The Champ Reclaims It's Title

Author's Rating:

Pros: Gameplay,Graphics,Lots of Extras

Cons: Way too easy on lowest setting

Author's Review
After the release of Sega's NFL2K1,the question was could the PS2 even come close to matching this heavy-hitting title. Now that Madden 2001 is here those questions can finally be answered. Time to kick off.

First Quarter(Graphics):
While NFL2K1's player models may look a little more realistic,Madden by no means lags far behind. Madden's players feature many more facial expressions and animations. Things like a Packer players leaping onto the wall after touch downs,and animated coaches help portray an accurate football experience. Uniforms are accurate right down to the smallest detail. You can see the mesh of the jerseys. Appropriate patches are found on the uniforms,and light reflects off helmets. Players even get turf caught on their face-masks at times.

Stadiums haven't been neglected either. The playing fields look good,right down to the texture of the grass. End zone and goal post markings,along with the various signs hanging along the walls make each arena both unique and an accurate representation of it's real-life counterpart. Side line officials move the chains,and even scurry out of the way when the play heads in their direction. The play calling screen even has a box where you'll either see player or coach animations. All of this lends a T.V. look to the game. Nicely done indeed.

Player movements look natural,and the game as a whole moves smoothly. The only things that I can find any fault with are the referee and coaches aren't quite as smooth as the players themselves. Not totally blocky,but you will notice a small difference. Not really a big minus in a game where you can actually see the pimples on the ball during replays! Yes,there are instant replays,and they look as good as everything else.

A hard fought first quarter. Score:Madden-3,NFL2K1-3

Second Quarter(Sounds):
Both games feature a two man broadcast team,with a female side line reporter. The play by play in Madden,although somewhat repetitive,is usually right on. I haven't heard this team call a dropped pass the second incomplete in a row,when it was the first pass I threw all game. The side line reporter(Leslie Visser)turns up slightly(but not much)more than her counterpart from Sega. All of the in game sounds can be found here. A very vocal crowd for one! You can try to pump up(or quiet) the crowd(as the home team)by pressing the L2 button.

Another cool addition has to be the coach's reactions to certain plays. Maybe it's not Hank Stramm's"They're killing me Whitey"from the highlight reels,but it helps to add another touch of realism to the game. Referees call penalties audibly,and the player chatter(or,if you prefer,trash talk)is another nice feature. Stadium music pipes in at times,and it's the type of music you can expect to hear at a live game. Grunts and groans,and the clashing of pads on the line,all there,but maybe just a tad too loud to sound realistic.

Another tough quarter to call. Halftime score:Madden-6,NFL2K1-6

Third Quarter(Gameplay):
Madden's levels are much better balanced than NFL2K1's. While the CPU isn't much competition on rookie level in either game,the difficulty does not become next to impossible only one setting higher here. Madden also includes an Easyplay mode. This enables you to call plays for a specific player,instead of by formation. Teams have their own strengths and weaknesses. You can grind it out on the ground with the Steelers,air it out with the Rams' high powered offense,or use the Jets' balanced attack. Knowing your teams capabilities is most advisable on the higher settings.

The controls work well. They feel responsive,especially for the passing game. There's nothing new about them,the same icon based passing we've become used to. Hit the X button to bring up the receiver icons,press the corresponding button to pass too the selected receiver. Like I said,nothing new,but it works very well. Runners have the usual moves,like the dive and stiff-arm. Everything here is in order as well. Switching players on defense is easy,and the kicking game functions the same as in most football games(kick meter).

Play calling menus are easy to read and use. Pick your basic formation,or variation of a basic one(say,shotgun-four wide outs,or change it to five receivers,or maybe two backs-three wide outs. You get the picture.). Each formation will have a number of plays,shown three at a time on-screen. You can flip the play to try to cross up the D.

The balance of the levels,allowing players to have a very competitive,realistic game against the computer without a huge(and often frustrating)learning curve gives this game a solid third quarter edge.
Score after three:Madden-16,NFL2K1-6

Fourth Quarter(Extras):
Both games have the usual modes:Exhibition,Season,and Franchise. Both have a very good and workable create a player,but Madden not only gives you more freedom to control your player's appearance,there are no points to allocate to abilities. You just adjust each ability within an allotted range. Not only can you create players,you can also create a coach if your teams choice isn't to your liking. These options apply only to current NFL teams,not any of the following.

Madden not only gives you the present NFL teams,but a good number of past greats. Want to replay Super Bowl 1? Or maybe the Ice Bowl between Green Bay and Dallas? No problem,those teams are all here. A quick note on these old time teams,the players are not named,just numbered. Not always correctly. Take the 68'Jets for instance. The quarterback wears #15,Joe Namath wore #12. While he still plays like Broadway Joe,it still would've been nice to see the proper number.

If the old teams aren't enough for you,throw in the World League teams. That's right,now you can pit the Barcelona Dragons against the Scottish Claymores. All the teams are included,and the players are named(unlike the all-time teams). You can only use the World League and all-time teams in exhibition games,but they are a nice change of pace. Who knows,maybe next season they'll include the CFL teams as well. I'd love to play as the Toronto Argonauts.

There's also the Madden Challenge. By accomplishing certain feats during gameplay(things like sacking the QB,or rushing for 100 yards with a player)you get points. You then use these points to purchase Madden cards,copies of Upper Deck Trading cards that when used boost a certain player's abilities or enable cheats. With a memory card you can even wager these cards against a friend in head to head games.

The extras really push the game over the top. And back to it's old position as the champion of console football. For those of you fortunate enough to land a PS2,you can't go wrong with this one.
Final Score:Madden-23,NFL2K1-13