Originals November 29, 1999

Madden NFL 2002

Posted by: kombo

Youâ€™ve grown accustomed to it; Electronic Arts is the iron fist of Football Games, slowly but surely, they have improved the gameplay, visuals, and sound of each issued game. With solid, hard-hitting, accurate and realistic football action, Madden dominates this gaming department with an untouchable edge. Although all games in the football genre still have a long way to go from a graphical standpoint, Madden NFL 2002 is still the most visually pleasing football game every developed. Licensed by the NFL, and the NFL players association, means Madden NFL 2002 as usual, features real life football players, in their most recent team uniforms. So what the heck is new with 2002? Well, one of the more interesting additions is the amount of detailed offered to the coach models. They roam the sidelines, and erupt in real-time at the sight of a bad play. Madden NFL 2002 is all about customization, with new modes, you will be able to simulate any event, situation, and team to broaden the gameplay experience. Gameplay If you are in search for the same solid, exciting, and dynamic gameplay in your football titles, then as always, you will not be disappointed with this addition to the Madden NFL franchise. There are several new modes, one which I would like to point out first would have to be Situation mode. With a simple menu, you can pretty much emulate any playing situation possible, be it you start at the beginning of the game with 50 points, or you launch the game with 1 minute remaining, being down 5 points on the opposing teamâ€™s kick-off, we had a lot of fun playing around with this mode. Madden NFL 2002 features the same basics as its predecessors; you have your quick launch exhibition game, your season mode and practice. With 2002 however, you may form your own franchise, and use your choice of currently existing coaches, or you may even design your own sidelines maniac to run you through the season. Much similar to the modes above, is the Custom League mode. Play through an entire season, with your choice of the amount of teams in the league, and which ones will play in it. One of the things that I found annoying with Madden NFL 2002 was its fantasy draft. Although it gave an opportunity to snag some good prospects, it took an annoyingly large amount of time, as it flipped through the teams, waiting for them to selectâ€¦ one by oneâ€¦ in 47 rounds, even simulating the entire draft took a couple of minutes. Alright, so maybe Iâ€™m a little impatient, and that is precisely why I found the loading times ridiculous, even on the Xbox Console, it took days and days to get into the games (actually, 20-30 seconds, but still). If you already used and abused the PS2 version of Madden 2002, you will quickly melt into the controls, as they are set up in a similar style. Madden is one of the games which fully utilizes the Microsoft Xbox Gamepad, even those outrageously far away black and white buttons. We found our thumbs straining after a while and eventually avoided using the black & white wonders. Other then that, the controls were solid, even the triggers fit nicely into the game, it provided a more natural feeling to it oddly enough. Graphics Although, an obvious port of the PS2 version with little tweaks, you will get a lot more out of the Xbox version then you will on any other console. If you are a starving football game fanboy, looking for the best in visuals, both realistic and beautiful, then Madden NFL 2002 will be nirvana. Using light and shadow effects, combined with sleek, smooth motion and dynamic player models, Madden truly showcases one of the most graphically advanced football games out there as of yet. We found the player models, and the extras to themselves fitting to what Madden has been missing in the past. You will notice helmet scratches, gleem off the jerseys, and depth in the players. One of the things I couldnâ€™t avoid shaking my head at were the eyes of each player, and the coaches, yes, they still appear to be hollow. Sound Before you buy Madden 2002, you should know that you will get the redundant, and monotone voice of John Madden dancing all throughout the game. I personally do not like his commentary, and play-by-play, so it may be a biased opinion of me to say this. I didnâ€™t have a problem with Madden 2001, mainly because there were several other people laying out the law to you during the game (ie: ask the coach), but in 2002, its all Madden and Pat Summerall. The music didnâ€™t bother me at all, mainly because it only comes on while you are setting up the game. Itâ€™s a matter of what music you personally prefer. Overall The improvements in the graphics, and gameplay of Madden NFL 2002 are on par with what weâ€™d expect from the Xbox console. The commentary could have used variety, both in the messages, and in the people who are speaking them. Comparing this title with NFL Fever just wouldnâ€™t feel right; EA has aimed towards more of a simulation style video game, whereas I personally feel Fever roams around the arcade level of gameplay. It all comes down to which style of game you prefer; realistic, or hard-hitting semi-realistic. All in all, EA Sports has hit the gameplay required for the simulation level they have been aiming for on the nail, there are 3 football games to choose from now, all you have to do is decide, which one is right for the style you enjoy. --Matt Durrant