Madden NFL 97

Review by: Tracy Thom

With Madden NFL '97 comes the football games Sega Saturn fans have been waiting for. It has been almost 6 months since the release of this game, and it still stands on top of the mountain as the best football game for the Saturn.

This game has many positives, but yet there are a few glitches, if you can come across them. This game has problem with possesion. This is where one of the glitches falls. For instance, I was playing my buddy in an exhibition game, I threw an interception on 4th down. I hit his guy, caused a fumble and then recovered it. 1st down for me right? Nope, the CPU took in the fact that I recovered the ball behind the original first down marker, so it became a turnover on downs. That is not the worst glitch in the game. The worst glitch happened like this. Team 1 was driving near the goal line. On the next play there was a fumble into the endzone which Team 2 recovered. Touchback, right? Wrong again. It was a touchdown for Team 2. It even took them down to the other end zone for the extra point.

Alright, enough about glitches. There are other negatives, including the fact that the game is too easy. It is not uncommon to have an 86-14 score for a 20 minute game. The computer plays just horrible defense, especially if you let them do the coverage for you. They will either get burned, or there will be a pass interference penalty. The CPU is easily beaten by the fly pattern. (Just stand your receiver a yard or two short of the marker, and jump) Also, using the single back formation, the quick slant play is good for 10-15 yards a pop. (Catch the ball, then head back for the sidelines.) Also, in the season, the halftime show is pointless. James Brown comes on and says, "Let's take a look at the half-time stats." That's it.

Enough about the negatives. There are tons of positives. The graphics are really good. (I wish that the numbers on the back were different and not all 88) There are lots of options including trades. Gameplay is simple as well. There is a lot of detail including players doing flips when being undercut after leaping for a catch. The use of full motion video with Madden and Sumerall adding their opinion about each game is also interesting. (For a while.) The replay value is high. A big plus is that there is less tipped balls, and when the balls are tipped, it is easier to intercept it. Finally, when you when the Super Bowl, the ending is pretty cool.

Overall, the positives really outweigh the negatives. As I stated before, this is still the best football game for the Saturn.

Rating 8.75/10