The NFL states that no one has even been injured in the history of the game and players mostly make up injuries to hurt the wonderful NFL organization that is perfect.
I like the Streisand effect of all that leading to some game makers trying to make pro football as seedy as possible in every regard eg later blitz titles etc
This series is one of the only ones I actually watch the intro. And everytime I do, and see the train conductor outfit I think to myself...where are the costumes? Lol lets get into it!
Next series: "I'm playing each Madden game in chronological order, and I mean all of them. The twist is that I have to eat a spicy pepper every time I restart a match."
I know it might seem insignificant but I really do appreciate that you have a good knowledge of sports and players. It’s really nice to have someone who knows some stuff in these sports games
To this day, this is still my FAVORITE NFL game of any system ever. This is the game I throw on when I'm bored and don't know what to play. Also the first game I ever looked up cheats for. If you created a character with the name TIBURON, the developer, you got a team named Tiburon with every stat at 100%.
What were your go-to plays? I liked A-B-Down-Down-BottomC which was a HB toss pass. B-BottomC-Down-Down-BottomC was my go-to run play. Why are those living in the recesses of my mind?
@@RunninRebelBen That was my favorite play also!!! and I used to do Hail Mary's an entire game for fun. Or I would do fake punts and field goals even when it was 1st down.
Interesting how the more arcadey sports games seem to stand the test of time better than the more "realistic" ones. I don't play sports games too much, but it's been fun to learn more about them. Thanks for the awesome video, Thab!
It makes sense. In the simulation case you always want to play the best simulation possible it is kind of the premise. So it will always age poorly . Arcade style is about the gameplay having an identity, be on fire on Jam, the violence on blitz, etc. So it is almost never replaced
@@cthulhusol came to say the same thing. Arcade games live and die on their gameplay being fun more than anything else, so it's harder for them to age (just like regardless how much 2D platformers have improved over time, games like Super Mario World haven't aged a day since they came out).
I always remember seeing these games for like $3 at GameStop as a kid. I’d also always play these with my friends and have no idea wtf I was doing, but I loved using the Raiders. Kaufman was my boy.
I wonder if this game was the codebase for the DS madden games. The player models, the animations, it all looks EXTREMELY similar. Also, as a lifelong Packers fan, throwing a hail mary into double coverage in the second quarter is such an authentic Brett Favre move, so points for realism.
This game was highly rated by Nintendo magazine (UK) back in the day, very interesting that it doesn't hold up now. As a stupid kid, I bought it, assuming it would be similar to rugby. For the first hour, I had no idea what was going on, but I really got into it eventually!
One flaw with this series is the lack of game audio. Audio is such a huge part of games, I feel like showcasing some of it is definitely warranted. Love the series otherwise.
This is one of my favorite series on RU-vid. I'm always excited to see a new video posted. Somehow, 1:31 Thab manages to make titles that I think are super boring into an entertaining and enjoyable watch
There is a little fade route to the fullback in this game that was truly unstoppable. A guaranteed 8-9 yards minimum. Would run it every single play haha
the ambulance was interesting because you're right - they wouldn't do it in a modern game, but in real life last year they had an ambulance on the field when Damar Hamlin had a heart attack on the field. that was wild.
Nothing simple about kicking a football period, funny how so many people talk like they could do it no problem when they would fall flat on their ass and fail miserably.
I remember being dumbfounded that I found this game used for a dollar at the game store when I was 10 and begging my dad for a dollar for it. To be honest, I had no idea what game it was, all I know is that I wanted it.
This is a Fascinating Insight Into Someone's Mind Who's a Casual But Educated Enough About The Players -- That Being Said; The Kicking/FG Comments Showing The Lack of Sports Knowledge and Further Examples, Mixed With The Signature Monotone Delivery Make for a Comical Endeavor Enjoyable By All From Weebs to Jocks. Props, Sir. 💯
To answer a couple questions if you see this, Donovan McNabb was drafted 2 years after this game. Also Gus Frerrote is known as the guy to headbutt the wall in celebration and hurt himself and ended up missing the rest of the season.
The Dolphins actually did have a player called Abdul Karim Jabbar, not a jab at the Lakers player, he was an actual nfl RB. Kareem the nba player tried to sue him for the name
I played this with some of my N64 owning cousins. I;ve been a fan of the Madden series since the early days. After I bought my SNES my got us a few games to play together including Madden 93. Madden 94 was already out but I bought my SNES near Christmas 93 and we didn't realize Madden games came out the year before the one in the title He also got me Madden 2002 when he and mom bought me a PS2 in high school..
This game lacked an NFL license because Acclaim (which made NFL Quarterback Club '98) had exclusive rights to it for the Nintendo 64 in 1997. Madden '98 is essentially this game, but with NFL licenses and for other platforms. The following year, EA made sure to negotiate so that Acclaim did not get to continue having an exclusive license, as Madden was outsold by QB Club. Later, in 2005, seeing how effective an exclusive NFL license could be, EA would grab and hold exclusive rights to the NFL license for themselves across all platforms (which they continue to hold).
@@IntheBay85 he lucked out with the first pick being DK64 and he’s gotten a couple of other gems but it honestly seems like he’s inadvertently saving the best for last
@@SolidSnake684 but yeah DK64, Diddy Kong Racing, Turok, maybe a few more good ones. Otherwise he still has Banko Kazooie (both, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, Killer Instincts Gold, sooooo many more good games
T.O. and McNabb weren't in the league when this game was developed. Owens started his career with the 49ers anyway. He didn't get to Philly until late 90's.
Thab, I can tell you never really played any sports on a high-level or even at all (physical) but kicking is super hard in the NFL. Look up the reasons and I bet you'll rethink your statement.
These old sports games are very nostalgic. Not necessarily for the game but the players. Right at the beginning of peak watching football for me as a kid.
Pretty wild that the presentation parts of this game (the refs on the field, the ambulance, noting how many yards the play went for, the coin toss, touchdown celebrations, penalties being displayed, even the trophy presentation) are miles better than the most recent Madden games that have come out. I would claim the modern Madden games are anything but "polished".
It's hard to kick that weird shaped ball under pressure and wind conditions sometimes. they just .. choke. its shaped like a coned egg and its hard as a rock. plus i THINK they kick with more of their toe than other foot balled sports?? which makes it weirder. idk im not the biggest football guy so don't listen to me.
Old head here I started out playing madden on the Sega genesis 1990 kinda crazy to look back at what it use to be like. Still think some of the older games are better then the new ones
I would play this game for hours at a time. We only had one TV so when I had the option to play, I wouldn't stop playing until someone wanted to watch TV.
I grew up a packers fan and this was my team. so funny watching you run through this season. found myself literally LOL through this review. funny stuff thab
I remember a cheat code with the game shark you can get guys 8 foot 4 I think team tiburon. Also how about those Minneapolis Vikings. Charlotte Panthers.? Talk about nfl license issues lol. Glad to see you play it. Too bad you didn’t pick the Lions with Barry “the goat” Sanders. Go Lions! 🦁
I am reading the comments on every N64 challenge video, and I mean all of them. The twist is, I don't know what comment to read next. This is my journey to reading every N64 comment.
I'm not sure if you know all the old sports knowledge when you play these games or just look it up quick. But its very convincing. Makes the commentary a lot more interesting! Keep it up dude
Slightly interesting fact: Karim Abdul-Jabbar got sued by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and ended up changing his name to Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar. Not sure how you could possibly sue someone for having a similar name as you and win, but I guess it could have been a settlement deal.
Fun fact about the NFL licensing issues: The year Madden 64 came out (1997), Acclaim had an odd licensing deal with the NFL. They had the exclusive NFL license, but only for the N64, and only for 1997. So Madden NFL 98 (also released in '97) for the SNES and Genesis had the NFL team names and stuff, but not the N64 version. But don't worry, sports fans. Madden 99 secured the NFL license so we won't have to play against the Minneapolis Vikings again.
2.5 out of 10 for difficulty? "Jon Snow you know nothing." These games are notorious for cheating you in higher difficulty levels. Imagine the opposing QBs going 21 for 21 passing, and their RBs consistently breaking 6-7 tackles every single run. It brings back nightmares.
My brother in law kicked in the NFL and no, not anyone can do it. The “sweet spot” from what he said is like the size of a dime. Then take the snapper who is so good he can spin the ball for the holder to the exact rotation where all he has to do is catch and hold. There’s a reason there’s only 32 of these professional jobs in the world.
