| Madden NFL 98 | |
|---|---|
 North American Windows box art | |
| Developer | Tiburon Entertainment[6][a] |
| Publisher | |
| Series | Madden NFL |
| Platforms | PlayStation,Sega Saturn,Windows,Super NES,Sega Genesis |
| Release | |
| Genres | Sports (American football) |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
Madden NFL 98 is a 1997American footballvideo game developed byTiburon Entertainment and published byEA Sports for thePlayStation andSega Saturn.Stormfront Studios ported the game toMicrosoft Windows, whileTiertex Design Studios ported it to theSuper Nintendo Entertainment System andSega Genesis, with the latter versions published byTHQ.[7] The game's development focused on improving theMadden series'artificial intelligence. This aspect earned the game critical acclaim, with some reviewers considering it a new landmark for AI in football video games.
Madden NFL 98 was the last installment of theMadden series to be released for the SNES, Genesis, and Saturn, as well as the last to utilize2Dsprites on3D playing fields. The PlayStation version of the game is playable in the collector's edition ofMadden NFL 2005 with updated rosters.
Madden NFL 98 introduced touch passing to the series, which allows players to control the speed of a pass by how hard they push the button.[8] Control can be switched to any football player at any time.[8]
The Windows version allowed players to download the latest NFL rosters from EA's website, thereby keeping the game up-to-date.[9]
TheGreen Bay Packers have the best team overall in the game with a 95. The worst team overall is theBaltimore Ravens with a score of 71. TheDallas Cowboys, theNew England Patriots, and the Green Bay Packers have a three-way tie for the best offense with a perfect score of 100. There is also a three-way tie for the best defense in the game between theSan Francisco 49ers, theSeattle Seahawks, and the Green Bay Packers with a score of 97. TheSan Diego Chargers have the best special teams in the game with a score of 96.[citation needed]
In response to the longstanding criticism of theMadden series that itsAI is too vulnerable, the development team made improving the AI their main emphasis withMadden NFL 98. The AI architects dubbed their new system "Liquid AI".[10] A version for thePanasonic M2 was in the works, but never released due to the system's cancellation.[11][12] A version for theGame.com was also planned, withTiger Electronics as the developer, though Tiger producer Allen Richardson admitted that the game would be difficult to do on the Game.com due to the 16megabit size of the cartridges.[13]
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| AllGame | 4/5 (PS)[19] 4/5 (SNES)[20] 3.5/5 (GEN)[21] |
| Electronic Gaming Monthly | 9.25/10 (PS, SAT)[14][15] |
| GameSpot | 8.8/10 (PS)[16] 8.1/10 (PC)[17] |
| Next Generation | 3/5 (PS)[18] |
| Sega Saturn Magazine | 92% (SAT)[3] |
Madden NFL 98 was positively received, with the overwhelming majority of critics agreeing that the new "liquid AI" had eliminated the longstandingMadden NFL series problem of "money plays" that could be used to successfully run the ball in any situation, making the game more challenging and the final scores more comparable to those of real football games.[14][15][16][17][3][22] Kraig Kujawa ofElectronic Gaming Monthly called it "the smartest football game I've played",[15] and Gary Cutlack ofSega Saturn Magazine said the new AI "Makes the game a lot harder, but a well earned victory is much more satisfying, don't you think?"[3]Next Generation dissented with the majority, contending that while the AI was improved from the previous installment of the series, they had managed to find some "money plays".[18] However, other aspects of the game were widely praised as well, particularly the lively audio commentary,[16][3][22][23] realistic animations,[15][16][17][22] and wide selection of options.[14][15][16][17][18][3][23] Several reviewers made particular mention of the new "fantasy draft" option.[14][15][23]
By far the largest source of criticism was the use ofsprite-based rather thanpolygon-based players. While full polygonal football video games were unexplored territory (the first fully polygonal football game,NFL GameDay 98, was released the same month asMadden NFL 98, andGameSpot acknowledged that polygonal graphics are a much greater drain on processing power in football games than other genres, due to the large number of players[17]), most critics felt that theMadden series, as the leader in the football genre, should have advanced into it by this time.[14][18][3][22]Next Generation in particular felt that theMadden series had unequivocally been dethroned by its failure to beatNFL GameDay to fully polygonal graphics, concluding that "despite some problems, at least the gameplay is solid – a distinct improvement over last year. However, it's too little too late, and stacked against the jaw-droppingGameDay, good is no longer good enough."[18]GameSpot countered that "Although some might scoff atMadden 98 not using polygons like its chief competitorGameDay 98, these player sprites are well animated and detailed.", and pointed out several impressive graphical features accomplished with the sprites.[16] Arguing that the excellent gameplay and AI outweigh the graphical shortcomings, Kujawa deemedMadden NFL 98 "the best PlayStation football game", while his co-reviewer Dean Hager, likeNext Generation, held thatGameDay 98 had edged it out with its polygonal players.[14]
While most reviewers did not compare versions,GamePro noted that the Saturn version has greater pixelation than the PlayStation version and uses an antiquated "gliding sprites" method of animation.[23] Despite this, the Saturn's much smaller library of football games (Sega's only answer to Sony'sNFL GameDay was the critically pannedNFL '97) left critics with few reservations about declaring the Saturn version ofMadden NFL '98 the best football game on the system.[15][3][23]
In the same issue in which they reviewed the Saturn version (and just a month after reviewing the PlayStation version),Electronic Gaming Monthly ranked the Saturn and PlayStation versions as the 19th best console video game of all time, saying that the AI was the best of any football game yet.[24] They also namedMadden NFL 98 a runner-up for "Saturn Game of the Year" (behindSaturn Bomberman) and "Sports Game of the Year" (behindInternational Superstar Soccer 64) at their 1997 Editors' Choice Awards.[25]
Madden NFL 98 was outsold bySony Computer Entertainment'sNFL GameDay 98. Electronic Arts chief operating officerJohn Riccitiello argued that while this was an impressive achievement for Sony, it was not a major defeat for EA Sports: "Do I wish we had sold another 100,000 copies ofMadden on PlayStation so we would have sold more in the quarter than [Sony] did? Sure. But I am happy that even though we were outspent seven or eight to one on television, we sold within 15% in units and 10% of dollars to Sony. And I'm virtually certain that if we'd have matched their spend, we'd have blown them out of the water."[26]
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