madden2001review

EA trumps Sega in the console football wars (... but not by much)
Every once in a while a genre seems like it has reached a definite peak. For videogame football, that plateaus happened about two years ago. Football franchises from EA, Gameday, Acclaim and other developers all but tapped the potential of the last generation of consoles... Then came NFL2K.

With its first Dreamcast sports outing, Sega re-ignited the creative fires of football developers, and the evolution of the genre began again in earnest. The results are readily apparent in two fantastic football titles released this year. The first was NFL2K1 and the second is Madden 2001.

If we were weak-willed and gutless, we'd wuss out and say that they're both winners and it's too tough to pick a champion (others are certainly doing that for us). We'll admit that it was tough to pick the best, but we spent countless hours trying to do exactly that. It was frighteningly close, but in the end, Madden won. Here's why.
What first caught our attention in Madden 2001 were the jaw-dropping graphics. The level of detail on each player is almost silly. Faces show expressions, eyes move, grass gets stuck in helmets and players' muscles flex and move like they do in real life.

Add to that the amazing environmental graphics, including super-realistic stadiums, cool weather effects and sidelines that are jam-packed with realistic polygonal characters including coaches, players and camera crews. Details like this make the game seem less like a game and more like a real broadcast. The presentation is typical EA quality, which, needless to say, is top notch.

Madden also shines in the gameplay department. The offence offers a solid balance between running and passing, and players that excel at coaching will be able to win games against the computer or other players with either a run- or pass-oriented offence. The AI in general is exceptional, and the computer actually makes good calls and plays tight coverage on both offence and defence.

The control is surprisingly tight on both offence and defence. Hardcore fans have plenty of control options with the dual shock pad, while casual fans will be able to pick up and play without much confusion. One gripe, however, is that the controls switch from offence to defence, which causes needless uncertainty for beginners.
Where Madden excels more than anywhere else is its depth. For starters, the game has enough gameplay modes to keep everyone content for a year. The franchise mode is excellent, and other modes are easy to use and navigate. Add to that World Football League teams, classic teams for every NFL franchise and more All-Madden teams than we care to think about, and the game offers almost limitless replayability.

What we like best, however, is the clever addition of Madden Cards. These game secrets can be won during games. For instance, making five completions in a row gives players four Madden points. These points can be saved and used to buy Madden cards that open up hundreds of cheats, special players and even bizarre stadiums like an old west arena, a castle and other cool locales. This little addition keeps us playing more than any other feature in the game.
About the only two things this game is missing is online play (see NFL2K1) and great commentary. Sega's strides in the second area have made Madden's "that's gotta hurt" quotes archaic and annoying right from the start. If EA doesn't scrap this commentary system by next year, we won't be nearly as merciful.

The bottom line is simply that Madden 2001 is deeper, ever so slightly more playable and just a pinch better than NFL2K1. Both are unbelievably good games, but one has to be the best -- and Madden 2001 squeaks by. Boy, this is going to make both teams work extra hard next year. Competition sure is good for us gamers, isn't it?

Bottom Line: Console football doesn't get better than this.