Top 5 most memorable Madden games

The legendary John Madden recently passed away at the age of 85. Not only was he one of the most memorable coaches in NFL history, but after his coaching career, he went on to become one of the best commentators. As if two great careers were not enough, Madden, also, birthed a series of games that helped spark the love of football for those who knew nothing about it.

The original Madden video game came out in 1988 and was aptly titled John Madden Football. Since then and through the years, the name has simply been shortened to Madden. Through the first iterations and years, there have been a handful of entries that have truly changed the way in which sports games were created.

Here are the top five most memorable Madden games.

Which Madden entry has been the best?

#5 - Madden NFL 2001

Apart from being the first game at the turn of the century, Madden 2001 is widely considered one of the best in the entire series. Why? The PS2 game comes in with a meta score of 90/100. The meta score is what the overall score is among critics and reviewers for video games. That is surprisingly good for a sports game.

Although some complained about "sluggish" controls, the game is said to have truly brought forth polished visuals and realistic simulations that helped to shape the entries that followed. The 2001 version was revered as the best entry in the series that helped shape future iterations.

#4 - Madden NFL 2005

One of the entries that benefited from the ground-breaking ways in which Madden 2001 shaped itself is Madden 2005. It held a slightly higher metacritic score of 91/100. It was, also, deemed a "must play" by critics.

One of the most influential and memorable aspects of the 2005 iteration was the ability to rate other players. Any player who would "rage quit" or react in an unsportsman-like way would receive a negative rating, making it harder to get a match. That is something that should be implemented in all video games now because there are far too many people who say horrible things via a gaming mic.

3 other most memorable Madden games

Which Madden game is the most memorable?

#3 - Madden NFL 2002

Madden's NFL 2002 took what its predecessor had done and capitalized on it a great deal more. Madden 2002 posted an even more impressive 94 metacritic score. The increase in score was due, in large part, to the quality of life improvements for the game.

Some of those improvements included the enhanced create-a-player feature and a far more improved fantasy draft feature. Deep customization options were also coupled with the fact that there was improved local multiplayer functionality. Critics were heavily impressed in that regard alone. The deeper work on graphics was, also, noted as one of the best changes from 2001 to 2002.

#2 - Madden NFL 2004

Even though it sounds silly to bounce around from the early 2000s version of Madden, it is for good reason. That was also the case for Madden 2004, which took what 2001 and 2002 had done, but further expanded on them. The 2004 game also received a 94 metacritic score.

Owner Mode was one of the most talked about aspects as critics and fans alike were shocked to find owning a franchise in the Madden 2004 space was as realistic as ever. You could take on total managerial responsibilities for a team by buying out contracts for players, building stadiums, and hiring coaches. Think of The Sims, but in football form.

#1 - Madden NFL 2003

The middle of the road entry in regards to the early 2000s versions of the games was the Madden 2003 entry. The 2003 game is the 59th most regarded video game of all time. For the thousands upon thousands of video games ever released, that's a huge deal.

This was the very first time that an online multiplayer had been introduced into a sports game, and that alone changed how the sports game operated. It was a deep revelation. Authentic uniforms, halftime shows, and truly worked on commentary are the reasons why the 2003 version will go down as the most popular in the series and the most memorable.