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On August 27, the famed Madden franchise will be celebrating its 25-year anniversary with the release of Madden NFL 25. Throughout the game’s long-running tenure, it has experienced many highs and lows, but the one thing that’s always been constant is its devoted cult following. So, in honor of Madden’s 25th birthday, XXL decided to take a look back to its debut on the PlayStation 2 console in 2001 and all of its iterations since.—Written and compiled by DJ Rhude (@DJRhude)

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Madden NFL 2001
Released: Oct 23, 2000
Platform: PS2

In the fall of 2000, EA Sports launched its first edition of the Madden series on the Playstation 2 with Titans running back Eddie George featured as the cover star. While it played similar to its PlayStation cousin (with a few less features), the game's momentum-based physics helped make it the most realistic interpretation of the sport of football to date. Visually, Madden 2001 was unsurpassed in its detail and polish. Sony sold a lot of units just based on this title and EA was off to a fine start on the new console.

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Madden NFL 2002
Released: Aug 20, 2001
Platform: PS2/Xbox

While Madden 2002 looked mostly identical to its 2001 predecessor, some key improvements were made. Introduced were new modes like the Two Minute Drill and Situation Mode, where users were able to set up and recreate some classic moments in football history. Meanwhile, Franchise Mode allowed players to bring in the expansion team Houston Texans into their league after one season, giving fans a glimpse at the NFL's new division alignment to be adopted the following year.

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Madden NFL 2003
Released: Aug 12, 2002
Platform: PS2/Xbox

The PlayStation 2 version of Madden NFL 2003 had the distinction of being the first console version to ever go online. For true Madden fanatics, this was a very big deal. In fact, the online play was so popular that a lot of other dope aspects Tiburon incorporated into this version often go forgotten when people look back at the game. 2003 had a sick editor, Create-A-Playbook, which was one of the deepest editors to date, allowing players to do just about every type of formation (as long as it met NFL regulations) or play they could dream up. Throw in an addicting Mini Camp Mode, along with the usual features the series offered, and Madden 2003 packed a lot of punch.

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Madden NFL 2004
Released: Aug 12, 2003
Platform: PS2/Xbox

If the Owner Mode that the upcoming Madden 25 is trumpeting has a familiar ring to it, that’s because it made its debut way back in Madden 2004. At a time when EA was constantly being pushed by rival 2k Sports own fine football title in NFL 2K, they looked for ways to raise the bar every year. It was fitting that Michael Vick was on the cover, because with the way he revolutionized playing quarterback in the NFL, Madden’s Owner Mode revolutionized game play. The ground-breaking Playmaker controls (allowing users to freestyle mid-play) were also introduced this year, and just about every aspect of the game was tweaked to near perfection. It’s no wonder Madden 2004 is revered as one of the best installments EA has ever put out.

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Madden NFL 2005
Released: Aug 9, 2004
Platform: PS2/Xbox

There was a time when the Ravens defense was among the most feared in the league, so it was fitting that Ray Lewis graced the cover of Madden 2005. EA was aware of the fact that the 2004 edition heavily favored offenses, so Madden 2005 was all about defense. Several new wrinkles were rolled out, as the Hit Stick was born, giving players the ability to assign individual hot routes to defensive players. In terms of online features, Madden 2005 marked the debut of the title on Xbox Live. The developers at Tiburon succeeded at leveling the playing field, as playing defense became fun again.

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Madden NFL 2006
Released: Aug 8, 2005
Platform: PS2/Xbox

Considering the leaps the franchise had made in the previous years, Madden 2006 was the first year the title suffered from a false start. Very little improvements were made to the game, save for the new Quarterback Vision, which was a system that was supposed to add another dimension to the passing game. All quarterbacks had a vision cone (or yellow flashlight, as it jokingly became known as) that was supposed to replicate the signal caller’s field of vision. The problem, though, laid in the amount of time it took to navigate the cone, leading players to take more sacks than necessary. The general consensus was while the idea was noble, the execution was flawed. You either loved it or loathed it.

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Madden NFL 2006 for Xbox 360
Released: Nov 16, 2005
Platform: Xbox 360

In addition to the PS2/Xbox versions, Madden 2006 marked the game’s debut on the Xbox 360 console. But beneath its fancy sheen was a skeletal game that was lacking many of the things Madden and football fans had grown accustomed to in recent years. The laundry list of things missing were plentiful: Franchise Mode was reduced to the bare minimum; challenging plays was no longer an option; Minicamp Mode was absent; Practice Mode was gone; and Superstar Mode went bye-bye. Madden 2006 was essentially a bare-bones reboot for the next generation.

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Madden NFL 2007
Released: Aug 22, 2006
Platform: PS2/PS3/Xbox/Xbox 360

In 2007, the Madden series was stuck at a crossroads. The recent generation of games was in its twilight years, and that was apparent from the Madden 2007 release. Sure, it boasted new game play features like Lead Blocking, but in reality these were extremely mild remixes of game play options the world had seen before. The series was clearly showing its age, and the new generation of Madden games faced the uphill climb of restoring the title to the brilliance it was known for. Madden 2007 on Xbox 360 & PlayStation 3 (where it was making its debut) tried to address this by tossing back in some of the missing features from the other console versions, as well as including some new components. But the bottom line was, ‘07 still came up short on delivering a touchdown.

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Madden NFL 2008
Released: Aug 14, 2007
Platform: Xbox 360/PS3

Although it took two and a half years and three new releases, with 2008, Madden finally returned to form. For 2008 for Xbox 360 and PS3, EA Tiburon put together the most complete version of Madden seen on either console. This came with one catch, though. Although the feature set on the PS3 version was identical to its 360 cousin, the drop to an unstable 30fps hurt it considerably. Still, the overall game play was tight, with practically every old feature coming back in some form or another. And new additions like the Player Weapons System significantly changed how users played the game.

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Madden NFL 2009
Released: Aug 12, 2008
Platform: Xbox 360/PS3

Where Madden 2009 was an enjoyable ride, it wasn’t a dramatic improvement from Madden 2008. Chris Collinsworth joined the booth, formation audibles were reintroduced and the visuals were drastically updated. On the flip side, the Superstar and Franchise Modes received almost no attention and the newly-introduced online leagues turned out to be lackluster. The Madden ideology was starting to feel as old as the athlete they had on the cover that year in Brett Favre.

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Madden NFL 2010
Released: Aug 12, 2008
Platform: Xbox 360/PS3

Feeling the heat from critics who had started lambasting new Madden installments as little more than glorified roster updates, EA Tiburon introduced a new technology In Madden 2010 called Pro-Tak. It was the first significant change to the game play in awhile, and one that allowed for gang tackles to finally take place. Franchise Mode was finally brought online, the graphics took a nice step forward and the presentation perfectly emulated the experience of watching a game on Sunday. Madden ‘10 was hands-down the biggest jump in progression from one year to the next on the 360/PS3 consoles.

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Madden NFL 2011
Released: Aug 10, 2010
Platform: Xbox 360/PS3

Madden NFL 2011 was a mixed bag. On one hand, Online Team Play, realistic physics and AI-driven animation on both sides of the ball were welcome additions. But on the other hand, there were a lot of questions the diehard fanatics had that went unanswered. Why was the Pro-Tak technology that Madden 2010 introduced abandoned? When was the Franchise Mode going to get some long-overdue upgrades? When were online leagues going to be fully fleshed out? Needless to say, Madden 2011 left a lot of fans unfulfilled.

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Madden NFL 2012
Released: Aug 30, 2011
Platform: Xbox 360/PS3

Madden NFL 2012 was an underwhelming entry in the long-running franchise, offering few significant changes from the previous year's edition. The lone bright spot came in the Franchise Mode, which was finally rewarded with new and exciting features. Additional scouting sessions, free agent bidding wars and expanded rosters gave player more control over their teams, but that wasn’t enough of a reason to cop the new edition. Madden 2012 was as average as the guy they chose for their cover athlete (Bucs running back Peyton Hillis).

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Madden NFL 2013
Released: Aug 30, 2011
Platform: Xbox 360/PS3

Madden NFL 2013 did something for the Madden franchise it hadn’t been done in a few years: it injected a high replay value. No one could accuse M13 of being just a roster update. The new Infinity Engine from Tiburon added physics to Madden for the first time, giving the game a completely different feel from previous years. Throw in the innovative Connected Careers feature, which was a huge improvement on Franchise Mode, and you had the best Madden to date. For all the heat EA Sports had taken in the 2000s, they finally answered their fans’ calls in a major way.

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