It's in the Game: Madden NFL

It's In The Game is a documentary that is a bit unconventional. It isn't the "comprehensive Madden history lesson" many may be expecting, and the first episode comes off perhaps a little "b-movie schmaltzy". But if you continue through the remaining three installments, you may see your enjoyment of it grow as mine did!

For a very basic overview, It's In The Game uses a two-pronged structure:

-Roughly one half of each episode is devoted to the current Madden developers trying to get the '25 version ready for launch--from the initial planning to player scans to game AI and everything in-between, viewers are given a look at how the current EA group puts together a Madden game.

-The other half of each episode flashes back to previous iterations of the Madden franchise, such as John Madden's initial involvement, the battles with Sony's 2K series, and the whole operation really exploding in the mid-2000s thanks to Michael Vick's electric involvement.

Coming into this episodic doc, I had expected more of a straight history. While It's In The Game doesn't take quite that approach, it does cover most of the big topics (just not game-by-game, so to speak). I was especially fascinated to see how the direct competition with the 2K games really sharpened Madden from 2004-2006. Of course, seeing Coach Madden's direct input in the early days was also wonderful--his earnest (if not outright maniacal) insistence on realism really shaped the franchise into the behemoth it ultimately became.

At first, the "current day" material was my least favorite part of this doc. But as the curtain gets pulled back on just how big of an operation the whole thing is, I found myself really enjoying those segments too! Some will call it a "hack job" or an ad for the latest Madden, and it could always be interpreted in that sense--but I never got the feeling it was outrightly configured in that way. The current Madden devs seem very forthright about the negative nature that the games are sometimes perceived in.

About the only criticism I can levy at this doc is that it does skip over some of Madden's "leaner years" where everyone could see that some laurels were being rested on. But considering the length that would have added to this project and the effect it would have had on EA's overall involvement, I didn't view that omission as a project-sinker.

Overall, I really enjoyed It's In The Game for simultaneously showing Madden football's past and present operations. The first episode: 8/10 stars. The next two: 9/10 stars. The finale: the full 10/10. This one gets better as it goes along, to be sure!

Despite a lot of harsh criticism of the documentary I've been seeing, the film presents a lot of interesting perspectives and even those you wouldn't expect to see in a doc of this sort.

It's clear the team behind the project carry the same amount of love and support that fans have for the game and its long history. As someebody who constantly grew up surrounded by this series of games, I found this to be an interesting look behind the curtain that made me appreciate the games even more and want to boot up my old console and toss in the last Madden game I bought.

An overall enjoyable and informative watch that I would recommend to any fan of the game.

First, it's worth watching and half of it is really good. The other half, however, is pure marketing BS.

I found the history, especially early history, very interesting. Unfortunately, they spent half the roughly 3 hours run time shilling Madden and promoting the series.

NFL2K was a much better series and forced EA Sports to improve their title. This series would have you believe Madden "earned " the NFL exclusive rights on merit when in reality EA purchased them, and is a real world case study on the importance of competition in economics.

Hopefully, the NFL licensing agreement will be lost and consumers can get a good competitive football sim again. For anyone who thinks that NCAA will be the catalyst, watch the story behind Joe Montana football.

This documentary series delves into the history of the iconic Madden NFL franchise, exploring its humble beginnings and its evolution into a cultural phenomenon.

While the series may appeal more to long-time Madden fans, it's still an engaging watch for anyone interested in the history of video games and the NFL. Even if you're not a die-hard Madden fan, you'll still appreciate the series' insights into the cultural impact of the franchise and the evolution of video game technology. It's a behind-the-scenes look at how the sausage was made, and how John Madden was very much a chef in that process.

It's a fascinating look at how technology, culture, and sports have intertwined to create one of the most successful gaming franchises of all time.

I have seen the criticism of this documentary, calling it an advertisement for the game and it makes me wonder if they even watched the full series.

The one thing that the documentary does that I didn't think they would do is criticize themselves. Everything from the failing to release Madden 96 to the death of their competition causing incompetence in the company to harsh looks in the mirror of their current state versus what they once was. I thought it was absolutely on the nose.

The documentary breaking into two parts was an interesting move. The lead up to the release of Madden 25 and the history of Madden made me in ways wish to see more of the history of Madden.

The history parts are by far the best parts of the documentary as you see all the innovations that lead to Madden being a household name. Not only do you get to see what Madden meant to the devs, but also to football culture.

A real treat for anyone who grew up playing Madden.