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"What went wrong here?"

While out searching for video games one day, I came across Madden '96 for the Game Gear. I've never been into the Madden series, but I figured for a couple of bucks, it would be worth having a football game on my Game Gear. I probably should have saved that $1.50, but I didn't, and despite some major flaws, it was worth it. I found the game to be rather disappointing, and yet strangely addicting.

When I think of the Madden series, I think of the series of NFL licensed games that can simulate an NFL season, often times a better one than your favorite team is having. However, once I fired it up, I found none of my favorite teams' logos shown on helmets and jerseys but rather generic, letters and certainly not the right colors. A gold and red "A" for Atlanta did not impress me. So obviously the folks over at EA decided not to shell out the bucks for the NFL license on this game. I thought that perhaps they didn't have the rights at this time, but a quick look at the box for the Genesis version of the same game shows both the NFL and the NFL players' association logos. I figured at least they would have the NFLPA license, but alas, that was not true either. In fact, the folks at EA and Black Pearl decided not to give fake names to their players either. Nope. Just numbers. So instead of sacking John Elway, you "sack number 12 for a 6 yard loss." Right of the bat, I was disappointed.

The Game Play is that of your typical, stripped down, 8 bit hand held video game. It follows the rules of basic football but eliminates most penalties. Not that you could have un-sportsman like conduct because you can't move your players once the play is over anyway. There are a few modes of play such as one would expect: exhibition, season, and playoff. Exhibition gives you one quick game while the other two simulate their respective names. In playoff mode, you pick whatever team you wish to have in the playoffs and if that team loses, you can select a new team that won and continue on. Also, you can skip rounds if you just want to play the Super Bowl and not care about the team (which really doesn't matter since there are no NFL teams).

The view of the field is up and down across the screen, showing roughly 25 yards at a time and so most of the width of the field. There are quite a few plays on both offense and defense which is a plus, but because of the small screen, it is difficult to see where the arrows representing each player go. On change of possession, the field view switches so that offense is always going up and defense always going down. During a turn over, the field automatically switches, leaving you forgetting what direction to run in when you grab an interception, leading to a quick tackle. The game will select defensive plays for you, all you have to do is push the button to confirm. If you don't like what the computer selects, you can change it with a press of the directional pad. In an almost archaic sort of way, the running back plays use the term half back, or HB. For those not familiar with football, the half back position and the running back position is the same thing. Somewhere along the line, it was simply changed to running back, so don't worry that there are no running plays.

Play clock violations as well as off sides are about the only penalties you will encounter within the game. Clock management is a factor in the game, unlike most other football games of the time. Because of the small view on the field, when you select a passing play, three small windows appear at the top of the screen showing three different receivers and if there is a defender next to them or not. However, it does not show their position on the field or if there is anyone within 5 feet from them so if you don't study your plays, you can end up passing almost laterally and end up with loss of years. There are several back up players to choose from and you can change them at any time.

The selling point of this game, from what I can gather, is that injuries occur often. There are quite a few different ones including concussions, hamstring tears, sprained ankles and broken bones. The game keeps track of all these injuries and will automatically replace the player with a back up. The injures can last from one week up to eight weeks, from what I have seen. The down side is that it happens often, much more than in any football game I have ever watched. It is not uncommon to lose 3 or 4 players from each team for several weeks.

One of the worst aspects of the game is the fact that there is no battery save, meaning the game implements a password system - a rather poor one. The passwords can be up to 56 (that's right, 56) characters long and include both upper and lower case letters. This is the absolute worst password system I have ever encountered in any game. The inputting of the passwords can take several minutes, and have to be precise.

The graphics are pretty poor as well, but you can't expect much from the Game Gear. Overall, the little guy does well with what it can. All 22 players can be on the screen at once (although unlikely because of the small view of the field). There will be a little bit of flickering of the players if there are several on the same horizontal plateau. The ball is visible in passes and in kicks, and gets bigger the higher up it is. The players have only a few colors of uniforms and it switches between teams, depending on home and away status. Sometimes the words on the menus appear blurry and the colors run together, but it isn't too bad.

One interesting thing, regarding the ball, is that when you do a running play and you start your running back in motion while the quarterback still has the ball, he will pitch it to where you were, no matter where you currently are, and the running back will still receive the ball. You can be several yards away and slightly up field, the ball will go back and suddenly you will have it. All in all, the graphics do what they need to do, but because of the Game Gear's limited hard ware, don't expect it to be spectacular, especially if you didn't play games from this era.

The sound in the game is pretty much worthless. During game play, you get no music and only a few sound. They are so few, I will name them all: 'First down,' 'It's good,' 'Amazing,' 'touchdown,' a whistle noise at the end of every play, whether the clock should stop or not, and a small crunch when a player gets tackled. That is it. There is music in the menus but it is dull and annoying. I recommend turning the music off. I would say the sound affects too, but you cannot tell when you get a first down without it. Luckily there is an option in the menu to turn either or both off.

The controls are simple, but difficult to learn if you buy your game without a manual. For passing plays, button 1 brings up the pass window, button 2 along with a directional button passes (left for left window, up for center window and right for right window). On defense, button 1 dives towards the direction you are facing. Other then that, it is pretty simple to figure out through trial and error. The controls are responsive and it works well for what it is. Quite possibly the best aspect of the whole game.

Overall, Madden 96 for the Game Gear is not the best game in the world. It lacks the NFL and NLFPA licenses and has its flaws throughout. If you are looking for the best foot ball game ever, this is not it. If you want a crudely simple football game for a portable system, this may fit the bill. It is fun for a short while, but will get old fast. Make sure you write those passwords down carefully.

Pros
1. Decent control
2. Simple football game

Cons
1. Not an actual NFL game
2. Crude graphics
3. Annoying music and lack of sound affects
4. Not for those who want a good football gaming experience.


Reviewer's Score: 4/10, Originally Posted: 03/06/07