Madden NFL 99 is a football video game released for the PlayStation, Nintendo 64 and Microsoft Windows. It is the first video 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.
Gameplay
Features
- The game is the first to feature the concept of covering the ball while running and the chop block and "clothesline" techniques, which were later scrapped and moved to players simply tackling ball-carriers. Although players' heights resemble their real-life counterparts, all players share the same sized physiques. The game includes twelve historic teams, including the 1978 Steelers and 1985 Bears and secret teams such as the Tiburon sports team and NFL All-Star teams from each decade. The Cleveland Browns, who were a year away from rejoining the league, can be accessed for exhibition games via the password "WELCOMEBACK".
- This is the first Madden game to feature Franchise Mode, in which the user can control their team for 15 seasons, complete with realistic NFL type schedules consisting of alternating inter-conference divisional opponents. The user is able to trade, sign/release and draft players. They also sought to catch up with competing football video games by using high resolution graphics and adding animations for wrap-tackles and players tracking the ball with their heads.
Reception
The game received "favorable" reviews on all platforms according to video game review aggregator GameRankings. An issue later, Matt Adamsons gave the PC version 85%, calling it "the best NFL simulation money could buy." Martin Kitts of N64 Magazine gave the N64 version 88%, saying, "Madden is still great stuff, but it hasn't really changed significantly enough to warrant another 92% rating." Steve Bauman of Computer Games Strategy Plus gave the PC version four stars out of five, saying, "The perfect synergy of hardcore action and cerebral simulation hasn't been reached yet, but Madden 99 is as close as anyone has ever managed to get, and as its management features evolve, it will no longer be, 'I guess we'll have to wait until next year.' Now it's more like 'I can't wait until next year.'"
According to the NPD Group, the game was the tenth best-selling video game of 1998 by unit sales. During the 2nd Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, Madden NFL 99 was named as a finalist by the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences for PC Sports Game of the Year, which ultimately went to FIFA 99.