John Madden American Football PASSWORDS: Try these: 0540300 - Quarter final. 0150361 - Semi final. 0550361 - Super Bowl final. If you enter 665 followed by any four numbers, you will be in a final game. The number after the 665 determines the team you play. PLAYING TIPS: Utilise audibles as much as possible. Fool the computer into thinking you're attempting a long bomb (Hands and Shotgun and then choose the teams best running audible before the snap). The same can be done with passing plays. Set a formation and fool the computer into thinking that you're going for a running play (Big and Goalline), when at the line of scrimmage, choose the teams passing audible once more. If you're too far away for a field goal, when on a 4th down, go for a fake punt. Fake field goals are also pretty useful in a tight spot, but only as a last resort. When running with the ball, run up field at an angle then, when a defender comes towards you, quickly change direction when he dives at your feet. Hold down the firebutton and you'll have the best chance of shaking the tackle. When playing defence, select a good strong formation. Manoeuvre a player from the centre zone to the line of scrimmage, and then into a gap between the two men, pushing them along the line of scrimmage. This often upsets the offensive line and you can get through to sack the quarterback. Always try to strip the ball from the offensive team if there are more than two of your defensive players around. You should be able to take possession. Also, when you're running with the ball and there's no way around a defender, try spinning around to throw him off track. When playing the computer in defence mode and it chooses a running play, don't attempt to tackle the ball carrier. Instead, run in front of him and he'll try to run around you. Block his change of direction and he will run backwards trying to get past. Keep this up and you will force him right back to regain lost yardage. Always watch the game clock. A lot of people always forget about it, and timing that all-important last scoring play can make the difference between a win and a loss. When passing, concentrate on the receiver windows as well. Choose the player who is free or ahead of the defensive players. By watching the distance meters you can tell who is in the best position to receive your pass. Hands, Shotgun, Deep Outs and Post Up are all very effective offensive plays and rate amongst the best to use. On the defensive front try 4-3 Read and Wide Zone 2. Anyone who can take Atlanta to the Super Sunday is a great player, but if you want a real challenge try to get over 100 points against a computer-controlled Madden team, then you're an all-star. Another tip for the game is that sometimes you can get the ball back when kicking off. When the kicking meter is on the screen, put the direction full to the right with no power at all. Cincinnati, Kansas, All Madden and Minnesota can get the ball back all the time. =========================================================================== JOHN MADDEN`S AMERICAN FOOTBALL - HINTS `N` TIPS ================================================ Using The Scouting Report ------------------------- Don`t forget, this is there for a purpose - it`s a mistake to ignore it. Through it you`ll discover the strengths and weaknesses of your team and it`s individual players, as well as those of your opponent. For example, your kickers are crucial for field goals, but some aren`t as good as others. Some may even slip when their foot comes into contact with the ball! One way to try and make up for this is to always kick with maximum power when using an average or ropier kicker. Then there`s the huddle - the circle each team forms to discuss tactics before a play begins. Once you`ve choosen a play for your team, they`ll face off against the opposistion in the formation you`ve chosen along the line of scrimmage. There`s a narrow neutral zone (measuring the width of a football!) between the two teams - an offside penalty (the offending team gets five yards deducted) will be called if either team enters this area before the ball is brought into play. What an Earth`s an `Audible?` ----------------------------- Okay, so you`re both lined up facing each other on either side of the scrimmage. Your next task is to try and guess the other team`s strategy from how they`ve placed their players - you may decide your own men are set up wrong as a result of this, and while you can`t totally re-arrange things, you can make one of two last minute changes. You do this using (you guessed it) an `audible` - this is a special pre-arranged play (it could be a trick offensive play or defensive rush) that the other team won`t be expecting from your formation. What happens is the quarterback calls out a series of code words or numbers before the ball is snapped which alerts the team that a special play will replace the previous call. As you may have guessed about such a useful tool, it`s wise to call audibles as much as possible. For instance, you could select a deep passing play with a formation and set that will fool the computer into thinking you are attempting a `long bomb` (example: HANDS and SHOTGUN), then choose the team`s best running audible before the snap - this should leave the opposition completely wrong-footed. Play To Your Strengths ---------------------- Remember, your play should always be designed to either exploit the strengths of your best players or expose the weaknesses of the defense - and preferably both. You`ve wasted an opportunity if you don`t. (Having said that, it`s often a lot easier to do this against the computer than a human opponent). A good example would be to select a formation and set to fool the computer into thinking you`re going for a running play, say BIG GOAL LINE, then, choosing the team`s passing audible instead when you`re at the line of scrimmage. Fools `em (nearly) every time. How To Handle Playing Offense ----------------------------- When you`re playing in offensive mode and picked your play, your centre will snap the ball back to your quarterback. Your team must now move it towards the defense goal line. They have two ways in which to do this - the ball can be carried towards the goal line, known as a running play, or it can be thrown forward to another player. This is known as a passing play. If you`re on a fourth down - and too far away to attempt a field goal - remember to use your passing skills. Passing is the key to winning a game quickly, but can also be your downfall if your receivers aren`t up to scratch. If you`ve got a team with good passing skills you can go for a fake punt - where your punter makes like he`s going to kick, but at the last moment throws the ball to an open receiver or hands it to a fullback. Faking that you`re going to try for a field goal and then getting a guy to run with the ball instead is also pretty useful if you need the points, but only use them as a last resort - they`re risky. One thing passing always requires is concentration. Keep one eye on the receiver windows, making sure you select the appropriate guy (the receiver who is free or ahead of the defense is not always the best option). Always watch distance meters. When you`re in a running play, or your receiver is running with the ball for a touchdown, a defensive player may be close to tackling you. To avoid the tackle, run upwards at an angle (up left or up right). As soon as the defense dives to tackle you, change your run to the opposite direction (example: if you`re running up and left for example, change to up and right). For extra strength, hold down fire on the joystick. However, there`ll be times when you`re about to be tackled and there`ll be nothing you can do about it. If this is the case, try spinning. This will only work, however, in a one-on-one situation - any more of the other team about and you`re likely to be cannon fodder. On a fourth down - when you`ll probably be quite desperate to get somewhere, as it`s unlikely you`re going to get the ten yards to earn a new first down - the offense can choose to punt the ball towards the opponents goal line. If you want to do this, the punter - instead of the quarterback - will receive the ball from the snap. He then kicks it into the defense`s half as if you were actually starting the whole thing with a kick off. The idea here is to drive the opposistion deep, deep (deep) into their own territory, thus making it incredibly difficult for them to gain enough yardage to score when they eventually get their go at offense. To make it even tougher for them, kick the ball as far as you can to the left or right - never straight - as they`ll find it much harder to collect that way. Last but not least, always (always! Always!) keep your eye on the game clock. Timing that all important clever play can make or break a game.