Madden 64 | |
---|---|
![]() North American Nintendo 64 cover art | |
Developer(s) | Tiburon Entertainment |
Publisher(s) | EA Sports |
Series | Madden NFL |
Platform(s) | Nintendo 64 |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Sports |
Mode(s) | Single player, multiplayer |
Madden Football 64 is a football video game. It was the first game of the Madden NFL series to be released for the Nintendo 64, as well as the first Madden game to be fully in 3D. [3] Essentially an upgrade of Madden NFL 98 designed around the particular capabilities of the Nintendo 64, it replaced the 2D players with 3D models but lacked the full NFL licensing which was customary for the Madden series. While this lack of licensing significantly hurt critical response to the game, reviews were mostly positive, with elements such as the detailed player models and realistic gameplay garnering praise. The game has commentary by Pat Summerall and John Madden.
Because Acclaim Entertainment had acquired exclusive rights to the NFL license for Nintendo 64 games for the remainder of the 1997 football season, this edition of Madden does not use real NFL team names or logos. [3] Instead, the teams use banners that consist of two bars with the team colors, and the team name on top of them in white, accompanied by players in their uniforms. The Pro Bowl is referred to as the "Madden Bowl", and the Super Bowl as the "EAS Championship". However, the game does have a license with the NFL Player's Association, so real player names are present in the game. [3] [4] This game is the only game in the Madden franchise that lacked a full NFL license.
Teams are referred to by city only, usually the city in which the real life team's stadium is located. The New England Patriots are referred to as "Foxboro", the Tennessee Oilers as "Nashville", the Arizona Cardinals as "Phoenix", the Minnesota Vikings as "Minneapolis", the Tampa Bay Buccaneers simply as "Tampa", the Carolina Panthers as "Charlotte", and at the time, a historic team, the Los Angeles Rams referred to as "Anaheim". Team uniforms are altered; all uniforms have white pants, helmet colors are often altered to be different from jerseys (only the Denver Broncos's home jersey and helmet are the same color), and even some already different colors are changed – Foxboro's helmet in this game is red, and Charlotte's is Carolina blue, when in real life both were silver.
Madden Football 64 had a short development cycle, since it was built as an upgrade of Madden NFL 98 , retaining the essentials of that game's AI and features. [3] Changes made from Madden 98 include the polygonal players, more colorful playcall screens, new end-zone celebrations and taunts, and removal of all full motion video clips. [3] Development of the game began in early 1997. [5]
The game was originally planned for release in 1998, but EA Sports bumped up the release date to early November 1997. [6] Shortly before this date, the NFL complained that the game included all of the NFL's official team colors; EA Sports slightly delayed the game in order to change the colors. [7]
Publication | Score |
---|---|
Electronic Gaming Monthly | 8.5/10 [8] |
GameSpot | 8.6/10 [9] |
IGN | 7.8/10 [10] |
N64 Magazine | 92% [11] |
Next Generation | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Madden Football 64 met with mostly positive reviews. Critics applauded the detailed player graphics, noting the discernible names on jerseys and black grease under their eyes, [8] [9] [10] [13] and the impressive animations. [8] [9] [10] [13] IGN added, "Surprisingly, making the jump to 3D has had no real downside for Madden 64 in terms of slowdown or glitches. The game moves as smoothly as its predecessors and looks a hell of a lot better." [10] Despite the strong approval of the graphics, some questioned the use of polygons; several critics complained that players cannot wrap-tackle, instead bouncing off of each other as in sprite-based football games, [8] [9] [12] and GameSpot noted that in the elevated camera view which the game is best played with, the graphics appear blocky. [9] Kraig Kujawa of Electronic Gaming Monthly said that while the game is great, giving it a 9 out of 10, the polygonal players did cause slowdown, which together with the controls and lack of NFL licensing made him prefer the game's sprite-based equivalent, Madden NFL 98 . [8] Some reviews also noted that while competitor NFL Quarterback Club 98 runs in high resolution, Madden Football 64 does not. [8] [9] [10]
However, Kujawa's co-reviewer Kelly Rickards opined that the game's issues with graphics and licensing are easily overridden by its gameplay. [8] As with Madden NFL 98, reviewers were greatly pleased with EA's new "Liquid AI". [8] [9] [10] [13] The game's wide range of options [9] [10] [13] and realism were also praised. [8] [9] [10] GameSpot's reviewer ventured to say that "I've been a football fan for a long, long time, and I've never seen anything that resembles the NFL more than this game (and that's amusing, since this game doesn't even have an NFL license)." [9] GamePro called it "Arguably the most fun football game ever created", giving it a 4.5 out of 5 for sound and a perfect 5.0 in every other category (graphics, control, and fun factor). [13]
Next Generation was one of the few publications to not recommend the game, saying the lack of NFL licensing is an unforgivable flaw, and the analog control makes the game unbearably frustrating. They stated that "Despite its lack of merit as a serious football game, Madden 64 is the fastest-playing N64 football game around and as such is just slightly better than QBC 64 as an arcade game." [12]
Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey is a video game developed and published by Atari Games for the arcade in 1996. A port for the Nintendo 64 console was released almost simultaneously with the arcade version, on November 15, 1996, making it the first-ever 4-player game for the Nintendo 64, beating Mario Kart's Japanese release by more than a month. The game was followed by a sequel, Wayne Gretzky's 3D Hockey '98.
Madden NFL 2002 is an American football video game. It features former Minnesota Vikings quarterback Daunte Culpepper on the cover. Pat Summerall and John Madden are the commentators. The Madden NFL 2002 commercial first aired during Super Bowl XXXVI, three days after Madden NFL 2002 started selling in Japan. Notably, it does not feature the Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady, who is included on later editions of the game as a roster update. It is also the first game to be developed by Budcat Creations.
Madden NFL 99 is a football video game released for the PlayStation, Nintendo 64 and Microsoft Windows. It is the first multiplatform Madden game to be fully 3D and polygonally based and is also the first game to feature Franchise mode. The game's commentary is by John Madden and Pat Summerall. The American version of the game features John Madden himself on the cover, while the European version uses Garrison Hearst instead. The game was the top-selling PlayStation sports video game in 1998 in North America, having sold 1.1 million copies on the PlayStation.
Madden NFL 2001 is an American football video game. It is the third in the Madden NFL series to include an NFL player, Tennessee Titans running back Eddie George, on its cover. In addition, it is the first game in the series to have a player, instead of John Madden featured prominently on the box art. Madden's picture is shown on a small logo, which would reappear for every following game until Madden NFL 06. It is also the first game in the Madden NFL series to appear on the PlayStation 2 game console. This is the first Madden game to feature NFL Europe teams.
Madden NFL 2000 is a football video game. This was the second of the Madden NFL games to not solely feature John Madden on the cover in North America. The only other one was Madden NFL '95. Most versions of the game cover featured Madden prominently in the foreground, and a recognizable Barry Sanders in a background action graphic. The European PAL edition features only Dorsey Levens on the cover.
NBA Live 99 is the fifth installment of the NBA Live video games series. The cover features Antoine Walker of the Boston Celtics. The game was developed by EA Sports and released on November 4, 1998, for the Nintendo 64, and then on November 10, 1998, for the Windows and PlayStation. Don Poier is the play-by-play announcer. It was the first NBA Live game released for Nintendo 64. NBA Live 99 was followed by NBA Live 2000.
Madden NFL 98 is a 1997 football video game. It was the last edition 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 2D sprites for the players and referee, on 3D playing fields.
John Madden Football '93 is a 1992 sports video game developed by Blue Sky Productions and Electronic Arts and published by EA Sports. Based on the sport of American football, the player controls a football team in modes such as tournament play and sudden death. Officially endorsed by John Madden, it was the third Madden game for home consoles and the first one that saw a simultaneous release on both, the Sega Genesis and Super NES.
NFL Quarterback Club '98 is a football video game, released in 1997. It was developed by Iguana Entertainment and published by Acclaim Entertainment under their Acclaim Sports banner for the Nintendo 64. It was the first football game announced for the Nintendo 64.
Nagano Winter Olympics '98, known in Japan as Hyper Olympics in Nagano, is a multi-event sports game from Konami. It is based on the 1998 Winter Olympics and features 10 Olympic events including skating, skiing, luge, bobsleigh, slalom, curling, halfpipe and snowboarding. The game is part of the Track & Field/Hyper Sports series and would be the last licensed Olympic video game released on a Nintendo home console until Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games about nine years later.
World Cup 98 is a football video game released in 1998 to coincide with that year's FIFA World Cup football tournament, developed by EA Canada and published by Electronic Arts under their EA Sports label. It is the first official FIFA World Cup game developed by EA Sports after obtaining the rights from FIFA in 1997. Unlike the previous World Cup games, which were in 2D and showed a bird's-eye view, World Cup 98 used a 3D engine, utilising DirectX for the PC version.
F1 Pole Position 64, released in Japan as Human Grand Prix: The New Generation, is a racing video game for the Nintendo 64 developed by Human Entertainment and published by Human Entertainment in Japan, and published by Ubi Soft for North American and Europe. It is the fifth and final game in the Human Grand Prix / F1 Pole Position series, featuring Formula One branding.
Hot Wheels Turbo Racing is a racing video game released for the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation in 1999. It features 40 cars based on the Hot Wheels series of toys. It also features Kyle Petty's 1999 NASCAR stock car, as it was sponsored by Hot Wheels. The game features music from artists like Primus, Metallica, The Reverend Horton Heat and Mix Master Mike.
NBA In The Zone '98 is a basketball game for the Nintendo 64 and PlayStation. It was released in 1998 and developed and published by Konami. It is the third installment of the NBA In The Zone series. The cover features Glen Rice of the Charlotte Hornets.
NFL Quarterback Club 2000 is a sports video game developed by Acclaim Studios Austin and published by Acclaim Entertainment for Nintendo 64 and Dreamcast in 1999.
NHL Breakaway 98 is a 1997 ice hockey video game for the PlayStation and Nintendo 64. It was the first hockey game to come from Acclaim Entertainment and the first game released under the publisher's new Acclaim Sports label. The game met with divisive reviews upon its release for the PlayStation, though the game's management mode and its system of using points to improve aspects of a team received widespread praise, but reviews for the later Nintendo 64 version were more consistently favorable. It was followed by a sequel, NHL Breakaway 99, released the following year.
Madden NFL 97 is a football video game released in 1996. It was the first multiplatform Madden game released for the 32-bit consoles, being released on both the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. 16-bit versions were also made for the established Super NES and Genesis platforms, as well as a portable version for the Game Boy.
NCAA Football '98 is a video game of the sports genre released in 1997 by Electronic Arts. The game featured University of Florida quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel on the cover.
NFL GameDay 98 is the third video game in the NFL GameDay series. It was developed by Sony Interactive Studios America and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation in 1997. On the cover is Jerome Bettis.
NFL Blitz is an American football video game developed and published by Midway for the arcade in 1997, the first game in the NFL Blitz series. The development team was headed by Mark Turmell and Sal Divita, who were known for being behind NBA Jam, and NFL Blitz was a deliberate attempt to translate the exaggerated arcade-style approach of NBA Jam to the football realm. The game was ported to the PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Windows, and Game Boy Color in 1998. The cover athlete for the game was then Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Kordell Stewart.
Football fanatics, however, will be very disappointed to know that Madden 64 doesn't feature the full NFL license, so real team names, team colors and team stadiums are not present. This means that you could be stuck playing the Chicago Bulldozers instead of the mighty Bears -- and they might be purple. Acclaim grabbed all the NFL licensing rights for its NFL QB Club '98 early and EA was left playing catch up. However, EA did manage to acquire the NFLPA (NFL Players Association) so real player names are present in the game.