Let’s talk about staying power.
As the summer comes to a close, two old friends return to the gaming scene. “Madden NFL” makes its appearance for the 17th year in a row, as “Star Fox” soars into his fifth starring role.
While “the fox and the football coach” does sound like it might make for a popular prime-time sitcom, it’s really a contrast in how different game companies handle their game franchises.
EA invented the idea of branding video games with star athletes, and in the case of its football sim, with former coaches. Early on, “Madden” had some real input into how to make the game better and more lifelike. But through the years, it’s become obvious that marketing teams have driven the annual release and game-feature list. Each year, a new blast of “Madden” promotional hyperbole attempts to split finer hairs as to what makes the new game that much better than the last.
But as any long-standing “Madden” fan can tell you, the only real reason to buy the game year after year is to gain access to updated player stats and rosters. Otherwise, why not just pick up a copy every three to five years when it comes time to buy a new PC or gaming console?
“Madden” the game has slowly gone in the direction of Madden the man. Both are larger than life, dominate their medium and divide fans. Some think the former great has become a bloated caricature of his previous self. Others find a classic maturity and unrivaled quality in the old man – and the brand.
“Star Fox,” on the other hand, has weathered the years well. Like Disney’s ability to create and recycle even the most minor characters, once you’ve appeared in a Nintendo game, chances are you have a job for many lifetimes.
So, while never an AAA staple of the Nintendo-character factory, Fox has nevertheless managed to show up from time to time in products shining with unexpected quality. If “Madden” is like the old Marlon Brando, a great in decline, then “Star Fox” is Robert Downey Jr., a notable name who pops up occasionally and provides a surprisingly entertaining performance.
In his latest outing, Fox arrives on the DS portable in a game that harkens back to his aerial combat roots on the Super Nintendo System. Simple drawing commands on the touch screen send Fox and friends across the planet in a series of soaring dogfights.
While both “Madden” and “Fox” deliver their promised loads of fun, it’s easier to imagine playing a new “Star Fox” title in another 10 years than it is to contemplate a doddering “Madden.”
Maybe that’s the lesson of the franchise. Tom Cruise found his “Mission: Impossible” was to make more than two successful movies in that series, but an ever-replenishing pool of James Bond actors keeps the 007 franchise chugging along. And on this point alone, Madden is simply out-Foxed.
“Madden NFL 07”
VIDEOGAME|For PS2, Xbox, PC, Xbox 360|$39.99 (PC), $49.95 (PS2, Xbox), $59.99 (Xbox 360)|Rated E for everyone
THIS WEEK | Recent releases
Test Drive Unlimited, X360, Atari, released Sept. 5; King of Fighters 2006, PS2, SNK Playmore, Sept. 4; TimeShift; X360; Vivendi Games; Sept. 6; Yakuza, PS2, SEGA, Sept. 5; NASCAR 07, PS2/Xbox/PSP, Electronic Arts, Sept. 6; World War II: Iwo Jima, Xbox, Valu Soft, Sept. 6; Call of Juarez, PC, Ubisoft, Sept. 5; Spy Hunter: Nowhere to Run, PS2/XBox, Midway Games, Sept. 5; Faces of War, PC, Ubisoft, Sept. 5; LocoRoco, PSP, Sony Computer Entertainment, Sept. 5; Joint Task Force, PC, Vivendi Games, Sept. 5; Xbox Live Arcade Unplugged Volume 1, X360, Microsoft, Sept. 5|
Source: Gamermetrics.com
