Madden NFL 99

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.

• Developer — EA Tiburon • Publisher — EA Sports • Series — Madden NFL • Released — PlayStation August 25, 1998Nintendo 64 Windows September 30, 1998 • Genre — Sports • Modes — Single-player, Multiplayer • Platforms — PlayStation, Nintendo 64, Microsoft Windows

• 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. Only one player/team owner is allowed to participate during the same franchised season, and created players cannot be added to specific teams or to the free agent pool. • Like its predecessors, it supports two PlayStation Multitaps, allowing for up to eight players to play simultaneously.

• Created Players from NCAA Football 99 can be put in the game as free agents and put on other teams in Quick Game Mode. • Gary Zimmerman appears as a free agent despite being retired at the beginning of the season. • Pepper Johnson is listed incorrectly as a 24-year-old twelve-year veteran, which would mean he would have been 12-years-old as a rookie.

The Denver Broncos is the best team overall in the game with a score of 92. The worst teams in the game are the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins with a score of 70. The best offense in the game belongs to the Green Bay Packers with a score of 95. The best defense in the game belongs to the San Francisco 49ers with a score of 97. The best special team in the game is the New England Patriots with a perfect score of 100.

In early 1998 Electronic Arts announced that, following the 1997 Madden Football 64s lack of an NFL team license due to Acclaim Entertainment holding exclusive rights to NFL games on the Nintendo 64 for that year, they had ensured that the Nintendo 64 version of Madden NFL 99 would sport the NFL license. 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.