A World Gone Madden

It's hard to conceptualize a better ambassador for American popular culture than John Madden.  Despite a body built almost entirely out of jowls, the 71-year-old has achieved great success as a coach, babbling TV commentator and denouncer of Athlete's Foot.

Still, if Mr. Madden has a true legacy, it's probably tied to the autumnal cult that has grown around his legendary video-game franchise. For nearly 20 years, Madden devotees have spent unfathomable hours playing the country's bestselling sports game, often sacrificing a proper education, career and relationships in the process. Sometimes, it didn't seem worth it, but as the following retrospective shows, it totally was.

John Madden Football (1990)
And so it begins. An upstart company called Electronic Arts dares to challenge the radness of Nintendo's mighty Tecmo Bowl. Having already released a computer simulator with Madden's oafish visage on the front, EA adapts the game for the brand new, super-sweet, 16-bit Sega Genesis system, enthralling gamers with its downfield view (as opposed to sideline), multiple receiver options and relatively meaty playbook. Unfortunately, the game was not licensed by the NFL or its players and only about half of the league's cities were represented.

Classic Aspect: Without the use of NFL names and logos, Madden differentiates the two Los Angeles teams by moving the Raiders back to Oakland, Calif., inspiring Al Davis to do the same thing five years later.

John Madden Football ‘92
Oh, the memories! This is where EA corners the market, adding more teams, four awesome weather conditions, instant replay, a massive playbook and player injuries. Some say the CPU was too easy to beat, but what's wrong with Thurman Thomas (a.k.a. RB#34) gaining 60 yards on every single toss sweep? The real Bills could have used that sort of dependability.

Classic Aspect: Owners of this game will recall the infamous ambulance that would drive onto the field after an injury, only to hilariously run over a half dozen healthy players in the process.

Madden NFL ‘94
After some ho-hum changes in Madden '93, EA finally gets in bed with the NFL, unleashing the first Madden game to feature all the real teams, as well as a battery for storing your season stats. Now, Madden has combined the addictiveness of Tecmo with the authenticity of a solid pro-simulator. Also, iconic EA announcer Ron Barr has stepped aside, allowing Madden to say “Boom” as many times as he wishes during every game. 

Classic Aspect: Fake punts rarely work in reality, but in Madden '94, they turn fourth downs into touchdowns.

Madden NFL ‘97
This game looks pretty cartoonish by today's standards, but a decade ago, the motion-captured player graphics were off the hook — or whatever catchphrase people were using to describe cool stuff back then.

Classic Aspect: General Manager Mode is in full effect here, allowing you to create and sign a glorified version of yourself to stand shoulder-pad to shoulder-pad with great stars of the day like Gus Frerotte.

Madden NFL 2001
Your childhood game has moved to the dorm room and the Playstation 2 console. You are plagued by nightmares of your roommate juking your DB out of his Nikes with friggin' Tyrone Wheatley! Sometimes, when it's quiet, you can swear that Pat Summerall is whispering in your ear, “Vanderjagt, to kick it away.”

Classic Aspect: Cover star Eddie George winds up missing most of the season with an injury, fueling the Madden curse that has since claimed everyone from Marshall Faulk (2003) to Shaun Alexander (2007), and even everyone's favorite dog owner, Mike Vick (2004).

Madden NFL 2004
Speak of the devil. Vick graces the cover of this edition — the one with the dumbass/kickass theme song by Bonecrusher. Franchise Mode has officially escalated to OCD levels, as you can now take part in spring drills, bargain over salaries, adjust the price of stadium popcorn (no joke) or even up and move your whole team to Mexico City. It's in the game.

Classic Aspect: Melissa Stark.

Madden NFL 2007
Having monopolized the NFL simulator market, the Madden franchise has come under some criticism for charging 60 bucks every year for a game with minimal advances from the previous edition. That being said, Madden '07 on the PS3 is the closest you'll get to controlling the outcome of a real NFL game without being in the mob. 2008 should be better, and by 2015, real-life NFL broadcasts will have comparatively bad graphics.

Classic Aspect: Sometimes, if you're sleepy enough, you can listen to Tony Bruno's post-game commentary and imagine that you haven't heard the identical, pre-recorded insights for the past three years.

VIVA LE MADDEN!