Madden NFL 2002

"And Then WHAM, The Running Back Hits The Hole, And You Got Yourself A Twenty Yard Gain!!!"

Madden 2002 is hands down the best football game ever released, as of the current date, and probably until Madden 2003 is released next year. Quite simply, no game can match the number of play modes, options, or the pure gameplay that Madden offers.

Madden 2002 is a football game. If you're unfamiliar with American football, it's a game similiar to rugby and soccer. The rules of the game themself are best left to something besides a review; Madden closely follows all of the rules of pro football.

There's several play modes to choose from, and a good deal of them are new. There's the typical season mode, where you choose one team and guide them through a season. There's also a franchise mode, where you can play up to twenty seasons, and controlling other aspects such as the draft and signing free agents. The two minute drill is a fast-paced mode: your task is to score as many points as possible in two minutes. In addition, there's a full featured practice mode, in case you're new to the whole football thing, and a custom league option, where you can design your own league to play in with your buddies. The arcade or simulation fan has every reason to be happy with Madden 2002.

All thirty-one NFL teams are present in Madden 2002. Also included are the Houston Texans, the 2002-2003 NFL expansion team, and several other teams, such as the All-Pro and All-Madden teams. Hidden classic teams are also available. All current NFL players are in the game, which includes many of this year's first-round draft picks, such as Micheal Vick. Each is ranked in a variety of abilities, from quickness to speed to arm strength to clutch ability. Even if you find a player NOT in the game, there is a Create-A-Player option, and it's very likely that a roster update patch will be released through the internet or a standalone with the PS2's capabilities.

However, all of this looks great on paper. How does the game play? Well, even better than it sounds.

Even before you step on the field, there's a wide array of options to tweak and play around with. You can change everything from quarter length to difficulty to how agressive the refs call holding. Everything imaginable in the game can be adjusted, right down to home and away uniforms.

Once you get on the playing field, the game is still outstanding. Control follows the scheme of previous Madden games. For offense, running plays are automatically started, with you controlling the running back after a few seconds. Passing works by the quarterback receiving the ball, then pressing a button, which brings up the receiver boxes. Pressing the corresponding button throws the ball to that receiver. Touch passing is in full effect; holding down will throw a bullet bass, but barely flicking will throw a deep lob for your receiver to track down. Whether you're a running back, quarterback, tight end, or wide reciever, you have a full repetoire of moves, ranging from a stiff arm to a spin. Mastering this abilities will allow you to rip off fifty yard runs with ease.

The offensive playbooks in Madden 2002 are outstanding. There's one for each team, closely following their real-life counterparts, along with some generic playbooks: pass heavy, pass balanced, run balanced, run heavy, and the infamous West Coast offense. Formations range from the mostly run I to the primarily passing shotgun.

Defensively, Madden 2002 can be deemed a bit disappointing. There's only the very standard formations present in almost all other games: the 4-3, 3-4, nickel, dime and goal-line. There's no elaborate defense, such as the 5-2. The plays in each formation are also mundane; all-out blitzs are rare, as are most kinds of blitzs. Far too many pass coverage plays, and not enough run plugging plays.

Defensive is not impossible to play though. The scant defensive playbook is still more than suitable for the job, and your players also have some special techniques just like offensive players, such as speed bursts and rolls. Interceptions and fumbles come across at realistic rates, unlike other football games.

Special teams in Madden are likewise improved, but the field goal system is still extremely hard to use sometimes. Of course, this is very realistic to a REAL kicking game. Punting is very easy to execute though, and punt and field goal coverage is decent if not excellent.

The substitution system is excellent. There's a fully featured depth chart; if one of your players gets injured, they're replaced by the next person on the chart. You can also sub my formation. If you want an extra fast back for that singleback formation, or a good pass coverage linebacker for the dime, then it's extremely easy to implement them into the game.

The computer intelligence in Madden 2002 is improved from earlier Madden games, but it still has some distance to travel. The computer now plays intelligently in normal situations; if it's down by fourteen with two minutes left, expect lots of shotgun with four wide recievers, but if they're leading, expect them to run the ball into the ground. However, there's still the occasional moment when you think the computer is ''cheating'' by forcing a fumble or interception or blocked field goal at JUST the right time.

There's five levels of difficulty in the game. The rookie level is laughibly easy, and should only be used by TRUE first timers, but after that, things aren't so easy. Even the next level up, pro, is significantly harder, and will challenge all but the novice gamer. Anything more than that, play at your own risk.

Graphically, Madden 2002 is jaw-dropping. All players look like their real life counterparts, right down to facial features and tatoos. Which may be a bad thing, depending on your point of view. Animation is smooth and practically flawless, there is no slowdown, and load times are kept to a minimum. The only minor problem is that you can hear the CD drive churning before the ball is snapped; therefore, you can get an unfair jump before the play starts. However, this is a relatively minor enhancement.

Madden 2002 features a full hip-hop soundtrack, with a heavy edge to it. Tracks can be heard throughout the menus in the game. For the actual gameplay, the old duo of Pat Summerall and John Madden are back. If you don't like either one of them, than you can turn them off, thankfully, as with the rest of the sounds. The sound effects are truly remarkable; each bone-crunching hit can be heard, and felt from a Dual Shock controller.

Overall, Madden 2002 is THE best football game released, up to this point in time. Hands down, no contest, we'll see you. Get it immediately if you own a Playstation 2; and if you don't, then combining this game with NBA Street makes two compelling sports game reasons from EA Sports to buy a Playstation 2.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 09/01/01, Updated 09/01/01