PlayStation 2

Madden NFL 2002

Madden football is on a roll, and even in the face of future competition it continues to set the standard for PS2 football fare. It looks like another great season for Madden in 2002.

Before there was a Madden NFL 2002, there was a game dubbed Madden 2001. This was a well-liked game that received much praise. The acclaim that it got is nothing compared to the accolades that 2002 deserves. When I tell you that I've never had such a fun and intense football experience – ever – you may think that's a natural progression for this next-gen sequel. However, that would be underestimating the strides this title has made, and just how high the bar has been raised.

The funny thing is, when my roommate says he wants to watch some football, that means he wants to watch ME play Madden 2002 because it's so real. If you couldn't already tell, this is probably your leading vote getter for 'Football Game of the Year.'

Well, after managing to insult probably a good 50% of our readership, this review is coming to an end. I can't say enough good things about this game. Its just football the way it was meant to be played on a video game console. There's nothing truly earth shattering that separate Madden 2001 and Madden 2002, other than updated rosters Two Minute Drill, the Training Mode and a few minor tweaks. But there is no better football game on the PlayStation 2 today.

Madden NFL 2002 is easily the most impressive NFL based video game ever. It's definitely an improvement in previous games in the Madden series including the previous PS2 stunner. The graphics and animation are crispy clean, so much so that several of my friends thought I was watching a real game until closer inspection, the gameplay is superb and the game just feels right. The most important thing however, is that Madden NFL 2002 is tremendous fun to play and has that "one more go" addiciveness. This is one game that, when you get used to the multitude of options and controls, you will not want to put down. If you already own last year's version you should still consider upgrading to the 2002 game, it's that good. If your undecided as to whether you can cope with playing an NFL game I can only strongly suggest the you rent this game to see how awesome it is, and then go buy it.

When you take these two factors together -- great single player and great multiplayer game -- what you get is a football fan's wet dream and one of the greatest sports titles that have ever graced a videogame console. And while whether or not it's the best football game ever released is debatable, we're going to go ahead and give it our vote for "Best. Madden. Ever."

Once everything is accounted for, Madden 2002 is fundamentally the same game as last year's title. There are a handful of compelling new features and graphical upgrades, but when you compare the experience of being out on the field that both games offer, the core technical differences between them are nominal. Even still, what Madden 2002 has to offer is rock-solid, and will not disappoint fans of the series.

Mit Madden NFL 2002 hat EA Sports wieder einmal alles richtig gemacht und den glänzenden Vorgänger noch in vielen Punkten übertroffen. Die Grafik wirkt nun noch detaillierter, die neu eingespielten Animationen noch realistischer und die KI noch ausgereifter. Die üppigen Spielmodi und das facettenreiche Gameplay lassen kaum mehr Wünsche offen und Neulinge freuen sich über das exzellente Trainingslager, den vereinfachten EAsy-Play-Modus und Hilfestellungen von John Madden höchst persönlich. Der 30jährige Franchise-Modus und das originelle Sammelkarten-System sorgen auch dieses Mal für lang anhaltende Motivation und die eindrucksvolle Präsentation lässt selbst die fehlende Lokalisierung und die nicht mehr vorhandenen NFL-Europe-Teams verschmerzen. Unterm Strich ist und bleibt Madden die Referenz in Sachen American Football - und das mit Abstand.

While to the very few, Madden 2002 will feel like the 'same old same old' (those people deserve to be hit with bricks), all in all Madden NFL 2002 is a substantial improvement in the series. The controls have remained untouched, the visuals have received a major overhaul, and the gameplay has been reinvented all over again. The sheer amount of new modes, and the overall depth of this game is unrivaled. It's very interesting to see if Sega will be able to compete with their PS2 version of NFL 2K2 next year. Indeed, the fight for virtual pigskin supremacy has officially begun. Madden NFL 2002 is a highly recommended purchase.

Madden 2002 encompasses just about everything a pigskin fan could want in a football game, from the outstanding presentation to the solid mechanics. Though it isn't perfect, it's very good, and is easily recommended.

EA Sports is off to a good start this year on the PlayStation 2. NCAA 2002 and Madden 2002 have collectively raised the football bar. Only time will tell if the rest of its lineup will be as polished. One thing is for certain, however. If you have a PlayStation 2 and you love NFL football - Madden 2002 is simply a must buy.

Madden 2002 has new features including Season, Franchise, Tournament, Create-A-Team, and many others. It has updated rosters and better stat records of players. This is the first Madden to use the Madden Challenge to receive tokens to buy Madden cards that unlock cheats, historic players, and boost player's ratings for different periods of time. There sadly isn't online support for this game on Xbox. PS2 owners however have the pleasure of having this feature. Hopefully in the future EA will have online support for all consoles. Still, overall, Madden 2002 is a great game; highly recommended.

While EA Sports have only made a few improvements over Madden NFL 2001, fans of the series should be extremely pleased with the new customisable team and create-a-player modes, as well as the improved graphical touches. About the only major complaint anyone can make towards Madden NFL 2002 is that it is perhaps too similar to its predecessor, so those players who already own the 2001 edition may feel short changed if they buy this game. If you are in that boat, rent it first - most will still agree that it warrants the purchase, as it is the definitive Madden title.

Madden NFL 2002 isn't just another addition to the long-standing Madden series. It's a game that's so feature-rich, so extremely customizable, and so realistic that I'd recommend this one even if you're not a football buff.

Madden 2002 really provides some quality football on the Playstation 2. Between the pretty pictures and the solid gameplay, there's plenty of fun to be had. Just fire up your stereo for your audio accompaniment.

My only beef is that the hits aren't quite as earth shaking as those in Sega's NFL 2K series. Still, Madden 2002 is awesome, and no die-hard football fan will want to pass it up.

Pound for pound Madden 2002 and NFL 2K2 represent the best we've seen from a variety of football titles over the years. Madden 2002 does many things well and displays the polish of a title that has been around (in its incrementally modified form) for several years. But it's Madden's inherently deep replay value that makes the game a real value for the dollar. Couple that with excellent pass execution, solid football strategies and integration with rosters from the graduates of NCAA 2002 and you have very deep, solid, although somewhat aged game of professional football. So there you have it! Let the e-mails fly.

If you liked Madden 2001, do yourself a favor and buy Madden 2002... or just wait and buy Madden 2003 which can't be that far down the road. There are a few minor glitches in 2002, but nothing to shun it for. I love the game, and I think you will to, if you like football anyways.

Neben den grafischen Verbesserungen wurde auch das Gameplay aufgeputzt, noch flüssiger und sauberer sind nun die Sportler zu steuern. Alles in Allem hat EA gute Arbeit geleistet, den der gesamte Spielablauf ist nun wirklich reizvoller. Fazit: Hat man sich mit den Spielregeln erst mal auseinander gesetzt, macht’s richtig Fun!