Madden NFL 11: Power Ranking the Last Decade of Madden Games

It's that time of year where employees call in sick to work just to sit in front of a TV surrounded by junk food and soda with a controller clutched in their hands. It's Madden release day and in honor of that sacred holiday for gamers I'll be breaking down and ranking the last 10 Madden games -- what made them great, what made them stink and what made them down right frustrating.

#10: Madden 2001

The last major release before the debuts of the Playstation 2 and Xbox, Madden 2001 did a lot of things right, it's just hard to put it over a lot of the future games just because of the enhanced abilities of the developers to create a great game.

What Worked: The running game was improved here to help you find the holes in the offensive line just a little bit better. Blocks were there were there weren't in previous games and it was a step forward. Also added was the capabilities to start making some defensive shifts before the snap.

What Didn't: The commentary was just bad and repetitive and the quality just stunk. It sounded like they were talking through a soup can telephone in a treehouse. The in-game sounds were no better and it just was a major drawback on the experience. Some of the running controls were also a bit off and made some juke moves impossible to make.

#9: Madden NFL 06

The last real dedicated release for the PS2 and Xbox (There was a hurried version for the Xbox 360 but we'll ignore it -- it was that bad) was one of the more disappointing releases in the history of the franchise. It's one game that would like to be forgotten by the people at EA.

What Worked: I looked long and hard for something I enjoyed in this game and to be honest, the only thing had to be the truck stick, which allowed you to try and run over a defender with a flick of the analog stick. It was later finetuned but it was a nice addition.

What Didn't: The Vision Cone. It is probably the most hated feature in the history of Madden. After snapping the ball, the QB would have a yellow cone indicating where on the field your player could see. The better your player was, the bigger the cone. If you threw out of the cone's range, the pass would be a poor one. The problem wasn't the concept, but its execution. To make the play would take too much time and would result in a sack. Most players got rid of the feature and it was quickly taken out of the game.

#8: Madden NFL 07

The first real next-generation release for Madden wasn't one for the record books. A lot of features were missing and gameplay still left a lot to be desired. Maybe it had something to do with the transition to the new hardware, but it just really didn't do it for many gamers as frustration built with the franchise.

What Worked: The superstar mode was overhauled and gave a little more customization and it was a fun little mode to fool around with. It didn't keep me coming back to play it but it was a nice effort. The highlight stick evolved out of the truck stick and made it work for each individual player, something that was a big leap over its predecessor.

What Didn't: The presentation in the game is just terrible. The commentary done by some random radio announcer was just brutal and awful to listen to. Also, there was no celebration package after winning the Super Bowl. What's the point of putting all that effort into the game only to be rewarded with nothing. The game also removed a few feature like owner mode and fantasy draft that lowered its replay factor.

#7: Madden NFL 08

EA finally started to settle into the next-generation with Madden 08 as the developers started to work out some of the issues that plagued the early releases on the new systems. However, there were still plenty of shortcomings that held the game back.

What Worked: The graphics and physics were improved that created a much better visual experience during game play. Gang tackles were added that helped add an extra feel of realism. The hit stick was also overhauled to add where you'd lay the big hit on the offensive player.

What Didn't: While some physics were improved, fumbles were way too easy to cause, making games turnover-filled and not that fun to play. You could hit a player on the same angle repeatedly and get the same result. No fun.

#6: Madden NFL 10

While EA continued to make leaps with physics engines, the gameplay suffered yet again in this release. A theme that has stuck with Madden for years is that they add a ton of little things to up the realism of the experience yet forget to address nagging flaws in gameplay that drag the game down.

What Worked: The pro-tak system really helped address some things that bothered gamers and add some more cool features during play. The first was the addition of multi-player gang tackles which are just fun to watch as your player fights for extra yardage. It also helped a tiny bit with offensive line blocking but still needed work in that aspect.

What Didn't: The commentary was just atrocious. Tom Hammond brought no life to the game and Cris Collinsworth was no better with his color commentary. There was also the Extra Point halftime and post-game show that were just poorly voice acted and were quickly skipped by most gamers.

#5: Madden NFL 09

Another next-generation release, another disappointment from EA. While the developers tried to address some issues (something that has become commonplace over the last few years), the things that were added just weren't too much of a revelation to really warrant that 60 dollars you put down for the game.

What Worked: The improved running controls really added a little more feel for the game and the player. You could see the difference between a LaDainian Tomlinson and a Cedric Benson. The running game has always been a work-in-progress for Madden and it was a nice step in this version.

What Didn't: Madden IQ. I hated this feature with a passion. Madden IQ was essentially a custom difficulty for players. As you mastered the AI, it would up the settings to make it harder on you. What it really did was make the game too hard for you and made the experience annoying. I just turned the feature off and stuck with the tiered difficulties.

#4: Madden 2002

One of the better games in my history of playing Madden, Madden 2002 really embraced the new hardware of the Xbox and Playstation 2 and added some really cool features to make the game more fun to return to again and again.

What Worked: A new kicking meter was introduced that was styled and acted more like a golf game. It added more feel and touch to the meter and made it feel like more of a skill than just some button presses. There were also little tweaks to reward having great players on your roster as opposed to using mediocre ones. Those little touches went leaps in terms of making the game more fun to play, not to mention with the level of creation you could do with players.

What Didn't: The CPU was a little too skilled at times. The AI would break a lot of tackles and close gaps on defense quickly. While those are somewhat minor gripes, they were things that annoyed the hardcore Madden fans out there.

#3: Madden 2005

Madden 2005 finally decided to focus on defense and made it fun to play on the other side of the ball. Some features that have changed the game were introduced this year and when a game is revolutionary, it has to be high up on the list.

What Worked: The Hit Stick. Finally, you were able to lay the boom down on your opponent. With a flick of your analog stick, your player dove at the ball carrier, trying to knock the ball loose. EA really made it part of strategy which pushed it over the top. If you didn't judge the timing properly, your player would miss badly and be totally out of the play. It's a great feature that worked the first time around.

What Didn't: Presentation lacked again in Madden. The commentary was still repetitive and really didn't change from last year. Storyline Central and the Tony Bruno radio show debuted and the radio show was kind of cool but really just was in the background. It was a good idea, but just executed poorly.

#2: Madden 2004

Offense took a huge leap in Madden 2004 and really left the defense behind with the addition of some features that changed the way we look at Madden and couldn't imagine without. That fact, along with great gameplay put Madden 2004 near the top of the list.

What Worked: Playmaker offense. Can you imagine Madden without running hot routes and flipping running plays at the line? I can't and it all started right here. That level of detail is something we hadn't seen in Madden ever and changed gameplay in football video games forever.

What Didn't: To be honest, there were two things that kept this game off the top spot. One was that the commentary took a tiny step back and that's kind of minor, but a nagging issue with some releases. The other was that Michael Vick, the game's cover athlete, was almost unstoppable in the game. He was so fast around the corner and down the field that no one could stop him. It was almost cheating to have him play and that type of drawback has to be taken into account.

#1: Madden 2003

EA put a ton of work into this release and it showed. Some features were totally overhauled and the extra effort made the game that much more enjoyable. Not only were the visuals and audio boosted but so was the gameplay, it was quite possibly the best game ever put out under the Madden label.

What Worked: Pretty much everything. The stadiums were totally re-done and the were stunning visually for the time. Al Michaels and Melissa Stark joined the team and the sideline reporting added extra realism to the game. Independent audibles for defensive positions were added as were better moves while running as well as player-specific animations.

What Didn't: Honestly, I couldn't find a thing. Unlike Madden games in recent years, I kept playing and playing and couldn't find a single thing I didn't like about the gameplay. It's as close to perfect as EA has ever gotten with a Madden release.

Madden NFL 11

Don't expect this year's release to unseat 2003 as the top dog in recent memory. This year, EA added something called the Strategy Pad to try and make audibles easier. That didn't happen. The feature was so in the way during the demo version that the developers are actually releasing a patch to get rid of it. That's not a good sign when you have to do that.

Speed is also a big thing in this year's Madden with Gameflow, which is supposed to speed up game times to make it less of a plodding experience.

Reviews are solid but lukewarm for Madden 11 -- something that's become a disturbingly common trend for such a proud franchise.