John Madden 3DO

The 3DO Madden ’95 was a real multimedia experience showcasing what the 3DO was capable of, much like the amazing Road Rash.

Madden enjoyed full National Football League engagement and featured recognisable team names and their associated logos. The game introduced professional looking FMV clips of coin tosses, referee calls, crowd interaction and visuals of stadium venues. John Madden’s involvement also meant there were many FMV play audio and commentary snippets, considered very groundbreaking in the age of the MegaDrive and SNES in 1994.

The game  featured a unique “scouting report” option, showcasing random FMV highlight clips of NFL teams and plays and instead of the crude graphics experienced with 16-bit consoles, the 3DO presented larger-than-life digitized players with sophisticated movements and amazing looking rendered 3D stadiums with weather effects. 

The gameplay, is very fast and sometimes hard to follow. However there are comprehensive options for rewinding and zooming in on executed plays from every angle. Plays also showcase Madden’s signature features like spin moves and dives.

Overall, Madden ’95 for 3DO was way ahead of its time, offering a huge incentive for consumers to enter Trip Hawkin’s brave  new multimedia world of 3DO, as well as an enjoyable experience that retro gamers may appreciate for its nostalgic value, even considering the technological advancements of later Madden titles.