Madden 98

EA Sports’ Madden series has to be one the longest running gaming legacies for any console system. It’s unfortunate that this particular edition will be over-shadowed by Sony’s helmet-cracker, NFL GameDay ‘98.

Like all EA games, Madden ‘98 has the latest statistics, rosters, and logos. Accompanied by some nice looking stadiums, Madden ‘98 will also feature all new Maddenisms that enunciate every bone-crushing play. But is this enough?

Madden has always provided an awesome NFL experience to any sports gamer, and it still does. Players are able to construct and manage their own teams from the ground up and lead them all the way to the Super Bowl. Depth has always been a major strength in EA’s games. Madden ‘98 is just another fine example.

But besides, all the options, the game itself plays and looks similar to all the other Madden titles. Sprite-based graphics, same interface, John Madden - it’s all there, but it’s still the same game. It’s really hard to change something good, but perhaps an upgrade in graphics wouldn’t hurt the game at all. In fact, it would be a totally new game if EA took its Madden series to the next level, that being polygons.

EA Sports has always been strong on its games, and it takes great pride in them. Perhaps it’s time for a change. Madden is an upstanding title that finally has some heavy competition. Simply updating stats and making minute changes in the gameplay is no longer exceptable.