November 16, 2001 - Electronic Arts' Madden NFL 2002 is the first and only football game available for GameCube launch, and will undoubtedly go on to be one of the best NFL simulations on the console until the franchise's next release. And while the GameCube version isn't without its problems, Madden NFL 2002 has almost everything football fanatics could want.

Features

• Full NFL license for real players, teams and stadiums
• Up-to-date statistics and complete seasonal tracking
• All new player face and body technology, so player and coach faces and body shapes will look even more like their real life counterparts
• New modes include Two-Minute Drill, where points can be earned on offense or defense in a quick-hitting fast-paced game within the game
• Create-a Team mode features customized uniforms, helmets and stadiums; and Coach's Corner, where you can learn about the X's and O's of football from John Madden while perfecting in-game skills
• Completely revamped and realistic player faces with varied geometry, giving more realistic and unique faces (no more psycho-zombie eyes)
• New animations, more realistic tackles including drag-downs
• More realistic lighting, sunlight, etc.
• Analog and digital support
• Play and draft with the newest NFL franchise, the Houston Texans. Take them to the Super Bowl in Franchise Mode
• New Madden Cards with new players, new designs and cheerleaders
• Hundreds of new animations have been added, while a new focus on player emotion and high drama has been added with cool replays featuring camera angles a TV broadcast can't capture, such as inside the huddle
• With widescreen 16:9 TV support, you can now see all of your receivers run their patterns.
• Madden NFL 2002 incorporates strategy from real NFL coaches and John Madden himself, improvements to blocking and pass coverage lead the list of changes for 2002
• Dolby Surround support
• Progressive scan support for HDTV-ready sets
• For one or two players

Gameplay
The Madden franchise is all about simulation. It sets out to bring an interactive NFL experience to your fingertips, and it delivers. It features one of the most extensive Season/Franchise modes on the market, allowing for up to 31 players, as well as Tournament and Custom League modes. In addition to these deeper modes you can choose to practice plays, pit yourself in specific situations, and even a unique two-minute drill that utilizes a special points system. In this mode you are rewarded for doing things like passing for a first down and QB sacks, so you can score during both offense and defense. There is even a slick training mode where Madden walks you through basic formations and plays with commentary and diagrams. It's extremely useful if you want to beef up on basic play tactics.

Certainly all Madden's trimmings are great, but the meat and potatoes of the single-player game is the Franchise mode, which has improved over previous Madden iterations. The mode lasts for up to 30 years (game time), enables a total of 31 entrants, and gives users the ability to import a draft class from NCAA Football 2002 after the first year. Instead of imaginary players you can decide to pick up real players like Virginia Tech's Lee Suggs or Oregon State's Ken Simonton.

You're even able to take hold of the new Houston Texans, enabling you to take over that franchise after the first year and take part in the expansion draft. Without a doubt Madden 2002 is one of the most feature-rich games on the market. It is also only football game that we know of this year that will actually have the new division alignment that takes place next year. So you have access to AFC North, South, East, and West and an NFL North, South, East and, West.

Note: Madden NFL 2002 requires 59 blocks of memory -- an entire GameCube memory card -- for Franchise mode. Settings, rosters, and replays will easily take up another memory card on their own.

So, indeed the options and features list is impressive. More important than the possibilities, though, is the actual gameplay. Madden NFL 2002 plays spectacularly, and has come closer to accurately simulating American football than all of the competition. A more balanced running and passing game in combination with improved AI just feels right. You spend the whole season watching the games on ESPN and FOX, but when you pick up Madden 2002 you feel like you're part of the NFL. It's your chance to be the quarterback, running back, or star punter for your favorite team. Everything comes to a boiling point when you enter exhibition matches with a friend.

You love the Packers and one of your good friend worships the Vikings. In Exhibition mode you can face off and prove your team's worth. You'll be able to choose from a large number stadiums, custom forecast weather conditions, and choose quarter lengths. As rewarding as the single-player Season/Franchise mode can be, Exhibition matches are often what you will return to the most if you have friends who will indulge in mutliplayer with you.

In terms of control, Madden requires some skill. Basic passes and running is easy, but the control scheme allows for jukes, stiff arms, dives, and much more. After spending enough time with the game your skills will improve substantially. You'll be sidestepping and pushing off opponents like a star player. So, there's enough flexibility so novices can enjoy the game but also enough depth so experts can outperform.

Unfortunately, this stunning football simulation isn't without its problems. Artificial intelligence is still dodgy. As you increase the difficulty the CPU will play better than you even if you have higher rated players. Even during exhibition matches your own teammates will occasionally do something weird. For example, we've seen CPU players decide to not tackle quarterbacks despite being next to them. The good news is these AI glitches aren't that prominent. A few unfair plays might have you turning off your GameCube in disgust, but inevitably you'll return because the core of Madden 2002 is so excellent.

Graphics
While Madden NFL 2002 utilizes a different rendering engine than the other next-generation consoles, the core of the visuals are optimized around the PlayStation 2. The developer, Tiburon, did put the GameCube hardware to good use, though. Player faces and field textures have increased resolution over the PS2 and it shows. The grass textures are more defined and the visuals have an overall sharper look thanks to larger textures and anti-aliasing. Even with over 20 players on the field, refs, and coaches on the sidelines Madden 2002 runs at a fluid 60 frames per second, and where we saw some slowdown in the PS2 version -- especially when rain or snow was present -- the GameCube version runs without a hitch. Crowd textures, as always, are a turnoff and texture quality drops off after only 20 or 30 yards, but over all Madden 2002 is pretty sharp looking. Animation blends nicely with the crisp visuals for a more immersive experience. All players have been motion captured for the most realistic look possible and it shows. Tiburon has even added in small touches such as players' helmets getting knocked off. Additionally, textures dynamically change as you play along. Often in rainy games mud smears will appear on the field, outfits will get dirty, and helmets will smudge.

HDTV owners are in for a special treat thanks to a progressive scan mode and 16:9 widescreen support. As with most progressive scan compatible software you will immediately notice a sharper picture and clearer textures. In combination with the true widescreen mode, which lets you see all of your receivers, Madden 2002 looks magnificent.

Sound
The game of course features commentary from John Madden himself and this often proves to be one of the worst parts of the audio experience. He and his cohort Pat Summerall can often be heard advising players, "You'll never get that first down without a good run," or "You'll need to pass the ball to get some yardage." Those are semi-fictional examples, but trust us when we warn you that Madden's narration is often irritating because it's so obvious. There's even times where John and Pat throw out a comment that just doesn't make sense because there's no accurate situation audio byte available. The good news is that commentary takes backseat to the gameplay and can easily be overlooked.

Everything runs in full Dolby Surround and is pretty much what you'd expect from the playing field. There are many different tackling sounds, yells, and screams from the crowd, which reacts in real-time to the action. Tiburon has even tossed in the random megaphone sound byte like, "Seat number D26 has just won a free case of bottled water." With that said, though, the sound effects are average. They get the job done, but don't go beyond what's needed with any special effects.

created by da biszy