15-Aug-2001 We've failed to find better gridiron than this One of the finest ever MegaDrive games has been refined and tweaked constantly over the last few years, and the result is an extremely playable game. If you're one of the people that thinks American football is "all stopping and starting" with not very much action, this game should help change your mind - there's a much faster pace of play this time round, and the game benefits a great deal from it, with play selection being a lot quicker and easier than before. The graphics are rather 'functional', the players are all represented by 2D sprites, and the animation often leaves a bit to be desired. However, the main point behind any Madden game has always been the way that it plays, and these wobbly 2D footballers more than do the job. They can run, spin, dive, jump or even fall over in a massive heap, which is what happens most of the time. But they form that massive heap on purpose, because that's called 'the line of scrimmage' and it's where the game is won or lost, as the big defenders try to break through and flatten the Quarterback before he can release the ball. The computer players are a lot brainier as well this time around - try the same play twice in a row and your player will end up being even more two-dimensional, after the entire defence tramples over him! Makes the game a lot harder, but a well earned victory is much more satisfying, don't you think?
Madden NFL '98 is a small improvement over the '97 version, no doubt about that. But is it worth buying if you own an earlier version of the game? No way, but if you havenit been tempted by a Madden game before, there's never been a better time to start!
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