What I learned from Madden 97 (Producer Blog)

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Hey Madden fans – I’m back again with another blog post. This time, I wanted to take it back a decade and look at gameplay 10+ years ago. It’s easy to get caught up in all the nextgen elements like mid-air collisions and gang tackling and ultra realistic during play fatigue systems, but sometimes it’s a good idea to look to the past to see what has made Madden into the phenomenon it is today.


I’ll be up front and honest and say the Madden that I spent the absolute most time with was Madden 97 for the PSX. Don’t get me wrong, Madden 93 was a very close 2nd, but back then I had NHLPA competing for time too. In 1996, I guess nothing else competed in my game collection, so for an entire year that’s all my buddies and I played. We had all just gotten our driver’s licenses too so we no longer had to rely on our parents carting us around – we would play at each other’s houses pretty much every other night. I played an insane amount of this game. I knew every single play in the playbook, I knew all the secret codes to unlock the teams, and most of all, I knew how to dominate! Kind of crazy to think that here I am, designing the game I was obsessed with just a short time ago.



My purpose of this article was to talk about some of the gameplay elements from Madden 97 (and many other years), and talk about how they relate to today. Here are some key points I’ve been mulling over.



1. The jukes and spins (spins were around forever, jukes came later) were basically useless. The spin move wasn’t even a move…it just turned the running animation 360 degrees around and guys would bounce off of you if they were diving. Funny stuff. But really, who needed them? Back then it was about stick skill. Well, there wasn’t a stick yet, so all you had was “d-pad juking”. Ever since Madden and NCAA 05 (and even 01 to some degree), we’ve moved away from d-pad juking in favor of more realistic planting, while pushing the gamer towards a more “use the special moves” philosophy. Realistically, when’s the last time you were able to juke another player (especially the CPU) without hitting a button? I haven’t really agreed with that. Though obviously these have been some extremely fun games we’ve put out in the last 5 years, I still want the option to be able to “d-pad juke” my way to victory. It feels more rewarding that way, right? A perfect example is NHL 07 for the 360. In my opinion, it is so much more rewarding to score a goal by user-deking the goalie with their R-stick “stick control” than it ever was if you just hit the spin move button. The reasoning that I’ve heard has always been that d-pad jukes are unrealistic. Why though? Back in the day your player’s “cylinder” just moved where you pushed the d-pad. It’s nextgen baby…we could do that same feel now with using IK to lock the feet to the ground and implement some real life momentum along with it. If the defender overpursues past a certain threshold, and has a bad agility (or pursuit rating), what about the possibility of him getting faked out and falling or stumbling as he reaches for you? I love it. Would you want it though?



2. The Dive button was your only friend on defense. That’s right – dive was the only way to tackle back then. I remember calling the Circle button the “Fall On Face” button (though it was supposed to be power tackle – it was just too risky). Back then, there were no 2-man wrap tackles. You dove, he fell. That was about it. Somewhere along the line this got lost too! I mean yes, realistically, players don’t really dive all that often in the NFL unless they are chasing someone from behind. But sometimes the fun factor line is meant to be drawn…I love dives! Wouldn’t it feel great to have dives always match up tackles and broken tackles? Ever since the move to PS2, the dive button basically sets you up to just bounce off of the ballcarrier. Do you all want dive to be a primary tackling mechanic again? I do…am I in the minority?



3. The paradigm shift of money plays. Yep, Madden 97 had quite a few money plays and nano blitzes. Double Flags anyone? Flea Flicker anyone? Using the Lions anyone? But back then there was no online. When I saw my buddies go anywhere near Double Flags I’d punch them in the arm, and they’d do the same for me. Back then we never thought about money plays, because we just regulated ourselves. I’ll never forget getting online for the first time in Madden 03 and seeing how big of a deal they had become. I actually designed the playbooks in 04, so I can speak first hand that I had to spend a ton of time testing for exploits, when that was never even really much of a concern before. It seems like now it’s more about money routes than money plays. Do you all still see an abundance of money plays, or is it more about money “strategies” (i.e. scramble and throw the corner route…which we are fixing this year)?



4. Talking (or yelling) back at John and Pat could be oddly satisfying. I wonder how many thousands of times I screamed back in agreement or disagreement with John and Pat once they started doing play by play. Remember the injury sound back then too (might have been Madden 96 SNES on that one…can’t recall for sure)? Wow it was sickening…like a chicken bone snapping. Then the classic line…Summerall’s “Oh, No. There’s a man down”. Waiting to see who it was…man that was a moment of true suspense in gaming far ahead of it’s time!



Sure, games like Eternal Darkness and Gears of War have done better jobs since then at video game suspense…but who knows, maybe they got their inspiration from John and Pat? Just maybe…



5. Post play control = fun. I’d venture to say that running around with your guy and diving at players during post play was one of the most fun aspects of that game. Agree? Just for a second, imagine the old NHL games if you couldn’t go deck a guy after the whistle blew. I can guarantee it wouldn’t be the game people STILL play to this day. I mean it was even a whole scene in a major motion picture (Swingers)! It’s a whole different beast now – players have real assignments in post play that they have to carry out, cut scenes kick on, penalties occur, etc. Plus late hits are out of the question…but even still, I have dreams of a day where we can implement full control of your guy in post play, and also come up with something fun to do in the process. Do you see that as important of an issue as I do?Well that’s all for now. Hopefully I’ve taken you on a trip down memory lane to remember why these games were so great, and also to think about elements we can continue to use as we move forward in defining nextgen gameplay. Post off – I’d love to hear your comments. Which Madden have you played the most?




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Oh wow...I think I played that one alot too..Madden 97 for Sega Genesis. I hated that sound when someone got hurt. And the commentationg was rediculous!

Things sure have come along way since then!!

[Tigam]

Kind of crazy to think that here I am, designing the game I was obsessed with just a short time ago.

I admit you have a interesting approach.

1. If the defender overpursues past a certain threshold, and has a bad agility (or pursuit rating), what about the possibility of him getting faked out and falling or stumbling as he reaches for you? I love it. Would you want it though?

Yes... Yes I would.

2. Do you all want dive to be a primary tackling mechanic again? I do…am I in the minority?

It's more like I hope you are. I wouldn't mind the tackling from behind type of deal... But primary? No, I think that is the wrong way to go.

3. It seems like now it’s more about money routes than money plays. Do you all still see an abundance of money plays, or is it more about money “strategies” (i.e. scramble and throw the corner route…which we are fixing this year)?

It's only a strategy if it can be countered.

4. Sure, games like Eternal Darkness and Gears of War have done better jobs since then at video game suspense…but who knows, maybe they got their inspiration from John and Pat? Just maybe…

<laughs> And that ladies and gentleman is what they call "reaching"

Good laugh tho.

5. Post play control = fun. I’d venture to say that running around with your guy and diving at players during post play was one of the most fun aspects of that game. Agree?

Agreed.

Which Madden have you played the most?

Umm... The Co-op one.

Nice blog.