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This game kicks butt and is way better than Madden 2001

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 36 / 39
Date: August 26, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This game is a big improvement over Madden 2001.The people who said theres no or little difference between the two must be brain dead,even Stevie Wonder can see the improvements.First the defense plays like it should.Tampa's and Baltimore's defense have been tough to play against in season mode,unlike 2001's.The secondary is alot tougher to throw against with alot better pass coverage.Theres alot less one handed catches and throwing desperation long bombs and completing them.You have to call good plays and read the defences and drive down the field now and on defense theres more pass coverage audibles that work and the goalline defense is a heck of alot better.The CPU is so much better now,on offense they drive down the field with shorter passes and a good running game.If you play against Martin,Dillon,James etc. you have to try and contain the good runners like that or theyll add up the yardage unlike last years game.They did a real good job with the player attributes like NHL 2001,you have to worry about the teams star players.Guys like Sapp,Kearse etc will sack your QB and put pressure on him,teams with kickers like Miami rarely miss field goals and the average kickers miss alot more,unlike last years game where the CPU made just about all the field goals.etc,etc.in other words the games are more realistic.I took Cincinnati to the Super Bowl last year,this year forget it but you get a great running game from Dillon like in a real game.The player graphics are a big improvement,the players and coaches faces look close to real and the body sizes are on scale and the animation is real good.and all the little things EA does to make the game more realistic are great like hard hits knock off helmets,players getting in front of the big fan on hot weather days,splashing trough mud on rainy days on real grass,knocking players into the gatorade table and watching it spill etc,etc.the more I play the more I see cool little things like that.The extra options are great like franchise,practice modes,create a player and team.Theyre alot more accurate.Also which is great,you can adjust any players attribute.If a low ranked player is having a great year you can adjust him to play up to par or vice versa.The games are so more realistic on 2002 than 2001,thats why I cant understand how a few can say theres not much of a difference.Theres no comparison,this game rocks.

Good outweighs the bad

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: October 10, 2001
Author: Amazon User

A lifelong football fan, I hold off buying a new football video game every year. Typically, I pick up a new one about every 3 years or so, with the last being Madden 99 for the PC. I was pretty pleased with 99 and thought this would be more of the same, only with new rosters and the Texans. I was very surprised, as the same features I enjoyed on 99 are still here, and the new features simply amazed me. This game has a very realistic feel to it and is, hands-down, the best football game I've ever played.

The graphics are phenomenal, and replays even feature the spiffy "matrix" camera effect (where the camera seems to pan around the play, in a circular motion...or like the Jamal Lewis TD replays in the last Super Bowl). The customization and "challenge" features add an extra edge to the game. In addition to playing an ordinary schedule, you're given "challenges" to perform- like "Beat the Colts in the RCA Dome" or "Complete a pass to 5 different receivers". These allow you to collect points and build up "Madden Cards". (A feature that annoyed me at first, but I was converted). The customization of players was exceptional. I created a new player, not on the game's rosters,- Kevin Kasper. I was amazed when the announcers actually SPOKE his name... thought that was a neat touch. (Older version would just say "he throws to the RECEIVER", here they say "KASPER"). You can also change your team's uniforms for each game. For example, the Broncos have five uniforms: home, road, alternate home, home throwback, and away throwback. Plus, if your team plays a Thanksgiving game, the announcers say "Happy Thanksgiving, everybody..." Madden even chimes in, late in the game, talking about his six-legged turkey. Nice touches!

Another cool feature- upon completing a single season, you can convert your season file into a franchise file, immediately.

A few blemishes, though. As mentioned, if you're unfamiliar with "Madden Cards", it takes some getting used to. The instruction book does a poor job of explaining what these do, or why you'd want to build them up. Furthermore, the idea of "unlocking" features is annoying to me. I want everything to be there for me to mess with. You "unlock" some of the "greatest players of all time"... so I was bummed when it turned out to be the likes of Merrill Hoge and Keith Byars. It does get better, as Dan Marino and others eventually appear. Cheat cards bother me... why would you want to play a football simulation game where you can make every 1st and ten into a 1st and five? Takes away the realism, right there. Additionally, it takes a few games to figure out how to save all your files. (There's three different menus that take you to the "SAVE" screen.. so you forget how you got there)

Gameplay has a few drawbacks. First, if the computer goes 3 and out on the first series, it rarely runs the ball for the rest of the game. The computer consistently passes and it's not unusual for Jon Kitna and the Bengals to throw three 80 YD TD bombs in one game. The computer often finishes a game with 376 yds in the air, and 12 yds on the ground. Secondly, you have to gingerly touch the controls to complete a pass to your receivers. This is especially tough for the L1, L2 buttons. After two games, you get sick of hearing Madden say "He obviously has a cannon for an arm, but on the shorter passes, he needs a softer touch". Takes alot of practice to work around these things.

The only thing I havent' found is the "lateral" button. On Madden 99, any ball carrier could lateral the ball at any time. A move rarely seen in the pros, but you could pull off some nifty hook and ladder plays when you were behind.

Overall, this has everything you'd every want in a football game. The little details and touches are fantastic. Pump-fakes, motions, coaches, audibles, off-season moves, full roster customization, entire TEAM creation, and even the NFL Europe teams! Heck, I'll bet a clever fan could even create some CFL or Arena teams. It really blew me away, and I don't think I'll have a need for another football game for quite some time. If you're a football fan, get this game!

The Great with the semi-bad.....

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 11
Date: January 16, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I've read a bunch of reviews for this game, both positive & negative ones. Here's a diehard Football fan and gamer's point of view ---

This game is both wonderfully deep and frustrating at the same time. I've played the Madden series, both on PC and PS2 now for quite some time. What I love about this version is the incredible depth and playability. But it is flawed...as I've learned most games are. Here are some of my Good's & Bad's with Madden 2002:

GOOD
-All teams and rosters (mostly accurate (player ratings included)) including the Houstan Texans and NFL Europe Teams; Hidden Teams as well (All-Madden, SuperBowl, Creators, etc)
-Franchise Mode -- 30 Years of running your own team, from scratch if you chose (fantasy draft) is absolutely a dream. I'm currently in year 13 of my Franchise and am still loving every second of it.
-Create-a-Player mode is deep and realistic. If you want the UberPlayer, you'll pay for it. When creating a player in Franchise mode, he will cost a boatload of money if you make him that good.
-Player progression -- while sometimes frustrating it is as close to realistic as gaming can be. Yeah, you'll draft some rookie that you think is going to rip it up and he may statistically, but may not show in his progress in the offseason. That's a good thing, because for everyone of those guys there is a guy on your team that will progress beyond your belief (i've had DE's go up +7 in one offseason - amazing).
-Difficulty options -- I've seen the reviews complaining of Madden being too easy or not fair (computer biased). By tweaking the many AI stats you can create a perfect enviornment for your own gaming level. I am in season 13 and am currently playing on All-Madden, but the wonderful thing about the Franchise play is you can progress and change the level as you do so. Pro as a beginner can be challenging, then All-Pro steps up the bar more so, and finally to All-Madden which makes every game a close one. You concentrate too much on running they'll start blitzing more, you concentrate too much on passing they'll drop back more. That sounds like good AI Programming to me. On the defensive side of the ball it works likewise. You blitz too much on the outside, they'll run to the middle or dump to a screen'ing halfback. You stay back too much, they'll kill you on posts & cross routes. I find it's a nice mix of AI for both the computer's offense & defense. You may have to adjust some things -- for ex. I've noticed the CPU intercepts a lot more passes that are obvious mistakes by the QB than I do. Ok, in the settings you can raise your Awareness or you INT so that you find it more even.

BAD:
-freezes & slowdowns.
-Free Agent signings, the CPU on average spends much much less than you in this process. Guys I sign for over a million dollars (depending how far you are in your Franchise (inflation)) the CPU seems to get for about half what I offer.
-Instant Replay Challenges -- Usually we (users) lose the Challenge because the Ref challenges the wrong part of the play - a simple multiple choice in the Challenge setup would fix that.

Go GAMING! Madden overall ROCKS.

Madden 2002- YOU NEED TO GET THAT!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 11
Date: July 22, 2001
Author: Amazon User

With out question- Madden 2001 was the best sports game ever made. Plain and simple. The graphics were so great that I just wanted to cry. I mean the game is so fun if there was one game that had to have Madden 2001 would be my first choice. Now that Madden 2002 is comming out, the expecations are so high this time around. A updated roster, an advanced franchise, team creation, season, exhibition, and your old time favorites. And you know EA will give some more surprizes and goodies for the fans. Madden 2002 will be the sports game of 2001 and is a must get game. Madden 2002-The game of the year automatically!

Madden 2002

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 14
Date: July 26, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Could Madden 2002 possibly top the great Madden 2001? Yes, it has not just topped Madden 2001, but has blown it out of the water. With the all-new (exept to Playstation 1) Franchise mode and create-a-team, this game is sure to be THE BEST. If you are considering buying ANY OTHER football game for ANY other system, DON'T! Madden 2002 will be, and is, the GREATEST football game EVER! If you buy ONE football game this year, get Madden 2002, you WON'T be disappointed.

Ten Years and EA is still breaking tackles and scoring big

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 6
Date: August 30, 2001
Author: Amazon User

SInce '92 madden titles have been coming out. I have been satisfied with all of them. Madden 2002 for the Playstation 2 is terrific. Having played last years version many times... I can find alot of improvement. I love the opening with the offense/defense introductions. It makes for a true football atmosphere. The announcing is above average when compared to other sports video games. The dynamic duo and ageless combo of Madden/Summeral is always good. There are some very accute details added in as well. There are shadows for late afternoon games covering the fields, and the players encouragement and dispair are displayed through their voices on field. What truly blew me away was the NFL Europe feature. You can be the galaxy.. and they have actual rosters. Michael Bishop is the quarterback. I was baffled by this. The gameplay is very realistic and is challenging on Pro. (although i just got the game) I am overall extremely happy and feel it was well worth the buy.

This is the game I've been waiting for since Atari.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: August 23, 2001
Author: Amazon User

This is simply the best football game ever created, period. Last year's version simply doesn't compare. Yes the graphics were amazing as expected, yada, yada, yada. But gameplay is what brings a true football gamer back and this is where Madden 2k2 separates itself from anything ever done (everything that I say rules on this year's means last year's fell short in this area-ridiculous one hand catches and giant eyes included). They took the money plays away. No more out routes whenever I want or slot receivers making plays on safeties EVERY time-the safeties will take those zones away (set up your deep balls with running plays and underneath routes or don't bother...LIKE REAL FOOTBALL). On D, no more being completely at the mercy of the WR dropping passes(which was too often last year-I'm glad receivers don't drop nearly as many passes this year)if I'm a DB behind the play, I can now come up and make plays, although I'd like more control coming over the shoulder to bat passes down or to take a shot on a guy and force the drop if the timing's right like past versions. But the AI is TIGHT!!!! I don't even have to tweak the AI sliders on the settings anymore, default is actually rendered perfectly. I like how the computer knows if they've got man coverage outside and knows when to exploit it, if you overblitz they'll make you pay. If you sit back in zone because you always could (I'll get to that next) they'll run you into the ground or split that zone with tightends or slot guys underneath. Now to what took my lust for this game to pure LOVE. THE COMPUTER CAN ACTUALLY PUT UP RUSHING YARDS!!! No this isn't a misprint. The computer will put up 70-120 yds. on the ground on you every game (8 min. qtrs.). The playcalling is fantastic, they mix run/pass in unpredictable ways and don't try to cheat or they'll make you pay. I love the hot routes on the backs to stay back and block unprotected side blitzers. The training mode is cool too, it feels like Madden's on your couch coaching you. The net result when it comes to game stats (which is so important)produces numbers in-line with a real football game. The graphical bells and whistles are nice and I hope to see more enhancements (more variation in commentary would be good-there was more this year but I guess I'm picky and this would be a nice to have not a must have). I also would be remiss if I didn't mention how cool it is that you can export draft classes from NCAA to Madden (I only wish the game itself was more like Madden 2k2 instead of Madden 2k1 but that's for another review). Madden 2k2 is easily my favorite game ever and what's more is it's actually the game I always dreamed about. This time it's in the game AND in the gameplay. Helmets off to EA!!!

What NCAA could've been...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: August 26, 2001
Author: Amazon User

If you read my review for NCAA 2002 a month ago, or if you've played that game, then you know what a disappointment it was. I'm pleased to say that that is not the case with Madden 2002. While not perfect, it is a nice step forward from the excellent 2001 game. The graphics are smoother, with better collision detection. The sound is incredible. I'm running this game through my Dolby Digital receiver, and while this game is encoded in generic "Dolby surround" it still sounds amazing. The commentary is deeper than any other football game out there, which is nice for replayability. Madden has had something to say about at least one player from every team I've played with so far. The bonus features are a big plus. I even got my wife to learn about football with the training feature, where coach Madden explains the purpose behind various plays and formations, and the two minute drill is a lot of fun. Overall, this is far and away the best football game available. It is just in time for the season, and doesn't have any of the rushed to market feel that NCAA 2002 did. If you've got Madden 2001, you may hold off because it's not that different from last years excellent offering, but for anyone else, this is a must buy.

If you're a football fan, you need to play this

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: December 03, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I bought my PS2 primarily to play this beautiful game. I've been playing Madden since 2000 on the PC. It's only been 2 years since that release, but there is very little resemblance between the two games. The evolution of Madden series onto the PS2 format is one of the most exciting things in sports video games.

Here are the specifics:

AI- There are AI slider settings for almost everything you'd want to control (off awareness, QB accuracy, def interception, kickoff length, etc). I find that the AI is extremely strong, especially the defensive players. One real treat this year is getting turnovers on defense. When you take control of the secondary, you can actually increase the chance of making a key interception. I love playing defense this year. One note, I only play on All-pro setting, because the speed ratings are almost meaningless on All-madden. Also, the default all-pro setting is too easy so I've had to do some extensive slider tweaking.

Gameplay- Because of the extensive AI slider settings, you can make the gameply fit to whatever suits your style.

Running game- One major problem I see is that running draw plays from the shotgun is a sure 3-4 yard loss. One critical improvement for next year would be an improved running game, where the RB can actually bounce off engaged blockers and make cutbacks. But for the most part, I love the running game because there is great depth. You have to master the intricacies in order to have a successful running attack. One other note- when the defense blitzes on a running play, it doesn't give up as many big running gains as you might like to see. The sliders have a big impact on your gameplay.

Passing game- most people complain that the passing game is too simple or easy. I've set my qb accuracy near zero to make it challenging. Deep passes are difficult and this year, your QB will actually overthrow the WR by 5-10 yards. To this date, I have not found a pattern that I would characterize as money play. However, one play that is extremely effictive is motioning your outside WR (who is running a slant) to overstack one side. Also, the new feature which allows the QB to tuck the ball to scramble is a gem.

Special teams- I found the Kickoff returns to be challenging. Having a speedy, shifty returner helps- I had 2 TD returns with Az-Zahir Hakim in one season and led the league in KR and PR.
Kicking game is also very challenging with some slider modifications.

Overall, this is an excellent game. Certainly the best football game I've ever played. It has its quirks when you play right out of the box but with the right slider adjustments, it's an extremely fun game to play.

Madden 2002, The Best so far!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: September 02, 2002
Author: Amazon User

After a full year of Madden 2002, I am convinced this is the best football game out there. The series of Madden games seems to get better and better every year as I own the entire series.
I began playing Madden 2002 at home in exhibition mode, season mode, and even franchise mode. The computer does tend to get a little easy when you get your team rolling, even in All-Madden difficulty. After a few months, Madden 2002 went somewhere into my entertainment system and began to collect dust with the rest of my used games.
The re-birth of my Madden 2002. I am stationed on a US Navy warship and a few months ago my ship departed on a 6 month deployment. One of the few things I grabbed for deployment happened to be Madden 2002. This game is awesome. Using the Custom League, me and the guys are able to have a great season only playing eachother with no computer involved. We usually get around 6-10 people and kick off a season on our off time and go at it using created players and fantasy drafts. The compitition is awesome! I never relized just how bad of a player I was until I started playing people from all over the US on my ship.
Why this game is the best:
Gameplay: Awesome... D-backs knocking the ball away, RB's juking, WR's diving for catches, Kickers kicking the game winning field goal into the wind for the win.
Graphics: Looks like the real thing. Some tackles look a little stupid, like the guy is breaking his back.
This game is alot of fun, I recommend creating players and playing as many different people as humanly possible to get the most out of this game. This game is FOOTBALL at its best!

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