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Madden NFL 98
Developer(s)EA Tiburon
Publisher(s)EA Sports
SeriesMadden NFL
Platform(s)PlayStation, Sega Saturn, Windows, Super NES, Genesis
ReleasePlayStation[1]
  • NA: July 31, 1997
  • PAL: September, 1997
Windows[2]
  • NA: October 31, 1997
Super NES[3]
  • NA: November, 1997
Sega Saturn
  • NA: August 26, 1997
Genesis
Genre(s)Sports
Mode(s)Single player, multiplayer

Madden NFL 98 is a 1997 football video game. It features John Madden on the cover. It was the last version of the Madden series to be released for the Super NES, Genesis and Sega Saturn platforms, as well as the last Madden game to utilize the 2D sprites for the players and referee, on 3D playing fields.

The Green Bay Packers had the best team overall in the game with a 95. The worst team overall was the Baltimore Ravens with a score of 71. A 3 way tie between the Dallas Cowboys, the New England Patriots and the Green Bay Packers for the best offense with a perfect score of 100. There is also a 3 way tie for the best defense in the game between the San Francisco 49ers, the Seattle Seahawks and the Green Bay Packers with a score of 97. The San Diego Chargers had the best special teams in the game with a score of 96.

Development

In response to a longstanding criticism of the Madden series, that the AI is too vulnerable, the development team made improving the AI their main emphasis with Madden NFL 98. The AI architects dubbed their new system "Liquid AI".[4] A version for the Panasonic M2 was in the works, but never released due to the system's cancellation.[5] A version for the Game.com was also planned, with Tiger Electronics as the developer, though Tiger producer Allen Richardson admitted that the game would be difficult to do on the Game.com due to the 16 megabit size of the cartridges.[6]

Reception

Next Generation reviewed the PlayStation version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "despite some problems, at least the gameplay is solid – a distinct improvement over last year. However, it's too little too late, and stacked against the jaw-dropping GameDay, good is no longer good enough."[7]

GameSpot gave the PC and PlayStation versions 8.8 and 8.1 out of 10, respectively.[8] Electronic Gaming Monthly rated it 9.0 out of 10.[9]

References

  1. ^ "Madden NFL 98 Release Information for PlayStation". Gamefaqs.
  2. ^ "Madden NFL 98 Release Information for PC". Gamefaqs.
  3. ^ "Madden NFL 98 Release Information for Super Nintendo". Gamefaqs.
  4. ^ "Madden NFL 98: An Early Look at the Latest Edition of the Longest-Running Football Game Series Ever". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 97. Ziff Davis. August 1997. p. 110.
  5. ^ "News - E3 '96: 3DO? - M2 Dream List". 3DO Magazine. No. 12. Paragon Publishing. July 1996. p. 4.
  6. ^ "Game.com: Will it Beat Game Boy?". Next Generation. No. 31. Imagine Media. July 1997. pp. 26–27.
  7. ^ "Finals". Next Generation. No. 35. Imagine Media. November 1997. p. 195.
  8. ^ "Madden NFL 98 listings on GameSpot". GameSpot.
  9. ^ Madden 98 Review from EGM
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