Madden NFL 97
Developer(s)Tiburon Entertainment
High Score Productions
Stormfront Studios
Tiertex Design Studios
Publisher(s)EA Sports
SeriesMadden NFL
Platform(s)Game Boy, Genesis, PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Super NES, Microsoft Windows, MS-DOS
ReleasePlayStation
  • NA: September 10, 1996[1]
  • EU: October 1996
PC, Saturn
Genesis
Super NES
  • NA: October 24, 1996
Game Boy
  • NA: November 1996
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer

Madden NFL 97 is a football video game released in 1996. It was the first multiplatform Madden game released for the 32-bit consoles (following a 3DO-exclusive version simply titled John Madden Football in 1994), being released on both the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. 16-bit versions were also made for the established Super NES and Genesis platforms, as well as a portable version for the Game Boy.

This is the first edition of Madden to implement a salary cap when customizing team rosters. It also features the new Baltimore Ravens, formerly the Cleveland Browns for the 1996 season. The game also adds a team of real free agents (as opposed to the blank slate used in Madden 96), which can be traded and added to other teams' rosters (led by recently semi-retired quarterback Randall Cunningham), and can be played by using a cheat code.

Madden NFL 97 was the best-selling PlayStation game of 1996.[6]

Development

The player graphics were created by using 3D models with motion capture data to produce 2D sprites from multiple angles.[7]

Classic teams were once again used, although most were different from the previous year's teams; the years ranged as far back as 1952 (Detroit Lions) and as recent as 1990 (Buffalo Bills). Jacksonville and Carolina, once again, did not get classic teams, but Baltimore was attached to a classic Cleveland Browns team.

The best team in the overall ranking, with a score of 85 was the Dallas Cowboys and the worst team with a score of 62 was the Baltimore Ravens. The best ranked offenses were between the Cowboys and the Lions with a score of 92. The St. Louis Rams had the best ranked defense with an 86. The Miami Dolphins had the best ranked special teams with a 93.

Reception

Critics hailed the PlayStation version as a strong comeback for the series after the cancellation of the PlayStation version of Madden NFL '96, citing outstanding gameplay, graphics, and options.[12][14][17] The two sports reviewers of Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) were pleased that all the teams are available from the beginning, as opposed to having some teams unlocked via hidden codes as in earlier installments.[12] GamePro wrote that "Madden PlayStation is not only the best football game on the market today, it's the best 32-bit sports game, period."[17] A Next Generation critic was particularly impressed by the control and skill demanded by the gameplay, though he criticized that the AI can be consistently beaten by one specific play, something he said had always held back the Madden games from being as outstanding in single-player mode as they are in multiplayer.[14] EGM named the PlayStation version a runner-up for Sports Game of the Year (behind Wave Race 64).[18]

Reviewing the Saturn version, GamePro praised the gameplay, playbook, animations, sound effects, and "full-motion video that looks TV-real, even with its typically Saturn graininess."[19] Paul Glancey of Sega Saturn Magazine echoed Next Generation's criticism that the AI can always be beaten by one play, but recommended the game on the basis of the large selection of teams, motion captured animation, and combination of strategy and action.[16]

GamePro was much less pleased with the Super NES version. They said that while the game is good in absolute terms, with a wide selection of moves and attention to detail in the backgrounds, it is inferior to Madden NFL '96 due to its weak AI even on the hardest skill level, slower gameplay, awkward graphics and animations, and limited number of voice clips from Madden.[20] GamePro called the Genesis version "an immensely enjoyable game with great action and stat-soaked strategy", going so far as to suggest that it made buying a next generation system unnecessary for football enthusiasts. They particularly praised the fact that the game is not a simple update for the series and offers new features and more realistic graphics.[21]

GamePro's brief review of the Game Boy version criticized the overly small ball and players, prominent slowdown, and lack of any licensing apart from Madden himself, but praised the realistic plays and strategy.[22]

References

  1. ↑ "Electronic Arts - News Room, Electronic Arts Ships Madden NFL 97 for the PlayStation". Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  2. ↑ "Electronic Arts - News Room, Electronic Arts Ships Madden NFL 97 for the Sega Saturn". Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  3. ↑ "Electronic Arts - News Room, Electronic Arts Ships Madden NFL 97 for the PC". Retrieved 2023-04-15.
  4. ↑ "Checkpoint - Events And Software Releases". Computer and Video Games. No. 180. Future Publishing. November 1996. p. 48.
  5. ↑ "Madden NFL 97". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 88. Ziff Davis. November 1996. p. 276.
  6. ↑ Paprocki, Matt (August 22, 2017). "The Asterisk on Madden's Annual Release Legacy". Polygon. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  7. ↑ "NG Alphas: John Madden Football '97". Next Generation. No. 20. Imagine Media. August 1996. pp. 66–67.
  8. ↑ "Madden NFL 97 PlayStation review score". GameRankings. Archived from the original on 2013-07-19.
  9. ↑ "Madden NFL 97 (SNES) Review". Archived from the original on 15 November 2014.
  10. ↑ "Madden NFL 97 (PlayStation) Review". Archived from the original on 15 November 2014.
  11. ↑ "Madden NFL 97 (Sega Saturn) Review". Archived from the original on 15 November 2014.
  12. 1 2 3 Mowatt, Todd; Perez, Dindo (October 1996). "Box Scores: NFL Madden '97 [sic]". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 87. Ziff Davis. p. 178.
  13. ↑ Mical, Kevin (October 10, 1996). "Madden 97 Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 13 November 2017.
  14. 1 2 3 "Madden '97". Next Generation. No. 24. Imagine Media. December 1996. p. 256.
  15. ↑ Madden NFL '97 review, Official UK PlayStation Magazine, Future Publishing issue 11, August 1996
  16. 1 2 Glancey, Paul (January 1997). "Review: Madden '97". Sega Saturn Magazine. No. 15. Emap International Limited. pp. 86–87.
  17. 1 2 Johnny Ballgame (November 1996). "Madden '97: Headed Straight to the Hall of Fame". GamePro. No. 98. IDG. p. 134.
  18. ↑ "Best of '96". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 92. Ziff Davis. March 1997. p. 90.
  19. ↑ Slo Mo (November 1996). "Madden Ready for Prime Time... Again!". GamePro. No. 98. IDG. p. 135.
  20. ↑ Johnny Ballgame (October 1996). "Madden NFL '97". GamePro. No. 97. IDG. p. 100.
  21. ↑ Scary Larry (November 1996). "Madden Makes the Grade-Again". GamePro. No. 98. IDG. p. 140.
  22. ↑ "Madden '97". GamePro. No. 100. IDG. January 1997. p. 45.
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