Madden '97

Review by: Alessandro Del Piero

EA's first football contribution to the Saturn showcases excellent gameplay, but unfortunately the graphics and sound could have been much improved.

Graphics 7/10

Although Madden includes many outstanding looking animations and graphical touches (left handed QB's, all the stadiums including Hawaii's stadium for the Pro Bowl), the graphics are still pixalized and could have been clearer. The scrolling here is very smooth, and quite possibly the reason why the game's graphics are not totally clear. The frame rate is decent and the many camera angles are a nice touch. However, there is no distinction between the players (they're all the same size, all wear number 88), and the full motion video is grainy and downright repetitive. Other graphical touches include weather, pics of most of the NFL players, and a solid intro.

Sound 5/10

Definitely could have been better. Except for the home crowd chanting 'defence', the fans basically sound like static at one volume level, not rising as a great play or hit occurs, and thus quite boring, and also very much like Madden '97 for Genesis. The menu music is better, reminiscent of Montana CD (although this game is A LOT better!), and the QB's cadence and fake huts sound okay.

Control 9/10

Clearly where this game shines! Everything about the control is suberb. EA made great use of the Saturn controller, allowing the QB to look for 5 (!) receivers with just a single push of a button. On the minus side, more options to the ball carrier would have been nice as I hate the way the runner has to straight arm every time I use the 'burst' button. The player selected is responsive but not overly sensitive, and the players move fluidly to touch.

Gameplay 9/10

Also excellent. As a big football fan, I definitely appreciate some of the realism involved in the game. Players move in relation to their real life counterparts (in terms of speed, ability, etc.), and there are a massive amount of plays to choose from including a small amount of trick plays, although more would have been nice. You can also flip plays (contrary to the review posted by Gene Silva) by pressing L at the play select screen. The passing is excellent, although one problem in the game arises from the fact that with five receivers, you can lose track of your receivers and get sacked or accidently hits the 'Y' button which throws the ball away. Running the ball is difficult except for sweeps, which can be effective if run properly. Don't run the ball up the middle, it does not lead to success often.

Difficulty - hard (adjustable)

The computer is very challenging, and made even grizzled Genesis veterans like myself pull my hair out a few times! The AI on All Madden skill level is worthy of challenge and it will take time for you to find plays which work well consistently. A definite plus.

Options 9/10

Season, stats in abundance, over 100 teams, multiplayer tournaments, Madden has enough options to satisfy any pigskin fan.

Overall 8.5/10

Although the graphics and sound could be better and the video sequences get very annoying and repetitive, Madden 97 is by far the best football game for Saturn, but then again there isn't much competition. If you prefer excellent playability over sound and to some extent graphics, then Madden is the game for you.