John Madden Football II, what can I say? If you like football no matter what, then this is your game. But if you really like the strategy of making play calls, this is still your game, but you need to change a few things.
While playing the game, I noticed a couple things that I thought stunk. First off, none of your defenders seem to cover a screen pass, or a pass to your running back. I thought that was pretty unfair for defensive to have to go against.
Secondly, I noticed that any play where the halfback gets a quick toss to the outside is cheap. Basically, first down every time you run that play. And thirdly, when punting, the defense can run the play man cover, and easily run down the center and get the punt block. So in my opinion, the game has its flaws. But if you play the game with your own rules and regulations, and tell the other players the same rules. You can get a pretty fast paced, exciting football game going, and it’s fair for both sides. What I like best about the game is your ability to create and draft other players. You can make a person
who is "you"; you can switch Brett Farve to the Saints. There is a lot of freedom in the game, which is a big deal to any serious gamer tired of the same game style.
I played this game with my brothers all the time, and we actually recorded our own records. It is pretty realistic with play calling and run/pass strategy. The season play is also very well done. There are seasonal injuries that you must take care of, and there is also a standings page that tells you your current record and standings in the season. What I also like about the season play is the ability to skip a couple weeks. Sometimes you just know your team is going to win this week, and you don’t always have the time to play. So you just skip a couple weeks till a team shows up that are worth your skills. I would suggest playing this game, as it is one of the best old football games available and any football fan deserves to play this game because it’s a good game to play when there is no more football on TV.
As for graphics, I think they are suitable for this era. There are different sizes for certain positions so you can visually tell the difference between key players. I would have to say this game is one of the best of its era, and you should try it.
