would coordinate with the launch of the next generation console. In 2005, the producers of the ''Madden'' series, EA Sports, signed an exclusive licensing deal with the NFL league and players to give them the exclusive right to use the NFL's teams, stadiums and players in a video game, something which has been widely criticized. This exclusive license has put an end to competition in NFL video games and, some have suggested, this gives EA less incentive to maintain quality and a greater opportunity to increase prices. In this climate, some football games, such as the ultra-violent '''', have elected to continue, seeking to distinguish themselves through innovative gameplay, while others such as the well-reviewed '' ESPN NFL 2K '' series have been forced to cease production. MADDEN NFL 06 MUSIC
(Da Riffs Remix versions) Note that there is no remix version of "The Final Quest."
(NFL Films Music (Non-Remix) versions)
Note that in the credits for music "Up She Rises" may or may not be in any of the game versions. THE MADDEN BOWL The Madden Bowl is a single elimination tournament held on the most current edition of Madden NFL. It has been held since 1995 during Super Bowl weekend in the host city and, in the past, participation included NFL players and celebrities. The Madden Bowl's participation has changed over the years from being an event held with athletes, musicians, and celebrities, to become an event where only NFL players invited to participate get a chance to play. Participants in the Madden Bowl are free to choose which team they will play as- the player does not necessarily have to play as the team that they play for in real life. Winners receive a Madden Bowl trophy and recognition in the upcoming Madden video game. The 2006 Madden Bowl, held during the weekend of Super Bowl XL in Detroit , Michigan , was televised on ESPN and premiered in April of 2006. It is not to be confused with '' Madden Nation '', which was a Reality Television show that chronicled a cross-country trip to crown the best Madden player in America, which also aired on ESPN. Madden Bowl Winners
MAIN CAST Note: Dates indicate the version number, not the calendar year when it was actually released.
REFERENCES SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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