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In light of sports commentator John Madden’s retirement from the booth, coupled with the summer release of Madden NFL 10, a sudden overwhelming feeling made me stop and think: Which Madden rules over the rest?

In conjunction with the cover story, The Best of Madden, I’ve included individual interviews with each of the pros. I asked each pro the same set of questions: Which is the best Madden? Which version made the biggest strides? Which ones were the best graphical leaps? Which were the worst Maddens? Was there an “a-ha” moment for you? What is your favorite Visual Concepts football game?

Here is the full interview with Steve Chiang, Senior Vice President & Group GM – EA Tiburon.

Doug Perry: Starting in 1989 on the Apple II, the Madden series has drastically evolved as one of the longest-lasting video game series in the industry’s history. What were a few of the most impressive gameplay advancements you’ve experienced in the series?

Steve Chiang: I’ve experienced a lot of advancements.  Dating all the way back to Madden Genesis the isometric view and the passing windows were big.  On the flip side, when we got rid of the passing windows and allowed you to throw to all 5 eligible receivers, that was a big deal.  In the PlayStation/Saturn/N64 era, Franchise Mode was a big one, and hot routes were pretty cool.  Picking one thing about gameplay is tough, football is a complicated sport and it’s hard to get just right.

Doug: What were a few of the most memorable graphic improvements?

Steve: By far the jump from PlayStation/Saturn to Madden NFL 2001 on the PS2.  That was a launch PS2 title, and it was beautiful, we went from 300 poly players to ~2500, 60 fps, and re-wrote the whole animation system.  This generation is beginning with Madden NFL 09 was really the next big leap, and 10 just gets better.  Going old school, we added the NFL license in Madden NFL 94, that really added a level of authenticity.

Doug: Which iteration, in your opinion, is the best overall game in the series? Why? List the year and the platform.

Steve: Excluding current PS3/Xbox 360/Wii, Madden NFL 2004 for the PS2 with Michael Vick on the cover was a great one.  We had an awesome feature set with Playmaker control, Owner Mode, and things like the EA SPORTS Bio, which was an EA SPORTS version of the Xbox 360 achievement system… we tracked achievements for all of your EA SPORTS titles.

Doug: Create a top five list of Madden games, including the year and system.

1. Madden NFL 2004 – PS2

2. Madden NFL 2001 – PS2 (took the franchise to the next level)

3. Madden NFL ‘96 – SNES (first football game made by Tiburon)

4. Madden NFL ‘97 – PS (first 32 bit football game, and when Tiburon took over future versions of the game)

5. Madden NFL ‘99 (first version  with Franchise mode)

Doug: Which Madden version was the worst one you’ve played? Why? Make sure to include the platform.

Steve: Declined to answer.

What was your first “a-ha!” moment with Madden? (In other words, what was the experience that hooked you on the series?)

Steve: Running back kick offs in the Super NES days.  When we first started developing the game (prior to Tiburon), we’d change some code, run the game and return the kick off… it became the “mini-game” of choice, before seeing if the code changes worked.

Doug Perry: Is there anything else you’d like to add to this Madden story?

Steve: I would like to dispel the notion that sports games are roster upgrades and lack innovation.  I’ve been a part of or witnessed teams and what they go through to innovate year after year.  Some hit, some don’t, but that’s the nature of innovation.  I think when you map out the year over year innovation, I would put the Madden NFL franchise against any title.  It’s a testament to the great people who have worked on the franchise over the years.  Thanks to everyone who has contributed to Madden NFL over the years and thanks to the fans.