"Electronic Arts Does it Again"

Every year, the "Madden" series of football video games get better and better. So it's not surprising Electronic Arts releases "Madden 2002" for the Play Station 1. Anyway, on to my review.

GRAPHICS--10/10

The graphics on this edition are excellent. The players are very life-like. The camera rotates around the football stadium at just the right time. There's a lot of variety to the teams' uniforms. The stadiums are exact replicas of their real-life counterparts. The graphics in this version are easily beaten by the Play Station 2 version's graphics, but are excellent for a Play Station 1 game, nonetheless.

SOUNDS--10/10

The sounds are excellent as well. You'll actually hear the referee calling a first down when the measuring chains come out when it's too close to tell. You also have commentary from not only John Madden himself, but also commentary from Pat Sommerall, James Brown and Lesley Visser, all from Fox television. There's an excellent rap song on the main menu. You can hear the actual grunts and groans of the football players in action. Overall, the sounds are excellent.

CONTROLS--10/10

The controls are the best for a football video game. You get to go through your play book and three of the face buttons let you select an offensive or defensive play. When you have the quarterback throw the ball, each button is assigned to a receiver, giving the controls true power. Kicking field goals and punting the ball is just as simple as any other football game, it's just that wind conditions sometime affect the dynamics of the kicking. Overall, the controls are excellent.

GAME PLAY--10/10

This is a football fanatic's fantasy come true. You get not only the 31 teams from the 2001-2002 season (sorry, Houston Texans fans, your team's not in this edition), but also teams from years past, even teams from the NFL Europe league, giving it some international flavor. You also have loads of options, like the standard "Exhibition" and "Season" modes. You also earn something called "Madden Tokens" for doing amazing feats, like throwing a 30-yard pass, and spending them on trading cards, thus adding to the replay value. Overall, the game play is excellent.

OVERALL--10/10

Electronic Arts has done it again. They make "Madden 2002" an excellent football video game for the Play Station 1. This is, by far, the best football video game on the market right now. You owe it to yourself to buy this game.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/17/04