Every year the Madden franchise significantly improves upon previous incarnations, and Madden NFL 99 is no exception. 1999's edition is packed with options, including arcade, practice, and brand new franchise modes, which complement the usual fare of season, exhibition, and tournament play. The franchise mode is the most engrossing feature in the game, allowing 15 seasons of realistic play including player retirements, performance-based ratings changes, annual drafts of fictional college players, and the conventional trades, free agency, and salary cap settings.

OK, so the management options are fun--but how does the game look and play? Fantastic. The players are scrupulously detailed and animated, while the improved Artificial Intelligence system makes for a challenging opponent. One flaw is the confounding menu and play interface. It's too complicated and tends to make play-calling too much of a pain. But any presentation qualms quickly go to the bottom of the pile when considering the polished, true-to-life play of Madden NFL 99. --Sajed Ahmed

Pros:

• Authentic NFL stadiums and real-life NFL players, from past and present
• Play editor lets you create your own offensive and defensive plays
• Team-specific playbooks designed by actual NFL coaches
• 120 current and classic teams

• Madden and Summerall aren't quite as garrulous
• Complicated interface can take some getting used to

I sometimes wonder about people who buy new football games every year. What changes? Other than a few new rookies. I don't play enough video games to buy a new one every time there is a slight improvement, and I found Madden 99 to be just fine. Game play is good, the graphics are as good as any other football game, and you can save a season or a franchise (you get to 'coach' your team for 14 years). The passing game is good, but the running game is phenomenal. And defense is pretty good. And it isn't as difficult as some of the newer games (you can make it tougher on yourself by playing on a harder setting, without ever getting impossible for the simply average player like myself). This is one of the football games I highly recommend (and I love football video games).

This is a very dumb game. It is so unrealistic the penaltys the refs call arent even right the player he called the penalty on didnt even do anything after I reviewed the play. When you have 4 wide recievers and you pass it to one all of a sudden theres 5 guys covering him. You have to have it on easy in order to have fun with the game. When you pick a classic team all the players are black. Sometimes when you go to takle the people you just slip right off of them like thier a bar a soap then they run all the way for a touchdown. I recommend that you do not waste your money on this. I hope the other Madden games arent like Madden 99.

I would not really recomend this game for you if you arent a football fan. The graphics are good, but the game is confusing if you dont like or understand football. If you like football and you want this game, it would be pretty good. But if you dont understand football, even if you like it, i would not recomend this game

This game is the definition of fun. It is as if I am actually playing football. I have begun to act like the people on my franchise team are real players. The game flow is un-precented.

EA sports does it again with this realistic football game. The graphics are great and has smooth game play. Francise mode allows you to play several continuous seasons with the same team. I'd reccommend this game to any sports fan.