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.

These guys really captured every piece of archival footage practically - I couldn't believe my eyes! What an impeccable documentary that really touches your soul in ways you wouldn't think possible. This was captivating, entertaining and dazzling. I love Madden. I've been playing it for years. This game made me love Madden more. Everybody knows that classic sound "ITS IN THE GAME". Truly rocks your socks. I learned so much about the game. Never knew half this stuff! Binged the whole show in one sitting. Can't wait to see what's next in store from the Prime Doc team!! What an excellent documentary. Did not expect it to be this good.

This documentary is well produced. It is good to know the history behind the game, especially the first editions. Of course, it is a well deserved homage to Madden himself, as well. As it goes through the end, though, it turns more and more into EA propaganda and an extended ad for Madden 25. If you are a fan of the series, it is worth watching. Otherwise, you should probably pass this one.

It's a well made an interesting documentary. The initial episodes about the creation of the game are very interesting and it appears that people really cared about what they were building. However, when it gets into the competing games of the time it seriously suffers from only having 1 point of view. Saying that Madden was by far the better game on the market and the "closest thing to being on the field" was why the NFL wanted an exclusive agreement is a complete lie. Simply put EA just paid a huge sum to have a monopoly on the competition.

This is definitely worth a watch but take what you hear with a huge shovel of salt.