Lacking any license, whether it's the NFLPA or the NFL, this bland
football title doesn't have much to conquer on the Turbo or any other console in its
family. It runs on a strong engine, though over 10 years later, it's obviously dated.
Money plays are evident, and the passing game is too easy because of the slow moving
defenders. Thankfully gone are the passing windows. You'll see the entire field, but at a price. This seems to tax the hardware with frequent slowdown. It's enough to change the game to make it difficult to control; the sluggish feel is hardly part of the franchise. It does look great though, with defined sprites and a field that scrolls smoother than on the Genesis, regardless of speed.
Littered about are video clips. These stop the game dead to load and serve no purpose. The referee makes various calls this way, and a small section of fans cheers or boos the previous play (one of them oddly has a Dallas Cowboys shirt as if to make a statement about the game's lack of a NFL license). There are a few football clips too, which have generic players in gaudy green jerseys celebrating. It doesn't work as intended.
The control is another obvious problem given the two face buttons on the controller. The Run button is put to work as a third passing option, and it's not as inconvenient as it seems. Standard juke moves work fine on the face buttons.
Off the field however, Madden Duo CD Football is lacking. As what was apparently supposed to be an upgrade, this version fails miserably, with no long term single player modes. Playoffs don't last long enough to make them a significant feature. While the Genesis didn't add in major new features either, there's little excuse for what little is here.
The only reason to have this version of the franchise is the uniqueness of it. It's the only CD-based football game for the Turbo, and the only Madden of the era to be on something other than the PC, Genesis, or SNES. It offers nothing you can't find elsewhere (and cheaper).
