Video Game Hall of Fame: All 24 Inductees Ranked - Part I (24-13)

#15 John Madden Football (inducted in 2018)

I don't know if you've heard, but apparently, EA's Madden NFL games are a big deal. But, it had to start somewhere.

Most people know that, unlike a lot of other athlete-endorsed sports games at the time, John Madden Football was made with the input of the Pro (American) Football Hall of Fame coach. More often than not, a publisher would reach out to an athlete, write a check, and then put said athlete's name of the game, without the athlete having even looked at one minute of the game at all. Which probably explains Bill Lambieer's Combat Basketball.

What's interesting is that while the original release in 1988, for the Apple II computer, certainly did that, it wasn't until the game's console debut on the Sega Genesis in 1990 that EA really took advantage of Madden's football expertise.

John Madden Football for the Sega Genesis

Apparently it worked, because the title became the first major hit for the relatively new gaming system. Having an exclusive third-party sports title like this, considering the iron grip Nintendo had on third-party support in those days, went a long way to help the Genesis/Mega Drive get a foothold in the home console market.

These days, with an exclusive contract with the NFL, Madden NFL is the American Football game. But, even when it wasn't the behemoth that it is now, it still set the standard for realism in sports games and, in some ways, helped usher in the age of competitive esports we have now.