John Madden Duo CD Football

~ JOHN MADDEN DUO CD FOOTBALL ~

Electronic Arts / Hudson Soft / TTI

Super CD-ROM

1993

This is my favorite of the classic-style Madden games, primarily for two reasons: Visually, it's very colorful and smooth (just as a Duo rendition of a game should be); and the passing game is handled well (no dumb passing windows means a nice, clear view of the field).

Some Madden vets aren't as high on it, primarily for two reasons: They don't like using Run as one of the passing buttons, and they view the FMVs as unnecessary low-budget fodder. I don't find anything about the passing scheme difficult or uncomfortable, and personally, I think the FMVs are amusing (hilariously bad, sure, but hilarious nonetheless).

Shots from the special "polygonal" opening.

You get the typical pre-game options and post-game stats.

NFL team nicknames aren't used, but the real clubs are here with the names of the cities they represent (though you may question my use of the word "real" when you discover that this Detroit is actually superior to a number of other squads).

Similarly, though their names aren't used, NFL players from the year the game was made can be identified by their uniform numbers. For instance, Detroit RB #20 is Barry Sanders, and WR #84 is Herman Moore.

You just know the designers got a kick out of the brief FMV horror shows they were creating.

You too can win the coveted Madden Trophy. (Goodness, if the Lions can do it, anybody can.)