The 5 Best Madden Games of All Time

John Madden Football (1990)

In the 80s, Trip Hawkins had a dream of bringing NFL action to home consoles. Inspired by a pen and paper football simulator he had created, he set out to make his dream a reality. Hawkins sought the assistance of former Oakland Raiders head coach, John Madden.

At the time, other football games could only offer up 7-on-7 gameplay, but John Madden didn’t want any part in the development of the game unless it could replicate the 11-on-11 action fans watch on Sunday. “I’m not putting my name on it if it’s not real.” he famously said about the project. After a lot of work, Hawkins was able to make this wish a reality, and despite containing no official licensing to use team or player names, John Madden Football became the very first 11-on-11 football game to hit the market.

Outside of the 11-on-11 action, the inaugural release also featured an isometric camera. Where other football games, such as Tecmo Bowl, had a top down view from the sidelines, Hawkins placed the camera behind the QB creating a much better depth of field. This angle has become the gold standard for football games. 

Madden NFL ’95

Madden enjoyed quite a bit of success on the early generation of consoles even though it was unable to use real player and team names. Madden NFL ’94 saw the inclusion of the NFL License which meant that, for the first time in franchise history, the game was able to include the city and mascot of a team’s real life counterpart.

It took another year to obtain the license that was required to include a player’s name. Previously the game identified players only by their position and jersey number. For instance, Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Troy Aikman would have been labeled as QB #8. Madden 95 was able to secure the license and release using the actual names of players.

This iteration in the franchise also eliminated the passing windows that were used to view receivers downfield. Three squares would appear at the top of the screen in order for players to see if their receivers were open. The camera angle was widened to give players a much wider view of the field.

Madden NFL 2002

Madden 2002 was the second title in the franchise to be released on the 6th generation consoles. Madden NFL 2001 was by far the most graphically impressive football game to date, and Madden 2002 supported the upgraded visuals with the inclusion of several features that fans raved over.

The first was the addition of importable draft classes. Madden had been releasing a little over a month after its collegiate counterpart NCAA Football each year, but never before had the games had any sort of crossover. That changed in 2002. At the end of a season in NCAA Football 2002, players were given an option to export the players that were graduating to be drafted in, and used in Madden’s franchise mode.

The second major addition was AI sliders. Madden has become a game of tweaking and customization, and Madden 2002 deserves the credit for that. If the AI quarterback seemed to be hitting every pass, the player could turn down the QB accuracy in the sliders. Are receivers dropping wide open passes? Just tweak the catch slider up. This created an almost endless difficulty system on top of the classic Rookie, Pro, All-Pro, All-Madden difficulties that the game shipped with.

Madden NFL 2004

You don’t have to look much farther than the cover to understand what made this iteration of Madden so great. Michael Vick. Those two words create two emotions in long-time fans of the franchise. Either the joyful memories of running for hundreds of yards on your opponent because they couldn’t keep the former Falcons quarterback from making big plays, or the feeling of frustration as that red and black blur went streaking past your defenders on his way to yet another touchdown.

Outside of just featuring the dynamic quarterback, Madden 2004 was also the year that owner mode was added. As if controlling a teams roster weren’t enough of a simulation of NFL, owner mode added the ability to set ticket prices, build onto your teams stadium, or completely move them. The mode came complete with drawing up proposals to the city the player wished to move the team to. If the citizens of that town weren’t satisfied with the tax burden a new stadium build would place on them, they could reject it. The dream that John Madden and Trip Hawkins set out with in the 80s was giving players some of the truest NFL experiences from every angle.

Madden 2005

Madden 2005 is often overlooked because of the simultaneous release of ESPN NFL 2k5. Releasing at $20 with the most impressive broadcast simulation to ever be featured in a football game, ESPN NFL 2k5 rightfully earns high praise from football fans.

However, its release that year was nothing to be scoffed at, and it shipped with a feature that changed the way that people play the the game still today: The hit stick. If Madden 2004 was the year of dynamic offensive plays with Michael Vick, 2005 was the year of dominant defensive plays from the leagues best defenders. Mapped to the right thumbstick, a well-timed flick into a ball carrier could have devastating results: fumbles, injuries, and just those kind of hits that get people out of their seats. Cover athlete Ray Lewis was one of the most terrifying linebackers to ever play the position, and Madden 2005 allowed players to strike the same kind of fear in their virtual opponents.

The hit stick wasn’t the only way that defensive players were given more options to compete against high powered offenses. Defensive hot routes, individual cornerback/receiver match-ups, and the most on-the-fly defensive adjustments available at the time created a much more life-like cat and mouse game between the offense and the defense.

Football is the number one sport in America, and in plenty of years, Madden has been the gold standard for football games. Which do you think was the greatest Madden of all time? Is there a newer release that you think deserves some honors? Leave a comment below!