Play Madden '97 Online

Madden '97 came out for the Game Boy in 1996, published by EA Sports. This was a time when getting a full sports simulation on a handheld felt like a small miracle. The cartridge held a simplified version of the console experience, fitting the entire NFL season into that gray brick of a system. It was a solid attempt to bring football on the go, a companion for long car rides or hiding under the covers after bedtime.

You control all eleven players on your chosen NFL team, calling plays from a condensed playbook and then executing them on a vertically scrolling field. The main objective is to win games, moving the ball downfield through a mix of running and passing plays. Signature mechanics include the ability to dive for extra yards as a runner and a passing system where you select your receiver before the snap. The game moves at a brisk pace, and the difficulty can be unforgiving, especially against the computer's defensive reads. It feels like a genuine, if compact, game of football where every first down is a hard fought victory.